Super Mario Odyssey

[Dcubed]

Our preview is now up!

 

http://n-europe.com/previews/super-mario-odyssey-preview

 

We also have direct feed capture from these three new kingdoms for you to enjoy! (it's a playlist link, there are 5 videos in all - the last two show off all of the posession capture targets I was able to find in my time playing and some cool secrets and surprises I found  )

 

 

Also, some bonus gifs I made for fun...

 

Spoiler

Yeah... This game is gonna be amazing!  

Edited September 20, 2017 by Dcubed

[Ronnie]

Some choice quotes:

"I was initially skeptical of the direction of the game, but each time I play Super Mario Odyssey, I'm more on board with the new, bizarre concepts at play. Capturing opens up so many new ideas for gameplay and world design, and the distinct areas I've explored to this point have kept me engaged even beyond the time I've had to play in them. I've left my previous demos with Odyssey wondering what secrets I missed and how else the game will surprise me when it finally comes out, and this time was no different."

"For the sake of fairness though we do have a few minor concerns, and although graphically the game’s a delight there’s an ugly crosshatching effect for some shadows that we’re not sure is a design choice or a technical limitation, but we don’t like it. We’re also a little concerned that the camera is very hands-on, and needs constant adjustment to remain useful. It’s nothing a practised gamer would think twice about, but we do worry how more casual players will take to it.

What we worry about most though is when we’ll get a chance to play the game again, because everything up to this point has been fantastic and so full of charm, invention, and Nintendo magic that we almost literally had to be pried off it. Regardless of how it stacks up next to other classic Mario games we can already say without question that this is destined to be one of the best games of this or any other year."

"As an example, at one point I spotted a glowing patch of ground. As I walked over it, my Joy-Con began rumbling gently. Then, as I puzzled over it, wondering if I had to land Cappy on it or bring a certain enemy type here, Mario looked down and tapped his foot on the ground. A ground pound revealed an unmarked Power Moon. No text or established mechanic had led me here, just the promise of something shiny - for such a simple action, it felt amazing.

Mario games have always had an eye for a secret, of course - we all remember trying to break a brick block and a coin coming out - but they’ve rarely felt as pervasive, or as much a part of the fabric of the core game. I encountered caves with walls begging to be bounced off of and discovered hidden rooms. Simple signage can turn out to be a map to a hidden Moon. Even playing with a hat-wearing dog in the Seaside Kingdom (try playing fetch with Cappy) saw him barking to alert me to buried coins. Just as Breath of the Wild constantly dragged you off course, Odyssey’s secrets are an intoxicating distraction."

"There will no doubt be some who find Odyssey a tad simple. So far, purely skill-based play is sporadic, and I can’t see anything measuring up to the challenge of 3D World’s Champion’s Road, for example. Health is plentiful, and even game overs have been stripped out (instead you lose coins that you can spend on new outfits and items). That’s not really the point, though. Odyssey’s clearly putting a premium on the wonder of discovery, the joy of surprise, the satisfaction of a solution to a puzzle you just think might be there.

If it gets that right, Odyssey might nab one more facet of Breath of the Wild - it’ll be a surefire contender for game of the year."

"For each demo we had a Nintendo rep hovering over us, telling us when to stop and what we absolutely could not do or talk about. For example, portraits in each stage seem to work as quick portals between kingdoms, and one of them let us get a sneak peek at one that’s not yet announced. We can’t say what it is but it looks amazing, and will blow the minds of Super Mario 64 fans."

Edited September 20, 2017 by Ronnie

[Ronnie]

Off to EGX today, looking forward to playing this, even though I imagine it's the same demo as E3/Gamescom, which is probably a good thing anyway.

[Dog-amoto]

Finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Switch. Went for this special edition console. It's £330 on the Nintendo store. Later realised it doesn't come with the case in Europe, you have to order one. So £350 for the console, case and not even a physical copy of Mario. This has got to be one of the worst value bundles I've ever seen. You can get a normal switch for £250 using discount voucher codes, plus a physical copy of Mario for £40. 

 

So so I cancelled my order. May wait until Metroid Prime 4 comes out now. Or maybe a price drop. 

[Ronnie]

14 minutes ago, Dog-amoto said:

Finally decided to take the plunge and buy a Switch. Went for this special edition console. It's £330 on the Nintendo store. Later realised it doesn't come with the case in Europe, you have to order one. So £350 for the console, case and not even a physical copy of Mario. This has got to be one of the worst value bundles I've ever seen. You can get a normal switch for £250 using discount voucher codes, plus a physical copy of Mario for £40. 

 

So so I cancelled my order. May wait until Metroid Prime 4 comes out now. Or maybe a price drop. 

Why not just order a Switch for 250 with voucher codes and Mario for 40, like you suggested?

[Dog-amoto]

Wouldn't have been too bad if the case came with the bundle, like everywhere else. Kinda want a limited edition Switch when I buy one. Just disappointed with the value of this bundle. 

Edited September 21, 2017 by Dog-amoto

[Happenstance]

I had forgotten that there was possibly some motion control only stuff in this game. That might actually force me to cancel my preorder and wait for reviews to find out how its actually handled before I buy.

[bob]

I had forgotten that there was possibly some motion control only stuff in this game. That might actually force me to cancel my preorder and wait for reviews to find out how its actually handled before I buy.

Lol. Like you aren't gonna buy it eventually anyway.

[Happenstance]

10 minutes ago, bob said:

1 hour ago, Happenstance said:

I had forgotten that there was possibly some motion control only stuff in this game. That might actually force me to cancel my preorder and wait for reviews to find out how its actually handled before I buy.

Lol. Like you aren't gonna buy it eventually anyway.

Motion controls are a massive turn off for me and considering 3D Mario games have never fully clicked for me I could easily not bother getting it.

[Ronnie]

Played this today at EGX, as amazing as all the previews are saying. Mario controls like a dream.

Got there half an hour after the show opened and the queue was an hour and a half!

[Dcubed]

2 hours ago, Happenstance said:

I had forgotten that there was possibly some motion control only stuff in this game. That might actually force me to cancel my preorder and wait for reviews to find out how its actually handled before I buy.

There is nothing that is motion control only as far as I know.  Motion controls give you an advantage with additional nuance to the controls, but it's never required.

[Sheikah]

I visit a few gaming sites, and didn't click the relevant articles but it seems that they are revealing even more levels for this game, right?

 

 

[dazzybee]

13 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Played this today at EGX, as amazing as all the previews are saying. Mario controls like a dream.

Got there half an hour after the show opened and the queue was an hour and a half!

I'm there Saturday, sounds like it's going to be horrific... not sure I want to waste and an hour and a half in a queue... What are queues like for Indies and other games?!

Edited September 22, 2017 by dazzybee

[Eddage]

I'm there Saturday, sounds like it's going to b ehrrific... not sure I want to waste and a. hour half in a queue... What are queues like for Indies and other games?!

You could always use the spare time to learn how to type properly on your iPad.

[Hero-of-Time]

26 minutes ago, Eddage said:

 

You could always use the spare time to learn how to type properly on your iPad.

 

He said the queue was only an hour and a half long.

[Dcubed]

12 hours ago, Sheikah said:

I visit a few gaming sites, and didn't click the relevant articles but it seems that they are revealing even more levels for this game, right?

 

 

The press had the chance to play three new levels that were all shown off in the September Nintendo Direct; they've all gone into more detail about what you'll see in each of them, but as someone who also played that demo, I wouldn't say it's tremendously spoilery.  One level seems to be the very start of the game, while the others don't seem to be too far into it either (and the time we had to play was fairly limited; not to mention that there's a pretty strict NDA in place too).

 

Truth be told though, the game is every bit as good as you are hoping for, so there's probably no need to read them  (My opinion in short? It brings back the athleticism from SM64 and Sunshine, with an expansive moveset and level design that is perhaps best compared to Banjo Kazooie, with parts of it taking a cue from Super Mario 3D World - Motion controls are entirely optional, but add extra nuance to pretty much everything and will be the option of choice for speedrunners.  The HD rumble is masterfully executed and is also probably the best use of it outside of 1,2,Switch.  The capture mechanic is also stupidly good fun ).

 

@Ronnie What other Switch games did they have to play at EGX anyway? Just out of interest.

 

Edited September 22, 2017 by Dcubed

[Ronnie]

55 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

@Ronnie What other Switch games did they have to play at EGX anyway? Just out of interest.

The only other Switch game I played was Dandara, which was pretty fun but with so many great games around probably one I'll skip. Played some Metroid and liked it, but again may wait and hope they port it to Switch in a year or two.

Made me laugh though, queued for an hour and a half for Mario, literally walked straight up to a Sonic Forces demo and started playing instantly.

Non Nintendo game wise, Cuphead was beautiful but a little too unfair/tough and Detroit Become Human was a holy fuck, wow moment.

2 hours ago, dazzybee said:

I'm there Saturday, sounds like it's going to be horrific... not sure I want to waste and an hour and a half in a queue... What are queues like for Indies and other games?!

Saturday will probably be much worse! I'd suggest waiting until the very end of the day, queues for everything were much shorter then and I played Mario a second time after a 10 minute wait. Don't wait too long though they close the queues for the bigger games about 30 or so minutes before closing.

[dazzybee]

It wasn't too bad actually, Mario was a huge wait but at the end it was 10-15 minutes, everything else was easy!

This game looked far better than I expected; graphically I mean. Very nice. Game seems predictably incredible. Just running around as him... there' son better video game that's as fun to just play with!

[Ronnie]

54 minutes ago, dazzybee said:

It wasn't too bad actually, Mario was a huge wait but at the end it was 10-15 minutes, everything else was easy!

This game looked far better than I expected; graphically I mean. Very nice. Game seems predictably incredible. Just running around as him... there' son better video game that's as fun to just play with!

The demo was 720p and from reports Nintendo do their usual upscaling late in the process, the previews during the week all mentioned it has been up-resed to 900p at least, so should look even better   

[MindFreak]

New short video from the game

 

 

[MindFreak]

New trailer!

 

[Kav]

This game looks absolutely joyous!

[MindFreak]

I don't know. It looks really good - but it doesn't look like a Mario game to me. There's just something odd and off about it. I'll get it, I'll probably enjoy it very much but right now, I have something holding me back. I probably prefer a tight platforming game rather than loose exploration when it comes to Mario.

 

Also I hate that some Power Moons are hidden - or I hope that there is at least SOME clue to find it (and no, tapping amiibo to get the clue doesn't cut it). 

[Ronnie]

18 minutes ago, MindFreak said:

I don't know. It looks really good - but it doesn't look like a Mario game to me. There's just something odd and off about it. I'll get it, I'll probably enjoy it very much but right now, I have something holding me back. I probably prefer a tight platforming game rather than loose exploration when it comes to Mario.

So you'd prefer they make another 3D Land and 3D World pure platforming type of game?

Quote

Also I hate that some Power Moons are hidden - or I hope that there is at least SOME clue to find it (and no, tapping amiibo to get the clue doesn't cut it). 

Of course there'll be some clue to find hidden power moons. Nintendo EPD, the Tokyo team are some of the finest devs in the industry, I trust them to do a great job. Wouldn't be much fun if all moons were in plain sight.

[MindFreak]

1 minute ago, Ronnie said:

So you'd prefer they make another 3D Land and 3D World pure platforming type of game?

Well.. yes? I certainly wouldn't mind more of that with some innovations or changes that set the new one apart - or something more linear like Galaxy which was truly great. I have never dreamt of a new SM64 even though I thoroughly enjoyed that back in the days. Mario is about tight gameplay and platforming in my opinion - I have Zelda or something else for exploration and adventure.

 

But as I said, I will most likely enjoy SMO and be convinced about it once I get to play it.