Every time I play a 2D Mario game, I wonder if the series is really as good as everyone thinks it is.
Yes, I loved Super Mario World in the 90s, and none of the games are bad by any means, but the gameplay just doesn't feel exceptional or noteworthy anymore. Admittedly, this is a very “Citizen Kane is overrated” kind of thought, seemingly ignoring the innovation and pioneering of the entire medium that came from what I’m dismissing. But I dunno, I just think I’m over 2D Mario.
Then I play Mario Kart, Mario Party, or Smash Bros and I consciously avoid using Mario at all, as if he’s the most boring, vanilla choice possible. He feels like Mickey Mouse. Iconic, but bland.
And then a new 3D Mario game shows up, and I lose my freaking mind.
I love Super Mario 64, Galaxy 1 & 2, and 3D World. I want to love Sunshine, but it’s just never clicked for me for some reason. (Trying it again soon!) As blasé as I can be about 2D Mario, 3D Mario is my JAM.
This game is like a bulleted list of my favorite things in games:
- 3D platforming with ridiculously tight and acrobatic controls
- Tons of stuff to collect and items to buy/earn
- A bunch of unique, gorgeous non-linear worlds
- God-tier music
- Awe-inspiring set pieces
- A severe amount of post-game content with a second ending
The game is so incredible that it suddenly makes me love the actual character of Mario again. Do I dress him up as Waluigi most of the time? Absolutely. But Odyssey managed to make Mario endearing.
As soon as I had beaten it, I had to make something to express how the game made me feel (and to shoehorn in as many visual puns as possible). I didn’t really write reviews before finding out that game tracking sites were a thing, so the first “love letter” I ever wrote for a game was this (SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE GAME IN THE LINK): https://youtu.be/zj93Imivr54
I don’t think anything I can write here will express the way I feel about this game as well as that video. But the best verbal praise I can come up with is this:
I 100%ed this game twice in a year. And I’d happily do it again.
Yes, I loved Super Mario World in the 90s, and none of the games are bad by any means, but the gameplay just doesn't feel exceptional or noteworthy anymore. Admittedly, this is a very “Citizen Kane is overrated” kind of thought, seemingly ignoring the innovation and pioneering of the entire medium that came from what I’m dismissing. But I dunno, I just think I’m over 2D Mario.
Then I play Mario Kart, Mario Party, or Smash Bros and I consciously avoid using Mario at all, as if he’s the most boring, vanilla choice possible. He feels like Mickey Mouse. Iconic, but bland.
And then a new 3D Mario game shows up, and I lose my freaking mind.
I love Super Mario 64, Galaxy 1 & 2, and 3D World. I want to love Sunshine, but it’s just never clicked for me for some reason. (Trying it again soon!) As blasé as I can be about 2D Mario, 3D Mario is my JAM.
This game is like a bulleted list of my favorite things in games:
- 3D platforming with ridiculously tight and acrobatic controls
- Tons of stuff to collect and items to buy/earn
- A bunch of unique, gorgeous non-linear worlds
- God-tier music
- Awe-inspiring set pieces
- A severe amount of post-game content with a second ending
The game is so incredible that it suddenly makes me love the actual character of Mario again. Do I dress him up as Waluigi most of the time? Absolutely. But Odyssey managed to make Mario endearing.
As soon as I had beaten it, I had to make something to express how the game made me feel (and to shoehorn in as many visual puns as possible). I didn’t really write reviews before finding out that game tracking sites were a thing, so the first “love letter” I ever wrote for a game was this (SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE GAME IN THE LINK): https://youtu.be/zj93Imivr54
I don’t think anything I can write here will express the way I feel about this game as well as that video. But the best verbal praise I can come up with is this:
I 100%ed this game twice in a year. And I’d happily do it again.