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Feb 20th, 2008 at 21:00:40 - Super Mario 64 (N64) |
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This entry is spoiler-free!
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SUMMARY
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Super Mario 64, one of the first games released on the Nintendo 64, is widely considered as one of the most influential games in video game history. In Super Mario 64, you play Mario who, as usual, is tasked with rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. In Super Mario 64, the Mario franchise moved from 2D to 3D, with the ability to move Mario around and about in open game play worlds.
GAMEPLAY
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It should come as no surprise at this point – for those that have read my previous game logs – that Super Mario 64 was played using the Wii Virtual Console. A GameCube Controller was used to play the game, which better represents the N64 Controller than the Virtual Console Controller. As usual, Nintendo doesn’t alter the games released on Virtual Console, so playing the game using the Virtual Console is fully representative of the experience one would get from playing it on the N64.
With that out of the way, I must confess that I never got the chance to play Super Mario 64 when I was younger for the plain and simple reason I never owned an N64. I blame this on my parents, whom believed PC gaming was comparable to owning a console. Regardless, though, as one who keeps his ears tuned in on the industry news, I recognized before playing that Super Mario 64 has been highly regarded for years as one of the most influential games in video game history, being probably the first game to truly get the concept of 3D platforming right.
I will say right away that I have enjoyed playing Super Mario 64 thus far. As a future game designer, however, the question extends beyond whether the game was enjoyable to why the game was fun or not. There are many answers to this question, but the real answer to why Super Mario 64 is fun is its innovative design in level and game play.
Compared to previous Mario titles, Super Mario 64 is a much more open-ended experience. This is attributed to the game’s Core Gameplay Mechanic: the ability to move, run, and jump through a three-dimensional space. When playing the game, I felt I had the ability to explore around the level and it felt like a more complete world as a whole. Yet, what I found interesting is that, as I would play, the path would kind of guide me towards the level’s goal. Even beyond this, though, the game does lay out for you the goal of the level through character dialogue and the level select screen, so you’re fairly certain what you are supposed to be doing as you explore.
As with the other Mario games I have discussed previously, there also exists a certain charm and aesthetic when playing Super Mario 64. The colors are bright and saturated, and the characters are cartoonish in their portrayal. As with other Mario games, this creates a more carefree experience when playing.
Anyway, that’s all I have to say for now. More on Super Mario 64 later.
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Feb 9th, 2008 at 01:54:07 - Paper Mario (N64) |
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WARNING! This entry contains spoilers! This Game Log covers through Chapter 1 of Paper Mario, so if you haven’t played that far, your game experience may be spoiled a bit if you read this.
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GAMEPLAY
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I am very happy with how the pacing of “Paper Mario” has picked up quite a bit since my last Game Log. Previously, I had played through the Prologue, which, while it wasn’t boring, was a tad slow-going. For this game log, I played through Chapter 1 (the Koopa Bros. Fortress).
While the Prologue had its comedic moments, this first Chapter gave me what I expected I would see in terms of humor, based on the reviews and recommendations I had received. Quite simply, the dysfunctional nature of the Koopa Bros. creates comedy that is charming and simply hilarious. For instance, the first portion of the boss fight between the Koopa Bros. has Mario and co. pitted against... some sort of sorry excuse for Bowser on wheels that the Koopa Bros. think is completely fool-proof.
Beyond this, though, things have really picked up for me because the game is turning over control of much of the game’s mechanics to me, including Action Commands, Badges, Abilities, and Allies. Through Chapter 1, I received a new ally (Kooper, an adventurous Koopa), many badges to decide between (Badges enable abilities. I only have a certain number of Badge Points – you need Badge Points to equip badges), new abilities that give me much more choice during battle than simply “attack,” and full control over the Action Commands available in battle. Overall, all these new choices bring out much more of the RPG elements in the game and give me more control over the resource management of my characters, which results in a much more fulfilling experience.
DESIGN
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Overall, “Paper Mario” is an interesting hybrid of the traditional Platformer and Role-Playing Game, creating an exploratory element where you must jump around and use skills in the overworld, but also a strategic battle element with traditional RPG mechanics infused with in-battle action elements that make turns a little less boring.
The Action Command is one of the more noteworthy elements in terms of design because they solve a traditional problem with turn-based RPGs – having to sit around between turns with no control over an action’s effectiveness. In “Paper Mario,” the Action Commands give you something to do both when you’re attacking and when your enemy is attacking. Also, it removes much, but not all, of the luck element associated with turn-based combat (I don’t know if this attack will be effective or not... are the fates on my side?).
Beyond this core gameplay mechanic, the presentation of “Paper Mario” is best described as charming. It’s funny, it’s happy, it’s saturated, it’s... well... cute paper cutouts that are fun and loveable. There’s even an affinity to the enemies, which also look like paper cutouts. Once again, referring to the Koopa Bros., they were a main enemy in the game, but they were still funny and charming, matching the overall tone of the game. Together, it creates for a pleasurable experience that invites fun.
Also, I must note the tutorial elements of the game. The entire Prologue section is pretty much the game’s tutorial, and for being that, it’s not that bad. There are a few moments that feel like tutorials, where an in-game character walks you through, for instance, Action Commands. Though, these experiences are kept to a minimum, reserved for the most unique elements of the game. Instead, the designers favored the option of putting the player in a relatively safe training environment and letting the player discover these elements through actual gameplay. This is a good decision on the designer’s part, seeing as players don’t typically like to sit through page after page of on-screen text tutorials.
In summary, “Paper Mario” is a fun game that still hasn’t lost its charm despite being many years old and lives up to its predecessor, “Super Mario RPG” (SNES). I look forward to playing much more of this intriguing game.
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Feb 8th, 2008 at 03:57:46 - Paper Mario (N64) |
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This entry is pretty much spoiler-free. I only discuss elements from the game’s Prologue – stuff that’s likely been discussed in reviews and previews, anyway.
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SUMMARY
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“Paper Mario” (2001 – Intelligent Systems/Nintendo – N64) is a Role-Playing Game based in the Mario universe that features a distinct artistic style. In “Paper Mario”, you play as Mario, who must travel across the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue seven elder stars in order to gain the power to defeat Bowser, who possesses the Star Rod – a rod with the power to grant wishes. This game, while it is a role-playing game, also features certain action/platforming elements both while travelling and in battle.
GAMEPLAY
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Once again, like before, I must clarify that this game is being played via the Wii Virtual Console. However, for this game, I went with a GameCube controller, as it more closely resembles the N64 controller.
Inevitably, while I am playing this game, I am reminiscing to other classic Mario RPGs that I have played, including the classic “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars” (SNES) and more recent “Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga” (GBA). However, despite having played those RPGs and “Super Paper Mario” (Wii), I had not played “Paper Mario” before this GameLog. I had always been interested to see what all the fuss was about, but had never gotten the chance.
So far, I’ve been having an enjoyable time playing “Paper Mario.” For reference, I have played through most of the tutorial stuff, to Toad Town, up to Shooting Star Summit, and back to Toad Town. I think an inevitable aspect of games with a tutorial level is that the opening can be a bit slow. While I will say that the opening areas did drag a bit, this was by no means to the degree that I’ve experienced in other games.
I think what made the prologue items bearable for me, as well as what helps make this game distinct, is the certain level of charm everything has. The music is light and playful, the characters are fun and lively, and the overall presentation has this nearly cartoonish feel to it. Character reactions are more comic than realistic (example: Mario expresses surprise with a big exclamation mark over his head) and the allies you find early on in the game are slightly ironic. After all, Mario’s ally for the Prologue is Goombarino, a kid Goomba that know a lot about everything in the Mushroom Kingdom.
In terms of combat, it’s a lot like traditional turn-based RPGs. When you get attacked, you lose HP. When you attack enemies with special powers, you use Flower Points (FP – the equivalent of MP in the game). What makes this game distinct, however, is the action elements added into this combat. If you can time your button press just right when you attack an enemy, you’ll inflict more damage. The same holds true for defending against attacks. Also, when walking around in the world, you’ll gain the advantage of “First Strike” by attacking the enemy in the field. I guess what’s frustrating about this, though, is that you don’t learn how to use “action commands” – a.k.a. the timed button presses for extra damage – until towards the end of the Prologue. Having played “Super Mario RPG,” I was used to this mechanic and was expecting a reaction for my button presses early on. It was a tad frustrating, but not inexcusable.
I have enjoyed playing “Paper Mario” so far because it has a unique, comedic style that makes the world fun to explore. That said, I really look forward to the game picking up a bit as I move ahead into the first chapter.
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Jan 26th, 2008 at 02:29:04 - Super Mario World (SNES) |
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This entry is spoiler-free. Well, mostly spoiler-free; there’s not much to spoil in terms of story in a Mario game. Keep in mind, though, that I do talk a bit about hidden levels and Easter Eggs, so if you’d rather find those on your own, you probably don’t want to read this entry.
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Gameplay:
So, I have played another hour of Super Mario World and, interestingly enough, the game has ramped up the difficulty, but not by too much. The game’s levels are still quite accessible for a wide audience, though I will say that I felt a noticeable increase in difficulty, especially when taking the “side route” in the cave locale. In particular, the fortress above the cave was a fairly difficult level based on the sheer number of monsters and their particular placement in the level. I often found myself wanting to swim upward to avoid a hazard below me, only to find a skeleton fish was swimming above me. A slight amount of frustration ensued.
Really, that’s the biggest difference between my last play session and this one – an increase in the level difficulty. I was finally feeling challenged by the game’s mechanics, where in previous levels I had to subconsciously invent challenges to keep my interest. The controls were still the same as I had experience in the past – simple to use and very responsive. The level design was more varied as I continued to progress, creating new challenges involving new mechanics, such as one of the secret levels where you had to ride across the ocean on a series of dolphins.
Along with the challenge, interest in the game began to increase. I felt myself wanting to continue playing even beyond the designated time and level I had originally decided to stop at. In comparison to other games I have played, however, this interest wasn’t as strong as, say, Psychonauts, or Super Mario Galaxy, or Kingdom Hearts. Once again, maybe it’s because of the whole “been there, done that” feeling, but it’s also possible because of the saving mechanic, which more clearly define good points at which to stop playing.
DESIGN:
When considering the design of Super Mario World, it has to be considered that it is one of the first games released on the SNES and that it is, at its core, a traditional two-dimensional platformer. Therefore, one would expect a main focus to be placed on the level design, game mechanics, and controls. Later platformers have benefited from other elements, such as a well-developed story, but they are merely polish on the core game mechanics.
It could just be a personal issue, but I just can’t seem to get over the shallowness of the storytelling in this game. The storytelling is fairly non-existent in Super Mario World, and while it’s not a big issue, the game might have been a bit more compelling to audiences to play if the story was deeper. That, or at the very least more exhibited in the actual game.
Story aside, what I feel is the most developed piece of this game is its level design. Yes, the levels are fairly linear, but they are challenging and varied, nonetheless. Also, the great aspect of the level design is that the levels are developed with a nice learning curve to them. The earlier levels are easy so that the user can get comfortable with the controls, while the later levels begin to ramp up the difficulty so the player continuously feels challenged. And if the user feels adventurous, they always have the option of searching for hidden levels and “side tracks” that differ from the typical path players take to complete the game.
The artistic style of Super Mario World is as whimsical as one would expect, using bright colors and fun, loveable characters through the game. The music matches the visual style in that it is light and playful. The blatant exception to these observations are, of course, the dungeons, castles, and ghost houses, which all adopt a darker style to them. For instance, the ghost houses use dark colors and eerie music to match the creepy, almost surreal nature of the ghost houses (these levels usually involve solving some kind of puzzle to find the secret exit to the level).
Overall, what makes Super Mario World a great game for the SNES is its variety in level design and its accessibility for a variety of audiences. Though it lacks many modern features of today’s platformers, it is still a fun game on the basis of its game mechanics.
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zimmi88 has been with GameLog for 16 years, 10 months, and 12 days |
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