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jp's Super Mario 64 DS (DS)
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| [March 29, 2006 10:33:49 AM]
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After suffering a lot on the last level I've finally been able to defeat Bowser and rescue Princess Peach. (yay for me!)
The last level was particularly annoying due to a series of factors, each one, by itself isn't necesarrilly that big a deal. But, together? Oh man.
1. The last level is really far away from the starting point.
2. The last level is really hard. (you'll probably have to try it a few times)
3. You have to play with Mario (my last saved game was with Wario, and you can't save at any moment...so whenever I started I had to switch Wario for Mario and then head up to the last level...I eventually decided to get an 81st star with Mario just to get a chance to save and be able to save the character-switch)
4. The last level is rather lengthy.
The whole point is that I had to resort to some wacky tactics in order to actually win the game. It would usually take me an entire morning commute (20 mins) to get to the Bowser level....but then I'd normally turn of the DS. So, I left it on, all day, in order to save the state so that on my commute home I could try to beat Bowser. Sigh. (and yes, I left it plugged in to the wall)
Annoying, yes.
But, while I'm glad I can move on to another game I do have to say that it is rather fun. It's not perfect, sometimes the camera is VERY annoying. Also, the control scheme, while taking some getting used, is still a bit wonky at times. Almost a little unresponsive. I can't keep track of the number of times I died because Mario ran when I wanted to walk or stuff like that. In all, however, it's a good game.
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| [March 25, 2006 11:09:11 PM]
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Nothing much to report other than the fact that I've got 80 stars which is enough to fight Bowser for the (last?) time and rescue princess Peach. I've also liberated Wario.
I know there are 150 stars to get...so I'm hoping that the paltry 80 I've sweated hard to win will be enough to let me end the game. Fingers crossed!
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| [March 14, 2006 11:01:26 AM]
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Whenever you start, independent of where you saved last, you are placed outside of the castle. This can be annoying at times. However, I do have to recognize that it does have an "upside".
Whenever you start, you have to make a conscious decision of where you want to go. Then you actually have to go there. This affords learning the layout of the world, where things are, etc. It also helps you practice moving around in a "safe" area. (you can get hurt, but there aren't any REAL enemies...most places anyways)
Having to start at the same place also affords exploration (a Mario game staple)...I've noticed that sometimes I simpy decide not to go wherever I was last. I decided to take a "random" turn along the way. I've actually discovered a few locations this way. I started out heading somewhere, but decided on the spur of the moment to be adventurous.
It also helps that MOST of the locations aren't THAT far away. This is something that, on a gut level, I'm not sure is the same in games like GTA III.... I could be wrong though.
Anyways, I just thought it was interesting to note how starting in the same place seems to afford exploration and a less linear style of navigation. When you start where you last saved, it sort of makes more sense to keep on "advancing" wherever you where, there is no real reason or incentive to "go back" someplace else.
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| [March 10, 2006 05:17:01 PM]
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I've rescued Luigi and I have 45-6 stars.
I'm not really interested in getting ALL the stars, though some of them have been quite fun.
Anyways, I was playing the other day when I found a green/white mushroom. It popped out of nowhere.
Green/white mushrooms are 1UPs. In other words, you get an extra life! Whoop de doo. The funny thing is that I don't really care. The whole idea of "lives" is completely useless and wasted in this game. It serves no real purpose beyond being some sort of mild annoyance.
Basically:
1) Whenever you die, you get to restart without any penalties. (you can only save after getting a star or doing something "important" like unlocking a mini-game)
2) Whenever you start the game, you have 5 lives. This is independent of the number of lives you may have had when you last saved.
The second point is what surprised me the most (when I noticed). I had spent some 20 minutes hunting down 1UPs and feeling really proud. I had stocked up on opportunities to keep on playing! I was making progress! Then I saved, powered down...and lost it all.
I really wonder why some games, like this one in particular, still hold on to familiar, yet now-irrelevant, game design elements. Is it because somehow, a Mario game would not be Mario if it didn't have "lives"? What really defines the Mario-ness of a game?
Interesting food for thought... (and I'm having deja-vu about Metroid...must check those GameLogs).
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| [March 7, 2006 04:34:48 PM]
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I've got 37 stars and I'm trying to find (and rescue) Luigi. I don't really know why...I think Wario is much cooler. I guess it's because the game explicitly hinted that by the time I had 30 stars I had better have found Luigi!
Anyways, I actually wanted to comment on something that I found much more interesting!
This game is divided into different areas, they're called "courses", but they are basically distinct geographical locations. Each of these has a bunch of starts in it. Some are "hidden" or "secret" in the sense that you can, theoretically, win them at any time. For example, most levels get you a star if you find 100 coins.
Other stars, the main ones if you like, are presented to you as the current objective.
The first time you visit an area, you have to try to get the star for the main objective. What you have to do exactly depends on the level, the star, etc. In fact, some are really obscure in that you only have the "name" of the star as a clue as to how to get it. So, you spend some time exploring and messing about.
Each area has 8 stars available, and whenever you go back to the area the top of the screen shows you which ones you have finished and which ones you haven't.
However, and this is what I found particularly interesting, you never know about the un-finished stars that are "greater" than a star you've finished.
So, if you've only finished the 1rst star, the screen shows the 1rst star complete and the 2nd incomplete.
If you've finished the 7th star, but none of the others...you get to see stars 1-6 as incomplete, and the 7th star complete. There is no mention of the 8th!
I found this to be interesting because the goals the player has to accomplish are presented in such a strange way! You can't really tell what you have left to do, unless you've jumped ahead of the sequence!
Basically, you're supposed to be ignorant of your future goals, but if you can (sometimes inadvertently) actually meet a later goal..then you gain some pre-cogniscance of the future goals! Isn't that strange?
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| [March 6, 2006 10:06:37 AM]
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I got this game with my DS. Awesome reviews and all the rest...and you know, despite my initial impressions, this game is starting to grow on me!
Its funny because when I first started playing the controls felt really natural, comfortable, etc. Then I played a real level. (I had previously messed around in multiplayer with a friend). All od a sudden the controls didn't feel that good anymore. Yoshi wasn't as responsive anymore and I had trouble with some of manouvers that required more precision. I would run into enemies while trying to jump on them, I'd fall of cliffs because he wouldn't stop in time etc.
Since then, I've gotten better at controlling the characters. I wouldn''t say it's gotten easier, rather I've leraned some of the subtleness required to play this game. It's funny because there is a little signpost in the game that sums it up. It says something like "Don't rush. Take your time and be careful". Hehehe.
I've currently got 18 stars and I've rescued Mario. Yay!
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jp's Super Mario 64 DS (DS)
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Current Status: Finished playing
GameLog started on: Wednesday 1 March, 2006
GameLog closed on: Tuesday 28 March, 2006 |
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