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haruki's Super Mario World (SNES)
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| [January 25, 2008 11:17:05 PM]
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Gamelog entry #2:
GAME PLAY-
Yes!!! After another 45-minutes of frustration and lava burns, I have defeated Iggy Koopa and blew up his castle and moved on to Donut Plains, or the second Island stage. Apparently, to my surprise, there is a little bit of storyline to the game, so far at least. I wasn't able to read when I first played the game, being four at the time, so it's actually interesting to know that I was actually rescuing one of Yoshi's friends who was trapped in an egg. As a kid, I always thought that the egg was just some kind of food or power up that Mario got as a prize. Go figure.
So now I'm finally on donut island, where I get to obtain those cool feather magic capes that allow me to fly. I was a little moody after playing the game for a while, needing to run back to the first island several times to obtain more green mushroom life ups in order to move on in the game.
There was one trivial thing that frustrated me throughout the game which never really bothered me before as a kid, and it's that Mario's abuse of Yoshi. I know it's silly, but the idea of Mario bonking Yoshi on the head in order for the dinosaur to stick its tongue out just seems slightly barbaric to me now. There are also, as I've noticed, certain times in the game where it is actually helpful to jump higher across ledges and "save yourself" by getting that extra momentum off of Yoshi and abandoning him to fall into his pit of doom. Of course, the game is very cute, and meant for an audience of all ages. I just couldn't help to think that the idea of doing such a thing to be a little hilarious, yet sad, at the same time.
DESIGN-
I was slightly surprised when I came across the second level of Donut plains to find a pan-scrolling level where the screen would just not stop scrolling, forcing you to move to the right whether you like it or not. The style change caught me off guard, and since the setting was underground, there isn't much room to navigate the little sprite, placing you at risk of getting caught between the wall, and the magical moving screen. Logically, you can't die from being squished along the side of a TV screen, but not in the case of Mario! Invisible moving screens that push you against the side can kill you too, apparently. I actually forgot all about that kind of style play, and it actually gave me a surprise because I canno take my time leisurely (within the time limit) on the level.
It's actually good that Super Mario World is different from the other past Mario games in that it actually allows the player to replay levels, a luxury that mustn't be taken for granted. Now we can actually explore and go about the individual levels for "completeness." As a gamer, it's always exciting when new secrets are revealed, such as a hidden path, a warp pipe, or an extra cloud surprise in the sky. It actually does keep a player interested.
Mario has also dug itself deep into my heart again with their vibrant colors. The style of the artwork is very cartoony and inviting to make it as universal for a s broad a range of audience as possible.
Although generally a 2D game, Super Mario World gave a somewhat pseudo-3D feel to the game with adding a map to portray the Mario World. Different from the map in Super Mario Bros. 3, where the map is basically laid out in boxes and straight lines, Super Mario World portrayed the map in a more pseudo-realistic sense by adding actual curves and depths in the style. It not only involves islands, but allows you to enter caves and underwater worlds as well. The game certainly added a lot more detail and features.
This entry has been edited 3 times. It was last edited on Jan 26th, 2008 at 00:34:19.
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| [January 25, 2008 10:46:04 PM]
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Gamelog entry #1:
SUMMARY - Super Mario World is a one or two person game where you get to play as Mario or Mario and Luigi. You are given the aid of Yoshi, your dinosaur companion, along your journey, to cross the levels on the map and save the Princess who was captured by Bowser.
GAMEPLAY - I remember first encountering this game when I was four. I was literally obsessed with it, frustrated at my lack of coordination, and determined to cross each level in the best way possible. Playing Super Mario World again gave me a big flash shock to see how rusty I have gotten at maneuvering the tiny little Mario sprite. It's actually quite cute when he's in his pre-mushroom state, very unproportionally tiny. I actually do really miss the old, simple style of the game, along with it's simple upbeat midi music. It really does remind me of the good ole days before homework, before tests, quizzes, and where I just play as Mario, jumping on Yoshi and bonking on his head to eat those bush apples. It's typically a very carefree game, where the objective is to just cross the stages within the time limit, and where the only thing to worry about are the boss battles that occur at the end of each island you complete on a map.
The game at the moment has a good impression on those who play around me. It's not a cinematic game, and lacks an overall storyline, so all there is is basically game play. Those who are standing around me can easily relate to the game. There's only two simple buttons along with the directional pad to guide you, and after that, you're all set. Being a platform game, it definitely allows players to be able to watch and cheer or groan as you play, struggling and trying to cross those increasingly hard/absurd levels.
So far, I've only reached the third water level on the first Island, which is pretty sad after playing for 45 minutes. Again, I will admit that my "skills" have definitely gotten worse for platform games over the years, but Super Mario World is, overall, great.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jan 26th, 2008 at 00:33:05.
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haruki's Super Mario World (SNES)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Friday 25 January, 2008
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