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Thursday 21 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY
Again, getting back into the game is hard, because I forgot how hard it is to control the camera angles sometimes. It's actually really tricky, and I get frustrated with it easily because the little camera guy doesn't go where I want him to. Aside from that the game is pretty good. I'll admit that I tend to get motion sickness--not good, I know--and Mario 64 doesn't really help because the camera angle changes so often, but it's easy to deal with. That is probably the worst part of the game, in my opinion, because the rest of the game isn't hindered by the revolving camera angles. One thing about Super Mario 64 is the amount of different rooms that can be unlocked. Also, there are dozens of secrets that I have yet to unlock. For once, a level that I have mentioned before, where you can control the different water levels in order to get to where you need to go, I have no idea how to get to the other half of the map. I have seen it done before, but still don't comprehend how to get over the caged exit and into the under ground tunnel that leads to a separate map. Thank goodness that the stars in that map are not mandatory, and can be made up for in different worlds, but it still frustrates me that I can't get to it. However, I am very impressed in the amount of thinking I need to do in the game. Some of the worlds really are brain teasers.
The story itself, as lovable as Mario is, is fairly simple. The same old damsel in distress. However, the way the game goes about it is interesting. The camera guy is--more or less--broadcasting his adventure. It's an interesting idea. Regardless, even with an overused story line I believe Mario 64 makes up for it's freedom of movement, interesting level and worlds, and the classic characters you are reintroduced too. Furthermore, because the story doesn't progress if you don't want it to, the game gives you ample times to goof off. Which is what I look forward to every game. Shell riding, flying around with the winged cap, getting shot out of canons. It's endless amount of fun.
DESIGN
In this game, I believe that I am most impressed with the level design. There are loads of puzzles mixed into a 3D world, and dozens of places to explore. The best thing is, the clever idea to use paintings a portals into the worlds, and making sure that every world is a little different from the rest. There is only one over-arching conflict in the game, and that is to unlock as many doors and paintings as you can in order to get enough stars to reach the final Bowser battle and save Peach. I say: "It gets a little repetitive." But the up-side to all of this is the fact that the worlds are interesting to explore, so it balances out the lack of conflicts.
I have noted before that the control over the camera angles frustrates me to the point of pain. But I deal with it. It's an interesting idea, because usually it's an auto-cam that changes angles on it's own, but sometimes it's hard to control when you want to look in one direction and it goes flying off in another. In this case, I keep forgetting that I have to hold down the directional button to keep the camera where I want it. Other than that, the idea of a small camera man following the character around is interesting and cute at the same time. I can't say that the enemies get harder and harder as you go through the levels, because you either jump on them or punch them in order to kill them. It is amusing that Mario actually recoils when he's hit by an enemy, but annoying when all the enemy has to do is touch him. They need to put armor on him or something. Of course, there is a metal cap, that gives him a chrome suit to where in certain levels, but that's only sometimes. Furthermore, I find it interesting that Mario can put on different caps in order to perform different actions. He has a winged cap to help him fly, an invisible cap to make him invisible and help him walk through walls, and a metal cap to keep the air in so you can walk through water and poison gas and make you momentarily invincible to attacks. But I think these caps spoil you, because I'm always looking for one to use now.
I also think that the design of the Bowser battles are somewhat repetitive. All you have to so it toss him onto one of the bombs that line his battle arena, but the motion of swinging the large Koopa King by the tail has become a universal motion. I was surprised, however, that in the final Bowser battle the arena starts to fall apart. It certainly presented a new challenge to me and I remember re-doing the battle over and over again before I finally beat it. However, just because you beat the final Bowser doesn't mean you've finished the game. The great design of Mario is that you can go back and redo whatever level you want, even if you've already gotten that star. In a time continuum the games exists in a flat plane, not a line. There is a beginning and an end, but no past present and future. Go back to your favorite level as much as you want. Fight Bowser as many times as you want. Now that's freedom.
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