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 * About


FRIVOLOUS WASTE OF TIME


SCI-FI, FANTASY AND VIDEO GAMES


ARCHIVE FOR THE TAG “SUPER MARIO”

17 May 2017


MARIO KART 8 DELUXE FOR SWITCH

I had thought that Mario Kart 8 was as close to perfect as the series could get,
but it turns out I was wrong because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe manages to improve upon
it. Wii U owners, such as myself, may be frustrated that they’re getting a
re-release rather than a new game, but I’ve seen Mario Kart 8 take-off on the
Switch on a way it never did, or ever really could, on the Wii U.

I won’t talk about the general handling or the tracks or anything like that,
because I’ve already covered that in my review for the original game
(https://frivolouswastesoftime.wordpress.com/2014/06/11/mario-kart-8-for-wii-u/)
and the two DLC packs, which are included here
(https://frivolouswastesoftime.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/mario-kart-8-dlc-pack-one-for-wii-u
&
https://frivolouswastesoftime.wordpress.com/2015/05/06/mario-kart-8-dlc-pack-2-for-wii-u/).
Suffice it to say that the handling is perfect and the tracks diverse, exciting
and wonderful.

I’ll focus instead on what is added. I’ll begin with one of the most
controversial additions, the introduction of ‘smart steering’ to keep you from
falling off the tracks and an auto accelerate option. Some people (utter pricks)
have criticised their introduction, saying that it ‘plays the game for you.’
Having these features on do not give you any real advantage, as you will always
skip shortcuts and never really power slide or boost effectively. You might win
in single player 50CC matches but that’s basically it and I don’t think anyone
will consider that to be the core Mario Kart experience. It is something which
allows the very young, or perhaps disabled gamers, to access and enjoy the game.
How anyone could view this as a bad thing is beyond me. However, one tiny niggle
is that the smart steering is put on automatically when you start, and this
isn’t really indicated to you. It should default to off and then need to be
turned on, not the other way around. This is literally the biggest flaw in the
game by the way.

There are a couple of interesting changes to the core gameplay from the
original. The first is the ability to hold two items at once, Double Dash style.
In practice it doesn’t really change things too much, but it’s something nice to
differentiate itself from the original product. I suspect that the more
significant change will be the introduction of a third level of boost on the
power slide, this time sending up purple sparks. The tracks aren’t designed for
its use, with few corners lasting long enough to activate it, but the boost is
massive and it feels amazing when you do pull it off. Neither of these changes
mess with the almost perfect mechanics of the original game, but offer something
a bit different nonetheless.

Easily the biggest difference in the re-introduction of a proper Battle Mode,
which has been somewhat neglected after it’s arguable heyday in Mario Kart 64.
There are plenty of different modes, from the classic balloon battle to the
shine catching game from Double Dash. There are new courses too, with the most
striking being one based on Splatoon, complete with soundtrack. The Inkling boy
and girl are also introduced as racers in this game. The new Battle Mode rounds
out and expands an already rewarding package.

All said though, the best addition to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is more a function of
the Switch console than the game itself. Portable, instant local multiplayer is
a game changer. The Switch’s appeal may not be as immediately obvious as the
Wii’s, but I think this feature is a system seller. Each player can use a
separate Joycon to split0screen race, anywhere you go. The single Joycon isn’t
the most comfortable controller in the world and I don’t think anyone will be
preferring it to a Pro Controller, but it does work, much better than you might
expect. I’m not a fan of online gaming generally; I love multiplayer, but I
usually only get that rush of excitement when I’m in the room with whoever I’m
competing. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe shows me a vision of a bright future for local
multiplayer, something which for many years has been steadily dying.

As a final point, I’ll share a video of what I was doing on Saturday night. For
clarity’s sake, I’m the guy who’s amazing at Mario Kart, not the guy who’s
amazing at rapping. I’m a good rapper at best. This guy is called Mega Ran by
the way and he’s great, go see him. Support independent musicians.

https://www.facebook.com/MegaRanMusic/videos/10154717487563473/



I love this console and I love this game. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is essential.

 



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Posted in Switch games and tagged animal crossing, gaming, luigi, mario kart,
mario kart 8 deluxe, mr. scratch, nintendo, nintendo switch, racing game,
splatoon, super mario, switch, videogames, zelda | Leave a comment
16 Dec 2013


SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD FOR WII U

From its lacklustre reveal at E3 to the ecstatic reviews upon release, Super
Mario 3D World has generated strong emotions for months. The initial
disappointment that we weren’t getting a ‘proper’ 3D Mario game gave way to some
reviewers praising it as the best 3D Mario game, surpassing even 64 and the
Galaxy games. I have to wonder if these reviewers were playing the same game as
me. Although 3D World is much much better than I initially feared, and is a
legitimately great game, it simply does not stand up to its predecessors, and
I’m still left craving the epic Mario game that we were promised.

The plot is predictably non-existent, with the kidnapping victims being a
collection of small fairy princesses, with Peach this time being spared Bowser’s
attention due to her position as a playable character. Mario games don’t need
much plot, as we saw in the weird narrative of Super Mario Sunshine, but they
hit a sweet spot with Galaxy, which had just enough plot to lend your actions
context but without distracting from the core focus of the gameplay.

As the name might suggest, 3D World has most in common with Super Mario 3D Land,
its little brother on the 3DS. The style is a hybrid of the linear side
scrolling originals and the 3D gameplay that we’ve seen since Mario 64. The
addition of four player co-op, with players taking on the roles of Mario, Luigi,
Peach and Toad, will be a big draw for some but it didn’t seem particularly well
implemented to me, particularly when compared to the sublime co-op of Rayman
Legends. It all handles very nicely, and the level design is, of course, pretty
much perfect, with very few duds in the generous package. There are a handful of
Wii U screen poking and blowing gimmicks, but by and large the main use of the
tablet controller is for off-screen play. There are a handful of irritations,
such as the retention of the archaic and unnecessary timer and life systems, but
by and large Super Mario 3D World is a highly slick, responsive and enjoyable
game. Essentially, Super Mario 3D World plays incredibly well, and is a hell of
a lot of fun, but something about it simply failed to reach me as it’s
predecessors did.

I think that the issue is that Super Mario 3D World is, fundamentally, a
conservative game. Many reviews have praised this game’s creativity, and
although it is bursting with fun and good ideas, the best ones are cribbed from
other games. The best levels are the ones that play homage to other games, such
as Mario Galaxy, Mario 64, Mario Kart, Luigi’s Mansion and even Zelda. Mario 3D
World fails to forge an identity of its own. For all its many, many flaws, Super
Mario Sunshine still had a unique character, but 3D World is too reverent to
it’s past, something which has effected almost every Mario game in recent
memory, scared of forging its own identity. I think that we can thank the
massive financial success of the New Super Mario Bros. subseries for this, which
has shown Nintendo that a co-op Mario game which nonetheless doesn’t stray far
from the traditional series tropes is going to make much more money than a
genuinely innovative and bold new entry. I don’t think that many people will
disagree with me when I say that Super Mario Galaxy was a better Wii Mario
platformer than New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but the latter vastly outsold the
former. There was a time when Nintendo used a new 3D Mario game to redefine a
genre, as they did with 64 and Galaxy, and even the misfires such as Sunshine
were noble failures, but 3D World is not on par with those games.

One area where 3D World does outshine its predecessors is its visuals. To put it
simply, 3D World is an unbelievably gorgeous game. The levels are colourful and
vibrant, the enemies filled with character, and the water and lighting effects
utterly beautiful. For this kind of game, Mario 3D World proves that the Wii U
will be able to hold its own against the PS4 and Xbox One. The music is lovely
too, although it doesn’t quite match the simplistic charms of 64 or the
grandiose orchestra of the Galaxy games.

Super Mario 3D World is a great game, but a new 3D Mario game needs to be more
than great. Perhaps my expectations of Nintendo are too high, but they are only
that high because Nintendo raised those expectations themselves. If you own a
Wii U, buy it. If you don’t own a Wii U, buy one and then buy this game. Just
don’t expect the innovative, epic new platformer that you may have been hoping
for. 

Posted in Wii U Games and tagged games, gaming, luigi, mario, mario game,
nintendo, platformer, super mario, super mario 3d world, videogames, wii u |
Leave a comment
20 Aug 2013


MARIO & LUIGI: DREAM TEAM BROS. FOR NINTENDO 3DS

I love the Mario RPGs, but I’ve been a bit concerned about their future as of
late. After the massive disappointment of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, I’ve been
concerned that Nintendo’s program of watering down their RPGs was set to
continue, but thankfully, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. puts those concerns to
rest. Each game in the Mario & Luigi series introduces a new gimmick; in
Partners in Time it was the addition of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, and in
Bowser’s Inside Story it was the ability to control the brothers’ long-time foe.
In Dream Team Bros, the gimmick is the ability to enter Luigi’s dreams.

This game primarily takes place on P’illo Island, a sleep themed tourist
destination. Although it generally looks quite nice, it’s not particularly
engaging to explore, largely due to the clichéd nature of its environs. There’s
the desert part, the field part, the beach part, all stuff that we’ve come to
expect from these games. Much more interesting is the dream world in Luigi’s
head, although not quite enough is done with this. There was potential to go to
some very strange places in this game, and Dream Team Bros doesn’t quite live up
to it. Honestly, the Mario & Luigi games haven’t had a truly engaging setting
since the Beanbean Kingdom of the original. This area is really the only one in
which the game is surpassed by the other recent Mario RPG for 3DS, Sticker Star.
Thankfully, Dream Team Bros. surpasses Sticker Star in almost every other sense.

Princess Peach, the Mario Bros. and her entourage vacation to P’illo Island
after an invitation from its reclusive leader. It is soon discovered that
Luigi’s extreme ability to sleep anywhere means that he can open portals to the
world of dreams. It’s not long before a foul bat-like being known as Antasma is
unleashed. Antasma is the foe of the ancient P’illo race, who have been
petrified as stone pillows that can only be released if Luigi sleeps on them and
Mario rescues them in his dreams. Mario & Luigi are joined by the prince of the
P’illos, Dreambert, as well as Starlow from Bowser’s Inside Story, to stop
Antasma and save the island.

Although the plot is naturally much more entertaining the main Mario games (and
Sticker Star), it still feels like a step backwards. The Mario RPGs have
traditionally been an opportunity to subvert the traditional Mario tropes,
representing a knowing self-awareness on Nintendo’s part. Remember the curious
and feisty Princess Peach of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door? She’s gone,
and is back to her uselessness of the main platformer series. The worst victim
of this is Bowser, a character who in previous Mario RPGs emerged as probably
the most interesting character in the Mario canon, a pathetic, almost
masochistic figure, whose kidnappings are more motivated by bravado and
insecurity rather than genuine evil. In earlier RPGs he’s a funny, obnoxious,
but oddly sympathetic character, but he’s right back in standard villain mode
here. Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation fame has a theory that Nintendo are intent on
purging all subversive elements from their canon, and it’s hard not to concede
him that point. Dream Team Bros. is definitely the least self-aware game in the
Mario & Luigi series, and it suffers for it.

The P’illo Island element of Dream Team Bros. is standard Mario & Luigi; simple
puzzles, some platforming and turn based battles. It’s still fun, but all the
really interesting stuff happens in Luigi’s dreams. In these dreamscapes, Mario
is joined by ‘Dreamy Luigi’, who is capable of many strange powers. In battle,
Mario is the only active fighter, but all of his attacks are reinforced by a
horde of Luigi clones, known as ‘Luiginoids.’ Special attacks are called
‘Luiginary Works’, and usually involve Mario wielding his army of Luigi’s, often
using the 3DS gyroscope. Outside of battle, Luigi’s face on the touch screen can
be manipulated to affect the dream world. For example, Mario and be launched
around by Luigi’s moustache, or made to sneeze by tickling his nose. Returning
from Bowser’s Inside Story are the giant battles, this time controlling Luigi,
during which the 3DS is turned on its side and everything is controlled by the
touch screen.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. is a long game, perhaps too long as by the end I
was getting a little bored. The battles, both on P’illo Island and in the dream
world can get very repetitive, and the puzzles are usually rather easy with
solutions spelt out for too clearly. However, I did like the difficulty of this
game, which is probably the hardest in the series since the original. Sometimes
the difficulty can feel quite cheap; the final boss’ random healing move was
infuriating, but generally failure is due to your own reflexes inability to
dodge or counter attacks. There’s quite a bit of side content too, from extra
P’illo folk to rescue to a large side quest involving taking photos and sliding
puzzles. I didn’t really focus too much on the side quests, but it was nice to
have it there, and it will easily bump the play time up by at least another five
hours for those who are so inclined.



My favourite parts of the game were those that involved puzzling and platforming
in the dream world, using Dreamy Luigi’s abilities in interesting and fun ways.
It makes the rest of the game feel a bit vanilla by comparison, but this is the
kind of game which likes to keep things fresh and surprise you. How you get
through each area isn’t always completely obvious, even if the areas themselves
are generic. My favourites were a Zelda-esque trading quest in seaside town and
controlling a giant drill in the desert, but there are plenty of other examples
of the interesting ways you progress. The combat isn’t particularly deep, but
it’s generally fun and only really wears out its welcome in the last few hours
or so. The giant battles were a real treat; as cool as they were in Bowser’s
Inside Story, the additional power of the 3DS allows these battles to be utterly
insane, with a definite nod to Japanese kaiju films in how these fights play
out. The controls, all on the touch screen, can be a bit fiddly, but overall
they work well. In fact, in some ways this game reminds me of those early DS
games which used the touch screen constantly for gimmicks. The difference is
that back then those gimmicks usually held the game back, but here they actually
work very well and support the core mechanics rather than undermine them.

I wasn’t sure about the oddly more realistic graphical style when I first saw
it, but it really grew on me by the end. The Bros. are very well animated,
particularly in battles, with a fluidity to their movements that just wouldn’t
have been possible on the DS. The giant battles in particular, which take place
in full 3D, look absolutely stunning, and genuinely awesome. The music is
generally pretty great too, with only a handful of standout tunes, but more than
I can recall from the other Mario RPGs. Alpha Dream have apparently been working
on Dream Team Bros. for four years, and that level of effort really shows in the
presentation.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros. is an encouraging sign that Nintendo aren’t done
with this kind of game, and although it can’t quite rival the heights of
Bowser’s Inside Story and The Thousand Year Door, it’s a great game and
definitely one of the stronger releases in the Mario RPG canon. 

Posted in Nintendo 3DS Games and tagged 3ds, alphadream, dream team bros,
dreamteam, gaming, luigi, mario, mario and luigi, mario rpg, nintendo, rpg,
super mario, videogames | Leave a comment
05 Aug 2013


NEW SUPER LUIGI U FOR WII U

It still feels really strange buying DLC for a Nintendo game. Sure, I’d bought a
handful of Fire Emblem missions, but DLC in a Mario game? What’s the world
coming to? I was therefore relieved when Nintendo announced that their New Super
Mario Bros. U DLC would be vast, a complete remaking of the 80+ levels in the
game around Luigi’s slightly different physics; it sounded too good to be true.
Sadly, it kind of is.

The ‘plot’ is identical to New Super Mario Bros. U, but with Luigi replacing
Mario. Perhaps an injection of some of Luigi’s cowardly humour seen so well in
games like Paper Mario and Luigi’s Mansion would have been nice, but…yeah, I’m
not going to criticise a Mario game for its plot.

The excellent world map of New Super Mario Bros. U is unchanged for New Super
Luigi U, but the levels are completely different, keeping only the world themes.
The problem comes in the 100 second time limit applied to each level, ostensibly
to lend this game a faster, more chaotic pace, but likely simply because it
halves the length of each level. It’s not a stretch to complete many levels in
less than a minute, with a constant feeling that the levels are finishing just
as they start getting good. There are a fair few levels where this really works,
where you get into a Rayman Origins style groove, with extra long jumps which
only Luigi could pull off and a high speed throughout, but there are lots more
which don’t. An odd glimmer is visible of what Nintendo were going for, but
these moments are too few and far between.

That said, the game is still incredibly fun. It’s kind of hard for a game like
this to not be fun, it’s simply too brief and not nearly as good value for money
as it may first seem. The boss battles are identical to those in the main game,
with this game feeling more like a fan made mod than a full expansion, which is
how it is priced. The other major addition is the playable debut of Nabbit, the
thieving rabbit from the original game, who is a new kind of Mario playable
character. He cannot take damage, but he also can’t take on powerups, so he’s
only really there to help prop up weaker players in co-op.

New Super Luigi U is a lot of fun, but it leaves a sour taste in your mouth, and
unless it pops up in a digital sale I’d give it a miss. 

Posted in Wii U Games and tagged gaming, luigi, mario, mario game, mario luigi,
new super luigi u, new super mario bros, new super mario bros. u, nintendo,
nintendo game, platformer, suoer mario bros, super mario, super mario bros,
videogames, wii u | Leave a comment
07 Jan 2013


NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U FOR WII U

Nintendo has been receiving a fair amount of flack lately when it comes to the
‘New Super Mario Bros.’ franchise, with many gamers feeling that Nintendo are
simply resting on their laurels and leaving the innovation in sidescrolling
platformer gameplay to smaller indie studios, or games such as Rayman Origins.
Perhaps this accusation is understandable; there were two games released in this
line in 2012, New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS and this, New Super Mario Bros. U,
a launch title for the Wii U. Nintendo have countered that they only release one
game in this line per console, which is actually a pretty fair response, and I
can understand Nintendo wanting to launch a new console with a Mario game under
their belt. So here we are again, another Mario sidescroller to add to the pile;
if you’ve played one you’ve played them all, so is it worth dipping into this
one as well? I believe, on balance, yes.

Probably my favourite aspect of this game is the return of a Super Mario World
style map. The other New Super Mario Bros. games have been very much focused
upon emulating the Super Mario Bros. 3 template. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a
fantastic game, and certainly one of the most important ever made, but I still
generally prefer the intricacy of Super Mario World. New Super Mario Bros. U
returns secret exits to the series, where new levels can be unlocked, an
unlockable extra world and a dynamic and fun world map. Super Mario World
classics such as Boo Houses make a welcome return as well, leaving New Super
Mario Bros. U as a spiritual successor to my favourite Mario sidescroller.
Perhaps it’s silly to praise Nintendo for returning to an innovation they first
bought about over 20 years ago, but it’s still very pleasant to be playing this
specific kind of Mario game again.

In a stunning twist on the standard Mario formula, rather than kidnapping
Princess Peach and bringing her to his castle, Bowser in fact kicks Mario, Luigi
and two Toads out of the castle and our heroes must make their way back.

Although I’m not generally opposed to the simple story of the Mario games, I do
sometimes wish that Nintendo would take some risks. I suspect that after the
voice acted weirdness of Super Mario Sunshine Nintendo resolved to keep plot out
of their Mario platformers. That said, the game really doesn’t need a plot and
doesn’t really suffer for the lack of one, unlike Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

In addition to the classic Mario staples of running and jumping, we have the
return of such classics as the fire flower and Yoshi, although the latter feels
severely underused. New power ups include the squirrel suit, which allows Mario
to enter a graceful glide and baby Yoshis, which can be carried and have
different properties. Like their grown up brethren, these baby Yoshis also feel
underused, which is a shame as they’re a fun idea. One pleasant highlight of
this game is the boss battles, not something I’ve ever really enjoyed in
platformers. The final boss battle against (spoiler alert!) Bowser is a lot of
fun, and I’m tempted to call it the best Bowser fight so far. I also thoroughly
enjoyed the ability to play the game directly on the Wii U gamepad; I rarely
bothered to even turn on the TV when playing this game.

Nintendo have the basic mechanics of a Mario platformer so nailed down now that
it always feels satisfying to play. This game is actually fairly difficult, but
is rarely frustratingly so, as any mistakes made feel due to player error rather
than bad game design. A major exception to this is the shoehorning in of clunky
motion controls using the Wii U gamepad towards the end of the game, which felt
imprecise, gimmicky and unnecessary. By and large though, the game just works;
it’s impressive that the series is still so much fun, and it can be tricky to
pin down exactly what it is that makes these games work so well.

Mario’s first HD outing looks rather lovely, particularly in the backgrounds and
in the animations of Bowser and the Koopalings. It’s all a bit conservative
however, with the odd inventive level only serving to show how stagnant the art
style in the ‘New Super Mario Bros.’ range has become. One level designed around
Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ is absolutely beautiful, but fleeting, and I really
wish that Nintendo would experiment a bit more in this area. That said, the
basic aesthetic is as charming as ever, and I never tired of seeing the enemies
dance along to the music. As has been the case with the last few Mario games,
the best tunes are remixes of those from the past, with the new ones not
impressing half as much. The last great Mario soundtrack was the spectacular
score for Super Mario Galaxy, and I hope Nintendo pull out all the stops
musically for the next big 3D Mario platformer.



This isn’t an easy sort of game to review, as since almost all gamers will have
played a Mario sidescroller at some point they all already know what to expect.
This game is what it is; more of the same. If that appeals to you, as it did to
me (having skipped the recent 3DS outing), then go for it, this is an incredibly
fun and charming ride. However, for those who are burnt out on the series, and I
couldn’t blame you for that, this game isn’t going to change your mind. 

Posted in Wii U Games and tagged gaming, luigi, mario, mario bros games, mario
game, new super mario bros, new super mario bros. u, nintendo, super mario,
super mario bros, videogames, wii u | Leave a comment
06 Jan 2013


PAPER MARIO: STICKER STAR FOR NINTENDO 3DS

I’m very fond of the Paper Mario franchise; Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
for the Gamecube is one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played, built upon the
foundations of the original N64 game, combining a simple yet fun battle system,
a surprisingly compelling story, a humorous tone and a gorgeous graphical style
to create something really special. Super Paper Mario for the Wii, whilst not
nearly as bad as many would say, was nonetheless a slight disappointment in its
abandonment of the core RPG mechanic of the previous games. I was therefore
hopeful that the Paper Mario game for 3DS would bring the franchise back to its
glory days; early screenshots had me cautiously optimistic. Sadly, this optimism
was misplaced; Sticker Star is not a bad game at all, but abandons so much of
what made previous games special leaving an experience which feels…well, flat
(ba-dum-tish).

Sticker Star takes the player around a fairly standard range of locations;
you’ve got your grassy world, your desert world, your forest world, your ice
word and your fire world. There are some cool environments, a Yoshi Sphinx was
rather charming, as was a great level inside a house haunted by Boos, but
there’s little here that feels like it’s shaking up the basic Mario formula.
Where previous Paper Mario games took the player to a range of strange and
different locations, Sticker Star sticks to the basic rule book for constructing
a Mario game. The experimentation of The Thousand Year Door is gone; there seems
to be a desire to play it safe, which is a shame, as some of the best Mario
games are those which set themselves outside of standard Mushroom Kingdom
locales, such as Mario & Luigi : Superstar Saga and Super Mario Galaxy.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star sticks to the standard Mario plot line with depressing
loyalty. There’s a big annual event, Bowser shows up and ruins everything,
kidnaps Peach, buggers off to his castle, leaving Mario to collect 5
thingamajigs to blah blah blah…You’ve heard all this before.

The plot of Sticker Star is definitely one of the most disappointing aspects of
this game, undoing all of the good work done in the previous Mario RPGs. Sure,
the humour’s there, but without a proper story to provide context it never feels
like more than a series of distinct jokes with nothing tying them together. The
real tragedy is the treatment of Bowser, who is usually one of the comic
highlights of the Mario RPGs. Unlike the main platformer series, where Bowser
reigns villain supreme, in the RPGs he is never more than a pathetic irritation.
Bowser plays the role of tragic villain, sometimes even anti-hero, and is always
hilarious. Until now. Other classic Super Mario characters suffer too; Princess
Peach was given an actual personality in The Thousand Year Door, and achieved
more than simply waiting in a castle to be rescued. Here she is her usual
passive bland self. The appearances of Luigi in The Thousand Year Door were
always funny and charming, but in Sticker Star I’d be cautious to even label his
appearances cameos, so fleeting they are. The blame for this can be laid in one
unlikely place, a place that it is rather hard for a long term Nintendo fan to
admit; Shigeru Miyamoto. It’s no secret that Miyamoto doesn’t like RPGs, or
believe in a focus upon story. Relatively late in development Miyamoto threw a
Steve Jobs and overturned what the team had so far, insisting that many of the
story elements be cropped and that they restrain themselves to almost entirely
using characters seen in Super Mario World. Gone are the funny and charming
characters, the surprisingly dark and epic storylines; what we’re left with is
the same crap we’re fed in the main games. The difference is that the main Mario
games don’t need a story, they provide a different kind of gaming experience,
one focused simply upon twitchy fun, but these RPGS need context and narrative
to keep things going. It doesn’t have to be complex, Pokemon Black and White are
good examples of RPGs which had minimal story but still work, but we need
something.

The main gimmick of Paper Mario: Sticker Star is, unsurprisingly, stickers! This
works well in some places, and not so well in others. All attack commands in
battles are stickers held in a sticker book, which vanish when used. These
stickers can be bought from shops, peeled from walls, found in question mark
blocks or looted from enemies. There are timed damage bonuses in battle of
course, this being a Paper Mario game, and it’s as satisfying to pull off a good
combo as ever. The stuff outside of battles is actually more interesting, a
rarity in a JRPG. There’s an element of an old school adventure game to the
whole thing, as Mario collects stickers which can be used to solve puzzles
throughout the world. One of the more amusing elements of the game is the
appearance of ‘things’, items from our world which can be stickerized and used
inside and outside of battle. These range from mundane items like scissors and a
fridge to the amusingly wacky; my favourite was ‘goat.’



There’s a lot to like in the gameplay of Paper Mario: Sticker Star. The actual
battles are quite fun, playing out in a fairly similar way to those in earlier
games. Some of the boss fights are utterly epic, and can get incredibly
difficult, which only serves to prove the lie that Nintendo only makes easy
games. There are some great levels which contain some classic ‘Nintendo
moments’, moments which just make you want to clap your hands and giggle like a
child. No one can create moments like this quite as well as Nintendo. Alas,
everything, really, pretty much everything is undermined by one fatal, baffling
flaw in the game design; the lack of a levelling system. This leaves the player
with no incentive to enter battles, as they will usually just waste valuable
stickers, and shows a huge misunderstanding as to why people play RPGs. I
suspect Miyamoto’s involvement here too. Growing a character is one of the most
compelling motivations in gaming, and is the fundamental mechanic RPGs are built
on. Without the potential for character growth, RPGs just plain do not work.
Battles become an irritation, a thing to be avoided. Another major flaw can be
the esoteric nature of some of the puzzles; I compared Sticker Star to an
adventure game earlier, but it can sometimes tend towards the worst habits of
that genre. Some of the puzzle solutions are so bizarre that to get through this
game without Google at your side would be a Herculean feat of patience. This
could be forgiven however, and doesn’t really bog the game down too much. There
are some real flashes of brilliance here, and some really clever and fun levels,
but it’s not enough; I could forgive the plot, I could forgive the obtuse
puzzles, but I cannot forgive the lack of a levelling system.

However, every time I got myself nice and worked up over the flaws in the
gameplay, I’d see another beautiful, stylish or cool area and I’d forget all
about it. I absolutely love the aesthetic of the Paper Mario series, and it
carries over exceptionally well to 3DS. The 3D is actually really good here;
it’s one of the few games I played the whole way through with it turned on, and
given my cynicism of the gimmick that’s a high compliment. The game is
colourful, charming and sometimes beautiful. The music is excellent, this is
Nintendo after all, although the new tunes fail to really have much of an
impact. Frequent remixes of classic Mario tunes throughout the game always
bought a smile to my face. A fun rollercoaster section set to the slide theme
from Super Mario 64 had me playing with a wide grin plastered all over my face.
If only the actual game could have lived up to its own style.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a highly frustrating game; like Assassin’s Creed 3,
it’s a game I really wanted to like. There’s a lot of good here, but its flashes
of brilliance only serve to illuminate it’s failures. Despite all this, Paper
Mario: Sticker Star isn’t a terrible game, and I didn’t hate my time with it.
When it takes a dip in price, this may be worth a go, but not before then.



Posted in Nintendo 3DS Games and tagged 3ds, gaming, mario, mario game, mario
games, nintendo, nintendo 3ds, paper mario, paper mario sticker star, rpg,
sticker star, super mario, videogames | Leave a comment


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