Retro|Spective 075R: Super Mario

[wakka]

Remember that little plastic nubbin they gave you in the box to play it with? An admission if ever there was one that they dun goofed.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Want to second this for Mario 64 DS.

There are very few aspects of gaming where I tend to speak in absolute terms, but one of the strongest beliefs I have about video game design is that you can't make a good game with crap controls. A "good game with crap controls" is a crap game. I struggle to think of a game I've ever played with poor controls that I've actually liked.

Kid Icarus: Uprising is, to me, a crap game.

And I have the same problem with Mario 64 DS.

Couldn't agree more.

I cannot understand how people enjoyed Uprising...so awkward to play and so hand-cramp inducing...what a terrible way to reintroduce a much-beloved Nintendo character after so long.

As awful as SM64 DS is to play, I tend to see it more as a proof-of-concept for what the DS could technically do. The novelty of having SM64 in truly portable form was excellent but it only lasted for so long until you actually played it. I see Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition on the 3DS and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the Vita the same way - technical showcases moreso than actual legit gaming experiences.

Starfox Zero is on that list too (you all know how I feel about it so won't go into that detail again!).

[Neon Ignition]

Game 68 - Yoshi Touch & Go
Despite sounding like Yoshi will soon be a wanted individual for improper conduct, this DS entry used the systems touch controls to adapt the Yoshi Island style gameplay though in this instance Yoshi moves automatically with players drawing lines to make cloud platforms and to aim and fire eggs. With three mostly score based modes, the game scored well in reviews but didn't make much of an impact due to its simplicity.







Touch me, touch me, touch me, please me?

[Asura]

I absolutely loved that game. Played it for weeks and weeks. Both the first and last thing I ever played on the DS (obviously with tons of stuff in-between).

[Nu-Eclipse]

Yoshi's Touch & Go falls into my proof-of-concept theory nicely. Interesting example of what could be done with DS hardware but the novelty of it wore off super-quickly, especially once Yoshi's Island DS arrived on the scene.

[Atticus]

I had a great time with Touch & Go ... perfect game for the system really.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 69 - Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
Developed by Hudson Soft and Konami, this Mario version of the popular dancing series released for Gamecube and featured a story mode that used themes, music and characters to tell a Mario tale as players complete dancing missions. Beyond this the usual free mode option existed with a second playthrough contributing to unlocking track variants.








King of the dance floor?

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

ut there's certainly a very heavy shift to a vast volume of... Mario-iddleware. Games that aren't bad but if you removed the Mario branding from them you'd have a large volume of schedule filling games that under the hood aren't actually very remarkable.

Inversely I think that they missed a trick with the Pushmo series. The games were awesome and would have sold lots more with Mario and Co branding. The art style and presentation all screamed out for it.

Adding on a bit of invertception I don't believe Mario Sunshine was ever a true Mario game. I think the levels without the jetpack were what they had ready and the rest was cobbled into it from a prototype of Splatoon with a Mario skin thrown in ala SMB2.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 70 - Mario Superstar Baseball
The slew of sports Mario games kept on coming with baseball being the next sport in line. Co-developed with Namco, the main mode was Challenge Mode with players working through several teams before reaching the finale against Bowser. Like so many of these entry types, MSB received scores in the ballpark of 7/10.







A Home Run?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 71 - Mario Tennis: Power Tour
In came another entry to the tennis arm of the Mario arsenal, this time for Game Boy Advance. Very much a sequel in the same vein as its handheld predecessor, the game followed the gameplay style of the recent Gamecube version and scored good reviews.






Game, Set and Match?

[Nu-Eclipse]

Don't think I've ever played Power Tour before, believe it or not.

Is it on the NSO GB service?

[Neon Ignition]

Apparently not, looks like its last rerelease was on the WiiU estore

[Neon Ignition]

Game 72 - Mario Kart Arcade GP
Developed by Namco for the Triforce arcade board and released for arcades, Mario Kart AGP carries over the Cup structure of the home games but not the gameplay experience. Though structurally very similar the feel of its gameplay is markedly different. Despite that it features eleven racers taken from Namco and Mario games racing across 24 arcade original courses.








Did you ever experience the original arcade incarnation?

[Neon Ignition]

It took me a few years to get my hands on this game, ended up spotting it in an arcade in Vegas. It's so bewildering that it doesn't play like the Mario Kart franchise but there's still some appeal to the game. I suppose it's largely because its locked to arcade still but the WiiU does run it well too *ahem*

[Neon Ignition]

Game 73 - Super Princess Peach
Released for the Nintendo DS, Peach finally got to star in her own game as she set out to rescue Mario and Luigi who have been kidnapped by Bowser. Despite being a solid seller for the system a sequel was never made to the game which saw Peach use her emotions and her umbrella to navigate eight worlds.








A worthy redirection for Mario platformers?