Mario's Return to the 2-D Realm
With the hoopla surrounding E3 finally subsiding, gamers such as myself can once again concentrate their attention on current titles versus those that might still be years away in the coming.
The latest title to earn my time and money is the new Super Mario Bros. title that saw release last week on the Nintendo DS (which is actually named, oh so cleverly, New Super Mario Bros.). I naturally snagged a copy the first day of its release and have been playing it off and on for the last week or so. Like the classic 2-D scrolling Mario games of yesteryear, the game is pure platforming fun, with Mario running from left to right, bashing bricks for power-ups, jumping over holes, and stomping enemies. Even the story, what little there is, remains as traditional as ever–Princess Peach is kidnapped once again, and now Mario (and Luigi) must set out to rescue her. And yes, the classic-style gameplay is still fun after all these years.
All is not perfect in Mario Land, however. Being a hardcore Mario fan, I could not help but be irked by several aspects of the game as I raced through the levels. First, the title omits classic characters such as Toad--a peculiar omission considering New Super Mario Bros. is more-or-less a reimagining of the original Super Mario Bros. game (where the Toads first appeared). Instead, Toadsworth seems to have taken over Toad’s role of providing items and advice, and, well, I don’t care much for the Toadsworth character. I also don’t like that Bowser Jr. has apparently replaced the seven Kooplings from Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World. Bowser’s original seven bratty kids were far more interesting and fun than the badly realized Bowser Junior, and honestly, I just can’t help but wonder why the other kids are being excluded.
From a gameplay perspective, the title is also slightly inferior to its forebears. Super Mario Bros. 3, for instance, implemented a cool map and item inventory system, plus a variety of entertaining power-ups. And Super Mario World introduced an elaborate overworld and large levels that encouraged exploration. Conversely, New Super Mario Bros. contributes little true innovation to the long running series. Indeed, despite a couple of new power-ups to experiment with and a few other surprises, the game feels more like a nostalgic tribute to older titles rather than something truly special in its own right. And while it sports an impressive number of levels, most of the stages are extremely short, linear, and easy to complete. Even the save system is annoying, as it does not allow the player to save after every completed level, but only after finishing fortress and boss stages.
The final verdict? If you’re a Mario fan, then by all means pick up a copy – it’s still a lot of fun. But after waiting fifteen years for another 2-D Mario title, I was hoping for a game better than its predecessors, be it Mario 3, Mario World, and even Yoshi’s Island.
Final Score: 9.0
Until next time. . .
E3 Week - One to Remember
Well, after a brief hiatus, I’m finally back with another post. However, with E3 held this past week, there’s simply too much exciting news to cover in one meager post. The best I’ll be able to do is merely touch on the highlights of E3.
Probably the most exciting part of the show, at least for a Nintendo fan such as myself, was the full unveiling of the Nintendo Wii (formerly known as the Revolution). Yes, the name is silly and the system a bit underpowered, but some of the games the Big N demonstrated at E3 should have any self-respecting gamer excited. As if The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wario Ware, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime 3 weren’t enough to convert even the most ardent Nintendo critics, the company unveiled a surprise preview of a new Super Smash Bros. game near the end of the show, and it looks awesome. Entitled Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the game boasts an assortment of new characters, from Wario to Pit (of Kid Icarus fame) to even – get this – Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid titles! Can Sonic, Megaman, Simon Belmont, and Pac-Man be far behind?
On the DS front, Nintendo’s showing was not as impressive, but there’s still a lot to look forward to. The new Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass looks fun, a cool new Castlevania game is in the works, Star Fox is returning, and amazingly, Nintendo is working on an official sequel to the SNES classic Yoshi’s Island. This time, baby Peach and baby Donkey Kong join Mario and Yoshi on another grand adventure. Can’t wait!
I’m not a huge Xbox fan, so I can’t say I paid as much attention the 360 as I did the other systems this year. Even so, the 360 seems to be amassing a pretty good number of titles for itself – the most highly anticipated title, of course, being Halo 3. Meant to be the final installment of the series (or of the trilogy’s first story arc, at least), a cryptic two minute trailer reveals a war torn Earth conquered by the Covenant. A weary Master Chief observes the sad reality from a distant cliff overlooking a desolate valley, and he is not pleased. Good stuff, despite the trailer being a little too vague for its own good.
The last system I’ll mention for now is the PS3. First unveiled at E3 2005, over the last year the console has traded its boomerang-styled controllers for gamepads not unlike the current Dual Shock 2. One interesting change, however, is that the controllers will now employ a gyroscopic/motion sensor type of technology that will allow the player to control the action on the screen by merely tilting or turning the controller in different directions. This feature will be ideal for racing titles, for example, and steals a little of the thunder away from Nintendo’s own motion-sensor based Wii technology.
As far as games go, the most impressive looking for the PS3 are clearly Metal Gear Solid 4 and Final Fantasy XIII. The latter of the two perhaps had the greatest impact at the show, however, if only because its appearance was not entirely expected. The trailer depicts, with beautifully detailed visuals, an unnamed female protagonist jumping and flipping through the air while firing two rapid-fire pistols down at a crowd of enemies. Interestingly, menu options appear onscreen as the action unfolds, suggesting that the graphics are actually rendered in real-time. If so, the PS3 may indeed be as ridiculously powerful as Sony claims.
The drawback, unfortunately, is the price. With a lower-end model starting at $499 (comes with a 20 GB hard drive) and a higher-end model at $599 (comes with a 60 GB hard drive), the PS3 is way too expensive for the average gamer. This fact alone could well mean the eventual end to Sony’s dominance of the video game market. Time will tell.
All in all a pretty satisfying show. While I would have liked to have seen some new, truly groundbreaking software and technology (the Wii controller notwithstanding), there’s still no doubt that gamers have a lot to look forward to, and save up for, in the months to come.
Until next time. . .
With the hoopla surrounding E3 finally subsiding, gamers such as myself can once again concentrate their attention on current titles versus those that might still be years away in the coming.
