With NSMBU about to hit in the coming weeks (and, apparently, being a much better game than initial impressions suggested), I redoubled my efforts to complete NSMBWii. It's been nice to get back to the 2D platforming of the series. It was also nice to get deeper into the game- I had played it several times at friends houses when it first came out, but each time the various groups just got up to/through World 3, so I was playing pretty much the same portion of the game over and over, which was getting tiresome. No longer waiting for multiplayer sessions (and without other people to drag down my skills), progress came much more swiftly. Yes, part of the appeal of the game is the multiplayer madness- which is tons of fun, don't get me wrong, but gets in the way of some of the more precise platforming challenges the game can afford the player the opportunity to experience. As such, one can go from suffering through multiple continues with their comrades to having 50+ extra lives very quickly. Which might be one of the few downsides to the game, in that it's very generous with it's item distribution. Having 20-30 extra mushrooms in your inventory is not unusual (though there are some levels in Worlds 7 & 8 where you'll likely need them!). It can make portions of the game easier than they should be. One must also really appreciate the level designs too- you'd think they'd be pretty repetitive by now but some of the concepts behind many levels are brilliant. I particularly liked the one vertical level with the crane where I was half tempted to try scaling the entire level via Bullet Bill jumps instead of using the crane. I defeated Bowser last night as well- much like level designs, you'd think they'd be running low on ideas for Bowser battles, but this one was original and quite epic Now, I'm going to give some of the Star World levels a go before moving onto something else before the Wii U and NSMBU hits. Has anyone been playing NSMB2 on the 3DS? I don't have the system yet so I haven't had the opportunity to play it, but the DLC and coin rush challenges sound quite fun.
Haven't played 2. They're really fun games but the thing about NSMB Wii is that it's kind of a Catch 22. It's only fun when you play with four players but it can also be annoying trying to get everyone on the same page. If I'm playing a Mario sidescroller, my preference is to play fast and I end up usually getting ahead of everyone to the point where they die from going off screen.
I find others just generally tend to bump in my way or obstruct the path of a particularly precise jump. But, I wouldn't say it's not fun without multiple players. It's just a different experience. Hectic vs precision. Though, if one were able to assemble or train a team of players of roughly equal skill or were very good at coordinating as a unit.. well, that would be a gorgeous thing to see.
Yeah it is a good feeling when everyone's, as Maximus from Gladiator would say, "AS ONE!!!" (I actually say that quote constantly when playing ) To me, playing it on your own is like playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band alone. It is enjoyable but you really want those three friends to have the true experience. You know what would really be awesome is to have online co-op.
I still wouldn't call multiplayer the true experience. When played as a single player game, NSMBW is essentially a remake hybrid of SMB3 & SMW- and I'd hardly say those games are lacking a true experience. The multiplayer co-op is what provides a new experience, though (beyond the evolutions in level design). EDIT- They've revealed a bit more about NSMBU's map, as well as some other details, plus this video: I looooove what they've done with that overworld map!! I've always enjoyed the exploration element of the Mario games- what SMW did well (and NSMBW did partially, though that's somewhat undercut by the SMB3-style level themes structure) was encourage exploration of alternate paths, or unlocking new ones through secret exits, etc as you explored the Dinosaur Island. This is something Sunshine did exceptionally well (exploring a specific environment) that was scaled back in Galaxy (with it's focused platforming challenges across mini planets, though a couple larger galaxies provided some exploratory options) and NSMB1 (with it's "back to basics" SMB1 approach). While the platforming has always trumped exploration, it's still nonetheless a facet of the series that can really expand and enhance the experience. Really looking forward to this game even more now.
Reviews are starting to go up- Kotaku's is only begrudgingly positive (as one would expect from them), effectively saying it's a very good game but that they wouldn't recommend it just because of the other games in the series. IGN's is very positive (as one would expect from them), saying it feels like it's an actual evolution from Super Mario World (as opposed to the idle/retro nature of the other NSMB games), with it's only shortcomings are not pushing the graphic and audio design further (not a lot of visual upgrade is apparently, though some later stages have "moments of graphical brilliance...but they only serve to reinforce that difference. This isn’t a bad looking game. It just fails to be memorable.". IGN had a good line: "What’s more impressive about Mario U is that while its Story Mode does serve up some of that challenge, Nintendo opted to do even more. They created an independent challenge mode. And it will kick your ass. Challenge Mode shatters the traditional Mario experience, and will truly test a player’s resolve and ability. " Joystiq: "The New Super Mario Bros. series may have taken the beloved Nintendo franchise back to its 2D roots, but New Super Mario Bros. U reintroduces what made the original games so good in the first place. It proves that there's more to the formula than just impeccable platforming. There's a sense of wonder again, of exploration and discovery. I'm not quite prepared to say New Super Mario Bros. U fully recaptures the spark of Mario's 2D heyday, but it's an impressive step in the right direction." EGM felt the graphics were refreshingly vibrant, "To put it simply, as Mario approaches his third decade of relevance, his games continue to define platforming perfection, and New Super Mario Bros. U is the new pinnacle of his long and storied run." Polygon: New Super Mario Bros. U is where the series would have gone if 3D had never happened. That's really what separates New Super Mario Bros. U from its "New" predecessors: It adds something to the Mario formula. It's exciting and full of inventive ideas. Until now, the New Super Mario Bros. games have been a fun but mostly mindless reminder of how great Mario was back on the NES or SNES. New Super Mario Bros. U actually feels like it's from that era. It's where the series would have gone next if the transition to 3D had never happened, and it feels great to be back on that track. It's sounding great. I wont be picking it up on launch day (with what time I'll have, Zombi U and Nintendoland will be more than enough to hold me over- and if I absolutely must, I still have levels on NSMBW I can tackle) and my sister might be able to nab me a free copy of NSMBU from that Old Navy promotion on Black Friday, so I figure I can wait till then to see if she's successful or not. If not, I'll pick up a copy myself. Really looking forward to give this a spin.
Im very happy to see 2D mario make a comeback. Cant really afford the U and such but 'tis sweet nontheless. I checked out a LP on You Tube. This is really the kind of gaming the industry needs right now in my opinion
I really love the SMW vibe I'm getting from it, reminds me of being little again. I might pick it up at launch in my region or soon after it. I wonder what surprises they have installed for the next generation of 3D Mario.
So me and a friend tried out the Boost Mode section of the challenges... So awesome. I can't count the amount of times we replayed some levels to do them nearly perfect and get the gold medal. ICYMI, Boost Mode has one player using a Wii-mote and controlling Mario while another player uses the GamePad and places platforms to assist Mario in achieving certain goals, most of the time finishing a level within a certain amount of time. If you ever went after the Skull Teeth in Rayman Origins or played the K levels in Donkey Kong Country Returns, you'll get an idea of the difficulty and level of precision required to be successful.
A friend and I have been hitting NSMBU's story mode every few weeks, have about 2/3rds the game finished. Been back tracking through the levels between sessions by myself to grab any lingering star coins. Have gotten gold on a few challenges as well (that one with the sliding time trial is a tough one to figure out initially). However I've also been going back to NSMBWii to finish up that game. Have all the star coins up to the first half of World 7, and have beaten 9-1 (though beating that AND getting all three coins took about an hour and a half...) and will be tackling the rest of Star World after I finish unlocking all the levels as I don't want to keep going back and forth between Star World and collecting star coins). Someone shared this pic of some amusing Miiverse wisdom as well:
I've got Super Mario 3D World, and I love it. It might make me want to smash my 3DS sometimes, but when I get through a level and get all 3 coins I do feel great. I like that you need to get the coins to unlock levels. In the regular levels there are a few you can unlock but are optional, but in the special levels you need them to unlock the boss level to go onto the next set. I need to get NSMB2 at some point. Would I be right in thinking it'll be like NSMB?
Super Mario 3D World does at times have annoying dimensions which leads to me jumping off the edges or missing blocks entirely which didn't happenmon the 2D versions. I did like NSMB on the DS and I hope to get the 2nd one at some point since I am unlikely to get a Wii U at this time
New Super Luigi U DLC to Add 80 Levels to NSMBU this year. The entire world map will get replaced by new levels where you play as Luigi by default, not Mario (no word yet on how multiplayer will work).
Wow DLC huh? I wondered when Nintendo would start doing that. Cool to see Luigi getting some focus! The under-appreciated brother!
