This post was last modified: Nov 20, 2022 at 11:38 PM by Elyk.

it just feels really good to move around in sm64 once you get used to the controls and learn how different actions can string together

it just feels really good to move around in sm64 once you get used to the controls and learn how different actions can string together

This is the exact reason why SM64 mogs every other 3D Mario, even the good recent ones like Odyssey and Bowser's Fury.

They spent forever fine tuning Mario so that everything about the way he moves would be satisfying on its own before ANY level design was introduced. They give you huge open playgrounds like the castle grounds to play around in because they're confident in that. Sunshine destroyed the hub world and made it more about using FLUDD's very specific gimmicks to reach the gated off levels rather than exploring anything. Even the hidden levels are just flat out tedious and convoluted to get to rather than something like how you uncover Shifting Sand Land or Big Boo's Haunt. And it all goes back to how hard they kneecapped Mario's movement and mechanics. He's very stiff, the controls are certainly tight in a sense but it just isn't satisfying at all to play around with as a result. FLUDD's nozzles are all an active detriment to the game except for the Turbo Nozzle which isn't actually featured in any stages. The Rocket Nozzle is really neat at first and a great idea but the way it controls is so shit and its uses so limited that it winds up sucking the fun out of when it's required, too. Hover Nozzle is a handicap and designing the game around it meant cutting the long jump, so you just have multiple portions where you have little choice but to hover across a long gap which is super boring, slow, and doesn't play with momentum at all.

The key to an enjoyable 3D experience is to have fluid character freedom. This is an open lesson Mario 64 has had on the table for so long and yet everyone just ignores it because it's simpler to make stiff characters that stop on a dime since everyone sucks ass at precision and fine control or something.

I like sunshine for Vibes. If I had to live in zuckerberg's metaverse and I could pick between either Peach's Castle or Isle Delfino, I'd pick the latter

But yeah it's a worse game than 64 mechanically. Not as fun to move around, not as satisfying when you finally get it right, whereas gaining control over 64 mario feels like mastering superpowers that you secretly had all along

In sunshine it's almost like fludd is training wheels and you stop needing it as much over time. Unlockables (rocket and turbo) make the game harder to play which makes zero sense

the rocket one is a million times more fun and deep than hover and it should have been the default
the go fast one is pretty fun too but it makes me think of the shitty racing missions so maybe take that shit out

It was always so weird how you can unlock the special nozzles inside a level, but then the unlock applies ONLY to that level and you still don't get it in the overworld or in other levels. It's confusing to even explain how that works, let alone experience it

There was an incredible opportunity to build more areas inside the courses that were only accessible via the unlockable nozzles. The worlds could feel smaller at first and then reveal hidden areas as you gain more abilities. They mostly only used that functionality for boring side quests in the plaza. The rocket nozzle provides a bit of satisfaction since you at least need it to get to pianta village, but the turbo nozzle is literally only used for blasting through saloon doors to grab a shine

Stuff like this is mostly why I want a sunshine sequel; there are a lot of exciting implications behind augmenting Mario's movement with a gimmick device (odyssey did it in a way everyone loved) and the tropical island setting is universally-appealing with plenty of opportunities for variety (super mario world did it in a way everyone loved)

You can tell the game was rushed, and it unfortunately comes from a time when you were pretty much only able to release a version 1. The best candidates for sequels in any medium are the ones with good ideas and poor execution

All in all Sonic Frontiers is the worst game I've ever really liked, but a new Pokémon game is coming out and could easily take the crown.

I said it and I still don't believe it, and yes I still like it but what the fuck