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Post by excelsior on May 9, 2022 7:43:55 GMT -5
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Post by excelsior on May 9, 2022 7:54:51 GMT -5
Week #1 - Super Mario World
 
Of course the only appropriate starting point for this thread is the international launch title Super Mario World. Super Mario World continues from where the series left off with regard to gameplay in Super Mario Bros 3, however the newly added power benefits to the SNES enabled some changed. What's new:
Collect 5
Collectables would become a staple of the series going forward encouraging exploration and although they only grant you a one-up on achievement in this entry it lays the groundwork for what is to come.
Expanded Map
The map was used to nice effect in Super Mario Bros 3 creating a greater sense of place to the setting. Super Mario World takes it to the next level with further complexity to the layout and secret routes.
96*
Secrets are now contained within levels alongside the left to right standard goal markers. These unlock secret routes on the map. An in game goal to find all 96 pushes the player to thoroughly explore each stage.
Hidden Worlds
Entire hidden worlds would also become a staple of the Super Mario series, though later they would be found after defeating the final boss, they are this time a reward for finding the hidden exits within the Star Road.
Yoshi
Whilst Super Mario Bros 3 expanded Mario's array of powerups we see a reduction in those this time with the rideable Yoshi taking their place. Different Yoshi's have their own abilities and used with Mario's own create a richer move set.
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Post by excelsior on May 9, 2022 8:02:46 GMT -5
I decided I would keep my own personal posts separate to those introducing the game each week.
Thinking of Super Mario World takes me back to many places, but mostly to the launch of the SNES. Me and my brother longed for one with those early episodes of The Simpsons getting the scene exactly right. Many weeks of 'can we have a SNES Dad', 'no', 'can we have a SNES Dad', 'no' finally caused him to give way and one day he returned home with the console (under the understanding that some of the costs would be taken from our pocket money for a while). Super Mario World was the only game we had for it for a fair amount of time and so playing it became all encompassing, finding every exit as we'd exchange the controller between us. I must have played this game so many times, revisiting it on rereleases - GBA, Wii and Wii U all come to mind. Given that I have unfortunately tired of the game some, and am not so keen on playing it now. With that said with regard to ranking it I can only fairly consider the many hours of fun the game has given me over the years.
Ranking - S
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Post by spanky on May 9, 2022 8:14:19 GMT -5
Cool idea for a thread. Speaking personally, the SNES hits a real sweet spot in terms of aesthetics, library and personal nostalgia/bias. The height of the system dovetailed with me becoming old enough to receive an allowance and to ride my bike to the video store. This allowed me to completely devour the library during this time.
Super Mario World might be the finest Mario game - certainly the best 2D one in my opinion. When I think "video game" in the abstract, SMW is what pops into my head. I could probably write a short book about what I think about the game but I really don't have the time so I'll just say it's an easy S-ranking for me.
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Post by 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 on May 9, 2022 12:50:53 GMT -5
Well, I for one hate this game.
Just kidding. When I recieved my aunt's old SNES in the late 00's, this was the first game I tried on it (via the All-Stars + World cart). When I finally get around to buying an NTSC SNES or SFC, it'll for sure be the first game I get for it, and it's the perfect pick for this thread's first game.
I personally prefer SMB3 over World. That one has tighter level design, whereas SMW has some filler. SMW also isn't much of a technical upgrade despite being on the next system, which is a bit of a shame. Graphics are very early-era SNES, but I suppose you had the other launch titles to show off the system's capabilities; Mario was there to have that big name. I've said it before, but it's a shame there never was a second mainline Mario title for the SNES. There were some great looking and sounding SNES games in the SNES lifespan's second half.
SMW has some things over SMB3 though. The secret exits are fun to find and the connected world map has never been done since (NSMBU sorta had it but not really), and there's a lot of oddball things in the game (some rarely appear) that are always fun to see again. Later titles have secret exits, but they usually unlock extra stages or toad houses or just shortcuts. In this game, secret exits open up all kinds of roads and passages. And the main overworld theme is catchy as hell.
Rating: A
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Post by dsparil on May 9, 2022 13:22:21 GMT -5
SMW was the first SNES game I ever played but also way after release in 1994. The lateness goes into my gaming history part 2 that I haven't written yet so I'll leave that as a mystery. It's a good game, but it isn't as revolutionary as the original or 64 for instance. I liked SMB3 a whole lot, and SMW is an evolution of that design, but it's still only an evolution. I also preferred the power ups in 3, and it always annoyed me that some of the extra ones like the shoe didn't come back. Ultimately, I have a preference for Yoshi's Island and the way it shakes things up more.
Ranking: A
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Post by Snake on May 9, 2022 18:22:48 GMT -5
In all categories - graphics, music, fun, gameplay, exploration, Super Mario World hits all the marks as a timeless game.... especially considering it's the first, SNES game, a console pack-in game.
I remember laying my eyes on it for the first time, at the local import video game store. They had a Super Famicom on display, with Super Mario World on, demoing on its loop with that signature Koji Kondo melodious jingle. I hypnotically stared at it for a good 3 or 4 loops of demo. The music, the color, the size of the giant bullet bill. Everything smacks the senses with 16-bit vibrancy, unlike any other console before it.
In comparison to Super Mario Bros 3, it was a little sad to see the special suits like the tanuki and the hammer bros. suit disappear. But the cape and various Yoshi's still made it very fun. The branching, secret pathways. This was one of those games, where getting to the end left me with a bittersweet, somber feeling... that it actually ends. And then there is discovering beyond Star Road to the Special Stages... only to end up with a weird save file where all the turtles have Mario masks instead of shells!??!?!?
I like this game and Super Mario Bros 3 about the same, but I do like that this one is a touch easier and more forgiving in the challenge department. A historic, must-play bucketlist game for any gamer. Adventure, mystery, spooky, grand. So many moods, such a colorful experience.
Rating - S
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Post by excelsior on May 10, 2022 1:19:35 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses so far guys. I agree with those of you who preferred Super Mario Bros 3 though I like it just a bit more. The powerups in SMB3 were quirky and some were only viable in certain circumstances which made it interesting to use each one, whereas SMW has options which are just plain better - the fire flower is a bit wasted in that game too. The shorter more compact level design is also nice though I guess it's a trade off for a greater exploration focus. I also prefer the aesthetics of SMB3 where I find SMW can look a bit odd at times with some enemies that feel a little out of place. It did look great to me on release though. Snake - yeah I specifically remember being wowed by that bullet bill. I'd never seen anything like it at the time. One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was the ghost houses are new in this game. I have grown a bit tired of them since they have ever used the same gimmick but back on the SNES they provided something of a surreal aesthetic to me with the eerie music and confusing levels that almost seemed as though they shifted. Probably the most memorable ones were in Super Mario World. Cool idea for a thread. Speaking personally, the SNES hits a real sweet spot in terms of aesthetics, library and personal nostalgia/bias. The height of the system dovetailed with me becoming old enough to receive an allowance and to ride my bike to the video store. This allowed me to completely devour the library during this time. Thanks spanky! I have a similar experience though it wasn't until the midpoint of the SNES where games became more regularly available second hand or at reduced prices. I wouldn't say I devoured it, but through a combination of sales, buying second hand, trade-ins and rentals we covered a good number of games. Of course the biggest regret is making trade-ins that would turn out to be bad decisions down the line. |
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Post by ommadawnyawn2 on May 10, 2022 6:48:53 GMT -5
Played SMW a lot with a cousin back in the day but I don't remember owning and beating it on my own until much later on (I got a SNES with DKC and Mario All-Stars in 1994 IIRC). Great game just not quite as good as SMB3 to me, I feel the controls and cape are a bit too good for most of the level design and the world isn't as interesting or quite as varied overall with fewer power ups and world map events for example. The secret exits, flying yoshi and map being interconnected partially make up for it and I do wish they'd return to that format as it's only been used in this and SML2-3 IIRC? It's much more immersive than the NSMB/YI style.
A for me although if we count romhacks and the lunar magic tool I guess it's an S.
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Post by excelsior on May 16, 2022 3:03:34 GMT -5
Maths Post - thanks for the great responses all. I will usually just quietly update the rankings each week within the opening post but I just wanted to do one quick explanation for transparency. Games will be graded on an average based upon points with F giving 1 point all the way to S being 6 points. Super Mario World gains 33 points which averages at 5.5 between 6 people. I will round to the nearest number, with a .5 being rounded upwards. For this ranking then Super Mario World gains an S.
Omma I took yours to be an A since it would have required a hack to reach an S ranking from you. For ranking sake I think using the original release is appropriate.
I will allow for people to retrospectively rank games they've missed should they want to join in since it's not a large job to change that graphic in the OP.
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Post by excelsior on May 16, 2022 3:14:36 GMT -5
Week #1 - Gradius III
 
Something nasty is going around and the whole Universe is catching it! Gradius III arrived one month after launch in Japan and was a launch title in North America and was the only conversion of the third entry into the Gradius series at the time.
Features:
Ten Stages
Stages were rearranged from the arcade original and added an additional one.
An array of bosses
Boss battles had been a strong point in the Gradius series and III continues by delivering a variety with many true to the series routes and some impressively large boss sprites.
Options!
This time around the weapon select system is expanded to include an edit mode from the offset encouraging experimentation and catering to additional playstyles.
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Post by excelsior on May 16, 2022 3:23:49 GMT -5
I've been playing Gradius III a decent amount lately after first picking it up on the Wii U Virtual Console. It's a fairly easy game I think though I would say it's a little unbalanced with stages being a bit of a pushover and bosses offering a bit more challenge. The game isn't evolutionary which is fine, but I think actually it regresses little in stage design from II. Of course the action slows down to a point that Keanu Reeves would be envious of at times but that is true of other ports from the series also. The core gameplay of Gradius shines through enough to make it entertaining, but it's largely unremarkable.
Ranking - C
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Post by 🧀Son of Suzy Creamcheese🧀 on May 16, 2022 5:44:19 GMT -5
This is my favorite Gradius game, and probably my favorite shmup despite all the slowdown. It's got all the things I like about Gradius/Parodius (power-up system, bosses, stage gimmicks, soundtrack). It's true that level-design wise it's more of an iteration of Gradius II than a revolution, but I still think it's better (can't speak for the arcade version of III, but the SNES version is an improvement over arcade/PCE Gradius II). It hits al the necessary beats (volcano stage, moai stage, speed-up stage, etc.) and just does it very well. The edit mode and different option formations are more where this game sets itself apart from its predecessors, and it makes a huge difference in my opinion. It makes for a very replayable game. It's also quite well made difficulty wise, with easy being very managable, but with the selection going up to a very difficult unlockable arcade difficulty.
It is a shame about the slowdown, and considering how impressive later Konami shmups are for SNES, it's too bad this didn't come out 3 or 4 years later. There's a fan-made patch that eliminates the slow-down that I still need to try. I wonder if that'll work on an SNES via a flashcart. Still, I really love this one even with slowdown.
Ranking: S
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Post by spanky on May 16, 2022 6:19:23 GMT -5
I think the slowdown is actually beneficial for someone like me who absolutely stinks at SHMUPs. Even then it's still very difficult. I've never beaten it and I probably never will. I think the game is quite fun when you're fully powered up, but getting tagged by a stray bullet and having to go back to square one is always so demoralizing for me. Playing the patch that removes the slowdown would probably give me a heart attack, lol.
It's a good game in it's own right but as far as personal rankings go I'd have to give this a C.
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Post by windfisch on May 16, 2022 6:59:52 GMT -5
Just like with Super Mario World I feel like I haven't played quite enough of Gradius III to judge it confidently. What can say is that it didn't feel as innovative as its predecessors. I'd also argue that it paled in comparison to some of Konami's other SNES shooters like Axelay or Parodius. I'd probably rank it as a B, as it didn't seem to do anything wrong in particular (with the exception of slowdowns).
Now to Super Mario World: I never invested a lot of time into it, I've maybe completed a third or fourth of it at best. Never having owned a SNES, only with the discovery of emulation I got to play more than a few stages (like I would've in a store back then). However, there always was some other SNES game that felt a bit more intriguing to me. Mario World was one of those: "I'll do a proper playthrough later" games - and remains to this day. I suppose part of that was due to its relatively large world (thus requiring more dedication than other, more straightforward titles). Another factor was a sort of over-exposure via magazines and people around me being totally enamoured with it. Even some that didn't play any other games still were crazy about SMW. So it sorta felt like an old hat to me, while checking out lesser-known games brought a sense of discovery with them. Anyway, from what I can tell, it's a top-notch game, so it's worth at least an A.
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