It seems the game is overwhelming you to the point of not digesting what it's offering. Often when this happens with a high profile game it either causes a reaction similar to yours or ones in the other end of the spectrum: "Best game ever!", "GOAT", etc. When in reality not enoguh time has passed to make more accurate judgement.*1My perception may well be a little off as I haven't played 64 in years, but I do remember a feeling of progression that this game doesn't contain. I feel like I'm shopping here, looking for challenge, rather than it being part of the landscape. I've never had that in a Mario game before. That's why I liken it to a Ubisoft game, it feels a little dead, a bit by the numbers, despite the innovation on display in other areas.
*2The reason I call some of the levels bland is some of them are bland compared to the rest -- that's not really subjective. Ideas for a level include a more realistic forest and a city (do those even count as ideas?) now compare this to a, or alevel made of foodand you'll understand what I'm getting at. The lower forest area is literally bland however. There's almost nothing there. Same with areas of the desert.palace on the moon
When you get to a particular level you'll understand what I mean about Dark Souls. There's a definite tip of the hat.
The importance of when the challenging levels appear *1is really just one of pace for me. It's almost as if the hard sections of the game are entirely optional, but my main gripe is that to get to a challenge (that may or may not be actually challenging) it's actually a bit of a chore as very few of the main play areas contain decent gameplay. Lots of things to do, yes, but nothing that really taxes you.
Of course not. You need to buy at least ~120 to hit 999. It doesnt remove other ones youve missed.
The comparison is backwards, Banjo takes from Mario 64 with the mantra "More & Bigger". More moves, powers, collectibles in bigger environments. However, it does have other priorities after all Rare stronger points were different from Nintendo internal teams. Btw, tags with "superficial comparison" i won't bother to adress.Somebody else here said that Mario Odyssey feels like a Banjo game. The more I think about it, the more accurate I think that is.
1) Large worlds where you're left to your own devices as opposed to being given clear objectives (except for the first two or three moons in each world)
2) You aren't booted out of worlds after each moon.
3) Lots of NPC's. *Superficial comparison.
i think explaining what Cappy is doing would be enough to make clear why the possesion mechanic isn't like Banjo transformations.4) The possession mechanic feels just like the Mumbo Jumbo/Humba Wumba transformations (in Tooie, you could even become a T-Rex).
5) The worlds are a lot less abstract than most Mario games. *Superficial comparison.
6) The purple coins are similar to musical notes in terms of how they're hidden. *Superficial comparison.
For Mario's basic form swiming works like the 2D games, which i thought it was neat from a design perspective. It simplifies swiming for beginner players that tend to get disoriented with 6 DOF movement.Is anyone else having a hard time with the swimming controls? Does Mario automatically sink while underwater? I just got to Lake Kingdom, and controls are killing me.
Is anyone else having a hard time with the swimming controls? Does Mario automatically sink while underwater? I just got to Lake Kingdom, and controls are killing me.
Returned my copy today. Apparently Im the only person they'd heard of not liking it.
For some reason I thought this had multiple save slots on a single profile. I told my coworker to start a new game, and now I'm out 200 moons and a beaten story.
*slaps forehead*
Is anyone else having a hard time with the swimming controls? Does Mario automatically sink while underwater? I just got to Lake Kingdom, and controls are killing me.
It seems the game is overwhelming you to the point of not digesting what it's offering. Often when this happens with a high profile game it either causes a reaction similar to yours or ones in the other end of the spectrum: "Best game ever!", "GOAT", etc. When in reality not enoguh time has passed to make more accurate judgement.
Let's get out of the way that the control and movement system satisfies both novice and elite players, while also embracing their respective playstyles.It's amazing how a high profile game is welcoming the speedrun community with open arms.
About your Mario 64 comparison: Indeed your memory seems fuzzy. i don't think the way you directly compare both is fair to 64 with the games been 20 years appart and the latest one uses it as the base.
Comparing things like the process to get a star, bosses and general variety of gameplay, leaves 64 not fairing as favorably as you remember. I.E.: Think about stuff like freeing the Chomp, "Blast trough the wall", Fighting the Bully, 8 red coins on top of Bowser Jigsaw or the star at the entrance of Hazy Maze Cave, im going by memory but some of them are rather simple tasks. i could be wrong, but doing a side by side of both games and Odyssey will probably match with 120 Moonshines that are of equivalent effort both in terms of design and challenge.
Another thing people don't notice about 64 often is, that while it features "persistent" stars available at any time during a level, taking a player away from the level after collecting 1 defeats to some degree that freedom. This design aspect makes more sense in a Galaxy type Mario game. This means that a player in 64 is traversing the same space multiple times to get stars that in reality aren't that far from each other. Take this fact into consideration and picture 64 letting players on the map after collecting 1 star, how the game would feel then?
Now moving to specific points marked in your post:
*1. In Odyssey, main levels lead players with a clear goal. Towards it, the player is presented with stage ginmicks, possesion mechanics and challenges structured around these elements. While the path to this goal is surrounded with Moonshines that are not so out of the way in a quantities near the amount to power up the Odyssey.
This is how a game with these open levels keep the rythm of it's pacing. But freedom is always there, if you so desire go nuts exploring. It also has the extra advantage that if the game is "too easy" this speeds up the process to get to the more interesting parts within a particular level or an specific level.
*2 Bland Levels: What you describe is the case with a lot of games. Quality, creativity, polish, etc varies between them.
You did make a subjective statement when claiming the "futuristic" graphic style wasn't of your liking. Anyways, i think the game reached a good compromise in it's level pallete. It features traditional themes while adding new ones like Mount Volvano, Boneton, Lost Kingdom, etc. Some people will complain no matter what, i distinclty remember the reaction to Delfino being themed around a Tropical setting and "how out of place" felt for a Mario game.
Some levels do feel unercoocked with being too simple and small or it's interesting theme not taking advantage of: See "The Ruined Kingdom".
Just started playing this last night, it is wonderful, of course. I'm using the Pro controller because my hands just don't get along all that well with the joycons, and I won't be bothering with any motion gestures either, so hopefully that doesn't compromise my experience too much
Returned my copy today. Apparently Im the only person they'd heard of not liking it.
Edit: Phew, my main save file is still there. Go to Options -> Data Management to swap save files. You can have multiple save files in one profile.
It does have multiple save slots. Just go into options - data management - load. Little bit convoluted, but it works.
For Mario's basic form swiming works like the 2D games, which i thought it was neat from a design perspective. It simplifies swiming for beginner players that tend to get disoriented with 6 DOF movement.
Really wish the outfits provided some interesting perks, unless I'm missing something, this would have really been the icing on the cake for me.
It's not overwhelming, in fact the opposite. I play almost all of Nintendo's games and when I play this to me it feels more like a Kirby or Yoshi 64 style of game, where the emphasis is shifted off the action.
I haven't seen any new gameplay mechanics here, just repeated ones. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this started life as a 3D Kirby game given the central hat mechanic.
I'm not really into directly comparing the central mechanics of 64 to this game as last time I played 64 it didn't hold up. What I'm talking about is the feeling of the game. Almost every Mario game up until this point has given me what I want, which is a sense of fun provided by running fast, stomping on enemies, and timing jumps -- here, those challenges are all reduced massively (until the later levels) and the emphasis has been placed on collecting -- something that always feels like filler to me, something you would do for fun after the main quest has subsided.
You misunderstood what I said about the futuristic graphic style, I like the graphic style, what I don't like it that the best levels all have the same style. There's nothing new graphically there.
My main problem is the lack of imagination. Sure, throw in the usual unimaginative levels: snow, water etc, but when giving us new levels Nintendo has mainly fallen back on realism or given us levels riffing on other games (GTA, DS, Sonic). If those titles were actually being referenced directly, like Mario was mucking around in other titles gameworld's that could have been something special, but here those levels come off poorly, because they are nothing but superficial copies of those titles.
You're completely right some people will complain no matter what, but seeing as I've already said that I've loved all the Mario games up until this one, that doesn't apply here. This is just not what I want or expect from a Mario game. There's not enough innovation, graphical variety or pure gameplay compared to previous titles. It's extremely well produced and very playable but there just isn't enough platforming. Despite all my complaints I would still say this is a great game however, just not a great Mario game.
Really wish the outfits provided some interesting perks, unless I'm missing something, this would have really been the icing on the cake for me.
Yeah, theoutfit should let youDiddy Kongswing from trees and poles with your tail lol
Going to post some thoughts I made else where. The game is great but not greatest all time to me and so far one of the weaker 3D marios.
This game has plenty of problems and I am far more confused at this games massive praise than Zelda. As much as I don't agree with Zelda's score I can understand why it got it. But Odyssey? Does it really do anything better than Galaxy outside just be exploration based over level based? Does that mean people just want to explore big worlds and it doesn't matter if there are well designed challenges or not?
I'm going to take one world from galaxy, toy time
https://youtu.be/zCXSSFbYWLo
Look at that, look at how every area of this game is filled with jumping, with obstacles, with platforming challenges to over come. Look at the design of these levels! I wish there was something as cool as running across a gigantic 2D mario with flipping panels which you then have to run back to the start avoiding all the pits you made. And that's the regular version without the hard mode.
Then take Odyssey where levels are spacious and filled with things to look for but it's like a casual stroll. Yes the gameplay is varied, there are great ideas in many of them but the objectives are so simple. Tons and tons of moons are rewarded for the most braindead of tasks like: butt stomping a clearly glowing spot, changing into a costume, talking to a NPC, grabbing a rabbit, putting a seed into a pot, reaching a moon high up by using an ability. The boring mindless task moons vastly outnumber the moons hidden behind a good platforming sequence, a boss fight or one of those door levels which are the closest thing we have to galaxy like levels. And even when you do get a side mission pure platforming level they are shorter and easier than stuff in galaxy (which is not a hard game either)
I understand exploring is a reward of its own but why are we so accepting that this is as good as the exploring can be? Why is this 10 10 10 the best ever when I can easily see so many better ways to create objectives for the player. A moon should never just be there for the taking. These levels don't have to be so devoid of challenge. You can combine exploration and good interesting platforming challenges so precise clever platforming becomes the majority of the gameplay, not running around hoping to find a moon in a crate. Why aren't the post moons actually interesting, the levels should get harder, like a dark side version of them with loads of new obstacles to get around rather than simple stuff like put a moon on a tree, or in a hill...
So it's the same issue I had with zelda, the game is too big and filled with mundane tasks rather than the focused well designed sections of games past. I much rather have 120 stars to collect that always have a fun interesting level to go through than 800 moons where over 50% of it feels like busy work. It's fun busy work, can't fault the gameplay it's phenomenal but these levels can have way better objectives.
You have to stop thinking of the moons as rewards and more as incentives to explore. The feeling of reward and accomplishment wears off quickly, especially after collecting hundreds of them. Sure, some of them are harder to get (and therefore more rewarding) than others but this is a sandbox Mario game and it's about the journey, not the destination.
That rationalization doesnt really work if the journey is mindless busy work.
You have to stop thinking of the moons as rewards and more as incentives to explore. The feeling of reward and accomplishment wears off quickly, especially after collecting hundreds of them. Sure, some of them are harder to get (and therefore more rewarding) than others but this is a sandbox Mario game and it's about the journey, not the destination.
I think that the way this game handles nostalgia is piss poor. Throwback Galaxy in Galaxy 2 was better than the entirety of the mushroom kingdom.
Just feels lazy.
Already commented various times in the thread about this, even in this same page post #1003:I'll chime in as another who isn't overly keen on this new mario. I'm a 40 year old gamer who has played every mario since the first one on the nes and pretty much loved them all. For me there is something slightly amiss in the latest outing.
It's probably just the direction they took. Like others have said, all the other ones had a sense of direction, clear goals etc. This does feel like a collect a thon. In no way am I saying it's a bad game. It's a solid 8 or 8.5 from me but personally, it's no where near the standards set by galaxy 1 or 2. It's also not as good as mario 64 was at the time.
I think some of us prefer the Mario games like they used to be. A level loads up with a clear level goal, complete that objective for star etc and start again. Different stars may alter the level somewhat but you get the idea.
This for the most part just feels like run around, stumble upon a moon, stumble around some more, oh look, another one. Rinse and repeat until you have enough to move to the next world. Granted, I'm only about 80 odd moons into it and it may be there better but I'm just not feeling it like I thought I would.
Not related I know, but I felt the same way about botw. An open world which is great, but barely any direction. It was just walk around to find shrines then when you were bored of that, tackle the four main areas. Like with mario, I preferred my Zelda with a sense of direction like in twilight princess, or ocarina etc.
I'm unsure of why someone would buy multiple moons from the shop, I can't see what they do if they don't technically clear moons you need to find. It's confusing.
Ok, jumping out this thread until i beat it, too many people talking about the ending, ect.
See ya guys in a few days!
Absolutely some strong similarities. I think it pretty much takes the best mechanics from both Banjo and Mario 64/Sunshine, mashes those bad boys up and makes one of the greatest games of all time.Somebody else here said that Mario Odyssey feels like a Banjo game. The more I think about it, the more accurate I think that is.
1) Large worlds where you're left to your own devices as opposed to being given clear objectives (except for the first two or three moons in each world)
2) You aren't booted out of worlds after each moon.
3) Lots of NPC's.
4) The possession mechanic feels just like the Mumbo Jumbo/Humba Wumba transformations (in Tooie, you could even become a T-Rex).
5) The worlds are a lot less abstract than most Mario games.
6) The purple coins are similar to musical notes in terms of how they're hidden.
Well I guess that solves it thenMario doesn't shiver when wearing warm clothing.