What's the deal with Mario?

>>4247456
who cares about gameplay. i play mario for the story.

File: 35787-Super_Mario_World_(USA)-21.jpg (30KB, 314x400px) Image search: [Google]

30KB, 314x400px

Mario controls really well, the way the levels are set up is superb, the settings are charming. It's hard for most people to dislike Mario for these reasons. Though I sense that you may not like platformers in general, and prefer RPGs and shmups.

Some people just don't like certain genres or games. It's really that simple. I don't like Castlevania, and most people tell me it's one of the greatest series in vidya history. I find the act of controlling a really slow character with a whip very boring.

There was a time when a scrolling screen was a technological leap forward believe it or not and that era was dominated by the shoot-em-up and the 2d platformer. SMB had good physics, good level design and a certain adventurous aesthetic. Truly brilliant.

>>4247473

>I don't like Castlevania, and most people tell me it's one of the greatest series in vidya history. I find the act of controlling a really slow character with a whip very boring.

same here. The only ood castlevanias I played were SOTN and Aria of Sorrow. The NES and SNES ones have terrible gameplay in my opinion.

>>4247479

To be honest, I shied away from trying SOTN and GBA titles because of my experiences with NES and SNES titles, as well as Castlevania Rebirth. Maybe I should give SOTN and Aria of Sorrow a shot though. They look kind of fun.

File: 314379[1].png (251KB, 411x416px) Image search: [Google]

251KB, 411x416px

>>4247473
I'm kinda indifferent to Mario as a character, but my favorite Mario game right now is Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, because it's close to my favorite genre of games with a team-oriented turn-based strategy like Jagged Alliance, Valkyria Chronicles, XCOM and X-Com. My previous favorite Mario game was I am a Teacher: Super Mario no Sweater, because you could make something useful with it. Kart is okay, but I think Sonic All-Star Racing Transformed nailed the genre. Haven't really played the RPGs because they seem like a mix between shallow and gimmicky.

I gotta say that I'm not fully on board with the Castlevania series either, because of the platforming. All those stages with spinning wheels you have to land on while being swarmed with medusa heads can fuck right off, but I like that you can fight enemies with a range of weapons as the series moved on.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I was always fascinated by games with unconventional weapons back in the day, the whip in Castlevania and the boomerang in Power Blade comes to mind.

>>4247476
I certainly do remember that and it's quite an achievement, but it's surprising to me that the Mario love keeps up even all these years later. A tubby moustached man doesn't seem like a very appealing character on paper, but people love him and even new generations do as well.

>>4247456
Mario's the oldest videogame character with a ridiculous amount of quality games. He is 'thee' videogame icon for a reason.

Name a bad Mario game on a Nintendo console. You can't. Maybe a spinoff game, I haven't played them all.

I'm not saying it's right to praise him like that. People who make game room videos in the first place sound like bandwagoners desu.

>the act of running and jumping without any forms of attacks have always seemed both boring and frustrating to me.
I'm the opposite. Platformers that aren't momentum based are tedious. I don't want to walk up to an enemy and swing a weapon until it dies, I want to use it to jump higher or just dodge and weave around them.

>>4247491

Part of my problem with the Castlevanias was the level design in certain areas, like the clock tower. It was perhaps one of the most awkward and frustrating aspects of the series.

I like challenges, but I never really thought of those as fun or engaging. It was more an exercise in frustration, like swimming up a stream with a bunch of jagged rocks.

>>4247456
Mario has always been a solid game and theres a reason he has a main game on every Nintendo Console with Spin Offs like Mario RPG or Mario Tennis. Making a Mario game is a license to print Money, its going to be above average to really good and its going to sell.

File: StanleyTheBugman[1].jpg (102KB, 280x303px) Image search: [Google]

102KB, 280x303px

>>4247491
>it's surprising to me that the Mario love keeps up even all these years later.
The Japanese are really good at branding. Even in the early 80s, Nintendo (Miyamoto really, until Wrecking Crew) had that idea of a consistent character. I dunno what was up with pic related. Maybe mustaches don't draw so good on characters who are looking up.

File: Capture.jpg (126KB, 1354x715px) Image search: [Google]

126KB, 1354x715px

>>4247497
>People who make game room videos in the first place sound like bandwagoners desu

It's a fascinating look into where all those atrocious Pop Vinyl figures end up, but occasionally I do come across some really interesting and unique game rooms.

Here's some:

https://youtu.be/-wWi8pMgfi4

https://youtu.be/wX4QwU9F0eU

https://youtu.be/H4CCYEzlYwA

>>4247473
>Mario controls really well

I've never gotten used to that weird sliding deceleration when he lands and runs. Now, Mega Man is a good platform hero. He stops in his tracks and has a gun for an arm.

File: fireflower.jpg (52KB, 600x800px) Image search: [Google]

52KB, 600x800px

>>4247456
>without any forms of attacks
Have you ever played Super Mario Bros.?

>>4247523
Mario's weight and momentum are a big part of what's good about him.

>>4247546
>Jason Bourne is a master of hand-to-hand combat, utilizing a vast array of martial arts to take down and incapacitate his enemies in exhilarating quick time events.
For a moment I thought you were being serious, funny way to give away you're baiting. I admit I smirked a bit, 6/10.

File: 1228376120165.jpg (46KB, 600x450px) Image search: [Google]

46KB, 600x450px

>>4247546

>>4247547
Yes, that was just satire, but my original post was serious enough. Even if it isn't for me, I can certainly understand that Mario is a quality game, but the fervor around the series is kinda interesting.

Maybe the reason why Mario decorations are so prevalent is because the series has so much merch?

>>4247553

If you want a serious answer as to why he looks the way he does, it's because imagery that spreads globally does not conform to norms that American marketing firms spew out. What really spreads globally is simple imagery. Kirby was just a placeholder sprite that stuck because he is recognizable, simple, and cute. The fact that he's just a ball with little limbs and a big mouth don't mean much.

>>4247553
You had to be there I guess.
Mario was already popular among video game fans in the early 80s (before Super Mario was even a thing) due to Donkey Kong, when he was called jumpman or whatever. So his image (red overalls, hat, moustache, etc) had already become iconic.
Then SMB came out in '85 and everyone went nuts. Maybe it's not clear now without context, but in 1985, games barely had scrolling, let alone smooth scrolling. There were games like Pac-Land released in 1984, but SMB raised the bar high when it comes to controls and level design, compared to anything else. In fact, it's still the favorite of many people, 32 years later.
By the time SMB3 came out in 1990 (or 89 in Japan), Mario had already become a cultural phenomenon, everywhere. His popularity exceeded the video game world.

File: karnov_by_jeremiahlambert-d5uol8w[1].jpg (228KB, 800x1217px) Image search: [Google]

228KB, 800x1217px

>>4247570
Gotta admit that I absolutely adore Kirby. Cute design, great games with few pits of death and a plethora of weapons. It's also a series they take more chances with, so Kirby games aren't as consistently "great" as Mario games, but the great Kirby games are REALLY great, in my opinion.

Someday I wanna make a bizarro game room tour "With that mustachioed man in red that you all know and love; Karnov" and then just have a bunch of Karnov posters, plushies and figures all over the place.

>>4247579
Maybe it's because I had a C64 back then that it never really resonated with me. Even on my friends NES, I preferred to play Duck Hunt, because it felt less frustrating to play.

>>4247579

This is true. Mario is came to stand for an industry, not a video game franchise.

There are a billion shitty games with Mario on the box, they only put their A-game into the main platforming line. He's a cultural icon that Nintendo markets after the fact, this is a special status that you can't even buy.

It's that sexy, sexy moustache!

https://youtu.be/FMebFNpk69o

>>4247456
3D Mario is a great experience because Mario controls well relative to other platformers. It focuses on the enviroments that are actually easy on the eyes and are designed for concise platforming (though sonic adventure 1 does this too) and the genre has potential when given attacks that benefit the hardship of 3d space manouver like Fluud, cappy and the spin move from galaxy, these things make the game move forward more quickly because when you know what your doing and you feel in control youll move things along more quickly.

>>4247756
Now when it comes to 2D Mario I'm not really a fan of the trilogy and the JP version. There a little stiff and even though Mario 3 has suberv art direction given the constraints it's still slippery and very difficult to the point of it not being fun. Super Mario World is my favorite by a longshot because if you practice you can make the levels move along faster with your skill and enemies take up less screen real estate so it's easier to avoid them. The way new elements of level design are constantly popping up in the game is what makes World so memberable. Jumping is fun. But what about jumping on moving platforms? Or flying? Or avoiding falling spikes? Or hanging on moving ropes? Or climbing on steel cages? Or solving a haunted house puzzle? This things I remember about World.

>>4247546
Oh, come on, how could you take down that beautiful shitpost?

I get that you Mods need to clean up the place a little, get rid of the /pol/ spillover etc, but this one was actually funny.

>>4247805
someone might have gotten triggered. we safe space now

Platforming games are the origianl rhythm games. Each level (and the game overall) has a "tempo" that you can lock into and feel. Some of the best Mario levels are ones where after you lock into the rhythm you don't even need to know how the level goes anymore because you can just reliably react to the hazards based on the rhythm of the game.

>>4247456
Mario is great, but just like everything else it gets mistreated by mentally ill millennials. I swear it's like people forgot how to appreciate something for what it is rather than what it's supposed to be or how they personally conceive it.

>>4247523
>Mega Man is a good platform hero. He stops in his tracks
You haven't played MegaMan 1 and 2, right?

>>4247456
I have always been similarly bored by the genre, but just chalk it up to different peope liking different things. Watching people's eyes glaze over when I start ruminating on fighters or roguelikes is also a good reminder to just let them like what they like. Variety is the spice of life after all!

>>4247456
>any forms of attacks
You never played Mario. That's why.

>>4247480

Please do. SoTN and onward Castlevania games are really different from the originals and place way more emphasis on exploration and RPG elements. Plus the characters are way more mobile and controllable (sans CoTM somewhat). I'd highly recommend both SoTN and AoS, especially the latter, which is one of my favorite games ever.

>>4247480
Seconding the other anon. SOTN is most definitely NOT your typical slow-paced Castlevania. There's tons of movement upgrades and transformations that assist with moving quickly.

>>4247523
>I've never gotten used to that weird sliding deceleration when he lands and runs.
What if I told you that Mario's ability to run is his original "special move"?

Just like a whip in CV or MM's cannon, Mario's run is the most useful tool he has. The entire game is built around mastering that mechanic.

>>4247456
Judging by you comments on Mario, Megaman and Castlevania, I feel that you have never even played these games and just seen somebody, somewhere play them one and you thought "hey these aren't for me" without actually putting in the effort to try and play the games for a few hours and see if you like them.

>>4249007
I remember playing and failing on my friends NES when I was a kid, then gave Galaxy a go when it was all the rage on the Wii and in the latest venture, I picked up Mario Maker on Wii U, but they were all just frustrating as hell to play.

>>4247510
That's like the artificial difficulty of platformers. Ninja Gaiden was the same way. Super easy game until you have to deal with birds or soldiers that would instantly spawn in the middle of your jump. The only way to get around it was by managing how far you needed to scroll the screen before you had the perfect trajectory.

I have that problem with strategy games, shmups and sports games. I find them dull, specially grand strategy, bullet hell shooters like Touhou (I can see the appeal of the characters and such though) and yearly shit like NHL, NFL, anything that's baseball, football, basketball, hockey.

I also like doom, but I couldn't really bring myself to put time into WADs, I find the concept interesting but really, at some point you have seen it all.

It's alright that you don't like platformers but it's not difficult to see why Mario is liked by a ton of people. It's true that in 2D the genre doesn't change much or innovate at all, to the point they essentially had to release mario maker because it essentially was getting to the point where they were just selling level packs. However it offers the kind of controls that people want: not too slow, not too fast, precise and tight enough, the kind of shit that makes you feel like if you fuck up, it's really on you.

>>4247456
>What's the appeal?

How about the fact that Super Mario Bros was the first game ever made? You couldn't be showing your underage any harder.

>>4250407
Don't joke about that, I know people that think this way