Mario, my friend, what has happened to your games?
In my local GameStop, this is not an uncommon sight…
I see “Mario” on a box and as if under a spell I practically kill myself to shell out my hard-earned clams, no questions asked. Recently, however, I must admit in my darkest and most shameful moments, I’ve started to question the red-clad plumber’s love of, well, me.
With my declining enjoyment of the star’s most recent games, I fear my love is going unrequited. Or am I overreacting?
This is the problem with creating something truly brilliant. People, not unlike me, begin to expect brilliance at every turn and are no longer satisfied with what might be genuinely good. We expect to have our minds blown.
For instance, consider a number of legitimately good Mario games that don’t live up to their predecessors:
Mario Power Tennis (GC)
Mario Kart Double Dash (GC)
Mario Party 5 – 8 (GC & Wii)
Super Paper Mario (Wii)
Super Mario Sunshine (GC)
I know that these are good games. I have beaten all of them (except Mario Party 8) and enjoyed myself (sometimes more than others). But I haven’t come away from these games with the same feelings of awe and glee that I walked away from the following games with.
Mario Tennis (N64 & GBC)
Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Mario Party 1 – 4 (N64 & GC)
Paper Mario (N64)
Super Mario 64 (N64)
Even if we set the issue of declining qualities among sequels aside and disregard my point-of-view on the matter, chalking it up to Mario snobbery, I think more of us vidiots will find it harder to live with what I begrudgingly call “the selling-out of Mario”.
These are the games that insert Mario into genres or franchises that aren’t within the Mario universe, and on top of that, tend to be of slightly less quality than original Mario-themed games. These are games like the following:
Mario Hoops 3 on 3 (DS)
Mario Superstar Baseball (GC)
Super Mario Strikers (GC)
Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (GC)
NBA Street V3 (GC)
Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood, I think that Mario should be able to branch out into different genres, and I also think he should be able to make cameos in other franchises. But what I don’t like is that when this occurs, the games either don’t seem to be held up to the standards I expect from my Mario games, or the particular part of the game featuring Mario is minimal or seems like an afterthought.
I’ve rambled on long enough about Mario and how I’m growing weary of the falling quality of his games. Hopefully Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl will recapture my interest in the fallen hero.
And lastly, what about this…
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
I am severely disappointed that the first time Mario and Sonic join forces, they are doing it in a licensed product rather than some fantastically creative adventure befitting of the two heroes. This, to me, is a sign that Mario has no intention of winning back my affections.
I’m sure that this blog stirs up a lot of opinions in people, and I want it to be made clear that I’m still struggling with how I feel about Mario and my lack of faith that he is going to move forward along the path of the righteous and save me from all the other mundane games like he used to.
Please Mario, come to my rescue.
-CV
