I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I know I'm not the only one who's thinking this and I think it needs to be said.
Super Mario Galaxy is waaay overhyped.
It's not a bad game by any means and I do plan on at least beating it but seriously? This is the game everyone's been blowing rainbow loads over? People actually consider this their "Game of the Year"? What else have you guys been playing?
Now don't get me wrong. The game
is fun...kind of. The graphics are really good and the levels are inventive and unique to each other. The spherical world thing and playing with gravity is all really cool, but it's also the source of much of my frustration. Thought jumping on your enemy's heads was already awkward in 3D? Now try it upside down with a camera that refuses to move where you want it to. Eventually it reached a point where I stopped trying entirely and just use the spin attack exclusively since it's not worth it. That said, I only get frustrated every once in a while while playing. The other amount of time playing seems extremely passive and I always finish a level or even boss fights thinking "Oh. That's it?". I can't really place my finger on why but I'm always struggling to find the enthusiasm to continue. I won't even get into the annoyingly over cute story and lack of voice acting since it doesn't really hurt the game play (except when you're stopping to read mounds of unskippable word bubbles). It's just that it reeks of laziness in an otherwise polished game.
I don't know. The only reason I'm ragging on it this much is because I've only heard high praise and stuff like "You should buy a Wii for this game!". No. I'd be pissed if I bought a Wii for this game. I feel like the only way SMG is making it so high (or highest) on people's Game of the Year lists is a combination of nostalgia and blind Nintendo loyalty. God of War 2 was more fun to me than this game. After about a level's worth of play time (or less) I start thinking "Man. I'd rather be playing CoD4 online." or I find myself wanting to play God Hand and I keep thinking "This is some people's game of the year? Really?"
I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, I'm just trying to voice an opinion that no one else really seems to be voicing. I know I'm not alone on this one.
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Also, I agree. I really enjoy SMG, but it's no game of the year.
I find Halo 3 to be not even remotely worth playing so I guess we all have our strange differences of opinion.
I honestly think it's due to the fact that many gamers are maturing, as are their tastes in gaming. Simple and colorful games don't hold your interest as long as they used to, no matter what major game character it stars. Another game that comes to mind is LoZ:TP. Why was I far from impressed with the game, when it was getting so much praise?
For instance, I thought CoD4 was very over rated and TF2 is very under rated.
and don´t plan to do it..
so....
It would have helped if some of the writing from Super Paper Mario found its way into this game.
I'm only doing this one because I've heard nothing but praise for it. Halo gets it's fair share of people saying it's over-hyped (it is) but I feel like people are just giving SMG a free pass.
@ShadowXOR
I'm just trying to say what I've been thinking for the past couple of days while playing it. My "impressions" if you will. I admit, this post is on the negative side but I just felt like I needed to get it off my chest. I don't think anything I've said is untrue, just my opinion.
But the game switches to larger worlds about halfway through, which is where I lost motivation to keep playing. Never really liked Mario 64, which is what the latter worlds feel like.
I wish I did. Seriously. I feel like part of my inner child has died.
@MaxVest
I know what you mean. Part of me was thinking it was cool and I understood that it would ruin the effect a bit if the camera followed you all the way, but I would also get annoyed at the movement during those times. I just wasn't getting it or something.
I didn't necessarily single anyone out, I didn't want any confrontations! I just felt that way about certain people's comments.
Ah well, you can go back to your Halo and Madden. 'Cause they're so innovative.
It is nice to see someone else's view. I felt like all the Zelda games have been over hyped. I find them dull and repetitive, and I love Halo. You can't get anymore repetitive than that trilogy, but Zelda is just stale. Halo is just a trilogy that has ended (For me, anyways), how many unchanged Zelda games have there been, and I'm not talking about graphics?
Ha! It's cool man.
@Spartacus
I feel Halo is over-hyped as well (campaign wise I mean), and I haven't played a football game since NFL2k. Amount of innovation isn't really my point. I don't really care as long as the game is fun (ie God of War 2). SMG just isn't as fun for me as a whole lot of other games were this year. But a million times over, that's just me.
What the hell does Halo or Madden have anything to do with his opinion on Mario Galaxy? How is that relevant to anything in this blog?
I think you should check out Lemon's blog, retardo'.
There's just somethings that happen in the game that just fucking...make you feel good. Like kicking Bowser around the planet four or five times.
Also, you're impression is incorrect, and you need to reevaluate how you really feel. This can't possibly be how you personally (as a unique individual) feel about the amazing happy time that Super Mario Galaxy puts into all of our hearts.
It would be a lot more interesting for both sides of the argument to actually discuss real reasons for liking/disliking it instead of reading all these comments that just say "I liked it." "I didn't like it." How boring is that?
That's the thing though, except for a few things, it's hard for me to say why I only like instead of love it. It isn't any set of XYZ things that make me not love it, it's an overall feeling.
I think part of it is the raging cute-itude. I'm not averse to bright colors and wholesome fun (Katamari is one of my favorite games) but SMG has a sickening level of it (Sweet Sweet Galaxy?).
The biggest thing I think though is the passive feeling I get while playing. Except for a couple boss fights, I notice myself zoning out and going through the motions of the level. I wouldn't call it being too easy as I heard it gets harder later but more like uninteresting to me. Kind of the same feeling I got while playing Sonic Adventure the first time (except not nearly as bad).
Maybe my nostalgia for Nintendo in general has dissipated and the game is just not for me. But even so, I think I can look at it objectively and still be able to say that it's solid and fun, just not as great (to me) as everyone else seems to think.
or that you haven't seen an advertisement for? Even if a game/album/movie is excellent it won't sell much unless it's over hyped. And No I don't mean every time there are always a few exceptions to the rule.
From a marketing standpoint, Yes. But I'm not talking about the marketing.
I've heard multiple times from press as well as gamers in general that you should buy a Wii for SMG, and I guess I'm providing the counter-point since I haven't really seen that opinion (which I share) voiced anywhere.
I heard a sheep once. It went,"Baaaaaaaaaaaa".
I stand with GuitarAtomik when he says that SMG is vile kiddy porn for children. He also wants all of you to grown the fuck up and leave this ghetto of retarded boyhood fantasy behind, and get laid like he does every 26 minutes.
I'll never forget what he said to me after watching him make love to my mother for the first time, "When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things like this purile Super Mario Gaylaxy shit"
Atomik described the 'frustrating' parts of the game. Those are the (often times unintended) challenges of the game. That's what keeps it from being an interactive movie. Part of playing games is overcoming that stuff. If you find that boring, than don't play the game. It just sounds to me like you wouldn't have touched SMG had you not heard so much about it.
That said I don't think you should buy a Wii for this game. But if you have a Wii, it's worth picking up.