Zero Punctuation: Super Mario Galaxy

[tobyornottoby]

Uh, he liked SMG. He just found some faults with aspects of the game, especially how it follows the Mario carbon-copy storyline verbatim

This review is like 99% positive

very true quote from gamasutra:

This game is wholeheartedly a game, and doesn't shy away from it -- more, it embraces it. In the first level of Future, Ratchet may traverse an amazing futuristic city. Mario traverses challenges -- nothing more, nothing less.

Again, just as with Zelda: the same characters, the same plot, the same goals every time doesn't matter for these games, because it's about the rules, not the representation ^_^ (yeah zelda is way more in the middle)
(I am a representation gamer though (or a vorthos for knowers of magic-slang) so I don't have galaxy yet and also startb to wonder why I bought a Wii >.>)

 

[Sylocat]

I thought that the whole gravity thing was the best part of the game, it gave a greater sense of freedom than a normal 3D platformer does and its fun to see if you can long jump right around a planet, and the camera was pretty much the best one any game has had in a long time, it never got stuck and was almost always in the best place to see the action.

I agree, I thought the gravity was a nice gimmick, that really set it apart from the others.

Of course, I also forgave the abundance of extra lives by saying that the reason for it is probably that Nintendo didn't want to HAVE a life counter in the first place, and giving so many one-ups was the next best thing to getting rid of it altogether. Now, as for why they didn't ACTUALLY get rid of it altogether, well, that's a bit of a conundrum.

EDIT: Oh, and I too noticed that Yahtzee seems to be talking a lot slower than normal. What's up with that? Ah well, the drawings were great.

Oh, and I thought Super Mario Sunshine was one of the best games in the Mario franchise, and while I should probably know better than to say that in a ZP thread, I loved the game, so fuck you.

 

[Dectilon]

Probably because they wanted a life counter : P

 

[Sanguinans Sabulum]

Good review of SMG, but like others said, it sounded like Yahtzee was drunk, bored, or didn't care about this episode. He also slowed wayyy down. Finally, not that I'm an uptight prick, but the gratuitous toilet humor and cursing is distracting, not funny here.

 

[TheTakenOne]

This review is like 99% positive, nice

very true quote from gamasutra:

This game is wholeheartedly a game, and doesn't shy away from it -- more, it embraces it. In the first level of Future, Ratchet may traverse an amazing futuristic city. Mario traverses challenges -- nothing more, nothing less.

Again, just as with Zelda: the same characters, the same plot, the same goals every time doesn't matter for these games, because it's about the rules, not the representation ^_^
(I am a representation gamer though (or a vorthos for knowers of magic-slang) so I don't have galaxy yet and also wonder why I bought a Wii >.>)

MTG nerds FTW! (I'm a Johnny myself.)

I'm with you there, although I don't have SMG and I probably won't get it unless I get a steady flow of cash very soon.

This review was surprisingly positive and I might actually go buy Super Mario Galaxy if I ever have the chance, but I'm saving for a PS3 and I need money set aside for Brawl. Boooo @ being poor. =(

 

[Heroic One]

Glad to see you liked it.

 

[Ghandi 2]

See, I take Zero Punctuation as less of a review (though it makes good points from time to time) and more as entertaining satire. So, to me, this episode sort of fell flat in the humor department. I dunno, maybe it's the subject matter. Is it really all that funny that Mario never gets any from Peach? I never expected it in the first place. It's a Mario game after all. Let me try explaining in other terms.

Let's say your mom contracted AIDS through a needle accident at the hospital she works at. Being so, AIDS really isn't all that funny to you. You can see the humor in someone's joke about AIDS and you almost want to laugh but you just can't bring yourself to it. That's what this episode felt like.

That example is a little extreme perhaps but it's the first thing that came to mind. Anyone see where I'm coming from and feel the same?

No, I have no idea what the fuck you mean with that bizarre example.

I understand that games don't need plots to be fun, but I don't understand why people are embracing that Nintendo is being lazy/blatant fanservice by doing the exact same thing over and over again with no variation or explanation whatsoever, even though, when you look at it objectively, the whole thing is completely nonsensical.

 

[Aihal]

3 complaints I don't understand about SMG:

- "You get so many lives". Yes, they have basically taken the concept of lives out of the game, it's irrelevant these days anyway.

- "It's hard to figure out what's going on when you go upside down/sideways". Of course it is, that's the point. Otherwise you might as well put the whole game on one plain.

- "The storyline is always the same". Who the hell cares about the storyline in a level-based platformer? It's a game about jumping between coloured blocks - do they really need to go into detail about your motivation?

 

[GenHellspawn]

The story line has been the same in every mario game since super mario for the NES. THAT is what he meant

 

[Rent]

Really good review. But one question Yahtzee, why are you talking so slow compared to the other reviews? Yes what i just said was really silly but i really enjoyed it when you entered hyperdrive mod :>

 

[laikenf]

Wow do people REALLY want an intricate story on a mario game? For what, so you can skip them and be all annoyed by it? What is there to flesh out on a mario story anyway?

 

[Mkoll]

Brilliant as usual. The only complaint I can come up with is that Yahtzee sounds tired and talks slower. Fix that please .

 

[Ziggo2]

As always I mostly agree

Nintendo needs to shelve mario and come up with something new.
Mario Sunshine was crap
They need to work more on the story and boss fights.
The live system is pointless especially when they take them all away when you save and quit.

The only point when I disagree even a little is the gravity changing at times it adds a little variety but I HATE it when they put you on upside down and sideways platforms and make you do precise moves and jumps.

The starbits thing feels like something randomly through in to make the wii mote seem more important for the game.

But the game overall is FUN.

It took me a while to remember what you meant by the second fucked up moment then i remembered the queen bee part.

 

[Melaisis]

Gotta love the line about the 'snow shovelling business in Hell'.

Excellent as per usual.

 

[CCM]

Glad to see Uncle Tusky is back.

 

[jdog16]

Personally, Galaxy is probably one of my favorite games this year. I encountered very few camera or control hitches, and the shaking-the-Wiimote-to-spin thing never really bothered me (I actually thought the spin attack was a good inclusion, since the angles can sometimes make jumping on enemies hit-or-miss).

I knew not to expect a headcrushingly deep storyline, since Mario's never been about that. I play Mario games for lots of creative and fun platforming, and Nintendo sure as hell didn't disappoint in that respect.

I liked the review though. Gave me some laughs, as always. Some of you may complain that it's "more of the same," but why try to fix something that already works perfectly fine?

 

[Alstan]

And I'd rather be a butthurt Nintendrone than a Halo player.

I'm soooooo happy for you. Fortunately for me I don't give a shit about that "console war" and I really don't care if you think that those who play Mario deserve go to heaven or they are better persons and those who play Halo deserve to be rape by giant grasshopers with Goebbels face (in hell obviously).

Anyway, in my case I guess I can be described as a Butthurt Nintendrone, Xbox-owner-who-fells-into-a-narcoleptic-coma-if-I-don't-kill-anything-in-45-seconds, and a Games-are-art-hippie (yes, Psyconauts is art). I prefer that sort of schizo bahaviour rather than clasify people in top of the others just for the games they play

 

[Alstan]

And I'd rather be a butthurt Nintendrone than a Halo player.

I'm soooooo happy for you. Fortunately for me I don't give a shit about that "console war" and I really don't care if you think that those who play Mario deserve go to heaven or they are better persons and those who play Halo deserve to be rape by giant grasshopers with Goebbels face (in hell obviously).

Anyway, in my case I guess I can be described as a Butthurt Nintendrone, Xbox-owner-who-fells-into-a-narcoleptic-coma-if-I-don't-kill-anything-in-45-seconds, and a Games-are-art-hippie (yes, Psyconauts is art). I prefer that sort of schizo bahaviour rather than clasify people in top of the others just for the games they play

 

[Alstan]

And I'd rather be a butthurt Nintendrone than a Halo player.

I'm soooooo happy for you. Fortunately for me I don't give a shit about that "console war" and I really don't care if you think that those who play Mario deserve go to heaven or they are better persons and those who play Halo deserve to be rape by giant grasshopers with Goebbels face (in hell obviously).

Anyway, in my case I guess I can be described as a Butthurt Nintendrone, Xbox-owner-who-fells-into-a-narcoleptic-coma-if-I-don't-kill-anything-in-45-seconds, and a Games-are-art-hippie (yes, Psyconauts is art). I prefer that sort of schizo bahaviour rather than clasify people in top of the others just for the games they play

 

[Chis]

To those that have mentioned it: stop bitching about Yahtzee's speech speed. Honestly, it doesn't matter, and such a complaint smacks of armchair shit-talking in a vain attempt to sound elitist and cool. It's HIS reviews, he can do them in whichever way he chooses. Personally I appreciate a slower, more deliberate delivery. I'm watching the Guitar Hero 3 review now and I wouldn't say that his speech seems any faster or slower there, and you all seem to love that review (??).