| F0X said:
Maybe we need to have our priorities in order. Perhaps we should raise our concerns about gameplay primarily, because this is one area we're more than qualified to have out opinions heard. Though it could be said that money speaks far louder. If a series lives and dies solely on its dedicated fans, then I suppose the people in charge should pay very close attention. If a series has a wide, diverse fanbase consisting of people with potentially contradictory opinions, I'd say it may be better for the creators to listen to their own collective guts much more often. |
The thing is the gameplay is nailed, and always has been. Super Mario Bothers has never failed in the gameplay department, as far as I'm concerned. Every single Super Mario Bros. game I've ever played, 2D and 3D, was of utmost quality when it comes to gameplay, bar a few very marginal exceptions or minigames.
The truth about the themes and worlds is that it has sadly stagnated, and many have voiced their opinions on that front. You will tell me "what isn't broken you don't need to fix", but the truth is that it _was_ changed somewhere after Super Mario 64, by the same people that made the earlier incarnations. So, it's a matter of going in the wrong direction by these same creators (Miyamoto, Kondo for 3D Mario and Tezuka for 2D Mario).
The reason I express this need is because
1) I grew up on Mario
2) I see a very different potential for this series, one that taps into deeper emotions, like the underwater level of Super Mario 64 (Dire Dire Docs).
and
3) This is Nintendo's greatest franchise, and needs to shine in _all_ respects, imho. I want that.
True, the games are fantastic, but I believe there is something wrong with them at the moment to make them the glorious classics they are meant to be.
Here, Jolly Roger Bay / Dire Dire Docs:
