zelmusario on 01 April 2015
Bravo. You just put into words what I've never been able to. I've played all six of the games you've mentioned, but never really enjoyed them to the extent that I did SMB 1-3 and World and could never figure out quite why. Just chalked it up to getting older (which may be part of it).
SMB 1-3 and World all had distinct art styles and level design to call their own. Basically, it comes down to what you said: identity. NSMB is no longer an homage. The series needs a break until it can reinvent itself again.
It'll be awhile before I figure out how to do one of these. :P
