Here's my feelings on it, Happy D. What you are saying about it being a new and fantastic world the first time that you played Super Mario Bros or whatever Mario game that it was that you played first is 100% true and in that way it isn't all about the gameplay. But to criticize the Mario series because it does the same thing doesn't make sense to me. It's still the same brilliant world and as Veknoid_Outcast pointed out earlier, there never was a deep mythology present like Tolkien's books which you referred to in the OP.

That's a strawman. It doesn't need to be a coherent world strung together (granted that does help). It just needs to capture the imagination and it did, completely. By the last levels I was really excited playing the game, it left a great feeling of accomplishment and joy just running through these imaginative levels and having that wonderful music playing with it. It was something that I had never seen before, and I was exploring and travelling, and it was both fun and exciting.

It was perfect, once I got over the babyish themes of the mother ship and the obnoxious toads, and some less interesting levels, the good levels more than made up for everything.

Thank you. The part that I'm criticizing is that NSMB is not taking the series anywhere other than tightening the gameplay. That's not enough for a Mario fan, otherwise just make the game out of blocks and planes if it's all about the gameplay.

Even if the mythology is nothing like Tolkien's, the mystical nature of it was honestly more captivating than Tolkien's. That mystical nature is/was Miyamoto's unique gift and ability, one that few have. I admit lore was the wrong term in OP.

Oh look mister high and mighty telling us who qualifies as a mario fan and who does not. Dude, get over yourself.

@happydolphin: They way I see things is that the NSMB didn't click with you and you can't quite put the finger on why. Instead of letting it go, you're trying to rationalize your disappointment in the games.

You're trying to convince yourself that the original SMB games had amazing lore when in reality the vast majority of elements in those games are there for gameplay purposes. Also, what you consider magical in the NES games, you now consider cheap in the NSMB games, it doesn't make sense.

It has nothing to do with me, it has to do with people who pretend to know what makes Mario great, yet know nothing about what, at its roots, made Mario great.

I'm sick of people letting Nintendo go on a total lack of effort when it comes to the imaginative and mystical side of Mario, and make fun of people who look at other things than gameplay, when the other things than gameplay were what made Mario great in the first place.

Get out of your cave and get with the program.

I explained that man. The elements are all still there, but there is nothing new, no evolution, other than in gameplay. Actually, in terms of imagination and capturing ours, it got much worse!

The original Mario had elements that were not for gameplay purposes, but just for plain old exploration. Secret blocks, hidden areas, areas in the sky, none of that was necessary to make the gameplay better, it was necessary to make the game something incredible, period.

NSMB doesn't click with me because it can't, all it has going for it is gameplay and nothing else. I throroughly enjoy the gameplay, but can't get attached to the world in any way whatsoever. Yet that's what made Mario so endearing in the first place.

The irony is that new Nintendo players can't and never will understand that, and rather make fun of people who are still hoping for Nintendo to come back to their senses...

Alright guys. I am out of here. Everyone play nice and don't ridicule each other or I will put you in the naughty corner for a timeout.

Have a good day!

Then I respecfully disagree with you.

A child picking up NSMBW as his first Mario game would discover the Mushroom kingdom with it's mushrooms, fire flowers, castles, airships, wacky costumes, secret areas and find it just as magical as you did when you discovered Mario 25 years ago.

Nailed it. Absolutely nailed it.

@trucks. That is a valid point. I'm not sure how a child today would perceive NSMB because I'm not there. But I think that if I were a child, I would not be convinced because too much of the world breaks that connection of depth. Namely, the music and the colors. Other than that I see your point. However, it goes again to prove that Nintendo put no effort there and has cashed-in. Also remember that this is a series and that the fans of the previous entries should also be considered, as was the case for Star Wars Eps 1, 2 and 3.

I own Super Mario Galaxy 2 and wasn't able to get into it. I didn't enjoy the first level and am still playing the Luigi version of Galaxy, so......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

My point is not to bash NSMB per se, but to bash the people who accept the lack of effort in the story/imaginativeness department of these games. Yes, that includes you. Why? Because you are mocking people who are craving for these imaginative and evoking worlds that made them fall in love with Nintendo in the first place. That's my agenda and I'm not ashamed of it.

Coherence of worlds is important, I will give that to you, but it isn't a show-stopper like you make it out to be. Your presentation on the warp pipes is a good one and I largely agree, but Galaxy leverages other strengths that compensate. What I mean by straw-man is that you're using that as a be-all-end-all argument, when you know full well that it isn't.

If you say that I'm trolling again you're going to get trouble.