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Is it just me, or is SMW kinda mediocre?

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Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy this game just fine. I don't outright dislike it like Yoshi's Island either for that game's bloat and excess of content.

I just find it kinda... barren? I haven't replayed it in years, and never find myself yearning to. I don't play too many 2D Mario games in general besides 6 Golden Coins and NSMBDS. I prefer 2D Sonic and 3D Mario as a whole.
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Okay, serious answer: I'm not sure. I'm still very nostalgic for the game and like it a lot, so I don't think I could ever give a fully objective answer here. I can see that, by today's standards, Super Mario World might be considered barebones, because it doesn't have as many level gimmicks or as much variety as most of the later games. However, I think the level design of Super Mario World still holds up even today, and the game offers an amount of freedom that is very rare in 2D platforms even today. That, in my book, still makes it a great game. The game would need some serious flaws before I could consider it mediocre, and I personally don't actually see that many flaws about it.
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I've still never actually played the original Super Mario World (aside from level 105/106 and bits and pieces I've seen and heard over the years from screwing around with the ROM), so when I eventually inevitably do end up playing through it I'll probably be able to give you an objective answer to that.

However, comparing the bits and pieces of it I have seen to the countless ROM hacks of it I've played, I can understand where you're coming from. People who've spent years playing the game over and over and devote their free time to coming up with creative and interesting things to do with the medium will probably yield more creative and exciting results than levels that were designed when all the sprites and objects were first being made and tested as well. So while I can't say for sure whether or not the game is "mediocre" or if it's aged well, your perspective makes sense if you're used to playing ROM hacks at this point.
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It's just you.

SMW and SMB3 get talked about a lot in gaming circles among which is comparatively better bc both are widely seen as good games.

SMW still holds up today as an example of Mario at his most refined until the NSMB games with the way he controls and the way the level design generally teaches and tests you and how its generally fun to play across all skill levels.

Originally posted by K.T.B
However, comparing the bits and pieces of it I have seen to the countless ROM hacks of it I've played, I can understand where you're coming from. People who've spent years playing the game over and over and devote their free time to coming up with creative and interesting things to do with the medium will probably yield more creative and exciting results than levels that were designed when all the sprites and objects were first being made and tested as well. So while I can't say for sure whether or not the game is "mediocre" or if it's aged well, your perspective makes sense if you're used to playing ROM hacks at this point.


I play a lot of ROM-hacks of SMW for over 10 years and that is definitely being spoiled by what hacks can do, even tho I find the vast majority of them to be mediocre experiences simply bc Sturgeon's Revelation being an actual thing when it comes to fanwork.
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Super Mario World was a pretty great game for its time and it was one of the peaks of its genre for a while. It's obviously a bit mundane in retrospect, especially with the sequels and innovative hacks to compare it to, but that just means that it's been surpassed—which can happen to even the greats.
I still like it more than SMB3, even though a lot of people hold the opposite opinion. It controls better and I think the levels are a better length. SMB3 has some really solid levels but because it has more shorter levels the not-so-punchy levels end up feeling a lot like filler for lack of a better word.

NSMBU is my favorite 2D Mario game though.
In a sense SMW does feel a bit lacking in terms of world themes and the original pales in comparison to other Mario games and even hacks of SMW, but without SMW you wouldn't have a lot of things that modern Mario have now like Ghost Houses, secret exits, collectables like Star Coins (which arguably stem from the Dragon coins in SMW), and so on. It was a very influential game for its time and arguably has the best controls of any Mario game ever made.

I don't blame you for feeling the way you do but hopefully you can understand why contextually SMW is a great game.
Since I end up flying over most of the levels, I just see the overall design of SMW's levels as pretty bland, but in a way that's just a testament to how amazing the controls are. I can only fly over every level like nothing because the controls and mario feel so solid to control.
Originally posted by Samantha
arguably has the best controls of any Mario game ever made.

Dunno... I think that SMB3 has better controls. SMW feels a little bit more slippery to me. Or maybe that was just the controller I was playing it on at the time...
Originally posted by Quizler
Since I end up flying over most of the levels, I just see the overall design of SMW's levels as pretty bland

I don't think giving the player the choice to skip the level makes the level bad per se. That's just part of SMW's proposal to be as accessible as possible for all ages and skill levels by giving the player a lot of choice and tools to beat a level in their own way. It's worth noting though that beating a level through soaring with the cape doesn't come for free. People who barely played or rarely play the game as much as us hackers haven't mastered how to soar with the cape properly (I can't state how many people I've met that hadn't), so I'd argue that there's still some skill acquiring needed to properly skip levels. And, hey, don't forget that some levels are designed to not be broken by the cape, like castles, fortresses, caves and water levels, and that if you die, you have to go all the way back to a level with an easy cape to try to beat it again with that method.

Also, regarding difficulty, as a kid even the most simple levels like Star World 3 and Vanilla Secret 3 felt a bit challenging in one way or another, because at the time I had no experience in dealing with Lakitus in clouds, Dolphins and Porcu Puffers, nor had the logic skills to immediately find the secret exit in the former. As someone who introduced SMW to my, at the time, young neighbor and played it through with him, it's clear to me that SMW isn't easy or bland in more absolute terms.

Originally posted by The Yak Smoker
Dunno... I think that SMB3 has better controls. SMW feels a little bit more slippery to me.

I very much think the opposite, because it feels much easier to kill Mario's momentum and change directions in SMW. Other things that favor SMW's controls are a second jump option (spin jump) that is shorter than the normal jump, duck jumping that actually gives you slightly more precision and better item holding and tossing mechanics. Also, yeah not to mention the cape moves much smoother than the racoon/tanooki.

imo SMW is a game that's unfairly judged by its cover, because the deeper I look into it, the more respect I have for it. To this day, I appreciate how it handles physics, level progression, choice, paths, secrets, and if I take its time of release and context into consideration, it's just even better.
Originally posted by Gloomy
Other things that favor SMW's controls are a second jump option (spin jump) that is shorter than the normal jump.
That's like one of my favorite things about SMW is the spin jump! If THAT were in SMB3 that would be cool!
Originally posted by Gloomy
imo SMW is a game that's unfairly judged by its cover.

Really? This is like most people's favorite Mario game! So much so that there's an entire site dedicated around hacking it!
Originally posted by The Yak Smoker
Really? This is like most people's favorite Mario game!

I don't have any proof here with me, but even though SMW is a classic, I'd not say it's most people's favorite. I'm pretty sure games like SMB3, Yoshi's Island, Galaxy 1 or 2 and Odyssey are above SMW in most people's lists. Also, you'd be surprised by how many other people in this site share the thoughts of the OP.

Quote
So much so that there's an entire site dedicated around hacking it!

Keep in mind there are reasons other than SMW being a fine game for SMW Central existing, such as FuSoYa's dedication to Lunar Magic, SMW being on the SNES, which is a very popular and thoroughly researched console, and two of SMW's solid features happen to be the physics and mechanics, which make a good base for hacking and facilitate design and creative setups.
It's worth remembering that one of the reasons SMW has been so extensively hacked is due to it's simplicity. Other 16-bit games like Sonic, DKC, and Yoshi's Island have more interesting levels and beautiful graphics and music, but aren't nearly as customizable for hackers as SMW.


Originally posted by Cascade
It's worth remembering that one of the reasons SMW has been so extensively hacked is due to it's simplicity.

smw's lolcode is anything but simple. the tools and patches you use to edit the game really simplify a lot for you (especially lunar magic), but that doesnt make the original game any simpler than sonic/dkc/yi

edit: to be fair, yi is definitely more complex, but only because superfx assembly is garbo (even then, its mainly limited to sprites)
Originally posted by Cascade
Other 16-bit games like Sonic (...) have more interesting levels and beautiful graphics and music, but aren't nearly as customizable for hackers as SMW.





Are we thinking of the same game here? (;^w^)

Also like Ladida said, SMW's code is pretty cursed, tools actually alter and fix it to be more modular.
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Originally posted by lion
Originally posted by Cascade
Other 16-bit games like Sonic (...) have more interesting levels and beautiful graphics and music, but aren't nearly as customizable for hackers as SMW.





Are we thinking of the same game here? (;^w^)

Aw HELL YEAH!!!! Gotta try dose sometime!
I don't think SMW is mediocre per say, but I think it has more basic level design compared to SMB3. But that's not a bad thing.
In fact I think all the 2D Marios have something interesting that could be taken from them to make an ultimate 2D Mario.

SMB1 and 2 (Lost Levels) have those weird secret paths above the screen, which I still think can be cool if used sparringly. SMB2 (USA) has the vertical level design, different characters with different playstyles, actually good bosses and the grabbing mechanic and a new setting with unique enemies. SMB3 has the amazing variety of powerups, the level design, the cool secrets on the overworld and a sense of difficulty I don't get from most of the later games. SML has the unique setting and the bouncyball powerup along with the nice sky and sea stages. SMW has secret exits, Yoshi, the cape (one of the best Mario powerups, if not the best), the nice overworld with stages that you can play again, a lot of interesting things with the level design, like Layer 3, Layer 2 and so on. SML2 has the non-linear world map, unique settings, coins that go up to 999 and some of the best boss battles in 2D Mario (which is technically not saying much, but still). The NSMB games have a variety of jumps (triple jump, wall jump, buttstomp), mini mushroom (good for secrets and fun to use) and turtle shell (chaotic fun), shops in which you can buy wallpapers and stuff and some interesting gimmicks here and there.

Like, if just pick apart things from all of these games, while not picking the negatives, you could easily have the most packed and interesting official Mario game out there.

Sadly, none of them ever did anything even close to this (technically there are the e-reader stages for SMA4, but I don't count those as a full game). Seriously, I totally believe you can have a game that can be as accessible as they want, while still providing a lot of cool stuff for people who are more experienced.

Mario Maker 2 seems to be going close to that path, but the lack of updates and general neglect from Nintendo just killed the chance to make it happen. You'd think they would want to support the game as much as possible like they did with the first one, but I guess there's no point in doing that if you're not struggling with sales for your console (Splatoon 2 while fared better still kinda got shoved aside, having no more Splatfests and all, even though the first game got stuff until the Wii U died).

I'm still foolishly waiting for that game, but hey, if Mario Odyssey can be the ultimate 3D Mario for a lot of people, I'm sure there's still some hope for that, even if it's not as overkill as my idea is.
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You have to remember that this game was developed in the late 80's early 90's and was a launch game for the SNES.

The SNES was a new system at the time and so not many people had experience with the console yet.

The numbers speak for themselves, the game sold millions.
I don't think it's mediocre, but I do think that, in some ways, it was a step backwards from SMB3.

One of the things I loved about SMB3 is that every single level feels unique, even when assets are reused, and even though some of them are really very short. SMW levels are a lot more simple and basic, and as a result, they aren't as memorable or fun. Levels in 3 are more complex and, in spite of the generally smaller size, feel just as big and more fleshed out because there is more to do. I think SMW feels more like SMB1 than 3, in that the stages are more linear and there isn't as much exploring to do. Which is a shame, I like levels that make me want to look around and reward me for doing so.

I also wish that they hadn't gotten rid of the special powerups found in SMB3, even though a criticism I have of 3 is that it doesn't use those special powerups as creatively as it could have done.
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