Nintendo "Mario" Direct.

[Howard_Casto]

Hmm so I guess no big game this winter.  Mario 3d all stars was pretty interesting but for the life of me I don't understand why Galaxy 2 wasn't included other than they want all our money.  The AR Mario Kart looked pretty awesome... it's an idea I've had floating in my head since Twisted Metal was released.  The $99 kit and separate nintendo switch per player seems like it could get out of hand pretty fast though.  Also they don't have my boy Bowser as a kart for sale, so no dice.  Mario 3d world getting released means that the only mainline wii u game that didn't get ported (yet) is Star Fox Zero.  I wonder if that "bowser's fury" bit is enough to justify a re-purchase or it's just a one level add-on like they did with Captain Toad.  Mario 35 looks like good crazy fun..... basically tetris 99 rules applied to SMB.  It's hard to get excited when that was the only "new" game being released.  Hopefully there will be another non-mario related announcement soon. 

[KenToad]

I don't get the limited nature of all this. They're just feeding ebay trolls, at this point.

I'll get (hopefully) the physical release of 3d World because it's the one game in the 3d series I don't have. I looked at the preorder page on the switch eshop and it's $60 for the digital edition. If the physical edition is limited to ebay scalpers, that's just crap.

*Edit* I just preordered the physical edition from Best Buy. Luckily, we have one nearby.

[KenToad]

Some more details emerged about the 3D collection and the physical version went up for preorder on Amazon.

Sunshine doesn't let you use an original Gamecube controller like it was used on an original GameCube or Wii, even though tons of people have them for Smash Ultimate. This is important because the GameCube controller has a unique 2 stage shoulder button that helps you control the Fludd water pressure.

Galaxy expects you to use the touch screen when in handheld mode, which sounds really bad, so you basically aren't able to play the game without the joy con controllers held like Wiimote and nunchuck, not my favorite way to play any game, as the Joy Cons aren't comfortable, IMO.

Mario 64 doesn't have these special control needs, but the game was obviously designed to work best with the N64 controller. If you've ever played the game through an emulator with a different controller, you know that something feels off. I haven't heard if they even tried to fix the button controlled camera.

[Osirus23]

so you basically aren't able to play the game without the joy con controllers held like Wiimote and nunchuck, not my favorite way to play any game, as the Joy Cons aren't comfortable, IMO.

So the Switch Pro Controller won't work?

[KenToad]

You need to shake to do the spin move and point at the screen to collect and shoot star bits.

[opt2not]

I'm literally sitting here staring at the pre-order page for 3D All-stars.  I'm not yet convinced I should buy it. The only thing that's making me consider it is the stupid limited time release.

I just spent a bunch of effort getting my Gamecube to output a clean 480p RGB signal, upscaling it to 960p looks really great, on top of turning on Anisotropic filtering on the textures. So I have Sunshine covered. AND i can play it on the original controller it was meant to be played on.

The Galaxy control scheme just seems aweful, but then again, i was never a fan of the WiiMotes anyway. Not including Galaxy 2 is strange, given it's a superior game and should be an "All Star".

I wish they actually did a visual update for Mario 64. They have no problems doing graphic rehauls of the 2D Mario games, but when it comes to the 3D they skimp out on the effort.

The limited time release thing is just super shady.  I think they realize this collection is underwhelming so they're trying to artificially generate scarcity so that people like me, who are on the fence will pay full price now and not wait for cheaper secondhand pricing. Which is what I was originally going to do.  Now the secondhand pricing is going to skyrocket rather than be at a discount.

Pricing would have been fine if they did more to update these titles. Now I'm comparing this to when I bought Super Mario All Stars for SNES, and it was a full retail priced cart at original release. You had visually updated games of the original games, and they included the Lost Levels -- something new to merit buying released games.

Ugh. I hate being undecided like this.  Someone convince me.

[KenToad]

Sunshine was kind of a turd in the 3d mario series, unfortunately. If they weren't even going to give it proper GC controller support, why include it at all? Galaxy 2 is weaker than 1, but still worthy of inclusion.

I'm sort of on the fence on getting the 3d all-stars, but I definitely wouldn't pre-order. I'll wait for the reviews. The digital game will be available at retail for a while. I really don't need a physical compilation of ports of games that I can already play with better controls.

In other news, the augmented reality Mario Kart game reportedly comes with a radio controlled car, some kind of gates to make your track, and a download coupon, not a game cart.

[opt2not]

Hey I liked Sunshine! It was a little kooky, but i really like the Fludd gameplay and always found the enemies to feel more dark and scarier than regular family-friendly mario enemies.

I always thought Galaxy 2 had a much better gameplay experience than 1.  Granted, 1 was more "space-y", 2 felt more in line with a regular 3D Mario game.

Different strokes I guess.

You make a good point about the digital release. These days I try to avoid digital games because I don't want to rely on some company's control of servers/service to play the games I purchase. Digital always felt like renting a game, rather than owning.

But for these re-releases, since I own them in their original form, I should probably just buy the digital release later.

[opt2not]

Here's a capture of my Gamecube outputting 480p RGB, upscaled to 960p.  (more screenshots in this album:  https://imgur.com/a/H1WaqSS )



The Princess Peach quote kinda sums up my feelings about this All Stars collection.

[KenToad]

Damn, that does look really good. Sunshine is still a great game, but a relative turd when compared to the other 3d games in the series. I rank Sunshine the lowest, just below Odyssey, which bored me, despite having super nice graphics. Galaxy 1 had perfect gameplay, dynamic, interesting levels, a real feeling of progression and the music was some of the best we've ever heard in video games. Galaxy 2 was worse in almost every way, although Yoshi was a fun addition. They're all amazing, but for me Galaxy 1 was the best, followed by Mario 64, then Galaxy 2, then Odyssey, and finally Sunshine. The Level design just wasn't as good in Sunshine. A lot of the shines required you to do tricky platforming feats or timed runs that weren't all that fun and often had you fighting the camera. The graphics and presentation of Sunshine are a pretty amazing leap from 64. I didn't care for the music much, though.

[Howard_Casto]

Galaxy 1 and 2.... their jumping mechanics were off and that's coming from a hardcore platform player.  They were serviceable I guess but it didn't feel like Mario.  I eventually got used to them but the whole point of a new Mario game is that it's essentially the same... you shouldn't have to get used to them.  They were fun though... 2 especially since it offered some actual challenge.  Sunshine, despite being a dark horse in the series, at least felt like Mario.  Odyssey was amazing, mostly because it felt very much like Mario 64 with updated graphics.  The thing about the 3d Mario games is I really don't like revisiting them but once in a blue moon.  You know a new one is going to be out in a few years anyway, so I never saw the point.  Modern games are just so much of a time sink.   

I'm not really interested in any of these releases tbh.  I just want a new game.  I wouldn't worry too much about the "limited release" status btw.  They said that about Mario All Stars for the Wii and I bet I could still find copies of that in some big box stores.  Limited release means nothing unless they tell you how many they intend on producing. 

 

[pbj]

Galaxy runs really well in Dolphin with an Xbox 360 controller and some thoughtful mapping.  Didn’t miss the wiimote at all.

Didn’t like Galaxy 2 very much back in the day.  Too samey.

Sunshine is an absolute turd then and now.

[opt2not]

Didn’t like Galaxy 2 very much back in the day.  Too samey.

People said the same thing about Prime 2, and I’m like “so? The first one was good, why not want more of that?” 

I never cared for the opinion that a sequel being the same as it’s predecessor made it bad. Lots of sequels get punished for continuing the quality of the game before it, and it never made sense to me.  Are you not entertained??

[Howard_Casto]

I prefer galaxy 2 over galaxy.  The levels in 2, especially the bonus levels, are more difficult and at this point anything that is going to get me a challenge is welcomed.  Well except new super luigi U..... ugh.  The prime games kind of blur together at this point but I can't remember playing any of them and thinking...  "ugh more of this".    That being said I'm hoping prime 4 tries something new.    The best thing about Metroid games, aside from the Prime trilogy, is that, much like Zelda, they typically change the games up quite a bit.  I suppose Zelda does a better job of it, but Metroid still tends to get a lot of tweaks and such.  I was really hoping prime 4 was going to be out this winter... even though I knew there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell. 

Sunshine isn't bad.... it's just that damn fludd made it fill more like a spin off than a main line Mario game.  (Like Luigi's Mansion)  I get the feeling that Mr. M. was running around nintendo headquarters playing ghostbusters with a vacuum strapped to his back during that time.  The highlight of that game were the mini stand-alone bonus levels. 

[thomas_surles]

I loved sunshine. It kept a bunch of stuff from 64 like the star system (shine sprite) red coins and hub world type deal, while adding something new to the mix with the fludd system.

Can we expect a zelda collection for the switch?
I would assume ocarina and majoras mask, maybe skyward sword or twilight princess?. Would hate to buy them again but I do really love playing on the switch while listening to TV lol.

[Osirus23]

Fludd was there to showcase the graphics tech used to render the water and all the paint, which was supposedly something only Gamecube could do at the time.

[KenToad]

Super Mario 3D all stars was leaked early. All the games are emulated.

Of course, you get no 1080p, no original controls or even save states. Hell, I play split screen co-op Mario 64 on my original console, just as one example of something amazing that they could have done. The developers at Nintendo didn't even bother to acknowledge the improvements in the DS version of Mario 64 by maybe adding in the extra playable characters. This is just beyond lazy. I guess it's possible that they will make it right by adding some kind of DLC.

[Osirus23]

I think that much was obvious. Typical Nintendo. This entire release just reeks of laziness and greed.

[KenToad]

I think that much was obvious. Typical Nintendo. This entire release just reeks of laziness and greed.

Yeah, it does, unfortunately. Still, I was surprised to hear that these are emulated. There was quite a bit of debate as to how much work went into the development of these games.

[opt2not]

Glad I decided not to pre-order.

[Osirus23]

Mario 64 is holding my rackmount NAS in that thumbnail. Is that where they downloaded the ROMs from for this release?

[nitrogen_widget]

so my kids pre-ordered this from gamestop with their birthday money so they could get the decals for the controller.
Show up a few hrs after noon to pick it up.
no decals.

the kids at the store...just a blank look when I asked where are the decals.

I called another store and the guy told me they had 130 pre-orders but only received 40 decals.
he called a few stores but everybody ran out.
he said he will send an email to the head office to see if he can get any extras sent out to my store but i'm not holding my breath.

annoying.

[KenToad]

So, what's the verdict on the 3D all stars? Did anybody manage to snag Mario Kart Live? I didn't pick up either and have no plans to get them, but I'm still curious as to what our fellow BYOAC'ers think about them.

[wp34]

So, what's the verdict on the 3D all stars? Did anybody manage to snag Mario Kart Live? I didn't pick up either and have no plans to get them, but I'm still curious as to what our fellow BYOAC'ers think about them.

I'm really digging 3D all stars but have only played Mario 64 so far.  The controller difference and camera issues have not bothered me like they have others.  Mario 64 is a top 5 game for me and I like being able to play it without having to setup my 64.

[KenToad]

That's good to hear. Yeah, I have my old consoles connected and ready to go and that's mainly what stops me from getting the 3D All-Stars. It's nice that you can still pick it up physically for retail price, at least for now.

[AJgamer]

Do you think it'll be worth investing in a Nintendo Switch? My kids have told me about it and I've seen it advertised everywhere so I am keen to get opinions from people on here as it is a little bit pricey.

[Howard_Casto]

If you didn't own a Wii U yes, if you did maybe not as 90% of the first party games are just Wii U rereleases. 

[KenToad]

I think the Switch is legitimately the best console ever made. It runs seemingly everything and is a portable, as well.