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IGN: "Mario and DK haven't evolved since the SNES"

A

_Alkaline_

Member
IGN recently did a feature on the revival of the 2D platformer.

If you want to read it, click here

One section of the article discusses how pricing of 2D platformers has changed and expectations with it.

Here's the first bit:

As this change has occurred, so too have people's conceptions about what should be classified as a fully-priced game. Blockbusters made by hundreds of people (like Mass Effect 2 or Red Dead Redemption) are seen as worthy of a Triple A Game price, whereas most people no longer consider platformers as being in the same ballpark.
Click to expand...

lol

But this is the real gold mine:

The LittleBigPlanet series is obviously one of the few exceptions, but those titles are much more than just platformers. The company that is truly bucking the trend is Nintendo. What other company still charges full price for a classic platformer experience? In the last couple of years we've had New Super Mario Bros., DKC Returns and Kirby's Epic Yarn to name a few. These titles are obviously Nintendo's bread and butter, but it does put the company at odds with the rest of the industry.

Don't get me wrong, I love Mario, Donkey Kong and Kirby as much as the next guy, but it can't be denied that these games are selling gameplay that hasn't necessarily evolved since the NES and SNES eras, at five times the price of new and original games being released on PSN, Steam and XBLA. These titles don't have the added bonuses of HD graphics, online play, leaderboards, true 5.1 sound and the potential for DLC expansions.
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Neat.
 
W

weeaboo

Member
These titles don't have the added bonuses of HD graphics, online play, leaderboards, true 5.1 sound and the potential for DLC expansions
Click to expand...

BUAHAHAHAHHAAHA

kyR0P.gif
 
E

Eusis

Member
The downloadable games USUALLY don't last as long, and it doesn't seem like a big deal to a lot of people given how well the games sell. Besides, that kind of limiting of what can/can't be sold at retail just leads to stagnation of what's put out there.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
The really laughable bit isn't actually the DLC thing; I'd love extra Mario levels and I loved the ghetto-DLC for SMB3 on GBA via eReader levels. And I would like leaderboards--most of the games in question have local leaderboards anyway, might as well make them actually useful. And I would like online play especially in ground-up co-op games like DKCR and NSMBWii. So those bits aren't crazy to me. I mean, the point they're supporting is pretty damn crazy, but those things are good things.

... The thing that's crazy to me is the "true 5.1 sound". Really? In a 2d platformer? How could there be true 5.1 sound? The game takes place on a flat plane; sounds can only come from the left or the right. Why on earth would they benefit from 5.1 sound?

Link Man said:
So, can they name a $10 platformer with the same amount of content as NSMB Wii or DKC Returns?
Click to expand...

Super Meat Boy.
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
I'm much more appalled that people would charge full price for the likes of 3D Sonic games, Duke Nukem Forever, or a shameless cash grab like vanilla MVC3 than a game like DKCR or NSMBWii.

Given that last statement IGN better pimp the shit out of Rayman Origins. But I doubt they will.
 
O

orioto

Good Art™
Speaking about 2d marios and hd graphics, i wonder why they kinda drop the ball on them, while the Kirby games have all the graphic attention...
 
F

Fularu

Banned
As this change has occurred, so too have people's conceptions about what should be classified as a fully-priced game. Blockbusters made by hundreds of people (like Mass Effect 2 or Red Dead Redemption) are seen as worthy of a Triple A Game price, whereas most people no longer consider platformers as being in the same ballpark.
Click to expand...

Unless I'm mistaken, NSMB and NSMBWii almost tripled RDR's worldwide sales and lapped Mass Effect's

If we were to draw conclusions from such sales, it would mean that people see no value in those games compared to 2d Mario games :p
 
I

Infernal Monkey

Member
Don't get me wrong, I love Mario, Donkey Kong and Kirby as much as the next guy, but it can't be denied that these games are selling gameplay that hasn't necessarily evolved since the NES and SNES eras, at five times the price of new and original games being released on PSN, Steam and XBLA. These titles don't have the added bonuses of HD graphics, online play, leaderboards, true 5.1 sound and the potential for DLC expansions
Click to expand...

ZSVtV.jpg
 
N

Night_Trekker

Member
So IGN still sucks?

Stumpokapow said:
... The thing that's crazy to me is the "true 5.1 sound". Really? In a 2d platformer? How could there be true 5.1 sound? The game takes place on a flat plane; sounds can only come from the left or the right. Why on earth would they benefit from 5.1 sound?
Click to expand...

The writer was only thinking, "Gotta add more bullet points to this list."
 
E

Erethian

Member
It was the notion of 'evolving for the sake of evolving' that saw a move away from the 2d platformers in the first place. I'm glad that Nintendo remembered recently that 2d Mario never stopped being popular.

This is the same thinking that says turn-based RPG mechanics are 'archaic' while action-based RPG mechanics are 'modern'.
 
J

Jackano

Member
I can' wait for leaderboards, true 5.1 sound and to see the potential for DLC expansions in New Super Mario Bros. Mii.
 
B

Box of Bunnies

Banned
I love Mario, Donkey Kong and Kirby as much as the next guy, but it can't be denied that these games are selling gameplay that hasn't necessarily evolved since the NES and SNES eras
Click to expand...

...and are all the better for it.
 
G

Goldmund

Member
Just hire hundreds of people to create the next 2D platformer, Nintendo, even IGN will consider it worthy of the »Triple A Game price«. Let's stop focusing too much on the gameplay while we're at it, we need more of that uncanny valley and Hollywood movie sheen. Just look at the sales gap between Red Dead Redemption and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Clearly, people are fed up with paying »Triple A Game price« for these kiddie games stuck in the 90s.
 
S

SneakyStephan

Banned
As much as I am bored with mario, that DLC, 'hd graphics' (seriously why do people keep saying this, what the FUCK are HD graphics supposed to be when I was playing commandos 2 at 1280x1024 over 10 years ago) ,etc comment made my blood boil.

FUCK off ign shills, you don't know what you are talking about and are merely trying to ape what you think are consumer trends.
 
J

Joseph Merrick

Member
thought the thread title quote was talking about the mario vs donkey kong sub-franchise and would factually be incorrect. but then it turned out to just be opinion piece garbage. oh well
 
P

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Question: Are people really clamoring for Mario side-scrollers to deviate from their classic formula? New Super Mario Bros. Wii was universally well-received critically and last I checked, it had sold a TON of copies.

This just screams of a small minority wanting to change things just to be different and that doesn't seem to suit Nintendo's development these days.

They've got a series that's a guaranteed system-seller. Why change it until the public actually says, "we don't want this any more?"
 
E

Erethian

Member
The price question isn't even an issue of content. Nintendo releases their 2d platformers as $50 retail titles because they can, just like any other game company would if they were in the same position.
 
T

ThatObviousUser

ὁ αἴσχιστος παῖς εἶ
orioto said:
Speaking about 2d marios and hd graphics, i wonder why they kinda drop the ball on them, while the Kirby games have all the graphic attention...
Click to expand...

Eh? There are no HD Kirby games.
 
D

DaSorcerer7

Member
A quote from his blog.


Stephen_IGN said:
Nintendo only rely on the genre now because of the technical limitations of the system. If that's not true then where were all the platformers on the N64 and Gamecube? It's not only about the genre being cheap on live, its about what's really worth full price and what should be cheaper. DKC is just a prettier version of what we already played on SNES, though I don't remember anything with the crazy scale of something like Skyrim or Bioshock Infinite coming out back then.
Click to expand...
 
M

MikeE21286

Member
catabarez said:
Cuz you know, I totally want DLC in my Mario game.
Click to expand...

I actually very much do. Mario games would be perfect for DLC as opposed to many other story-driven games that have DLC tacked on at the end of it.

It's probably one of the best oppportunities for DLC that exist
 
C

Codeblue

Member
Interestingly enough, the Mario game is still near full price, while I grabbed both Mass Effects for around $10.

They're entitled to their opinion on what constitutes value, but that surround sound arguement might be the dumbest thing they've ever said, and that's impressive.
 
A

Azure Dream

Member
The unfortunate thing is that I do wish New SMB Wii had online play and DLC. Why there was no WiiConnect24 content when amateur hackers had a full level editor developed for the game in about a week after launch, I don't know. (Besides the obvious "Because Nintendo.") Imagine a Star World where, every week for the first 8 weeks of launch, 4 new levels appeared for you and your friends to play through, online or offline. Would have been nice.

I can't otherwise comment on the article. I've tried to read it twice, and both times I start to skim because it feels like all I'm reading is meaningless mush.
 
T

Tobor

Member
Yeah, other than 5.1, he's got a point, just worded poorly.

Who would argue that Nintendo is behind in online functionality? By extension, Nintendo's 2D platformers are just as far behind as everything else.
 
F

flyinpiranha

Member
The M.O.B said:
Can we just post the entire article here, I don't want to give IGN a single click for this garbage.
Click to expand...

It will only lower your IQ.

It seems 90% of IGN's "articles" are just like random thoughts somebody has while drinking or really into another game and hoping other games are like it ... it has become a blog for people not even interested in most genres of gaming, but a select few. And sadly, those genres to them are "popular" and "controversial".
 
T

The M.O.B

Member
Princess Skittles said:
So wait, Limbo and LittleBigPlanet are used as counter-examples to this?

Neither of those are good platformers.
Click to expand...
I haven't played limbo yet but LBP is some bad bad platforming.
 
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