Support NeoGAF

[sphinx]

But EDGE didn't give NSMB Wii a 7 because they thought it was excellent, they gave it a 7 because they thought it was just OK. Here was their conclusion on the game: “NSMB Wii works as a pick-and-mix of multiplayer silliness which you will dip into on occasion with various groups of friends - Mario as designed by Wario, perhaps. That has its place, no doubt. But those looking for brilliance of invention in the Mushroom Kingdom might wait for the architects of Galaxy 2 to put their plans into action.”

(I agree to some extent, I felt like the single player level design was spartan, the presentation was unfortunate, and while the multiplayer was fun, it wasn't fun for the reason I had hoped it would be. I actually preferred the multiplayer in Mario Galaxy / de Blob 2 / Zack and Wiki, where the other player is not actually playing, just helping out a little bit.)

100% agree with these.

but regading EDGE's 8's and 7's toward 2d Marios, I really think the matter here (trying to think like an EDGE reviewer) is that while the games might be as perfect as they can be, they are just to simple.

Run from point a to point b and win, period.

No game whatsoever will get a 10 from EDGE, considering those scores are reserved for the "grand and the Epic" and the once in a generation thingies. Something the Galaxies sure had.

I really wouldn't make anything out ot this 8, this will be as good a 2D Mario as it can be.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

I really wouldn't make anything out ot this 8, this will be as good a 2D Mario as it can be.

2D Marios have had higher scores than 8 in EDGE.

 

[sphinx]

2D Marios have had higher scores than 8 in EDGE.

which ones?

 

[walking fiend]

didn't they complain about bosses?

Their tidbits of reviews seems to approve the preview of NWR:

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressions/28133

 

[Stumpokapow]

2D Marios have had higher scores than 8 in EDGE.

which ones?

Mario games, 2d, 3d, spinoff, whatever, that have scored above an 8 in EDGE:
SUPER MARIO 64 <-- 3d
Super Mario Galaxy <-- 3d
Super Mario Galaxy 2 <-- 3d
MARIO KART ADVANCE <-- Spinoff
SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE <-- 3D
YOSHI'S ISLAND: SUPER MARIO WORLD 2
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story <-- Spinoff

I'm not sure if this list supports the point on the basis that YI SNES is technically a 2D Mario game, or undermines it in the sense that YI isn't really a mainline Mario game per se and all the other 2D Mario games they've reviewed got 8 or less.

 

[mclem]

2D Marios have had higher scores than 8 in EDGE.

Thinking about it, I think Mario World came out before EDGE started, so wouldn't Yoshi's Island be the first and *only* new 2D mario to be reviewed in the magazine before the NSMBs?

Edit: Confirmed above! I wonder if Cerebral Assassin is referring to their occasional retrospectives and re-reviews, rather than a review at release?

 

[mentalfloss]

Zelda 10
Uncharted 3 9
Batman AC 9
Dark Souls 9

What a month.

Power chord month.

 

[Fantastical]

Super Mario 64 [10]
Super Mario Sunshine [9]
Super Mario Galaxy [10]
Super Mario Galaxy 2 [10]

Super Mario 3D Land... [8]

What happened Nintendo? Super Mario 3DS was meant to be the game to redeem the 3DS.

Iwata: Super Mario 3D Land scored an 8 in Edge? Pack it up, guys! Time for the 4DS.

 

[Refreshment.01]

The fact that Nintendo is trying to create a sort of strange blend of 2D and 3D Mario conventions to try and get more 2D Mario fans interested in 3D Mario is a novel concept in its own way, but not the sort of thing that's going to garner stellar reviews.

Why is that a novel concept? To me it looks very similar to the so called at the time "2.5D" platformers and games that were making the rounds at the early stages of the PSX, Saturn and N64, when developers haven't had enough experience with 3D games.

 

[mentalfloss]

Iwata: Super Mario 3D Land scored an 8 in Edge? Pack it up, guys! Time for the 4DS.

Funny, he didn't mention the 7 that EDGE gave to NSMB.

 

[sphinx]

here an interesting one:

has EDGE ever given a handheld-only game a perfect 10??

 

[krYlon]

here an interesting one:

has EDGE ever given a handheld-only game a perfect 10??

No. Infact I wouldn't be surprised if they have given more 10s to console games than they have given 9s to handheld games.

The only 9s I can think of are:
Bangai-O Spirits
Bowser's Inside Story
Phantom Hourglass
Chinatown Wars

I'm sure there are more. Stump?

 

[Oxx]

Dragon Quest 9 was a 9.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Can someone post what they had to say about U3 please.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

Thinking about it, I think Mario World came out before EDGE started, so wouldn't Yoshi's Island be the first and *only* new 2D mario to be reviewed in the magazine before the NSMBs?

Edit: Confirmed above! I wonder if Cerebral Assassin is referring to their occasional retrospectives and re-reviews, rather than a review at release?

YI2 got a 9 ( & is still referred to as SMW2 on EDGEs site, so I feel it counts as a mainline Mario game) & SMB retroactively got a 10( I think that SMW received the same, but I can't see any evidence for that, so I may be imagining things).

 

[RPGCrazied]

Wait... I should be able to find it. Doesn't Future publish Nintendo Power too?

 

[SmokyDave]

I'm pleasantly surprised at the M3DL score.

 

[Yoshichan]

I still can't understand how hyped I am for Zelda now that it got a 10 from EDGE...!

 

[syoaran]

Going to buy this issue + the Zelda concert tomorrow, probably will send me off the hype cliff.

 

[Withnail]

No. Infact I wouldn't be surprised if they have given more 10s to console games than they have given 9s to handheld games.

The only 9s I can think of are:
Bangai-O Spirits
Bowser's Inside Story
Phantom Hourglass
Chinatown Wars

I'm sure there are more. Stump?

Ultimate Ghosts 'n' Goblins.

edit: also MGS Peace Walker.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

I'm sure there are more.

Advance Wars
MK:Advance
LttP GBA
Space Invader Extreme 2
M&M: Clash of Heroes
DQ IX
MGSW
Rolando 2
UGnG

I think that's all the others.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

here an interesting one:

has EDGE ever given a handheld-only game a perfect 10??

The magazine has awarded a 10/10 score to fourteen games:

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) - E35 (1996)
Gran Turismo (Sony PlayStation) - E55 (1997)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) - E66 (1998)
Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) - E105 (2001)
Half-Life 2 (Windows PC) - E143 (2004)
Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - E181 (2007)
The Orange Box (Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E182 (2007)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - E183 (2007)
Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E189 (2008)
LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3) - E195 (2008)
Bayonetta (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E209 (2009)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - E215 (2010)
Rock Band 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E222 (2010)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - E234 (2011)

A couple of these are arguable, but its all excellent company.

 

[jarosh]

But EDGE didn't give NSMB Wii a 7 because they thought it was excellent, they gave it a 7 because they thought it was just OK. Here was their conclusion on the game: “NSMB Wii works as a pick-and-mix of multiplayer silliness which you will dip into on occasion with various groups of friends - Mario as designed by Wario, perhaps. That has its place, no doubt. But those looking for brilliance of invention in the Mushroom Kingdom might wait for the architects of Galaxy 2 to put their plans into action.”

(I agree to some extent, I felt like the single player level design was spartan, the presentation was unfortunate, and while the multiplayer was fun, it wasn't fun for the reason I had hoped it would be. I actually preferred the multiplayer in Mario Galaxy / de Blob 2 / Zack and Wiki, where the other player is not actually playing, just helping out a little bit.)

i thought nsmb wii had by far the best level design of ANY of the 2d mario games.

 

[krYlon]

Advance Wars
MK:Advance
LttP GBA
Space Invader Extreme 2
M&M: Clash of Heroes
DQ IX
MGSW
Rolando 2
UGnG

I think that's all the others.

If that's all of them then Edge have indeed awarded more 10s to console/PC games than 9s to handhelds.

 

[StevePharma]

Man seeing these EDGE threads turn into a happy place with near circle-jerking over high scores is something else.

Can't wait to get my issue. End of the year is amazing, even EDGE can't deny that.

 

[warpaint]

damn big scores

 

[Derrick01]

Uncharted 3 9
Batman AC 9

Not bad. Only two games I'm interested in that month (other than Rage which I finished) and I can't complain about those scores. Batman may actually have a chance at goty.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Did UC2 get a 8 or a 9 from Edge?

 

[beelzebozo]

that zelda pull quote makes me feel so pumped.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

Did UC2 get a 8 or a 9 from Edge?

9

 

[JasoNsider]

What a wonderful time to be a gamer

That quote about Zelda from Edge is truly excellent. I don't care about their scores so much as I care about their words, and they always explain themselves so well. I know literally nothing about Zelda save for the concept that it has something to do with the sky, so going into this completely blind will be an amazing experience!

 

[Dr.Hadji]

But there's a joyousness here that wins out, a simple delight in the basics of running, jumping, collecting coins and bouncing into the air that leaves these mild disappointments behind, and a creative blending of Marios past and present that makes the unabashed retread that was New Super Mario Bros appear almost cynical.

Retro review for NSMB - 6

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

The magazine has awarded a 10/10 score to fourteen games:

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) - E35 (1996)
Gran Turismo (Sony PlayStation) - E55 (1997)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) - E66 (1998)
Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) - E105 (2001)
Half-Life 2 (Windows PC) - E143 (2004)
Halo 3 (Xbox 360) - E181 (2007)
The Orange Box (Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E182 (2007)
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) - E183 (2007)
Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E189 (2008)
LittleBigPlanet (PlayStation 3) - E195 (2008)
Bayonetta (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E209 (2009)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - E215 (2010)
Rock Band 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) - E222 (2010)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) - E234 (2011)

A couple of these are arguable, but its all excellent company.

Iirc, people raged over the number of 10s in 07/08. Looking back, Orange Box deserves at least three 10s.

 

[Brazil]

Iirc, people raged over the number of 10s in 07/08. Looking back, Orange Box deserves at least three 10s.

I love how having many great games in a short period of time is "rage"-inducing to some people.

 

[Stumpokapow]

No. Infact I wouldn't be surprised if they have given more 10s to console games than they have given 9s to handheld games.

The only 9s I can think of are:
Bangai-O Spirits
Bowser's Inside Story
Phantom Hourglass
Chinatown Wars

I'm sure there are more. Stump?

Edit: This is already covered by other people, but I can confirm that the exhaustive list is:

Handheld titles scoring 9:
Advance Wars (GBA)
Mario Kart Advance (GBA)
Zelda: Link to the Past (GBA, port)
Ultimate Ghost n Goblins (PSP, port-remake)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Bangai-O Spirits (DS)
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS)
Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS)
Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid (iOS)
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PSP)
Dragon Quest IX (DS)

* Rock Band 3 scored a 10 and has a DS version, but the review OBVIOUSLY wasn't for the DS version.

 

[Anth0ny]

Zelda 10
Uncharted 3 9
Batman AC 9
Dark Souls 9

LETS FUCKING GO

ZELDA GAME OF THE GEN



Not surprised at the "low" score Mario 3D Land got. Impressions sound pretty bad.

 

[pakkit]

I love how having many great games in a short period of time is "rage"-inducing to some people.

It shows a shift in the company. There have been excellent videogames throughout the ages, and the fact that so many of these 10s have emerged in the past 5 years should say something to the consumer that these scores no longer mean what they once did.

Just be a smart consumer, and take several sources into account when buying a game (more specifically, give non-journalistic reviews heavier weight since the gamers are not in the publisher's pockets).

 

[radioheadrule83]

Not surprised at the "low" score Mario 3D Land got. Impressions sound pretty bad.

Considering the demo looks to be nowhere near as feature full as the recent videos on the eShop - impressions of the demo - which has been the same since E3, should be mostly ignored. If you're referring to previews and reviews of the final build, then that's something else altogether... I played enough of the old demo at Eurogamer to know that the final build was gonna rock.

An 8 from Edge proves its a solid title, and for fans of Mario games, beating all but the Galaxy games in that regard isn't a bad accolade. Still day 1!

I was expecting a 6/7 tbh, I figured they'd like some of the 3D elements, but feel the gameplay wasn't new enough. The fact they gush a little about the 'feel' of the game vs the NSMB series is extremely positive to me, as that was my biggest disappointment with those games... they didn't have the colour, clarity and whimsy of SMW or SMB3... they were like someone took the stock Nintendo 3D models used for print renders and stuffed them into a basic Mario game. NSMB Wii was amazing in multiplayer, but 3D Land's style marks a return to the Mario I remember!

 

[ReaperXL7]

So has anyone had a chance to read through this issue yet? I'm curious about their impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur, Gameinformer had some pretty cool new information in this last issue talking about quests and such. Is it just a one page piece?

Good to see Dark Souls getting the love, hopefully the good scores will give developers the balls to make tougher games on a more regular basis.

 

[Dr.Hadji]

Not surprised at the "low" score Mario 3D Land got. Impressions sound pretty bad.

This was happening in the vid thread as well. Get 5 positive previews, get one "meh" one and people are throwing around preorders canceled memes around. Yes impressions sound bad when you read only/focus on the bad ones.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I love how having many great games in a short period of time is "rage"-inducing to some people.

07/08 was still a time where people harbored delusions of how this gen would play out. Scores (all between 8-10 at every publication) for games like SMG, GTA4, MGS4, COD4, KZ2, Halo 3, Bioshock, Uncharted, and even VF5 online prompted endless discussions about the state of the review community.

And I disagree with the sentiment that Edge has gotten softer, there are simply more good games released now then there were 10 years ago due to the expansion of the industry and the refinement of many gameplay concepts.

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

It shows a shift in the company. There have been excellent videogames throughout the ages, and the fact that so many of these 10s have emerged in the past 5 years should say something to the consumer that these scores no longer mean what they once did.

They explained the change in reviewing criteria before those 10's, so it was obvious after that that more 10's would arrive.

 

[radioheadrule83]

As with anything else, the value ascribed to Edge's reviews will be determined by the readership at large and people like us... from where I'm sitting, most people in that group still highly regard Edge above many other review sources. I can think of few outlets that write reviews as good tbh.

The high scores this month just show what a great holiday season we're in for. I can't afford all of the games, and its bumming me out big time!

 

[Haunted]

Zelda 10
Uncharted 3 9
Batman AC 9
Dark Souls 9
Mario 3D Land 8
Forza 4 8
Disgaea 4 8
Ace Combat AH 8
Dance Central 2 8

my goodness

 

[jackdoe]

Very nice. The two games that I'm buying day one in November received a 10 and a 9. Skyward Sword and Uncharted 3. Very nice.

 

[StickSoldier]

You're comparing it to the wrong Mario series. SML3D isn't a successor to the 64/Sunshine/Galaxy games, it's a sequel to SMB/SMW/NSMB. The level design is linear and you end with a flagpole instead of reusing areas to find multiple stars. it's 2D mario gameplay with a 3D perspective.

With that in mind, Edge gave the excellent NSMB Wii a 7 so if that means SML3D is one point better than that then HYPE!

Came to post this. SML3D is much more of a platformer than the Galaxy games, and if you look at the overall scores for the Galaxy games, they've been getting on average a 1 point higher score than the recent 2D Mario games.

 

[Truth101]

Yay! Their complaints about SM3DL are non-existent problems for me. I will buy and enjoy this game very much.

 

[storafötter]

Not bummed by the Mario score. If Super Mario 3d Land is better than Super Mario Bros Wii then I consider that as a very good indicator. As much as I enjoy bros games, the modern bros games haven't been as good as the old ones and been much of a let down to me. It will be even more interesting to see how they will rate Mario Kart next month.

 

[Zomba13]

Cover is ruined by that huge Z, imho. It would look awesome with just Link or just the Z, but not both.

This.

Link on his own would look great. The Z on it's own would look great but both of them looks like ass.

 

[MarshMellow96]

So when do the Zinio digital versions usually come out? Same day as print?