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[Why would you do that?]

There is an argument that the New Super Mario Bros. games have a lack of variety in worlds compared to older Mario games. One counter argument is, "Well, what other worlds can they add? There's only a limited number of settings/biomes/etc." I'm here to explore that.


Older Games
-----------------------

To start, let's take a look at the worlds in Super Mario Bros. 3. I will bold the interesting ones.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Grass/Plains - Desert - Water - Big - Sky - Ice - Pipe - Dark

Back in 1988, this was huge. So much variety in one game. I find the Big world and Pipe worlds interesting. They're not usual settings. Instead, they're settings that are IMO gameplay oriented.

Now, look at the next game. Not including Special worlds, because they don't have a concrete theme:

Super Mario World
Island - Plains - Cave - Bridge - Forest - Chocolate - Lava

Two new interesting worlds. These are unusual, not standard worlds.


New SMB games
---------------------------

Now, look at the New SMB games:

New SMB
Grass/Plains - Desert - Beach/Water - Forest/Poison - Ice - Mountain - Sky - Lava

New SMB Wii
Grass/Plains- Desert - Ice - Beach/Water - Forest/Poison - Mountain - Sky - Lava

New SMB 2
Grass/Plains - Desert - (Don't know the others, but I know Forest/Poison and Lava are in)

What's this? All of the New SMB games have the exact same worlds as one another, but just in a different order.


Other Games and Non-Mario Games
--------------------------------------------------

So... What worlds could they add instead? Let's look at Super Mario Land 2:

Super Mario Land 2
Tree/Honeycomb - Space - Tiny/House - Dark/Scary- Mechanical/Human/Stomach- Water/Inside turtle - Castle

So much variety, it's hard for me to even describe the worlds. (Shame I wasn't a big fan of this game. )

Mario games aren't the only games with worlds. Let's look at some other games.

Kirby's Adventure
Forest/Plains - Ocean/Beach - Building - Sky - Mountain? - Ocean/Ice - Rainbow/Night Time

Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Kirby Wii)
Forest/Plains - Ruins - Beach/Water - Ice - Building - Mechanical - Lava/Volcano

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Jungle - Beach - Ruins - Cave (Mice Cart) - Forest - Prehistoric - Mechanical - Lava/Volcano

A lot of interesting worlds here.


My thoughts
----------------------

The New SMB games individually have a lot of variety. 8 worlds, each with a different theme, many levels featuring a new, interesting idea only used once (like the bone coaster). However, when comparing the entire games to each other, it does lack variety. It is a little tiring if you play all of the Mario games.

In Mario 3D Land, there's this one stage, a music stage. Even though the stage is repeated 3 times throughout the game, it's still my favorite stage in the game, and I sometimes start Mario 3D Land just to play it. It's an idea that has not really been exploited in Mario games, and is fresh to me.

If New SMB U features at least one unique, interesting world, then I think it would really make the game a lot better and more appealing.


Conclusion
---------------------

It's pretty clear that the New SMB games could have more variety. But what? What would you like to see? What worlds would you be interested in seeing in future New SMB games?

 

[Narag]

Was that title just a placeholder?

 

[legacyzero]

aaa??

WWYDT?

 

[Iacobellis]

Awesome thread title.

 

[Why would you do that?]

Was that title just a placeholder?

Aaaah you posted right when I edited the title! Now it won't show up.

It was a placeholder, though, so I could preview the post.

Edit:
Thank you, mod!

 

[Hot Coldman]

Is this the VVVVVV prequel?!

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Man, if I see one more mothafuckin' desert or forest world...

 

[LuuKyK]

Saw the thread title, than the username. Thought it was you failing to make a new post and doing a thread instead after just having won the right to make them.

EDIT: well, that changes things.

 

[DigitalDevil]

That's a pretty terrible thread title.

 

[jerry1594]

I really like that Starry Sky looking Boo level. Hopefully that's a world like in Galaxy and not a stage like the Super Mario World.

 

[Salvadora]

Yeah its quite tiring to play the same worlds over and over again.

 

[Kokonoe]

Not sure why they haven't done Space in 2D, unless Star World was that.

There has been undead monsters in Mario, but not really spooky levels. (Not inside a building that is)

 

[Spieler Eins]

It's probably part of a Boo House.

I'm not getting my hopes up. It'll probably be the lazy Grass/Plains- Desert - Ice - Beach/Water - Forest/Poison - Mountain - Sky - Lava pattern again.

Yes, it simply has new backgrounds now. First sight made me hope it might go the SMW route, but it cleary will be like the other NSMB games again in that regard. But at least the worlds will be prettier...

Impressionism?

Boo house

 

[Jaded Alyx]

There should be a jelly world.

 

[Tenki]

Impressionism?

 

[Currygan]

I would like to see a futuristic 2D world

Not sure why they haven't done Space in 2D, unless Star World was that.

There has been undead monsters in Mario, but not really spooky levels. (Not inside a building that is)

space was in SML 2

 

[Boney]

This is definately a problem that Nintendo has been ignoring with this series. While I don't think one would usually hear complaints from more mainstream gamers if you will it doesn't mean they don't want that.

It's easy enough to just look back at the back catalogue and see how DKC took over the world on ambience alone. Which is why I think NSMBU is right on track with it's artstyle, providing the unified Mario look while still offering quite a disctintive look from it's New brothers.

There has been undead monsters in Mario, but not really spooky levels. (Not inside a building that is)

The first half of NSMB world 8 is what I'd define as spooky. With the crow enemies and the spiders and the long rotten trees.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Impressionism?

Definitely looking forward to that.

 

[Kokonoe]

Impressionism?

I guess there's the outside spooky level.

 

[TimeEffect]

Sounds like this game was a cash in to me.

I generally have never played Mario games, so Maybe I wont mind it.

 

[Tenki]

Boo house

So it's only this level and not the entire world?

 

[Himself]

I'm glad someone quantified one of the reasons why so many of us think the NSMB series is so banal.

 

[Cheesemeister]

New SMB 2
Grass/Plains - Desert - Beach/Water - Forest/Ice - Sky - Lava

Super Mario Bros. 3
Back in 1988, this was huge.

Don't you mean 1990?

 

[Spieler Eins]

So it's only this level and not the entire world?

Maybe not, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. From what has been shown, there's also the grass/plain-, ice-, forest- and sky world all over again. Just with prettier looks. The world map itself also looks not drastically different. So it isn't too farfetched to assume that this might just be the general look for all the Boo stages now, but not really some wacky new world.

 

[Kokonoe]

Actually, I'd like to see a level where it's pouring down rain.

 

[Jack Scofield]

I thought it was common knowledge that the new Mario games take no risks with anything? The art style is dreadful compared to past games in the series. They're just so dull and boring looking, as if Nintendo did the bare minimum amount of work and then shipped it.

 

[thomaser]

The NSMB games have variety where it counts in my opinion, that is in making sure nearly every level has a unique obstacle or challenge. The "worlds" are just window dressing and not very important at all in such gameplay-focused games. Same with all the complaints about the art style. The style is made to serve the gameplay, and does that job excellently. Changing it wouldn't add much or anything at all to the quality of the game. But I say that with my opinion being that gameplay is a hundred times more important than graphics when trying to value a game.

 

[metalslimer]

So pumped for this game. This looks like the real NSMB2. Even the typical first stage level looks much better.

 

[enzo_gt]

Part of the reason why I dislike the New Super Mario Bros. series so much. It's all of Nintendo's complacency and doing only what's sufficient in one package.

The level design is tired and they don't want to take risks. It's their vanilla series they can pump out without inspiration and make bank on.

As much as I loved Super Mario 3D Land, it's similar in some respects too, only it caters to SM64's style of game but with the same level types. Galaxy was the last Mario game where I felt they wanted to take risks and actually try to progress the franchise. Perhaps progression only lies in big console iterations (not including NSMB U and Wii; the big ones), leaving the stagnation for handhelds.

 

[H_Prestige]

NSMB is the worst shit to come out of nintendo this gen. Great idea to bring back 2D, but fuck, they just keep phoning it in.

 

[GotchaForce]

Seemed most people on GAF were head over heels for the first one on DS, however I felt it was very vanilla and almost a fan-made game instead of proper Mario. I enjoyed the Wii game because of the 4 player. The 3DS game in videos looks exciting but reviews and impressions are sort of mixed. I have it on reserve but I'm not sure if I'll crack it open or not. I'm fine with the 3d games though, there's variety and crazy gameplay design for miles in those.

 

[Velcro Fly]

I think if they could come up with a cohesive world map it would be a lot better. It's sad that GameBoy games released in the early to mid 1990s can do this and yet the NSMB series released since 2006 can't.

 

[metalslimer]

Part of the reason why I dislike the New Super Mario Bros. series so much. It's all of Nintendo's complacency and doing only what's sufficient in one package.

The level design is tired and they don't want to take risks. It's their vanilla series they can pump out without inspiration and make bank on.

As much as I loved Super Mario 3D Land, it's similar in some respects too, only it caters to SM64's style of game but with the same level types. Galaxy was the last Mario game where I felt they wanted to take risks and actually try to progress the franchise. Perhaps progression only lies in console iterations, leaving the stagnation for handhelds.

Woah, agree on the artstyle, but NSMBW has some of the most inventive level design of the 2d Mario series. NSMB2 looks like it's not taking any risks but there were a ton of new things never done before in a 2d Mario in NSMBW

 

[Boney]

I guess there's the outside spooky level.

uhm hello?

 

[rpmurphy]

Super Mario Land had some fun world themes as well, although they were rather cliche: Mushroom Kingdom equivalent/Egyptian catacombs, Easter Island, China, Sky and Underwater.

The NSMB could introduce some new world themes, but I'm looking forward to what the Wii U one will bring.

 

[EVOL 100%]

I have to say, the original title with the username combo was pretty funny.

On-topic, I really like the gameplay of the NSMB series, but the art direction is complacent and boring. It's a shame, the Galaxy series was an absolute joy to look at.

 

[StayDead]

NSMB is the worst shit to come out of nintendo this gen. Great idea to bring back 2D, but fuck, they just keep phoning it in.

1 game on each of their systems? Yeah, really milking it... :/

 

[Tenki]

So pumped for this game. This looks like the real NSMB2. Even the typical first stage level looks much better.

Look at the background:

The true sequel to Super Mario World. Believe!

 

[Boney]

This here is a nice looking minimalist pic from NSMB2

what do you guys think about it?

 

[Velcro Fly]

Also if NSMBU has a return of the Big World from SMB3 it may sell me on the Wii-U as a whole.

And then I can go back and play all the Wii games I never got to play!

 

[Kokonoe]

Look at the background:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tuNdN53MVWA/TM8rUDUBLnI/AAAAAAAAGro/fR-WK1KFVwc/s400/smario-front.jpg[IMG]

The true sequel to Super Mario World. Believe![/QUOTE]

It requires a cape for that.

 

[enzo_gt]

Woah, agree on the artstyle, but NSMBW has some of the most inventive level design of the 2d Mario series. NSMB2 looks like it's not taking any risks but there were a ton of new things never done before in a 2d Mario in NSMBW

Do you consider those risks, though?

Of course there's something new or another in these games, but like someone else said here, it just feels like phoning it in in retrospect.

I think I may just be soured from expecting too much. When I see Nintendo debating on how they should handle coop in NSMB2 and ways to restrain it, I cant help but feel they're approach to making these games is so safe that it's hurting the end product. These games just don't excite me as much anymore because I feel I know exactly what I'm going to get and it's probably going to be mostly just like what I already have.

 

[Karsticles]

This does not bother me because I don't rely on novelty to enjoy a good game.

 

[DKHustlin]

Nsmb series is perfect no need to make the game something it's not the levels work and they take the creativity inn the level mechanics the background are just window dressing

 

[Lord_Byron28]

New SMB 2
Grass/Plains - Desert - Beach/Water - Forest/Ice - Sky - Lava



Don't you mean 1990?

Also there are Flower and Star worlds if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Spieler Eins]

As much as I loved Super Mario 3D Land, it's similar in some respects too, only it caters to SM64's style of game but with the same level types. Galaxy was the last Mario game where I felt they wanted to take risks and actually try to progress the franchise. Perhaps progression only lies in big console iterations (not including NSMB U and Wii; the big ones), leaving the stagnation for handhelds.

Mario 3D Land hardly has any kind of theme at all though. It's a compilation of random stages without any relation to each other.

 

[CorvoSol]

I just want Giant World back. That's all. And I keep having this recurring dream about an old Mario game with a branching map, but I try to tell myself that it's just Super Mario World but in my dreams, it's something else. It's like a mythical, lost levels of Super Mario World, and it's truly fantastical.

But whatevs. I don't really mind the lack of variety in level types. As long as there are always night levels. Those ones rock.

 

[Teletraan1]

Its a good thing they pretty much abandoned the Wii years back so they could invest all this time crafting these masterpieces for the WiiU launch. So disappointing. Put in some actual effort and I would buy your system at launch without hesitation. Copy and paste this shit and recompile Pikmin 3 and I will be buying after the first price drop.

 

[Tenki]

Also if NSMBU has a return of the Big World from SMB3 it may sell me on the Wii-U as a whole.

And then I can go back and play all the Wii games I never got to play!

It also has small enemies, but could work.

 

[Spieler Eins]

I just want Giant World back. That's all. And I keep having this recurring dream about an old Mario game with a branching map, but I try to tell myself that it's just Super Mario World but in my dreams, it's something else. It's like a mythical, lost levels of Super Mario World, and it's truly fantastical.

But whatevs. I don't really mind the lack of variety in level types. As long as there are always night levels. Those ones rock.

I guess you will enjoy NSMBU then.

It looks even better now in comparison to NSMB2, which screams super cheap cash-in in almost every aspect. It's sad that it will follow the same tropes once again, not introducing some kind of new area like Yoshis Island, but it at least looks like something that I want to play and pay full price for.