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Tell me why you haven't played Super Meat Boy

I'm never again going to play a technical platformer with a 360 pad. I learned my lesson with Bionic Commando Rearmed.
 
Lard said:
Fair enough, but I don't go around calling people who buy digital games stupid, I don't see why I should be labeled stupid because I don't.
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You weren't actually called stupid, it's just that your thought process sounds ignorant when you completely dismiss games because you can't find them in a retail store.
 
I never played it because the flash game sucked.
But then a friend reviewed it saying that he was hesitant to try it since the flash game sucked so hard but this was much better. So maybe I'll try it too.
But let's all agree that the flash game sucked.
 
I played the demo and liked it. The controls felt awesome, I loved the music and sound effects, the artstyle was pretty cool, but its still........a platformer. And these games dont tend to really grab me into feeling the need to buy immediately.

If I didn't already have a whole boat load of other games I wanted to play, I'd probably pick this up and grind my way through it(I know its supposed to get hard later on), but for now, its gonna be on the back-burner for a while.
 
handofg0d said:
I never played it because the flash game sucked.
But then a friend reviewed it saying that he was hesitant to try it since the flash game sucked so hard but this was much better. So maybe I'll try it too.
But let's all agree that the flash game sucked.
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Yeah. Controls are floaty, level design is nowhere near as good.
 
But I did buy it. And I did play it. And I did finish the whole light world sans bandages including Cotton Alley!

AND I MOTHERFUCKING DID AM THE GUY.
 
Scuba Steve said:
You haven't heard anyone say how well designed the levels are? Or how tight the controls are? The mechanics of the game are tuned to perfection. You can appreciate the level design as you speed run through them and see how every obstacle falls into place. The music is great and the art style is charming. It's a game that's challenging, yet not frustrating like most games since it's never the game's fault for you dying. If you enjoy platformers, and have the patience to master the mechanics of the game, it's top tier.
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That's what I was looking for, but instead all I seem to get is "zOMG so great!!! I dunno, it's just fun!!!1"

I think I'll check it out now.
 
Honestly? The character designs are a total turnoff.

There are so many worthwhile games out there right now, it's not even funny. I can skip the ones I don't like for aesthetic reasons and never feel like I'm missing out or that I'm lacking stuff to play.
 
One of the best platformers with spot on control I've ever played. According to my Steam account I've played 23 hours and normally I get bored around 6-10 hours, so yeah. The only reason I stopped playing is because it's too hard. Also I've unlocked some elite achievements which glorify my ego enough to say; dude, enough is enough.
 
I have the game, but haven't gotten very far. Lately I play some games before going to bed, so I'm more inclined to go with something a little more mellow, which I don't find SMB can be defined as. It's fun, but very intense. If I play it before bed I know I'll find myself completely wired, and unable to sleep as a result. XD
 
Highly over-rated. I tried the demo and didn't understand what the hype was about.

If this thread was about Trials HD, then I would understand.
 
Easily the best platformer I have played in the last 10 years. If you have a 360, there's no excuse.

Fine, I'll say it...

Best platformer since Super Mario World SNES.
 
I can't work out if that Lard guy is joking or not! Haven't read the thread in too much detail, but surely it's worth trying the demo at least? You could absolutely adore it (as I do with games such as Limbo) and despite not being able to physically own it, you'd still think it was worth it. Games are about the experience of playing them surely, not just to have the disc and manual in your possession.

Anyhow! Ironically after saying all of that I haven't bought Super Meat Boy and never will, I found it to be more frustrating than enjoyable, which is probably more to do with my gaming 'sk1llz' than anything.
 
Part of me wants to go back and conquer Cotton Alley. I keep telling that part to shut the fuck up.

Cannot recommend this game enough for platform fans, it's the pinnacle of the genre.
 
pmj said:
I'm never again going to play a technical platformer with a 360 pad. I learned my lesson with Bionic Commando Rearmed.
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That isn't really a valid excuse tbh considering using the analogue stick in this particular plat-former can give you very precise and accurate control over the meat boy in the air, In fact I'd even go so far as to say that super meat boy actually works better with analogue controls over binary due to the physics of meat boy.
 
This game is amazing. I beat it (well, everything except cotton alley), and unlocked The Kid. It's certainly my favorite platformer of all time.
 
SmokyDave said:
Cannot recommend this game enough for platform fans, it's the pinnacle of the genre.
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Pretty much any of the 2D Mario platformers are far more imaginative, fun, polished and whatever else than Super Meat Boy. Far less frustrating too.
 
It was ok, but eventually I grew tired of it and haven't touched it since. Probably wont return either...
 
Gaaraz said:
Pretty much any of the 2D Mario platformers are far more imaginative, fun, polished and whatever else than Super Meat Boy. Far less frustrating too.
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it looks like someone got frustrated by a difficult game !
 
Gaaraz said:
Pretty much any of the 2D Mario platformers are far more imaginative, fun, polished and whatever else than Super Meat Boy. Far less frustrating too.
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To each his own, I guess. I liked Mario 3 & SMW but I prefer the balls-out approach of SMB. I didn't find it too frustrating either, just fucking hard. The controls are too tight for the game to frustrate me.
 
SmokyDave said:
I liked Mario 3 & SMW but I prefer the balls-out approach of SMB. I didn't find it too frustrating either, just fucking hard. The controls are too tight for the game to frustrate me.
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+1

The game is so god-dam wonderful, a high challenge in a fun package with super tight controls.
 
Gaaraz said:
Pretty much any of the 2D Mario platformers are far more imaginative, fun, polished and whatever else than Super Meat Boy. Far less frustrating too.
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I wouldn't put SMB up with the best Mario games, but I'm curious what you mean here with a few of the complaints. For example, when you mention polish, I'm not sure what you're referring to.

The controls are obviously very well-honed, they'd have to be to even make it possible to finish half the levels. There are no visual or audio glitches. The difficulty curve is quite gradual. Excepting the, IMO, poor design decision of booting people out of the glitch stages, I don't really see anything that reflects a lack of polish, and they've patched the game a few times without removing it so obviously they believe in the design decision.

As it relates to imagination, I'm not sure what you mean here either. Obviously it's not a 1:1 mapping, but both Mario and SMB aggressively throw new mechanics at you and discard them shortly thereafter. SMB has a number of mechanics I've never seen before. Pretty much all of them work (the repulsor magnets are the only ones I'd say are actually frustrating in terms of their execution). Also in SMB, you've got 10+ characters each with differing abilities, and the game is balanced in such a way that you can finish pretty much any level with any of them but some are more appropriate than others for a given task. But perhaps the most imaginative aspect of the game is the fact that the Dark World levels really satisfy their obligation of presenting you the levels you've already played in a remixed and reloaded format. It's not just "take original level, add more death"--they really brought out the spirit of each level in a more twisted way.

While SMB is frustrating, it's intentionally so, and if you look at the design choices they made, many were to highlight the fact that a game can cause frustration without causing you to lose motivation. For example, Meat Boy's meat trail allows you a quick visual reference to what you've tried and where you've failed before. The instant respawn lowers the cost of failure and the time spent waiting. The replay element is very cathartic as well.

Can I ask how far you got in the game before you gave up?
 
Ryaaan14 said:
I've seen enough videos of this game to determine it is beyond my skill level.
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I think you'd be surprised. The short level length, the gradual difficulty curve, and the incentive to retry means that even skill-less gamers would get pretty hard if they keep a sunny disposition and keep trying.

I can't say you'd be able to 100% the game or anything, but I bet you'd be able to get pretty far in it
 
SmokyDave said:
To each his own, I guess. I liked Mario 3 & SMW but I prefer the balls-out approach of SMB. I didn't find it too frustrating either, just fucking hard. The controls are too tight for the game to frustrate me.
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Agreed. The game was hard, but never did I feel very frustrated because I always felt that I made progress with every new attempt at a level. I liked the fact that the game was challenging, most modern games are lacking in this department and SMB was a refreshing change. The fact that it took so much effort to finish some of the levels made it that much more rewarding.
 
Stumpokapow said:
I think you'd be surprised. The short level length, the gradual difficulty curve, and the incentive to retry means that even skill-less gamers would get pretty hard if they keep a sunny disposition and keep trying.

I can't say you'd be able to 100% the game or anything, but I bet you'd be able to get pretty far in it
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I do like the whole "ghosting" with previous runs. I think that would alleviate my rage slightly. Or make it worse, WHO KNOWS.

I will likely end up grabbing this on Steam one day.
 
Metroid Killer said:
I read halfway through your post before realizing that SMB was refering to Meat Boy and no the first Super Mario Bros...

This is MK all over again!
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I can't remember who, maybe Aeana, suggested a japanese-style abbreviation of Super Meat Boy to "SuMiBo", ahahah.
 
Stumpokapow said:
I wouldn't put SMB up with the best Mario games, but I'm curious what you mean here with a few of the complaints. For example, when you mention polish, I'm not sure what you're referring to.

The controls are obviously very well-honed, they'd have to be to even make it possible to finish half the levels. There are no visual or audio glitches. The difficulty curve is quite gradual. Excepting the, IMO, poor design decision of booting people out of the glitch stages, I don't really see anything that reflects a lack of polish, and they've patched the game a few times without removing it so obviously they believe in the design decision.

As it relates to imagination, I'm not sure what you mean here either. Obviously it's not a 1:1 mapping, but both Mario and SMB aggressively throw new mechanics at you and discard them shortly thereafter. SMB has a number of mechanics I've never seen before. Pretty much all of them work (the repulsor magnets are the only ones I'd say are actually frustrating in terms of their execution). Also in SMB, you've got 10+ characters each with differing abilities, and the game is balanced in such a way that you can finish pretty much any level with any of them but some are more appropriate than others for a given task. But perhaps the most imaginative aspect of the game is the fact that the Dark World levels really satisfy their obligation of presenting you the levels you've already played in a remixed and reloaded format. It's not just "take original level, add more death"--they really brought out the spirit of each level in a more twisted way.

While SMB is frustrating, it's intentionally so, and if you look at the design choices they made, many were to highlight the fact that a game can cause frustration without causing you to lose motivation. For example, Meat Boy's meat trail allows you a quick visual reference to what you've tried and where you've failed before. The instant respawn lowers the cost of failure and the time spent waiting. The replay element is very cathartic as well.

Can I ask how far you got in the game before you gave up?
Click to expand...

Very good post as always.
 
That is indeed a good post and you raise a lot of good points - I think polished was the wrong word, I just don't think it's nearly as imaginative as the Mario games, the world just doesn't interest me in the slightest and there didn't seem to be much variety.

For what it's worth I can't remember how far I got it, but it wasn't very far at all... maybe that's why I didn't see much variety in the worlds! I also got stuck before I got bored. (or rather if I die a few times in a game, I usually give up unfortunately)
 
Stumpokapow said:
I think you'd be surprised. The short level length, the gradual difficulty curve, and the incentive to retry means that even skill-less gamers would get pretty hard if they keep a sunny disposition and keep trying.

I can't say you'd be able to 100% the game or anything, but I bet you'd be able to get pretty far in it
Click to expand...

Agreed, I am proof of this, I love this game but trust me my skill level isn't that high when it comes to games like this but I can be very determined when I want to be and this game rewards the determined mindset, through repetition you will always improve but at the same if your patient and your not terrible odds dictate that eventually you'll get through these levels and when you do it is so rewarding, I suppose it comes down to how frustrating you find repeating the same level again and again and whether it's a healthy dose of frustration or not, personally I love it, thus far I've only managed to complete the main campaign and a bunch of dark worlds and must of already spent 40-50 hours on it and I will continue to chip away at the levels.
 
I own it on Steam and dont have a controller. I heard it would be an exercise in frustration to try it with KB+M. And I would like to have a positive experience.

(And screw having to pay $80+ for an official Xbox 360 for Windows controller. Trying to find a good second hand one.)

Edit: Oh I see the conversation isnt really around the OT right now... my bad, carry on.
 
Island said:
I own it on Steam and dont have a controller. I heard it would be an exercise in frustration to try it with KB+M. And I would like to have a positive experience.

(And screw having to pay $80+ for an official Xbox 360 for Windows controller. Trying to find a good second hand one.)
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Check pawnshops. I bought 2 official 360 wired pads for 35 in perfect condition. Lots of people selling their older ones after the new, updated controller came out.
 
Island said:
I own it on Steam and dont have a controller. I heard it would be an exercise in frustration to try it with KB+M. And I would like to have a positive experience.

(And screw having to pay $80+ for an official Xbox 360 for Windows controller. Trying to find a good second hand one.)
Click to expand...

Dude just pick up a cheap wired 360 controller, you can get then off ebay for like $20's, they have a long cord as well, there are quite a few steam games that can benefit from having a controller.
 
Island said:
I own it on Steam and dont have a controller. I heard it would be an exercise in frustration to try it with KB+M. And I would like to have a positive experience.
Click to expand...

FWIW I would be inclined to agree with this. I recently booted up the PC version for the first time, played Forest Light World on KB, hated it, and switched to the 360 controller pretty much right away.

I had no problem playing, for example, VVVVVV on a keyboard and generally like keyboards as a controller, it just sucked for SMB.
 
lowrider007 said:
That isn't really a valid excuse tbh considering using the analogue stick in this particular plat-former can give you very precise and accurate control over the meat boy in the air, In fact I'd even go so far as to say that super meat boy actually works better with analogue controls over binary due to the physics of meat boy.
Click to expand...
I agree, controlling meat boy with the 360 analog stick feels just right.
 
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