650°

Variety says Mario Galaxy shows Wii's weaknesses

From Joystiq:

"When the critical apparatus tells us almost unanimously that a game is undeniably good, we like to pick apart their words and find out what small negatives can be found in the overwhelmingly positive whole. This was a bit tough for Super Mario Galaxy, a game that got high praise all around. It wouldn't have been nearly as tough if we'd had access to Variety's review of the game, which went up on Monday.

MK_Red6026d ago (Edited 6026d ago )

Wow, that's one negative review from Variety. It's still a great game.

Cat6026d ago

yeah, there's always someone to start the rainy parade conga line!

Feihc Retsam6026d ago

It makes sense that with the obvious success of the Wii around the world, you will have more Wii fans than not. And when it comes to Mario, who doesn't like Mario.

So, you have a lot of reviewers that are already in love with the Wii, so when they look at Super Mario Galaxy compared to what they've been enjoying on the Wii, it's easy to see why they are going bananas.

Now, holding that up against the rest of the industry, and the amazing graphics that the PS3 and Xbox360 are producing, you start to get a bit of perspective on the situation, and realize just how inferior the processing hardware on the Wii is.

While SMG looks great, for a Wii game, it comes nowhere close to what is seen on the other next gen consoles.

But, great graphics does not = a great game... LAIR was painful proof of that, but the Wii is showing its weaknesses when SMG is hailed as the best looking Wii game yet, and it still falls well short of competing with the best looking PS3 and Xbox360 games.

marinelife96026d ago

I think the biggest problem the wii is going to have is the holiday game kiosks. They are going to put a wii game right next to a PS3 game or a 360 game and with the pricing being now even closer a lot of people are going to opt for the better graphics and game lineup.

Run SMG on a kiosk right next to RCTOD in front of someone who doesn't know any better and see which one gets picked.

BIoodmask6026d ago (Edited 6026d ago )

today just look for any negative aspect of something that is doing well. Mario Galaxy is a great game. And that is pretty much the general consensus.

Sometimes I think that people forget what gaming is truly all about...Fun.

Miyamoto has always made great games, and Nintendo is one of the pioneers that has made the industry what it is today. Great visuals will only take you so far, Great gameplay will stand the test of time.

Kleptic6025d ago

...probably the best post I have ever seen you make dude...

I 100% agree...while I have not been a mario fan for quite some time...there is no denying that Nintendo is going to great lengths to push gameplay over everything else...which is commendable...it is imply my own opinions that get in the way of that...

personally...visuals/sound push games into the future just as much as gameplay...I don't need hands down the best graphics of all time with every new game; I do need them to be competetive with the generation...as well as great gameplay...the gameplay can be innovative, or can work to perfect a tried and true formula...one reason CoD 4 is so great imo...the visuals are absolutely fantastic, not crysis, but stand on their own just fine...the gameplay isn't new, but its smooth and works perfectly...the online doesn't do anything totally different, but its balanced and undeniable fun...overall it turns into one of the best fps games I have ever played...while still not doing a whole lot of anything new...

I don't own a Wii...friend's bought one at launch...and Wii sports is all they own...MP 3 was great too, but I still enjoyed MP 1 more, despite the lack of motion control...it is simple for me though...the games don't push anything in terms of visuals and sound...they only push how you control the game...a great almost novelty at first, but its already shown some age to me...

If the Wii would have the power of the 360 or PS3...it would totally rock...but it doesn't even come close to that...and it sets up a gaming machine that has to have developers thinking completely outside of the box in order to make stuff fun...which may/will happen...but the Wii is not a machine that is going to get 10+ great games a year for the next several...its going to get 2 or 3...

gameplay is the most important, yes...but it is still only part of the experience for me...the Wii won't survive on weaker ports of multiplatform games...even if they tack on some gimmicky controls...nintendo is in a position to still only get good stuff from 1st party for the most part...maybe a "RE4" here and there over the next 4 years...but pretty much anything that is going to be worth while is going to have either Mario or Metroid on the box...or it will start getting crazy DS type stuff also, but even then...it really won't interest me...

some people can do without graphics...I can play older games that were great, and still enjoy them...but I still look forward to games that push every single envelope...there are several parts that go into a great game imo...and you can't really skimp on any of them...

Brainiac 86026d ago

I bought SMG yesterday and literally could not put it down until I was practically falling asleep on the couch at two in the morning. It is a well crafted beautiful game that really does reinvent the platformer.

And MK_Red, you are correct. If you don't own a Wii yet, this game makes it worth it alone...oh and Metroid Prime 3 and Zack & Wiki. :)

SMG is truly a masterpiece in art and major kudos should go to its legendary creator.

MK_Red6026d ago

Zack & Wiki... I LOVE this game. It's the main reason for me to get Wii. Metroid Prime 3 and SMG are also awesome and reasons to have Wii.

But Z&W... I'm a huge fan of classic point-n-click adventure games and Zack & Wiki kinda reminds me of Monkey Island (I know they're really different but I just feel the same kind of joy with Zack & Wiki. It plays like a true classic adventure plus some modern puzzles and elements).

Brainiac 86026d ago

I grew up on classic P&C adventures of the bygone PC age. Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island, Robin Hood, Indiana Jones & The Lost City of Atlantis, King's Quest, Space Quest, and Willy Beamish were all great games of a great era of PC P&C Adventures.

Zack & Wiki hopefully means that we'll see a reawakening of the genre. In fact I would squeal like a school girl if they decided to ressurect the Kings Quest series on the Wii.

zerolinkgannon6026d ago (Edited 6026d ago )

I read this the other day. Funny thing is...there was a "sponsored by Sony" do-hicky at the top of their website, now that I check back its gone. The folks at gamefaqs brought this to mind. It's quite obvious that this guy is bias/blind and getting paid by sony. One should not mention the competitors games in a review..let alone promote it.

From the review
:::Fans may claim that the graphics are good “for the Wii,” but that argument quickly grows tired. There’s clever art design on many of the planets Mario visits, but given the vastly superior quality of the graphics in a game like “Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction,” currently available for the PS3, “Galaxy” looks old fashioned and lifeles:::

Kleptic6025d ago

dude w/e...this hidden bias stuff is gettin tired...thats internet suicide...Sony may have paid to have a link on the site...that doesn't mean they have to pay a guy to downgrade a mario game...

People in the market for a PS3 are basically independent of the Wii...its not even on their list...or if it is, they know enough about each console and why they want both...its not very common for someone to want a PS3 "OR" a Wii...the market is so skewed between the Wii and 360/PS3 that they are not really even in competition...Sony needs to worry about MS, and vice versa...Nintendo has control, and always has, of a completely different style of gamer...and if that gamer has that "hardcore" attatchment...they will buy all 3...

and parents also...looking for asystem as a gift...the kid will have asked for whichever he/she wants...no parent is going to read a review on a gaming site that is negative towards a Mario game and say "well...I guess I have to get timmy a PS3 now"...they are completely different gaming machines...and the repurcutions of showing biased on a claimed to be unbiased site is business suicide...

Slayer OP6026d ago

I dont think the wii should be considered apart of the nex gen for several reasons

1. Its tech isnt up to date. They are actually using hardware similar to gamecube. The only thing they changed was the controller.

2. The games are not up to par with its competitors graphically. There have even been games that look like they could be on the ps1. Manhunt 2 scored lower on the wii then the ps2 due to graphical lessnes (yes i said lessness)

3. Its just to much of a gimmick altogether. They just stuck a nunchuck on an outdated piece of hardware and called it next gen when it is not. Its a console that needs to try to keep up with the times in some way.

I do like the wii but it seems to be in its own category and shouldnt be involved with ps3 or 360 in any way due to the treemendous spec gap. Even nintendo has said that the wii isnt meant to compete with the ps3 or 360. I will be buying the wiibut i probably wont take it into serious planning for my gaming future.

Brainiac 86026d ago

you need to look up what "Next Gen" really is. It is not just graphics. It is the forward movement of a product, and by changing the way the game is played it is the next evolutionary step of a past Nintendo system.

The way the marketplace is right now, I think that all three systems are viable and have a rightful place where they are considering they all brings something so different to the table.

The Wii brings a different way to play. The PS3 brings near realistic graphics and effects to the table. The 360 brings a near unmatched online structure where playing with others is only a few clicks away. This whold fanboy "I must bash the other systems" mentality is stupid. Games are meant to be enjoyed. If you leave any of the systems out, you are missing out on some top notch great games.

I wish people would stop throwing around the term "Next Gen" without realizing what that term actually entails.

BIoodmask6026d ago

You are correct. I think people these days forget that Next-gen doesn't only mean great visuals.

And thanks for bringing up all of the old great P&C adventures. I would just like to add Policequest to your list.

Slayer OP6026d ago

Even so they didnt change the system just the controller. There is just no way i can call something next gen when all the wii has is a gimmick. I know they want to keep it simple but i think they took it to the extreme is all im saying. A tiny upgrade from the gamecubes specs would have been good enough.

However instead of calling it next gen i wil call it unique because there is nothing like it and belongs in its own category like i said before.

Pekka6026d ago

"Even so they didnt change the system just the controller. There is just no way i can call something next gen when all the wii has is a gimmick. I know they want to keep it simple but i think they took it to the extreme is all im saying. A tiny upgrade from the gamecubes specs would have been good enough."

Wii is twice as fast as Gamecube and a bit faster than xbox so there are actually some small changes in hardware. Also Wii has Wi-fi and internal flash memory.

Rooftrellen6026d ago

1. No console has up to date technology! By the time the first person buys a console, you can build a better PC. The Wii and PS3 are both more than a year out of date, and the 360 is two years out of date. If you want up to date technology, you aren't going to be gaming on a console.

2. Is polygon count all that matters? Mario Galaxy is the second best looking game, maybe ever. Rachet and Clank is easily the most beautiful game, and then there is Mario Galaxy. Nothing that strives for a realistic look has come close to those two games, and, what do you know, one of them is on the Wii!

3. A gimmick? Like the D pad? Or the shoulder buttons? Or the analog stick? These were all Nintendo "gimmicks."

Kleptic6025d ago

@ above...no...incorrect...

"out of date tech" is not true at all...consoles always launch with extremely powerful hardware compared to the PC market at the time, from a price standpoint...even a year later you sure as hell can't build a PC as powerful as the 360 or PS3 for the price of either console...and the PS3 has a processor that can do parallel processing faster than any released multi core unit on the market...not saying anything about "that means the best games" or whatever...just saying from a technology standpoint the Cell is way ahead of most of the market...

While yes...resource wise and a pot of cash you can out do a console when it launches with a PC...but game developers don't take advantage of that, because the market of people with crazy rigs is so small its irrelevant...Gears was by far the best looking game on a technical scale (using state of the art rendering techniques) of 2006 and a lot of 2007...and it was not on a PC...so few PCs could even run the game that well in 2006 (an 8800 was still yet to be released but was like 800 bucks) that it was ridiculous...

it takes a year or two for the general PC market to outshine consoles entirely...but console development usually results in a system that is ahead of the PC market for a brief period of time...

if you take money out of the equation, then its completely moot...the PS3 launched with floating point performance that dwindled $4,000 rigs...this is the only time on-paper specs are noteworthy...whether developers take advantage of all that is not the issue...its just that technology put into both the 360 and the PS3 combined with how much you had to pay for it, was easily "up to date tech" wise...

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 6025d ago
Show all comments (43)
90°

20 Best Super Mario Games of All Time

Cultured Vultures: Put on your freshest dungarees and chow down on the ripest mushroom as we reel off the best Mario games ever made to celebrate Mar10 Day.

Read Full Story >>
culturedvultures.com
Barlos63d ago (Edited 63d ago )

My top 3 are Mario 3, Mario World and Mario 64. Mario Odyssey is also excellent, and I enjoyed Sunshine but didn't care for the Galaxy series.

50°

20 Best Mario Games of All Time

Cultured Vultures: Put on your freshest dungarees and chow down on the ripest mushroom as we reel off the best Mario games ever made.

Read Full Story >>
culturedvultures.com
30°

Nintendo Entertainment Podcast – Episode 301 – Bask In The Host’s Glory!

The Nintendo Entertainment Podcast is here, and it's the host's birthday! But don't worry, they'll talk news and Super Mario Galaxy too!

Read Full Story >>
theouterhaven.net