Author Topic: Are Mario Games, Getting Easier? Or Are We Just Getting Better? (Read 12862 times)

ZGDK · « **on:** August 09, 2007, 06:52:04 AM »

I remember three summers ago I got Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, I was probably nine or ten, and this was my third Mario game (Now out of my 50 games Mario makes up 20 of those games 0_o), so anyway, I remember being EXTREMLY challenged, after two weks I beat Bowser and saved Peach. Same thing happend when I borrowed Super Mario 64 from my friend, and bought Super Mario World. Let's fast forward two years. I now own about 14 Mario games, I finally decided to get a DS and NSMB, I beat the game in less than a week, I can beat it in a day if I want to. Then I bought Sunshine, same thing. Then I finally bought my own copy of Mario 64, same thing. Every game up to Super Paper Mario has not challenged me one bit. Now I ask you, are the games getting easier or are we getting better?

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #1 on:** August 09, 2007, 09:41:02 AM »

You're probably just better. Granted, not all (Mario) games are alike (difficulty-wise), but times change. Personally, I've been perpetually sick of the fact that almost no one can seem to make a decent, full-length DS game, but in retrospect, not a whole lot of GBA games had much meat on them either, figuratively speaking. Looking through the rear-view mirror, I guess, or whatever...

Robert · « **Reply #2 on:** August 09, 2007, 09:43:14 AM »

Yeah, I think the Mario games are getting to be a bit too easy. However, some of it could also be contributed to our years of Mario practice and experience. For example, I managed to beat NSMB in about two days. However, once I got everything, I noticed the levels got a bit more... difficult.

At least NSMB had those Mushroom coins and secret worlds and levels to extend it's mileage.

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #3 on:** August 09, 2007, 09:54:58 AM »

^ You tried Challenge Mode yet?

MEGAß¥TE · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2007, 10:45:56 AM »

A bit from column A and a bit from column B.

Robert · « **Reply #5 on:** August 09, 2007, 05:13:38 PM »

Quote from: ShadowBrain on August 09, 2007, 09:54:58 AM

^ You tried Challenge Mode yet?

Yeah, I did, but it doesn't really bring much more challenge to the levels other then that you can't move the screen to the left. I would have preferred if it did stuff like change the level level designs slightly, gave shorter time limits for levels and added more enemies.

Really, I think the real problem with NSMB isn't because it's too easy, but because it's too short. IMO, the level maps were much longer in the original Mario games then in NSMB, which added to NSMB short length (Not to say that it's a bad game).

Chupperson Weird · « **Reply #6 on:** August 09, 2007, 05:15:01 PM »

The SMA remakes are easier. At least partly because of the ridiculous amount of lives you get and ability to start so close to where you lost.
ShadowBrain and Robert, were NES and SNES games longer than GBA games and NSMB? It's just that 3D console games have gotten longer, I think.

BP · « **Reply #7 on:** August 09, 2007, 10:17:41 PM »

The remakes are undeniably easier than their original incarnations.
I'll compare Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. to answer the question. NSMB is a lot longer than SMB, and it's much harder to 100% the game (partially because you can't really 100% SMB). Some levels in NSMB are more tediously challenging than any in SMB and can cost you lots of lives. NSMB provides way too many chances at 1-Ups, balancing out those tedious levels. In two levels you can have as many as you'd collect after three worlds in SMB. I've never gotten a game over in NSMB (unless I did intentionally, to see what it looked like... don't remember if I did). I have, of course, gotten better at older Mario games; I can beat SMB without getting a game over, too. But, I could have beaten NSMB with much less experience than needed to beat SMB. Saving makes newer games worlds easier than older ones. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 had the saving system right. You should be able to save anytime, but not continue from that save point indefinitely. Obviously, some saving has to be involved for a long game like NSMB to be beaten at all...
Conclusion: If there weren't so many freaking 1-Ups, NSMB could be harder than SMB. I like a good challenge, and hope Super Mario Galaxy delivers... I understand that easy games are more appealing to anyone, and Nintendo aims for the whole family, but what about us hardcore fans? Hard mode, please!
In the case of Super Paper Mario... I died here and there, got stuck at some places because I'm stupid and blind, but the boss battles were cake.
Edit: This topic has made me want to play Super Mario World. I have one goal to find in this save...

Kojinka · « **Reply #8 on:** August 09, 2007, 10:35:09 PM »

I'd say we're getting better. I go back to a part of a game that I was struggling in months earlier, and find that I'm having an easier time with it. Happens a lot with me and most Mario games.

Metric · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2007, 02:23:59 AM »

New Super Mario Bros. is just easy, I don't even own it and I can beat it in less than two hours. In my opinion, Mario sunshine is the hardest Mario out, as I am still missing 3 blue coins on a file I started almost 3 weeks ago. And this is the closest I've ever been to 100% beating Sunshine. I have no clue how you can beat it in a day.
Now, I can beat Mario Bros, Lost Levels, Mario Bros 3, and Mario World with loosing less than 5 lives each time... in that aspect I definitely got better, but are Mario games getting easier as they come out? I don't think so. I think NSMB was, and the Paper Marios are always easy, but the cannon ones always give me some challenge when I first pick them up, although I do know all of Mario's jump already, but each game has those very difficult parts that make them Mario games.

Kimimaru · « **Reply #10 on:** August 10, 2007, 02:10:17 PM »

I think we're getting better. Sunshine WAS a lot harder than Super Mario 64 to me. I've always quickly adapted to the controls and mechanics of games, and when I play more and more, I get better and better. Super Mario Bros. was harder than SMB2, however. Only that SMB2 wasn't a real Mario game... Whenever I play a Mario RPG, the sequel is always harder to me(except Super Mario RPG because there was no sequel). So my overall thought is that we are all getting better at Mario games because I've seen some new gamers have a lot of trouble with a recent Mario game.

Nintendoobsessed · « **Reply #11 on:** August 10, 2007, 07:29:43 PM »

Yoshi's island DS was a little more difficult (or maybe much more) than most Mario games these days...

ShadowBrain · « **Reply #12 on:** August 10, 2007, 08:02:03 PM »

^ I hate those games that compensate for being short by being obscenely difficult (that game wasn't even made by Nintendo, anyway).

Another factor for the portable ports seemer shorter/easier--besides the ridiculous amount of lives (I know YIDS is hard, but 200 lives? I try NOT to win the roulette games!): You can carry them with you everywhere, so you'll likely play 'em more.

Glorb · « **Reply #13 on:** August 11, 2007, 08:28:38 AM »

I think the games are getting easier. When I got SMS, my sister was a pro at it, even though she had never played any prior Mario games.

Tingrio · « **Reply #14 on:** August 12, 2007, 11:53:23 AM »

I think that I'm just getting better at them, but some games like Super Princess Peach among a few others seemed to be a bit on the easy
side for me (I still love them). To earn everything and beat YI DS is diffcult (looking past the lives) and challenge mode of NSMB tells me that games aren't whimping out just yet...(I hope they don't).