Unpopular opinions about the Mario series

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

Galaxy 2's levels weren't what my sister and I were looking for. Galaxy 2 was generally a forgettable romp and it was stuffed with hallways and 2D segments. I don't see how its level design is "better" when it's otherwise such a rehash of the first one.

 

[Shy Guy on Wheels]

If we're complaining about Super Mario Galaxy in the unpopular opinions thread, then I am posting my unpopular opinion that it really isn't that good. I don't know if it was just the level design, or the whole gravity gimmick, but I didn't enjoy most of the levels. I didn't even end up doing everything because I died while doing the purple coins on one of the levels and had to redo it all from the beginninf which is dumb and stupid. I played it back when I first got 3D All-Star, which was when it first came out, and that was in the middle of lockdown so I can't actually remember it too well, besides the fact it's objectively bad and you're a bad person for enjoying it.

Also Rosalina's Storybook felt really overhyped, and fairly shallow in the end. She's about as deep as every other Mario character (which is to say not very).

I'm also posting my other unpopular 3D Mario Opinion, which is on Super Mario 64 (which seems to be quite divisive, so perhaps this isn't actually unpopular). My stance is that while I agree the game is outdated, that doesn't necessarily make it a bad game, and I still greatly enjoy it (also DS is the better version). I've probably posted this before, but I'm posting it again for the new people, hopefully I've annoyed at least one of them with those opinions.

 

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

Those nontimer purple coins were a really awfully executed 100 coin star retread. And the ones WITH a timer were also unforgivable linear railroads that if you miss like the 86th coin you die and start over.

I don't think the gravity gimmick is an overwhelming presence of Galaxy but it can get pretty irritating. Odyssey though was awful with it in the 2D segments where it actively impeded how you cross those circles.

 

[zelen !!]

i liked galaxy but on one hand it wasnt as fun as odyssey (some of the levels were real annoying so i dont see myslef going to 100% it any time soon), and on the other hand it didnt have the worldbuilding and npcs that kept me coming back to sunshine. so ive struggled p bad to get back to playing more galaxy. the last few times i did it i wanted to try out and get a few stars, get frustrated on a comet or something and/or decide i dont want to do anything of the stars i can currently get, and then stop playing
it DOES have a spectacular soundtrack and graphics though

 

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

Funny I never 100% Odyssey even though I like it way more than Galaxy, and my sister and I have 100% both Galaxies. We DID find the Luigi Galaxy thing all right since I could just play through the first Galaxy and then my sister plays the second, so we swap roles being the stunner thing.

 

[Deadly Umbra Dark Light]

I really really really don't think Galaxy deserved all of the accolades it got. I wouldn't even say it's a masterpiece at all. It's just a really fun game and I would leave it at that, it's certainly not genre defining nor did it set any standards in the industry.

 

[Mymy64]

Mario and Luigi Dream Team is the worst Mario and Luigi game
Luigi's mansion 3 is the weakest in the series(feeling like a bunch of DLC that was meant for Dark moon Stacked on Top of one another.)
Mandates for the Mario series do exist whether you accept it or not
Mario Odyssey is the most boring 3D Mario I played(And I played 3D land and World)
Bowser's Fury > Odyssey
Odyssey had one of the worst Bowser fights(And I fought Meowser)
The map in LM3 is only useful in Scarescraper or when you're hunting for Boo's and gems
The Vacuum block is one of the worst gimmicks in a Mario game.
As much as I didn't like Dark moon, it made far more improvements than 3
Not every Mario game needs to be Multiplayer focus

 

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

Idk no matter how much Odyssey's Bowser fight failed for you, I still don't see it failing harder than Galaxy 2's final Bowser fight.

 

[zelen !!]

odyssey bowser fights are fine enough and easy but GOD i love that music not enough people appreciate bowser battle 1

 

[splashmouse]

Rabbids are okay.

 

[Neku Sakuraba]

I don't think Origami King is that funny. Maybe my sense of humor sucks but I hear people call it hilarious and I just don't see it. At least in terms of dialogue, because I think the visual humor is pretty good. Like Bowser being folded down into a tiny square, or some of the things that happen during cutscenes.

 

[Mymy64]

I say that one's somewhere below 3D land's and above Odyssey's

 

[Koopa con Carne]

I don't think Origami King is that funny. Maybe my sense of humor sucks but I hear people call it hilarious and I just don't see it. At least in terms of dialogue, because I think the visual humor is pretty good. Like Bowser being folded down into a tiny square, or some of the things that happen during cutscenes.

ARE YOU READY FOR AN UNSKIPPABLE, CRINGEWORTHY DANCE SEQUENCE????

but i thought the game was pretty funny otherwise, myself

 

[DarkHammerBro1616]

Sirena Beach is the worst level in Super Mario Sunshine. This is one of many reasons I don't like Super Mario Sunshine's progression structure, where you have to beat the first seven episodes of each level in order to gain access to the final level, and you have to play them in order. I'm someone who wants to create my own adventure, and this is why I enjoy Super Mario 64 more. If I don't want to climb Tick Tock Clock and risk falling to my death, I don't have to. If I don't want to collect the 100 Coin Star for Rainbow Ride, I can also skip that. What I've said previously is exactly why I wish I didn't have to lay through a course like Sirena Beach. The episodes are frustrating as all can be, most episodes are inside a confusing to navigate hotel, and the optional shines are the worst of any level in the game, with the 100 Coin shine being one of the worst 100 Coin tasks in any Mario game. The worst required Shine besides the Manta Storm for this level is the Secret of Casino Delfino. First of all, why does every episode start with Mario outside? It makes sense for Episodes 1 and 6, but every other episode is inside the hotel. Second, you have to spray two roulette wheels to unveil the curtain, but one of the roulettes is random. You then move on to a puzzle that's as sensitive as Sonic 06's controls, as even the tiniest drop of water will send the panels spinning wildly. It sucks that if you want 100%, you'll be doing this twice regardless, but the thought of doing this more than twice is why I want to send this level floating into space.

Having said all of this, there is a Sunshine mod called Super Mario Sunburn, which basically fixes the progression structure problem and allows me to skip cutscenes, something I wish the base game had.

 

[Neku Sakuraba]

I'm okay with Charles Martinet not voicing Mario in the movie. I love his voice don't get me wrong, but I don't think it would work in a full movie. There's a reason why Mario only speaks in short phrases most of the time. It would probably get really annoying hearing him speak full sentences for an hour.

There's a video of "Mario" explaining all of the features of the 3DS. He uses full sentences and includes his normal phrases like "Let'sa go!" and "mamma mia" and stuff:

Personally I think it gets annoying after a minute. To anyone who wants Charles Martinet to voice Mario in the movie, does this video change your mind at all? Or does it not bother you? I genuinely want to know what other people think.

 

[Nico di Angelo]

I'm okay with Charles Martinet not voicing Mario in the movie. I love his voice don't get me wrong, but I don't think it would work in a full movie. There's a reason why Mario only speaks in short phrases most of the time. It would probably get really annoying hearing him speak full sentences for an hour.

There's a video of "Mario" explaining all of the features of the 3DS. He uses full sentences and includes his normal phrases like "Let'sa go!" and "mamma mia" and stuff:

Personally I think it gets annoying after a minute. To anyone who wants Charles Martinet to voice Mario in the movie, does this video change your mind at all? Or does it not bother you? I genuinely want to know what other people think.

Charles Martinet not voicing Mario might not be the worst, just that I really really REALLLLLY hope Mario doesn't sound like Emmet.

 

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

Personally I think it gets annoying after a minute. To anyone who wants Charles Martinet to voice Mario in the movie, does this video change your mind at all? Or does it not bother you? I genuinely want to know what other people think.

Nope. Complete bliss for me. I was just grinning like an idiot in the entire video and it made me want to hear Mario fully voiced for all the games. I heard the video first before knowing the casting choices.

This video definitely pushed me to want Mario talking his head off

And this didn't help XD

But I'm entirely open to hearing the new voice for Mario in the film. I'm not a purist. I mean I spent hours with Mario talking like a Sim and talking like a cheerful redneck in Left 4 Dead 2 so the Pratt voice shouldn't be too bad.

 

[winstein]

I have no problem with Waluigi being created as a partner for Wario in Mario Tennis, even though as far as Mario spinoffs go, Mario Tennis had the vibe of being in the lower rung of spinoff importance. For one, it's fine for a character to be introduced as a partner, since both Luigi and Toadette were also created to be a partner for a previously-established character (Mario and Toad respectively), and it's not like being someone's partner is grounds for condemnation (Toadette is one of the major Mario characters, lest we forget).

Another aspect here is perhaps another crucial point: in every Wario game before Waluigi's introduction, Wario never had any character that can be considered a close partner. Contrast this with Donkey Kong, who at least had Diddy Kong in the first game of his revival in Donkey Kong Country, and thus the inclusion of Diddy Kong is natural in many Mario spin-offs. Wario never had a character that could be considered an equal or a close friend (so those minions in Wario Woods are not at that level), unlike DK. Some Wario fans will point to Captain Syrup, but the problem is Captain Syrup is a villain and they are sworn enemies. It's like saying Mario should partner with Donkey Kong Jr. despite their animosity only because DK Jr. was established first (can you imagine if Luigi never existed merely because of this reasoning?). Funnily enough, the future Wario games decided only to introduce something resembling a close friend to Wario, like Shokora in Wario Land 4 and the Diamond City residences in WarioWare. I have to imagine that were WarioWare established earlier, or if Wario has a close partner before Mario Tennis, things would be different.

And also, I think the Mario series is richer with the inclusion of Waluigi. Not sure if this is popular, but given how disliked Waluigi still is to some, I suppose it could be unpopular.

I'm okay with Charles Martinet not voicing Mario in the movie. I love his voice don't get me wrong, but I don't think it would work in a full movie. There's a reason why Mario only speaks in short phrases most of the time. It would probably get really annoying hearing him speak full sentences for an hour.

Hearing Mario talking non-stop may be very unexpected for me at first, coming from Mario Press Conference, but I warmed up to his constant talking immediately. He is just so personable and charming when he talks that it's a shame that he isn't allowed to act like this more often.

As to other languages, I have to wonder how Mario fans in other localities feel that there isn't anyone like Martinet who voice Mario in this manner in other languages like Italian or German. In this way, it's the English fans that are feasting well, whereas the other languages had to settle with WarioWare Gold as the vocal game.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Dedede]

I still think all the New games are good. I don't care about stagnation. All I want is a fun game where I can do the boing stuff, and the New games have fun examples of the aforementioned Boing Stuff.

 

[Deadly Umbra Dark Light]

I do like New Super Mario Bros. DS (it was fresh at the time) and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, 2 and U are good games in their own right, they're just released in bad circumstances.

 

[Thomas the Tank Engine]

Yeah Nintendo releasing two NSMB games within months of each other was definitely not a good move.

And especially making one of them a launch title for your new system, too.

 

[Mcmadness]

I don't have a problem with Peach getting kidnapped.

I don't have a problem with Peach not getting kidnapped.

I don't have a problem with Peach. :V

 

[Pellucid Pastel Prison]

The 3D World route was the best route imo, it relegates that role to throwaway technocolor thingies.

Peach is still allowed to get kidnapped, though, but I like it more when developers give her an arc and her perspective on things, like how we see glimpses of her doing things in Super Mario 3D Land and in Paper Mario.

 

[winstein]

I know the nature of the topic means that I don't have to say that this is an unpopular opinion, but I still feel like I need to start by saying that this might have been a very unpopular opinion.

As far as Mario teaming up with adversaries go, the idea of Mario teaming up with Donkey Kong is a more exciting prospect to me, while I am very nonchalant about Mario teaming up with Bowser. I acknowledge that a lot of folks are very excited about Mario teaming up with Bowser, maybe including you reading this that is not me, but if you decided to read on on why I find this better...

• Firstly, it makes the idea clear that Mario's original year is 1981 as opposed to the easily-mistaken 1985, which I find bothersome because some sites treat 1985 as if it's Mario's birth year and not the game itself (they call it "Mario's anniversary" rather than "Super Mario Bros.' anniversary"), which by the way is another unpopular opinion.
• Perhaps another idea that pique my interest is the intimate connection that would happen if Mario and Donkey Kong would team up. With the times Mario and Bowser team up in the RPG games and the upcoming Mario + Rabbids game, there are a lot of personal interactions between the two that I am sure makes the Mario and (especially) Bowser fan satisfied, like for example, Bowser throwing Mario as a projectile to enemies as one of his weapons (Super Mario RPG), and Bowser opening up towards Mario about the difficulties in raising a child (Paper Mario: the Origami King). In the same vein, I would like to see how Mario would interact with Cranky Kong, like I guess how he may still be *ahem* cranky about Mario's treatment to him but still holds some respect for Mario having a very long career, or the how Mario and (modern) Donkey Kong sharing a fruit feast together. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 1 kind of have this a bit, but the game series didn't quite team them up in the same scope and capacity that Mario and Bowser teamed up. In fact, the only Mario and Donkey Kong (March of the Minis for the 3DS) game has no dialogue whatsoever, so they never have cordial interactions.
• As to what kind of adventure might coerce them to team up? I guess a simple villain team up would suffice, so it's Bowser and King K. Rool teaming up for a large forces that would require the heroes to team up as well, and I am sure some would like those two to interact too. It could also be something else entirely, where both face a new threat together that's not Bowser or King K. Rool, similar to how any game where Mario and Bowser team up all have new adversaries. So basically, Bowser is not a requirement, as long as Mario and Donkey Kong get to team up.

Again, this is just another unpopular opinion by yours truly.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Koopa con Carne]

If Mario and DK ever appear together in main roles in a game again, I'd actually like to see some elements from DK's world beyond "jungle, dk island swing, barrel, 25m". The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series were abruptly slanted towards Mario's universe instead of being a sort of recognition of both of their franchises.

And that's fine for this series, given that DK is mostly an enemy in those, and there'd be little reason to recognise his brand excellence(tm) in that position; the whole thrust behind it is "let's make them enemies again, like in the first game", and they'd naturally have the mushroom man, the player's character, to establish the lens through which the gameplay and what little story there is unravel. Whereas an adventure game that teams them up should set equally representative points of view for each of them, but it'll more likely go "explore the Mushroom Kingdom and crumble Bowser's eeeevil reign in this hilarious new adventure! Unlikely friends! Toads! Many Toads! You want jungle high jinks too? Here's a token jungle world inspired by NSMBDS with Wigglers and purple water that has nothing to do with DK!"