Gauging Popular Opinions (Current: DiC's Mario Cartoons)

[Freddie Freaker]

I like the version in Super Mario 64 the most, as it serves as a large place to run around in, and enjoy how the game plays. This is something that is not present in later Mario Platformers, such as Super Mario Odyssey, where it is only a small room, and while it is present in some non-platformer Mario games, Mario isn't nearly as fun to control in those games.

 

[LeftyGreenMario]

Super Mario 64's Peach Castle did set precedent for how Peach's Castle should look like so I think all castles trace back to this one to multiple extents depending on the game. I like the layout for it quite a bit, and we haven't seen anything quite like it since though Paper Mario did expand on it somewhat.

 

[zel]

if were assuming the outside also counts. the only games i realy have with the castle are odyssey, mario maker 2 (though thats a different one technically) and mario + rabbids whoops. but out of these id def say odyssey! its a shame theres not even closed doors inside of it so its just one large room that leads nowhere but besides that its pretty and i just like mushroom kingdm here in general

 

[Peachette]

Out of the three I've played (SM64, PM64, MK7) I went with Paper Mario. It's the most um, house-like. Kitchen, bedrooms, etc.

SM64 is definitely fun to jump around in but where's the furniture and appliances? So that gets second place.

I'd tie MK7 with Mario Tennis Open's Peach Castle for third out of the three that I've played. Tennis Open's Peach castle is gorgeous although we can only see the entrance room of it.

And let us not forget Mario Party 3's Peach Castle. Gosh I loved the Rec Room and office clerks.

 

[Bowser II]

I always prefer the designs that feel like they're actually liveable. When the castle seems disproportionally small, or there are only a few barren rooms, the place feels less like Peach's Castle and more like Peach's Oversized Storage Closet.

The real question is... is each castle a different castle, or does Peach just have a thing for massively overhauling her house every other week?

 

[Ray Trace]

The real question is... is each castle a different castle, or does Peach just have a thing for massively overhauling her house every other week?

I mean Mushroom Kingdom's overall layout and landmarks change every other week, so I assume Peach's Castle undergoes the same thing.

 

[Koopa con Carne]

Appearance-wise, I find Super Mario Odyssey's rendition to be the best yet. However, I was disappointed with its size as it felt more like a shoe-horned attempt at pandering to nostalgic fans rather than a full-fledged building you could explore.

My vote goes to the castle in Paper Mario N64 for being the most practical rendition shown in a game. A compromise between that and SM64's exploration-centric hub would be nice to see in a future game.

 

[Teedgee]

i'm going with the obvious answer, which is mario 64. i mean, it's the one game that truly lets you explore peach's castle, and even then, i feel like i wanna fully explore this castle even after mario 64. however there are some honorable mentions, like paper mario. it's somewhat of a recreation of the first part of mario 64's castle, and i think it does it pretty well. same goes for mario odyssey. i really wish that game let you fully explore the castle tho, cause the lobby looks gorgeous.

 

[winstein]

The results are up:

1. Super Mario 64 Votes: 8 (61.5%)
2. Paper Mario Votes: 3 (23.1%)
3. Super Mario Odyssey Votes: 2 (15.4%)
4. New Super Mario Bros. U/New Super Luigi U Votes: 1 (7.7%)
5. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story Votes: 1 (7.7%)
6. Mario Kart 7 Votes: 0 (0.0%)
7. Paper Mario: Origami King Votes: 0 (0.0%)
8. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time Votes: 0 (0.0%)
9. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Votes: 0 (0.0%)

As we can see, Super Mario 64 is the most well-liked version of Peach's Castle, which is very likely because of how elaborate it is, in addition to how it's the first version of Peach's Castle that we see in a video game. Paper Mario comes close mainly because it has more to the castle than just rooms to play around, such as having a bedroom, library or even a kitchen. Super Mario Odyssey comes third probably because it's the most recent game and thus have more detail to the castle than past games, even if it's a small portion of it.

Our next poll is going to be about how well certain older games from a series hold up.

Thank you for reading.

 

[winstein]

Mario Kart games come a long way, so it can be difficult to go back to older Mario Kart games which do not have the features that newer Mario Kart games implemented. For example, newer Mario Kart games have indicators whenever a dangerous item is approaching, and the fairer CPUs where they must get items from item boxes and are not prone to quirky behaviour. And then there's the fact that some of the older games have a flat design which might be difficult to adjust.

For the games, I picked the first three Mario Karts and excluded Double Dash because that game has a lot of characteristics that modern Mario Kart games used, like the fact that it has many characters to choose from, different vehicles to use and the way items work (like how the blue shell quickly chases the first place player). The games before that have oddities that might make them a bit difficult to go back to, which makes them an ideal subject for the poll.

Thank you for reading.

 

[zel]

i like how i saw the poll before the post was up lmao
anyway i havent played any of these so ill be skippin this one

 

[winstein]

i like how i saw the poll before the post was up lmao
anyway i havent played any of these so ill be skippin this one

Since mods can only change polls, this is going to naturally happen. As such, only when the poll's confirmed to be on display will the introduction come next.

If you have Nintendo Switch Online, you could try Super Mario Kart and see what you think of it. No need to do this, but it's mentioned as a reference.

Thank you for reading.

 

[YoshiFlutterJump]

The only one of these I've played is Super Mario Kart. It's...alright, hasn't aged the best but it's still playable, I daresay it holds up better than Mario RPG. I just can't get the drifting in that game though.

As for the others, like I said, I haven't really played them. From what I've seen and heard Mario Kart 64 still holds up in multiplayer but has horrid AI, whereas Super Circuit is essentially SMK 2.0.

 

[Freddie Freaker]

I haven't played enough of 64 to formulate an opinion on it but, as for the other two:

Super Mario Kart has aged... rather poorly. Especially when compared to Super Circuit, there's just no reason to play it anymore. It's definitely the first game in the series, and suffers a lot for many of the issues that end up bringing.

Super Circuit on the other hand, perfects what Super Mario Kart set out, turning it into a fun experience, and one of the best 2D Racers I've played. It proves that a racing game doesn't have to be 3D to be fun, with a fairly high skill ceiling, fun gameplay, and great track design.

 

[Ray Trace]

My sister had formulated a pretty informed opinion on why Mario Kart 64 is fetid trash. The game's AI is perpetually self-defeating and one of the most unfun components to ever sit through a racing game. It mercilessly beats you down, forcing you to always play safe, because playing risky means heavy punishment with no rewards. Mushrooms are entirely useless items, you gain virtually no distance between you and the AI. They always throw triple shells for the purpose of knocking them down, and the whole game is like this, driving through a course in the safest manner (you do not get rewarded for taking shortcuts at all), getting triple shells and other items to mess AI up right behind you, and a single screw up from your end means you'll have a hard time catching up. I find it THE worst aged Mario game of all time and I find it an enigma to how anyone can enjoy this game in single player at all. Yes, there's multiplayer and nostalgia value, but for the former case, most Mario Kart games are like this, they all have strong multiplayer, while the latter, nostalgia can only carry a game like this so far, and sometimes, it's best that the outdated trends of the old times such as Mario Kart 64's AI stay there.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit, on the other hand, is very enjoyable. It had certainly aged, but I still found it a bunch fun to play still. I wouldn't mind picking it up again, even if its ranking system is so...awful and draconian. The AI in this game are fair, probably even the tamest in the series (you likely won't have problems in higher CC's if you know how to play the game, at all even).

 

[Paper Mario]

Mario Kart 64 is the only one where I feel reasonably in control of my character, plus the only one to have track designs that translate well into later games without significant additions/modifications. To be honest I feel like Mario Kart should've started with the N64, I'm not a fan of 2D racing games in general unless maybe if they're sidescrolling. but if you're navigating 3D space with a camera, being capable of rendering 3D environments is a must. I don't have much experience with Super Mario Kart but I did buy Super Circuit back in the day, excited to finally play a Mario Kart game on my GBA knowing how fun it was on the DS. I was done with the game before we even got home, that's how awful it felt to control. Later, i dabbled with Super Mario Kart briefly and it definitely gave me the same bleh feeling SC did. I can't even comment on the AI of those games, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt of being better than MK64's, but at least MK64 was playable enough for me to even get to the point where i can pay attention to the AI. Even if the AI is admittedly bullshit.

 

[Dr. Peach]

Double Dash in my opinion aged better than SMK, MK64, and Super Circuit. It still is a blast to play. Heck I can say that F-Zero and F-Zero X blow away both Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64. I also think Diddy Kong Racing and Crash Team Racing blow Mario Kart 64 away. Mario Kart 64 was okay when it came out but it quickly got outshined by DKR and CTR.

 

[Ray Trace]

I also love bringing up Beetle Adventure Racing when talking about how awful Mario Kart 64's long tracks are. Like Yoshi Valley and Rainbow Road. Both those tracks are all-around terrible.

 

[Goombungee]

I haven't played Super Circuit, but from my experience with Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Kart is the one that aged worse. The CPUs are frustrating, due to their character-tied items, and drifting, more often than not, hinders my progress in the race. I don't like the life system either, at least in Mario Kart 64 I could retry as many times as I would want to. Besides, visually, Mario Kart 64 aged much better than Super Mario Kart, in my opinion.

 

[Ray Trace]

I haven't played Super Circuit, but from my experience with Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Kart is the one that aged worse. The CPUs are frustrating, due to their character-tied items, and drifting, more often than not, hinders my progress in the race. I don't like the life system either, at least in Mario Kart 64 I could retry as many times as I would want to. Besides, visually, Mario Kart 64 aged much better than Super Mario Kart, in my opinion.

Meh, I disagree. I think games made in the Doom engine such as Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart look much better than Mario Kart 64 looks, and those are much older, probably because the style doesn't clash, as everything is low-res, simple colors, and sprite-based. The pre-rendered sprites look like ass on a 3D environment.

Or just use 3D models on 3D environments, like Diddy Kong Racing, which looks like a better blend.

I don't like the inconsistent art-style used in Mario Kart 64. Ugh.

 

[Paper Mario]

I guess looking back on it now, it does look off when you have that they're sprites in your mind. But back on the N64 i had no idea they weren't models, it was a similar case to stuff like Dream Team that also used sprites on a 3D environment and passed them off as models.

 

[Ray Trace]

I think it's one of those things you don't realize until you're older.

Like, I thought Mario Party 4's opening cutscene was animated much better than...this.

My brain keeps thinking, oh my god, they actually DIDN'T use IK rigs for Waluigi? As a kid, I thought his feet were always anchored properly.

And I swore the Koopa at least blinked once.

 

[zel]

THESE LOOK SO BAD IM GONNA CRY waluigi is just walkin like an action figure and not a living human being

 

[Mister Wu]

In short:

Super Mario Kart: interesting realistic mechanics that are sadly undocumented and make playing the game way more difficult than it should be, also way too fast AI with special items and very few themes. Didn't age too well and is not very approachable by new players.

Mario Kart 64: the easiest to handle and the only to feature the current drift system, a lot of fun in multiplayer if you don't play for more than an hour, after that it starts becoming fun for all the wrong reasons. Really really slow, counterintuitive mechanics (you lose less speed by hitting walls than by steering, if you activate a star and touch a wall that is not perfectly vertical you roll down losing the effect of the star, exclusively in 150cc steering in a direction and then in the opposite makes you slide as if you hit a banana), track glitches everywhere, utterly broken AI with even some unwinnable glitches in 150cc. Hasn't aged well.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit: horrible first impact (recycling the roster and sprites of MK64 while the engine is that of SMK, complete with flat tracks with plenty of glitches and unintended shortcuts, easier to handle than SMK if you go with Toad but still requires you to learn the realistic drifts of SMK), but ultimately the more you play it the better it gets. Coins' speed boost that isn't capped and allows to outrun red shells and even the blue shell, fair AI and item system, quite a few insanely good track settings and themes (a game that features Sunset Wilds, Sky Garden, Cheese Land and Ribbon Road already earned its well deserved place in the Mario Kart series in my opinion), introduced two features that proved to be successful even in the current games - the points system and retro tracks. Has aged well once you learn the controls.

 

[winstein]

The results are in!

• Mario Kart: Super Circuit Votes: 7 (70.0%)
• Mario Kart 64 Votes: 4 (40.0%)
• Super Mario Kart Votes: 2 (20.0%)

With that, we can see that more people agreed that Mario Kart: Super Circuit still held up better than its predecessors, and likewise the opinion is that Mario Kart 64 held up better than its predecessor. Having some fairer systems is the biggest differentiator for Super Circuit's favourable outlook, such as the fairer AI and better controls. Mario Kart 64 being in 3D is the big reason that it was considered good, even if a lot of its elements like billboarding, unfair AI and quirky mechanics made it difficult to go back to. Finally, despite being the game that started it all, the first Mario Kart was viewed as primitive due to its 2D tracks and simpler AI.

Our next poll will be one about Mario outside games.

I wondered why Toad does the air quotes gesture. It's like he's saying "Party Cube" while doing that.

Thank you for reading.