My two cents on the game.
I think Mario Odyssey is a good game for a rarely talked about issue. Most 3D mario games are all about giving the player a clearly defined objective (usually the name of the star you are going for) and the palyer jsut goes and collects it. The challenge comes in the ever increasing difficulty of getting these stars.
Mario Odyssey on the other hand is very different. The game is not very hard at all, and there's no clearly defined objectives from the outset, apart from find Power Moons. Sure you can use the Parrot to get a Power Moon Name or Toad for directions how to get a Power Moon. These are totally optional though. The challenge here is in exploration in finding the Power Moons (and purple currency as well).
Mario Odyssey does have downsides.
Small Map Sizes
Very limited NPC interactions
Repetative gameplay (Just possessing the enemies and using the ususal Mario tricks to get each Power Moon)
Having to listen to the same gameplay tips during every single world to world loading sceen
Being told at the start of the game to use the joycon. It makes the Joycon feel like the Nintendo is saying it's the best option, not just one of many option. Sakurai does this way better with Smash Bros.
Motion controls not optional to 100% the game though Nintendo clearly saying the motion controls are optional.
Lack of a cohesive theme to tie in the whole game. Sure there is the globe trotting, but musically, graphically, gameplay style, it's all different for every area of the planet. Super Mario Galaxy did this better with it's in space and gravity abusing theme. Even the music was consistent accross the entire game and really brought the whole game together.
The game feels like every other 3D Mario on one hand, but . . .
Apart from the fact the game looks amazing and the programing comprimises made are not that noticable, there is one very important reason why people are liking this game. It's fun. The fun factor here is massive. It almost feels like Iwata is watching over them from above and his fun first mantra is clearly on display here.
Yooka-Laylee is just as fun, in slightly different ways, but it's still a 3D collectathon. I think if Y-L was a Mario game instead, people would have totally loved it. There is a bias towards Mario games. People give them much to much praise at times. Mario Odyssey deserves the praise it gets for one reason, fun. Fun trumps everything else though. We've all played technically flawed games because we found them fun.
I'd give Super Mario Odyssey a 8 or 9 out of 10. Totally worth playing, but the game is not really that boundary pushing. It's just an evolution of the same basic 3D Mario game formula, just this time around the emphasis is placed on fun and not the game difficulty.
I am yet to find out if Mario Odyssey has a grand master level. I really hope Odyssey does not. Grand master levels can go die in a fire.
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You can unlock all these without using amiibo if you so wish.
The article is not 100% correct so I'll share how it actualy is.
Mario (SSB, SM, 30th) - Classic Cap and Classic Outfit
Dr. Mario (SS
- Doctor Headware and Doctor Outfit
Mario - (Gold, Silver)- Gold Mario Cap and Gold Mario Outfit
Diddy Kong (SSB, SM) - Diddy Kong Hat and Diddy Kong Suit
Luigi (SSB, SM) - Luigi Cap and Luigi Suit
Wario (SSB, SM) - Wario Cap and Wario Suit
Waluigi (SM) - Waluigi Cap and Waluigi Suit
Mario (Wedding)- Mario's Top Hat and Mario's Tuxedo
Bowser Wedding Outfit (Wedding) - Bowser's Top Hat and Bowser's Tuxedo
Peach Wedding Outfit (Wedding) - Peach's Veil and Peach's Wedding Dress