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Underestimating Mario

Nintendo is mainly Zelda for me. Very rarely do i get excited for much else (outside of Kirby).

Mario has always just been 'there' for me. A new game comes out and i buy it. Sometimes i enjoy them (64, Sunshine, 3D World) sometimes i dont (Galaxy, 'New' series). I never count the days to a Mario game and i enjoy games with Mario in them like Mario Kart and Smash more than his own games.

However, Mario sells millions, people do count the days and a lot of fans have genuine love for his games.

This brings me to Odyssey, do you think it'll be a revolution? Will Odyssey be as different for Mario as BotW is for Zelda?

Does Mario need to change as Zelda did?

Will Odyssey sell more than BotW?

Do you underestimate Mario, or do you give him the respect he deserves?
 

Morbid Minish

Spooky Scary Skeleton.
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I've always been a huge Mario fan, probably since I grew up playing the games. Some of my earliest gaming memories include some type of Mario game.

I don't really think Odyssey will be a revolution however. It looks pretty fun, and the concept seems rather interesting, but so far it hasn't really stood out to me as being really amazing. I think it could be one of the better Mario games we've seen in a while (though I haven't played Color Splash yet), but I don't see it coming close to Sunshine for me.

From what we've seen of the game so far, it looks kinda similar to 64, but updated to keep up with modern gaming. If it is like Mario 64, then it should be a pretty great game if they get it right. I just haven't seen anything from it yet that is completely different than what we've seen in other Mario games, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't think the Mario games need to change like Zelda did though. Zelda games are more complex, so growing to something like BotW was kinda inevitable. But the basic concept of Mario seems to hold up overtime, so changing to something extremely new probably wouldn't work so well. As long as the games stick to the same basic formula, they'll always sell like crazy.
 

Shroom

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I think Mario gets a bit of a bad rep just due to how frequently he's featured in games. He was one of my first video game characters that I controlled, and I will always have a bit of a soft spot for him.

I'm thinking Odyssey will be a nice change of pace. I'm hoping it'll be sort of reminiscent of 64 and Sunshine, but the environments and characters look to be pretty different from previous Mario games, and I always like when they bring in some new characters/species into the series. I'm sure we'll see more at E3, but I'm already interested enough to buy the game.

Will Odyssey sell more than BotW? Probably not immediately. BotW has the advantage of being cross platform (even if the Wii U didn't sell well), so that gives it a bit of an edge. Both look like system sellers though.

I think Mario deserves a good bit of respect. He's an unorthodox hero (a plumber? wtf.) that has managed to stay relevant for over 30 years now, and he seems like he's here to stay. I can't think of another character whose universe or characters could go into multiple genres and it not really be awkward. Mario covers platformers, collectathons, board/party games, sports, racing, educational, arcade, on rail shooter (anyone remember Yoshi's Safari? Weird amirite?), RPG, fighting, and there's still probably even more that I'm forgetting. His character is so goofy and can really be dropped into most any environment and it just work. He's the Mickey Mouse of video games, and I think that deserves some respect.

All that being said, I can see how some people can tire or not be interested in Mario due to his frequent releases and appearances in games. Nintendo shamelessly uses him as a cash cow, and because of that, he's been in some sort of average or sub-par games, but there are definitely a number of gems.
 

Amy Lu Minati

The Triangle conspiracy
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Mario can get eaten by Kirby and end up in his stomach void for all I care. :O Kill Mario and give me Metroid!!!
 

Pen

The game is on!
I have a high appreciation for Mario. In particular I'm a fan of the 3D games (64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Galaxy 2). In fact, Galaxy 2 is amongst my absolute favourite video games of all time, so because of that, of course I'm super excited for Odyssey. I don't think Odyssey will be to Mario what BotW was to Zelda though. The Zelda franchise needed BotW desperately due to some of the recent entries in the series not being exactly exceptional. I don't think the Mario franchise needs that sort of treatment because I think it's already been going strong. That said, it looks like Odyssey will add many new things to the Mario formula and it will surely be on a larger scale than previous Mario games. But I don't think it needs to be revolutionary in order to be awesome. :)
 

YIGAhim

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My very first video game was Super Mario 64. I LOVED it. I 100%ed it (The 150 star version on the D.S), and always bought new games for Mario. I agree, Mario is VERY popular, and more people would respect it, if it weren't for him being milked out of existence (Like Star Trek movies).

I personally think that:
A- My Mario Phase is OVER
B- Yes, I do want MK7, or MK8 (Deluxe if I ever get a Switch)
C- Oh GOD, Mario Odyssey looks like GARBAGE.

You will never see me pick up "Mario Tennis", "Mario Golf", or anything like that, but you will DEFINITELY NOT see me ever get Mario Odyssey
 
My very first video game was Super Mario 64. I LOVED it. I 100%ed it (The 150 star version on the D.S), and always bought new games for Mario. I agree, Mario is VERY popular, and more people would respect it, if it weren't for him being milked out of existence (Like Star Trek movies).

I personally think that:
A- My Mario Phase is OVER
B- Yes, I do want MK7, or MK8 (Deluxe if I ever get a Switch)
C- Oh GOD, Mario Odyssey looks like GARBAGE.

You will never see me pick up "Mario Tennis", "Mario Golf", or anything like that, but you will DEFINITELY NOT see me ever get Mario Odyssey


This is the first negative comment ive seen on Odyssey. Gutsy. I dont wholly disagree with you (the humans look Sega style terrible! And the soup/vegetable/dancing fork world looks lame)... bit what dont you like about it?
 

Dio

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I don't underestimate the pulling power of Mario. Odyssey will absolutely smash BoTW's sales. No matter if we think the Mario formula is overused, that's not what the fans think and the casuals lap it up too.

I was talking about Zelda in the SB the other day and I said each new game should keep similar gameplay and just add a few things with a different story each time. My conversational partner said no that would get boring and they should keep mixing things up. Well the thing is that leads to dissatisfaction and fanbase divisions. It's been proven and its why there are such fluctuations in Zelda sales.

When you play Mario you know what you are gonna get. Spinoffs might do something a bit different but if you don't like them you can leave them safe in the knowledge that there will be mainstream titles on their way in regular installments. And when you play mainstream Mario games you know what you are going to get.. Even if there is the odd game which brings in a slightly different mechanic you don't like, for instance the space theme of SMG. It will usually be gone next time and core gameplay will still remain.

Mario should stay pretty much the same as it always does. Because that is what people want to play. That's what the masses want. That's what sells. Do we want fanbase divisions for Mario as well as Zelda? No.

Odyssey looks to be just like the other marios gameplay wise. What they have mixed up this time is putting Mario in the human world. Personally I don't think the mixing of styles works well aesthetically. Mario is not normally proportioned so they should made the humans more like Mario. However I don't think this is a major thing that is gonna put people off.
 
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Alita the Pun

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Honestly I've never been one for the Mario games. I really relate to the OP here. Nintendo, for me, means Zelda, Smash, and the occasional well made, unique game. (Splatoon, Arms, etc...) I played Mario on the NES recently and I do enjoy that one. It's simple, entertaining, and I love the old 8-bit graphics. I like the games up until we get into the 3D animation games (Mario 64 aside) but once we get into the "New" Mario games and onwards, I am not such a fan. I just think they are all the same and I don't like the animation style.

Overall, they don't excite me much. Odessy looks "Meh" and I'm not going to be counting down the days for it. But I might pick it up when it comes out.
 

mαrkαsscoρ

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Mario is my favorite Nintendo franchise, however, ever since that HORRID mario 25th anniversary game in 2010, I've become very cynical towards the series and hell nintendo in general
but mario odyssey excites me to a level I haven't felt since probably skyward sword, but this time I have no doubts that the game is gonna deliver in every way
 
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This brings me to Odyssey, do you think it'll be a revolution? Will Odyssey be as different for Mario as BotW is for Zelda?
No. It's just a collectathon like Yooka-Laylee is. And like SM64 was before it.

Does Mario need to change as Zelda did?
No. Mario needs to change though. Just don't copy the changes from BotW. Change in ways that improve Mario as an IP. Super Mario Galaxy did this in an amazing way. ANd I guess Mario needs change again.

Will Odyssey sell more than BotW?
My guess is around the same.

Do you underestimate Mario, or do you give him the respect he deserves?
Underestimating and respect are two totally things. It's not a this or that thing. I think we all here extimate/understand the Mario IP just fine. I think we all respect the Mario IP as we should too. We know it's in part made Nintendo huge. We also know that the IP should not ever become complacent. Change is good. A risk but also good. Without change and the associated risk, you jsut breed complacency this is never good.

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Super Mario Galaxy hyped me totally. The hype was totally deserved as both are masterpieces of games. Super Mario Odyssey does not hype me as much. I think it's because what is changed is all on the surface. Mario's moves. His special abilities. But the core aspect of collecting (moons in this case) in an open non linear area has been done before in SM64 and Sunshine. At least they are adding some form of currency and a shop this time. That's new to 3D Mario games.

I think the game will be very good. Quite fun also. But not totally in your face amazement like Super Mario Galaxy was. I hope I am wromg and playing Super Mario Odyssey is a really amazing feeling for the first time. Just so far the hype is there, just not at Super Mario Galaxy levels.
 
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