Topic: Super Mario 3D All-Stars

I have to say, I suck at experimenting with the other cameras. The fixed or static option is weird and the tethered-behind-Mario option can be feisty. I usually just stick with Lakitu, for better or for worse. I'll keep trying the others for specific applications, though. See if I can wrap my head around them.

@Beaucine have you played odyssey beyond the credits? Just asking because where I think it shines is in fact in the movement with cappie (extra jumps, wall jumps, etc.) That you requinte to beat some of the more challeging sections

@BlueOcean

Yeah, that was my issue with Odyssey as well. I feel like the Metro Kingdom and parts of the Wooded and Luncheon Kingdoms show the potential of the game, and obviously it's the best Mario has ever controlled. But after beating that Darker Side of the Moon gauntlet, I realized that, for a platformer, it doesn't have that much interesting platforming, and it ill-prepares you for the welcome challenge of Darker Side.

I mean, I still thought it was good. But it's a mainline Mario game. Expectations are astronomically high. It's like mainline Zelda: good isn't good enough.

@Losermagnet @Beaucine Mario's camera is useful for ledges and narrow areas such as any small bridge, the roof of the haunted house, the edges of Shifting Sand Land and the ledges in Tall Tall Mountain and Tiny-huge Island. Mario's camera allows you to stop, look ahead and "aim" your feet so you don't fall. Lakitu's camera is fine for everything else, closer or further away depending on the obstacles around Mario.

@Balta666

Yeah, I did. My problem is that most of the good platforming happens in either optional gauntlets, like Darker Side of the Moon; or in this weird, um, astral plane of sorts, where you take on special challenges, and which totally remove you from whatever level you're in.

In most Mario games, either 2D or 3D, you're doing platforming all the time, simply to get from point A to point B. You're always trying stuff out with your movements, figuring out how to make traversal more efficient. Odyssey sometimes achieves this: mostly in Metro and Luncheon. But much of the rest of the time, it hides the cool platforming into special areas. Which are nice. But then they're over. They don't provide persistent and consistent platforming environments.

As I said, I like Odyssey. I had a lot of fun with it. But I have fundamental issues with how it's put together.

@Beaucine I also did, I got all the moons in Odyssey except one that Toadette gives you for buying everything with purple coins because I haven't found all the purple coins.

@BlueOcean i havent used it much. For all my complaining I really haven't had much trouble with the camera. I never fell off getting the Boo Balcony star or the bridge on Tall, Tall, Mountain. I think it adds to my cumulative frustration. Like, I'm struggling to get 100 coins on Tall, Tall, Mountain and the camera moving slightly on me when I'm already gripping my controller in a fit of white-knuckle rage is just the cherry on the "F U" cake.

I think I die inadvertently due to Mario's occassional pivot when your trying to move precisely. But hey, that's the game.

@Losermagnet In Tall Tall Mountain the first thing you do to get 100 coins is enter the secret slide which is on a grey wall on your left on your way to the top. You get as many coins on the slide as you can and then you exit without taking the star. You are now in the first area of the level. Start collecting coins around the island starting from the bottom and forget about the red coins on the mushrooms if you think it's too risky to get them. Check all areas except the area after the rolling log, it's not worth going that way for coins. The area with the moles and the area with bob-ombs are worth it and the way to the cannon has additional coins but you must go there only at the very end 😁 (you can't go back).

@BlueOcean I don't think I ever played Tall, Tall, Mountain prior to this playthrough. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I always did the first 5 levels 100% (which would be 42 stars) and then got enough through the remaining levels to beat the game. Point is - I had no idea about the slide at first and you can't collect 100 coins unless you do the slide. And if you get 100 coins while you're in the slide you fly right by it. Of course, once that happened it was super easy to get the star the next time. Mario 64 has a really strange and addictive sense of accomplishment.

@Losermagnet True. You have to be careful about where you get the 100th coin!

@Losermagnet I felt the camera in the game was fine, especially for 1996. Much better than Galaxy's camera. As much as I love Galaxy on the switch, the camera is one of the worst.

I never knew that. Nice fact

I just realized there are more posts on this thread than on Odyssey's thread, which is in my opinion an arguably bigger game.

@Apportal I like you but I don't like what you are saying...

Just kidding.

Remember this collection has three Mario games. It should have four, though.

@BlueOcean Yeah. But no matter what you think about Odyssey, (which I’m fine with) you gotta admit it was a pretty big game. It came out in the beginning years of the Switch when it was incredibly active, and in turn was pretty popular. I’m not saying Odyssey is better than this collection, I’m just saying I think it was bigger.

Went for the 100 coins on Gelato Beach, and stupidly chose a version of the level where you need to get the coins really high up, in the middle of nowhere. That was fun. Took like 20 attempts.

@Apportal This game is significantly more controversial (which always generates more posts) than Odyssey, plus Odyssey was released in a significantly more crowded year.

Plus, quite frankly, a ton of Odyssey discussion happened in the Nintendo Switch thread, rather than in it's dedicated thread.

@Apportal @link3710 Odyssey was a bigger effort that this lazy compilation, that's for sure. I love the games included here but Nintendo should have put more effort and resources into this.

@Beaucine I wonder if that similarity is intentional. I think how character names originate, or are localized is a really interesting subject. Not related to video games, but there's an animated movie called 'Castle in the Sky' that's original name was 'Laputa' and i've read that it was changed because it resembles 'La Puta' which is derogatory, or a swear, or both (cant remember).

@Apportal i'm being a bit hard on 64. For what it is (is it the first 3d platformer in 3rd person view?) it's amazingly playable. There are modern games that still can't grasp the basics, so for 64 to invent most of it and be great speaks to its quality.

Edit: it's still my least favorite 3d Mario game though 😑

@Losermagnet

I doubt it was intentional, but it's humorous for a Spanish-speaker. "Loquito" is the diminutive form of "loco," or "crazy guy," so it's not even an official word. You won't find it in the Real Academia Española dictionary. Lakitu is also not an exact homonym.

"Laputa," on the other hand... Also probably not intentional, but in that case it's the same spelling and sound, so... Technically, it means, well, um, "female sex worker," in politically-correct terms. It's a swear word and an insult, though it can also be used when you're reacting angrily to something, especially in the form: "La puta madre..."

That one's particularly common in Argentina and I used it quite a lot just now during the Big Penguin Race!