Random: Sakurai Reckons Both Mario Wonder And Spider-Man 2 Are Masterpieces

As sportive as ever. I love Sakurai-san.

I don't think either are masterpieces.

How is Spider Man a masterpiece it's literally Assassin Creed Tsushima Horizon open world copypaste marker simulator

Edit: Okay I am sorry that came out wrong. What I mean is that while it is without doubt an enjoyable game, I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Kudos to everyone enjoying it, though!

They are great games. It's a good gaming release month.

@Princess_Lilly
BS. Traveling in Spider-Man 2 is actually fun, the protagonist are likeable and the story is interesting unlike those games you mentioned

Metacritic agrees with him, both games in the 90s and yet again shows why Sony and Nintendo are on another level when it comes to first party.

@mariomaster96 The only thing Spider-man 2 has going for is it's story. It's still the same basic boring and banal open world design of every other game in it's genre.

@mariomaster96 Having seen the best video game masterpieces in history, I am just spoiled when it comes to quality, Im holding games to a pretty high standard, mediocre doesnt work for me. It could be a good game compared to Assassins Creed and Hozion, but that's not good enough for me

@Princess_Lilly You don't get to play a ton of games then, do you?

I'd say he is probably correct, though I have only played Super Mario Wonder so far. I tried playing Spider Man Miles Morales and was pretty bored early in so I didn't go back to it. I can't see myself doing that with Super Mario Wonder.

as a long life Spidey fan this game is a masterpiece without a shadow of a doubt.
the traversal alone is just so fun and addictive.
and the story is superb!
gameplay is much more interesting this time around and much more varied.
a masterpiece!

I haven’t played either, but I loved spiderman one and miles! Miles kinda was just an add on but other than that there are amazing games, the web slinging is just amazing, combat is fluid! I love it! I can’t wait to play 2.

And honestly if you didn’t like either of those I don’t think 2 will magically convert you. Im just not sure what you would be expecting if you didn’t like the first one.

@Princess_Lilly For what is worth, I agree with you. I played the first Spider-man and didn't see the hype. It felt like every other game I played in the past.

Outside of the main campaign, everything just isn't fun. You do the typical side quest and find the typical hidden collectables. I just find that same routine so mundane.

I honestly don't think open world games can escape that and are chained to it forever.

@Snatcher Well thanks for letting people know they are okay for not enjoying a game or not. Alot of them were probably unsure before.

I mean it's not like people were saying Sakura was wrong, or he's not entitled to his opinion. It's almost as if they were simply offering their own opinion in opposition.

That's how life works you know?

Poor Sonic Superstars lol

Question : Do you agree with Sakurai's opinions on Mario Wonder?

Me : Whatever he said, but I have my own opinion
I personally think Dance Dance Revolution is one of masterpiece I like the most.
And I personally have zero interest with spiderman.

@Princess_Lilly so toxic

@GoshJosh edit: Yeah it’s kinda silly looking at it now, I’m just gonna delete it lol.

@Yakuboto They’re toxic for having an opinion?

Although Wonder is a very good game I wouldn't say its as good as TOTK or Pikmin 4 which are 10/10's for me. Also hoping Mario RPG can get the same acclaim when it releases next month and caps an amazing year for Nintendo.

He is absurdly good at video games, so I wouldn't doubt him having completed both. ^^

@Snatcher yep i way she write IT ... Please ...

for some reason I never was a fan of any super hero. But I gotta ask. Do you have to be a spider man fan to enjoy spiderman games? Im not really into super heros but the gameplay looks fun. After I beat Mario wonder I might get spiderman but idk im on the fence about it.

@Yakuboto what? I’m confused. Because the way they wrote it is just fine.

@Arcata Not at all, if anything it can make you one. I can’t really remember what my first experience with spiderman was, I do know that I really started to love him after I played this game.

But if your not a fan of super hero’s you might not like it, so look up some gameplay of the first and see if it’s your style. And definitely pick up the first one first because your gonna have to drop 70 on 2 and your not even sure if you will like it, if you want to play it safe you can’t go wrong with Mario imo.

I enjoyed the first one. Sadly part 2 is USK 16 rated unlike the first, which was USK 12 rated. To me this is a red flag, which shows, that a series is going into misery territory, so no thanks.

To me Spiderman should be family friendly.

@Princess_Lilly I don't know about masterpiece but if you are claiming spider-man 2 is mediocre then you clearly just have bad taste and truly do not know what mediocre is considering Insomniac is one of the most consistent quality devs in the industry.

I know we are on a Nintendo site but try to be a little less biased.

@Zuljaras I actually roll my eyes are dark games, because half the time they take themselves too seriously without the good writing or plot to make it interesting.

To each their own.

@Jhena Spidey 2 is doing the Black Suit/Venom storyline so you have to go a little darker when doing that and it's one of the best Spidey arcs Spidey has done mature/dark storylines many times so acting like they shouldn't is kinda close minded

@Snatcher Well I did look up gameplay and it looks like I would like it. And yea maybe your right the game might make me a fan. I have a ps5 so maybe on my next paycheck Ill try it out.

@Zuljaras My kind of dark games are stuff like Doom eternal. Its fast paced, doesent take forever to tell a story, just tells you as you play. And the platforming and combat is super fluid and fun.

@Zuljaras tbf more jumping over stuff with new powerups is usually the best time I have gaming in the whole year of games thats released and iv played a bunch. But yea everyone has different tastes. My favorite games this year are Pikmin 4 and Super Mario Bros Wonder. and I played about 60 some new games this year.

@Zuljaras non dark games with a great story and writing…. dang I know there are but thinking about it a lot of the really appealing stories are just dark…if we are just talking video game wise of course….dang it I can’t think of any lol.

@Arcata If you think you will like it then it’s worth giving it a shot! It’s not loved for no reason you know!

@Snatcher I mean zeldas story is really cool usually. Also Metroid but I guess metroid is dark.

Guys it’s his opinion. Respect it.

@FishyS I know this might not make sense but. I always compare Mario in video games to James bond in movies. They are icons that are the image of quality in their fields. they are iconic characters that always bring quality with them, they are world renowned and they will survive past our life times. Every time a mainline mario game comes out the critics roar its legit never been otherwise.

Mainline mario games are always the best games I play in whatever decade they come out in.

@anoyonmus Do you know the word disrespect means? Do you know what it means to be direspectful to someone? If so, then pick a comment here that was any way shape or form not respectful of Sakurai.

@EaglyBird idk y people are arguing. I love video games in general and im happy for all of them to succeed

@Keyblade-Dan
Why is it close minded? If the developers want me to buy their game, then it should be acceptible to me. If you like it, buy it, play it, enjoy it.

I haven't played either game, but most likely I'll play Super Mario Bros. Wonder and not Spider-Man 2, no PS5 for me for the foreseeable future. But from what I've seen of it, mostly World 1 because I wanna save the surprises the game has for me when i finally get to play it, it definitely is among the best games of the year.

Now, what is Sakurai's opinion on Sonic Superstars?

@Jhena It's a close minded mentality thinking that Spider-Man can't or shouldn't be allowed to tell mature stories when they've been doing it with him for decades hell even the first game had dark and mature scenes and moments in it like the city hall bombing, followed by the demons murdering survivors, all the stuff between Yuri and the Maggia in the DLC. Sorry but saying Spider-Man should always be borderline Mickey Mouse level family friendly is silly

I've seen people shocked that sakurai played Spider-Man 2. I think they forget that most people who work for X big game company aren't restricted to game on their company's system, and can play what they like (with limits legally obviously)

@Zuljaras Here is my hot take: Im fine with just an okay story. Why? Truthfully, I find alot of games stories average at best, and mediocre at worst.

So, Im fine if a game is light on story or doesn't have one. I play games to sit back and enjoy myself. Not watch 10 minute cut-scenes of bad acting, terrible dialogue and a half thought out story.

So apparently Sakurai-san doesn’t sleep at all. I wonder what his backlog looks like.

@Keyblade-Dan
Why are you insulting yourself now? You are the one saying it should be borderline Mickey Mouse level friendly and so on.

I agree though I haven't played spidey 2 yet. Prolly gonna wait till Christmas time for that. Mario Wonder however is fully pun intended Wonderful

@Jhena I'm not "insulting" anyone because that's childish I was just being metaphorical because you complaining about SM 2 having a slightly darker story line and saying he should be family friendly just gave off the impression that you think Marvel's Spider-Man should be a kids game when this series was always geared towards older Spidey fans both Marvel's Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man Miles Morales were rated Pegi 16 same age rating as Spider-Man 2 they were clearly targeting older fans

@Vexx234 Contrarian alert!

@EaglyBird Fanboys are cancerous. They should Just enjoy all that gaming has to offer. If anything gamers should be united that we enjoy the same great hobby that alot of people dont understand why we like so much. I have a Switch, an xbox series x, Gaming pc, and a ps5. Im gobbling up as many cool games as I can before I die.

@MooseTinsel But but... My piece of plastic is better than the other companies piece of plastic and we shouldnt support them Grrr!

@mariomaster96 actually, I am sure that it is exactly because I played so many marvelous games that I do not see anything special in Spider Man.

@Vexx234 yes, that is exactly what I meant. The storyline could be fun, but with such limited gameplay, it's not a good game, it's a good cinematic experience, and these two are very far apart.

@Yakuboto okay I can see that some people could see it as toxic, but I would like to assure you - I do not think less of anyone for playing this, I actually love that we can all enjoy whatever we want and everyone is different. I just stated that for me, it's not a "masterpiece" - it's very similar to what we already saw in the past, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be forgettable in the long run.

@Zuljaras Hold it right there!!! In what universe of yours is Hollow Knight lighthearted? It's fun and humorous and poetic at times, with excellent combat, but the underlying story is grim for sure!! O_o

@EaglyBird Do you have any idea what any of those words you used actually mean? None of them apply in this comment section.

No one is ranting, raving, threatened nor attacking. STOP USING WORDS WHERE THEY DO NOT APPLY!

People in this comment section are simply discussing and disagreeing on a medium they enjoy. This is done with sports, movies, art, music, books, whatever. In the real world we call this civil.

You are the only one here being overly sensitive while 99% here are just chill and discussing.

@Princess_Lilly There are very few games where just moving around the world is genuinely fun. I think that's the biggest strength of Spider-Man. Swinging, diving, point launching and running around the city is just super fun.

I also do like the stealth elements in the game. Definitely inspired by Batman Arkham series, which is fine, since those games are great as well.

It's pretty impressive that he beat both games in a matter of days. Then again, I'd bet a lot of good game developers are also good gamers.

Definitely agree that Wonder is fantastic game. Although it definitely has a few notable caveats (no option to turn off player collisions), it knocks so many things out of the park, like its controls, map and new enemies to name a few (unfortunately, no ps5 means I can't really say anything about Spiderman).

@PtM challenging but Hella fun!

@Keyblade-Dan
In your country the age rating for both games is the same. In this country it went up, and since I feel like USK is usually a little less strict, the game went in a direction, which I do not like.

I was simply stating an opinion, why I am not interested in the game. And I was clearly writing "to me", which indicates it is my personal opinion.

Since you started the debate, please have an open mind and respect, that I do not have to like everything you like. I will not stop you or anyone else from enjoying a darker Spiderman game.

Personally I would rather he made another computer game rather than hear what he likes on his toast!

@dew12333 Actually, I do want to know what he likes on his toast. Butter? Peanut Spread? Salmon? A bit of Cinnamon?

Does he prefer lightly toasted? These are the details we're missing in our lives.

Wow what an interesting comment thread! As someone who games on all 3 systems, and has no loyalty to any piece of plastic that sits next to my TV, I love to read articles like this. I just want to play amazing games, I don't care who makes them.
His love and appreciation of brilliant games is lovely to read. And he must be a beast of a player! My youngest beat Wonder today and its now his favourite 2d mario, though he was disappointed with the boss fights! We're going to play through it together now! Saving spiderman 2 for Christmas.

@Princess_Lilly much love ^^

@EaglyBird no offense mate, but alot of this is inside your head.

@EaglyBird Alright bet then.
Give me 1 comment. Just 1 comment who is threatened by an opinion. I really wanna see this. Point out every comment that matches each word used.

Threatened:

State one's intention to take hostile action against someone in retribution for something done or not done.

Find me those comments.

This is how adults talk. You can have a heated discussion while maintaining civility.

Do you know how this works? You say something, I disagree with it, we debate and talk about why we don't agree.

Completed both in a weekend??? Wow! Sakurai San plays games the way he programmes games, in a constant state of crunch and sleepless nights!

Spider-Man 2 might actually get me to buy a PS5 from how good it looks. It’s been a great week for gaming in general, and we still have games to look forward to.

I mean, this is the guy who can play Smash with two controllers at once. It’s not much of a stretch to say he can play two games on two consoles at once…

I don’t have a PS5 so I can’t play Spider-Man 2, but maybe I’ll change that before long…

Agreed with Mario Wonder being a masterpiece. I'm really enjoying everything about the game.

@Link-Hero I'm pretty sure they were were agreeing with the poster above about the limited game-play variety. I mean you and few others keep going to either:

A: The story is good!
or

B:You can traverse the game in so many ways.

Outside of that, I've heard no one talk about the actual meat of the game. What does Spider-man 2 bring new to the table here that makes it a masterpiece?

Is it the same standard open world we've seen a dozen times?

What is besides these two things I mentioned above that makes it masterpiece, separate from say Assassins Creed?

Do you go around the city collecting a bunch of meaningless collectibles for an achievements?

Do you do the typical fetch quest? You know talk to NPC then do X and done that ultimately amounts to nothing?

Is the gear upgrade system the same thing found in others or is it somehow different, refreshing, and better? Is it the typical upgrade x for better health, etc???

Im curious myself. What makes this game a cut above most in it's genre. Spider-man 2 is a well made game, but I fail to see why it's a masterpiece.

I have played every open world game under the sun. If im missing something. Please enlighten me.

A good man, that Sakurai is.

@Arcata yeah Metroid is pretty dark. Gosh I just had one on the tip of my tongue but I can’t remember. Would it still count as lighthearted if the darkness was hidden?

@Link-Hero fanboys gonna fanboy, even in a article talking about both games worth

@Zuljaras then maybe xenoblade 2 counts but its lore is really dark. Even a lot of the games you mentioned feel pretty dark honestly, well lore wise anyway.

@Snatcher I'm just critical of both games. Didn't say they were terrible. I'm not a fanboy of any company or property.

Im not upset. In fact, I have no mood of any kind at all.

Where does that put me?

@Vexx234 Did I say you were? Lol But don’t worry you’re not a fanboy at all. If it sounds like I’m saying every single person here is a fanboy I’m not. So I’m sorry if it came out that way.

@Zuljaras Ah games like that! I have to agree though if so one wants to play games purely for story, you’re not really going to get it from a more lighthearted game.

Maybe ace attorney, it’s really silly and lighthearted but it is about death due to it being murder cases, other than that I think that would count. The writing isn’t a masterpiece because it’s meant to be silly but I love the characters!

Oh, btw.
I voted 1-2-Switch and Everybody 1-2-Switch over than spiderman games.

@Princess_Lilly And I don’t see any special in Mario Wonder. It’s basically the same generic 2D Mario game people has played before. It’s been there done that.

Only fanboys think otherwise.

@Princess_Lilly how is wonder a masterpiece? It’s new super Mario bros but they made it goofier. Nothing too special about it and still can’t outdo Mario world

@dribLS @Darktower77

I can answer that fairly easy and keeping it simple - The answer is gameplay.
Will Mario Wonder snatch the GOTY and best story awards from Yomawari: Lost in The Dark? No, probably not.
Will Mario Wonder overtake Theatrhythm Final Bar Line for the best soundtrack? Again, not really

But Mario has an impeccable gameplay and level design. It really shows that actual effort was put in the game, not just graphics. The music is great (not Octopath Traveler level but great), the graphics are a real eye candy (not Okami level but still, and this game is actually super fun, it's something new at every corner

I totally understand if it's not the kind of fun you are looking for, if you want a cinematic experience, by all means, go for Spider Man 2, don't let me tell you what you can enjoy! I just wanted to stress how vital artistic value and effort in all the aspects (story/graphics/music/artistic direction) is for a video game to be called a masterpiece.

It's just a term that I do not use lightly. After all, if we call the new God of War a masterpiece, what would that make Riven? Super Ultra Godlike Uber Masterpiece? And how about Okami, Half Life or GTA Vice City? Soon we would have to add liists of titles worthy of a medieval king just to show how good a game is.

@Princess_Lilly I'm sorry but you lost me with the limited gameplay part. You're critisising spider-an 2 on limited gameplay and praising a side scrolling Mario game that had the same (tweaked) limited, left to right and jump gameplay for decades since super Mario bros 1.

Don't get me wrong I think both games are great, masterpieces not, but both definitely worth playing. Both the gameplay part just doesn't make sense. Did you even play Spider-man 2?

Mario Wonder would work too well as a Smash Bros. stage imo.
I can imagine it functioning similarly to Midgar except you'd have to grab a Wonder Seed to stop the effect!

"he has beaten both of them"
I dont know about Mario (havent played it yet)
But Spiderman is a short game. A friend of mine finished it within 13 hours.

@The-Chosen-one my 12 year old son beat Wonder in just under 9 hours, so someone as skilled as Sakuria would have no problem beating them both over a weekend!

@Serialsid
Lol yeah indeed.

@Snatcher When the opinion actively puts down and dismisses other opinions out of hand, then yes.

@Maulbert Look am not saying they couldn’t have said it better or that they were aggressive with said opinion or anything, I don’t agree with the opinion but toxic? I just don’t think they were trying to be toxic towards anybody or anything, idk maybe I just can’t see it?

He's absolutely right, both are masterpieces.

@The-Chosen-one I always hate these assumptions 🤣, "a friend of mine", so basically nobody just random forum users complaining most likely. If your friend really did beat it in 13 hours, then he was speedrunning it. I'm at 27 hours with a total completion of 79%, I'm actually playing the game, not rushing to beat everyone else and brag or try to say something bad about the game. You can beat BotW in 30 minutes, hell, you can beat nearly any game in under 10 hours if you know how. Don't take anyone's word when they beat a brand new game that quickly, they likely skipped the majority of the content and are giving you a very poor representation of the game.