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View Full Version : I just noticed something about the general Mario series


cheat-master30
25th February 2007, 07:16 PM
I have really just figured out the reason why people wrongly think the newer games easier when they are not, and why some people seem to think all the games are difficult. The reason is simply the difficulty level of each of the games in general.

In the original Super Mario Bros, the difficulty level was pretty much flat until you reached a certain point, such as world 8 then became pretty insane, and this also was a kind of thing in Super Mario Bros 3, where after the flat walk that was the first few worlds, world 8 pretty much threw a brick wall in your face when you reached the Airships level and the couple afterwards. And New Super Mario Bros is like this as well. Note how all the difficult levels are in world 8, and how most of the rest of the game is as easy as ever? People seem to forget that the games are always easy until a point, which is like a flaw in the series where the game makers simply throw about 2-3 extremely mean level designs in the way of progress.

That and that some minor games have strange difficulty patterns. Super Mario Land for one has a huge difficulty increase at about world 3 for example, and it varies a decent bit between levels and parts of levels afterwards.

Wario Land is plain mean in difficulty, because the first boss is more difficult than anything else in the game, and just the first boss, the first level of Stove Canyon, the forest area boss and the final area will keep people from finishing this game for like months.

cheat-master30
25th February 2007, 07:21 PM
Yoshi's Island DS and Super Mario World however have a different difficulty problem. Theirs is that instead of making the levels have more enemies, or more originality, or neat puzzles, they simply go about making the last and secret ones insanely full of death causing traps such as spikes, lava, pits and who knows what else as an almost artificial way to improve difficulty. This is taken to extremes in the secret levels in worlds 2, 3 and 5 for example, where spikes/lava/pits, depending on the level are pretty much everywhere. And then some extra levels, like the one with Tap Tap the Golden are insanely full of tight scenarios and things. Like, for once can't they just add some more monsters, rather than basically making the secret/later levels mazes of instant death traps?

Finally, there is my criticism of Crazy Maze Days in the original Yoshi's Island. It was a great level, but in my opinion felt a bit disjointed sometimes, and for some reason felt like something a fan would design for a challenging hack version of the game, with all the traps, enemies and puzzles for example.

P.S. Super Fast Arrow Balls and the moving platform powered by eggs over spikes in Yoshi's Island DS were just insane difficulty.

cheat-master30
25th February 2007, 10:59 PM
Oh, and want to know what would be insanely difficult and perfect difficult for those who find the games too easy? How about, getting through a maze of instant death spikes, on Lakitu clouds, while dodging those blue spikes, hanging piranha plants and while being forced to play with the top screen in darkness and the bottom screen as a mirrored view like in the battle with Hector the Reflector. Now no one can say that is too easy.

NintenDan
26th February 2007, 09:47 AM
That'd be hard with the screen black, as I can imagine it already!

Luis
26th February 2007, 09:21 PM
Maybe it`s just that some people have more experience than others. I once read in gamefaqs that someone had finish New Super Mario Bros in one day.

cheat-master30
26th February 2007, 09:24 PM
That's pretty possible. And I pretty much did, same with Yoshi's Island DS if it means to be the main adventure.

Luis
26th February 2007, 09:29 PM
I meant he got all the golden coins too.

cheat-master30
26th February 2007, 09:30 PM
Okay. Still pretty possible though, as the traditional games were easy (Yoshi's Island is more difficult, as is the original Wario Land).

kingbooforums
2nd March 2007, 09:51 PM
i do not take long to beat games but i dont play some as much either diddy kong raceing ds took me about 4 days to beat the first adventure BUT it was said someone beat ww in 10 hours which was probabaely a spped run.

cheat-master30
2nd March 2007, 11:23 PM
I could beat the bosses when refought in Ganon's Tower in about 7 minutes total. Thanks to some nice tricks involving AR. Although I could probably get semi close to the Wind Waker run if I was A- more brave and less afraid of redeads.

kingbooforums
4th March 2007, 12:58 AM
if ar is used then it is not a real speed run.

Dragon Knight
4th March 2007, 03:03 AM
Platforming games, yes, have huge various degrees of difficulty. Most, as you said, are easy mostly, then get extreme near the end. Games like Metroid Prime, The Warriors, etc. have difficulty options, which really doesn't make the game harder if you are really good. Think about it; Hard mode=stronger (not smarter) foes and/or weaker player. That's why some people claim games even on hardest difficulties are easy because they can predict what the AI will do.

cheat-master30
5th March 2007, 07:36 PM
Actually, when have enemies ever been intelligent? Basically, the increasing strength of enemies/rubber band effect/weakened player/larger amount of enemies is just a compromise for how difficult and advanced programming really intelligent AI would be.