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Episode 544: Let Me Tell You about the SG-1000

by James Jones, Greg Leahy, and Guillaume Veillette - October 22, 2017, 5:21 pm EDT
Total comments: 9

A question about arcadiness in games turns into a weird primer on Sega's entry into the console space

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Jon is out this week handling "things," and instead we're joined for the first segment by Karen. Guillaume frequently has spoke of the games the two of them are playing, and this week we decided we'd let her give her thoughts directly. The duo kicks-off New Business with a topical look at Hyrule Warriors, right on the eve of Fire Emblem Warriors' release. Surprising no one, Cia is still an awful character. Gui also talks about hacking their SNES Classic Mini. I don't even know why Nintendo made it this easy. Greg has a look at Cursed Castilla EX, for 3DS. This homage to Ghouls 'n Ghosts (but not Super) scratches all the itches Capcom refuses to touch. James provides his concluding thoughts on Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy. This sure is a knock-off grade Layton adventure.

Karen had to go after New Business, but the trio of GG&J meander through two emails. First, we're asked what happened to arcade-style games, and then we try to figure out what game most needs a Wonder Boy-style remake. You can send us your thoughts on the role Zilog 80 influenced home video game design of the late 80s by sending us an email.

This episode was edited by Guillaume Veillette. The "Men of Leisure" theme song was produced exclusively for Radio Free Nintendo by Perry Burkum. Hear more at Perry's SoundCloud. The Radio Free Nintendo logo was produced by Connor Strickland. See more of his work at his website.

This episode's ending music is Solar Inferno from Mega Man 10. It was requested by T.J. All rights reserved by Capcom Co., Ltd.

Talkback

WanderleiOctober 23, 2017

I want a public library that has Nintendo games like the G-man has. Although I always feel slightly judged by the librarian based on the books I'm checking out. I deliberately mix in a few high-brow books I have no intention of reading just to throw them off.

http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Hacks/SimonsRedaction.html

Somebody already tried.

Also, I would LOVE a Super Mario WOrld remake with the Paper Mario assets, or like... Yoshi's island, but in the style of the Japanese commercials for that game... which is what I was hoping for when Good-Feel got handed the Yoshi License instead of the Yarn thing.

Quote from: Wanderlei

I want a public library that has Nintendo games like the G-man has. Although I always feel slightly judged by the librarian based on the books I'm checking out. I deliberately mix in a few high-brow books I have no intention of reading just to throw them off.

Librarian definitely did a double take when he saw the cover of The Binding of Isaac.

KDR_11kOctober 23, 2017

Locomalito has some other classic-likes, e.g. Super Hydorah which is a shmup and Curse of Issyos which is Castlevania as F.

Quote from: ClexYoshi

Also, I would LOVE a Super Mario WOrld remake with the Paper Mario assets, or like... Yoshi's island, but in the style of the Japanese commercials for that game... which is what I was hoping for when Good-Feel got handed the Yoshi License instead of the Yarn thing.

Personally....no thanks.  Make a new mario 2D platformer, but choose a distinct art style/weirdness and run with it.


I feel like remaking Super Mario World is akin to remaking The Shawshank Redemption....

Quote from: lolmonade

Quote from: ClexYoshi

Also, I would LOVE a Super Mario WOrld remake with the Paper Mario assets, or like... Yoshi's island, but in the style of the Japanese commercials for that game... which is what I was hoping for when Good-Feel got handed the Yoshi License instead of the Yarn thing.

Personally....no thanks.  Make a new mario 2D platformer, but choose a distinct art style/weirdness and run with it.


I feel like remaking Super Mario World is akin to remaking The Shawshank Redemption....

I know, I know, but the question was remasters akin to Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap or Halo Anniversary, where you can literally hit a button and be playing the original master system game.

they're really just making updated art assets. RFN is the ones who took it in the way of "why not try and 'fix' or put in extra?

It's not like the new Total Recall or the new Robocop ruin the originals either.

The Paper Mario assets thing for SMW is born out of the fact that the original concepts for paper mario were SMW sprites moiving around on a diorama and there's clearly that same influence in the art style to those games, whereas the Yoshi's Island thing is abit more selfish, as the way that game's art style appeared to me as a young person captured my imagination and drove me down the path of traditional and digital art I wlak today, and to see that realized beyond just big, chunky pixels would be a dream come true.



also, while we're on this subject, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6haHRbbD1M this happened in September. this project was thought dead after 2012 and many of the staff went on to form Pagoda West, but a new Team has picked up the project in essence.

Disco StuOctober 27, 2017

What I really want is a 2D Mario that actually picks up on and expands on the design of Super Mario World.  A game that uses expertly designed platforming levels as tools for unlocking an irregularly designed map.  I use the term "irregularly designed" to distinguish it from NSMBU, which returned to the idea of an overworld map and secret exits, but each world was so rigidly designed.  "Each world will have this many levels, with this many secret levels, and the secret levels will always branch off from this number level, etc. etc." And there was no sense of it being one world, they had to stick to "world 1 is grass, world 2 is sand" concept. It took the joy out of the exploration.


I want to open up a really cool, well-designed map using 2d platforming!

KhushrenadaOctober 27, 2017

Quote from: Disco

I use the term "irregularly designed" to distinguish it from NSMBU, which returned to the idea of an overworld map and secret exits, but each world was so rigidly designed.  "Each world will have this many levels, with this many secret levels, and the secret levels will always branch off from this number level, etc. etc." And there was no sense of it being one world, they had to stick to "world 1 is grass, world 2 is sand" concept. It took the joy out of the exploration.

Excellent, excellent comment. I was kind of excited at the thought of NSMBU and reviews comparing it to SMW with its large overworld map but was disappointed by the actual result when playing it. I knew part of the reason was that it lacked a true cohesiveness and mostly looked like different unrelated areas packed next to each other. Another reason the game disappointed me was that it seemed a bit predictable as to where secret exits would be. Your comment of rigid design and taking the joy out of exploration is spot on what I perceived but never quite articulated about that world map. When I think of it versus SMW and its secrets, SMW comes off as the better game because it is like SMW is breaking the rules of the NSMB map design which is crazy when SMW came first so it should be the standard of overworld design.

Disco StuOctober 27, 2017

Quote from: Link

Quote from: Disco

I use the term "irregularly designed" to distinguish it from NSMBU, which returned to the idea of an overworld map and secret exits, but each world was so rigidly designed.  "Each world will have this many levels, with this many secret levels, and the secret levels will always branch off from this number level, etc. etc." And there was no sense of it being one world, they had to stick to "world 1 is grass, world 2 is sand" concept. It took the joy out of the exploration.

Excellent, excellent comment. I was kind of excited at the thought of NSMBU and reviews comparing it to SMW with its large overworld map but was disappointed by the actual result when playing it. I knew part of the reason was that it lacked a true cohesiveness and mostly looked like different unrelated areas packed next to each other. Another reason the game disappointed me was that it seemed a bit predictable as to where secret exits would be. Your comment of rigid design and taking the joy out of exploration is spot on what I perceived but never quite articulated about that world map. When I think of it versus SMW and its secrets, SMW comes off as the better game because it is like SMW is breaking the rules of the NSMB map design which is crazy when SMW came first so it should be the standard of overworld design.

Exactly.  Super Mario World is certainly an incredibly influential game, and Nintendo would run with the concept of making self-contained (to differentiate from Metroidvania) exploration-focused platforming levels in Yoshi's Island and SM64, but never again in this specific way, with level exploration influencing the overworld map.


Wario Land 1 and 3 came closest, but they were so limited by the Game Boy hardware.  Also, the Wario games were very much about the exploration first and foremost, whereas SMW struck this great balance between fun, precise, quick platforming and the exploration.


Any other platformers that come close to the map exploration concept?  I can't think of any off-hand.

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