Topic: Super Mario Kart Hitting Virtual Console This Monday

[Mop it up]

That's because back then, people either played games or they didn't. Gaming was a tad more social.

Back in the day the "hardcore" gamers played games on the PC and viewed the NES as over-simplifying gaming and destroying it. It's amazing how much the Wii parallels the NES...

[MegaByte]

I don't think that's true at all.  At the time, the NES surpassed almost all PC gaming.  Many PC games tried their best to copy NES games, but usually didn't do too well, often due to lack of dedicated gaming-oriented hardware.  "Hardcore" PC gaming didn't come about until the 3D era.

[Mop it up]

That's what I've heard from some people who were still adults back in that time. We probably don't hear about it because there was no Internet back then.

[D_Average]

Mario Kart DS isn't getting enough love in this game. It has some of the best tracks, easily the best battle mode, and is absolutely amazing when you've got people to play the local multiplayer with who don't snake. I've been thinking of buying a second copy of the game solely so someone can use my old DS with it for multiplayer.

Its definitely an awesome game, but I'm just not much into the portable seen, so I'll take the console versions if I have the options.

[Pale]

I must be the only one that played Mario Kart 64 mostly in single player... I don't see how a human being can call that a good game with the rubber banding as obscene and frustrating as it was. =P

When the single player game devolves into doing Time Trials, which in my experience is how most people played 64 by themselves, it just shows how BADLY they screwed up the AI racers.


I also don't understand how so many people say playing Smash in a competitive way "misses the point".  It's obvious that the designers meant it as such as they included a tournament mode and the ability to drasticly adjust the settings.  Smash was meant to be a game that can be played either way... no reason to hate on the other side.

[broodwars]

I also don't understand how so many people say playing Smash in a competitive way "misses the point".  It's obvious that the designers meant it as such as they included a tournament mode and the ability to drasticly adjust the settings.  Smash was meant to be a game that can be played either way... no reason to hate on the other side.

That Sakurai was kind enough to give players the option doesn't mean that's how the designers meant the game to be played.  All those options are turned on by default for a reason, after all.  Besides, the worst parts of Brawl are those that try to just use the core fighting engine (Subspace Emissary) for simple platforming and fighting, and they fail miserably due to intentionally floaty controls (among many other problems with that mode).

To me, Smash Bros. is boring when you strip the game down to just the fighting engine and remove the chaos that is meant to be constantly erupting on the battlefield.

[vudu]

I must be the only one that played Mario Kart 64 mostly in single player... I don't see how a human being can call that a good game with the rubber banding as obscene and frustrating as it was. =P

Mario Kart 64 had a single-player mode?

[Stratos]

I also don't understand how so many people say playing Smash in a competitive way "misses the point".  It's obvious that the designers meant it as such as they included a tournament mode and the ability to drasticly adjust the settings.  Smash was meant to be a game that can be played either way... no reason to hate on the other side.

That Sakurai was kind enough to give players the option doesn't mean that's how the designers meant the game to be played.  All those options are turned on by default for a reason, after all.  Besides, the worst parts of Brawl are those that try to just use the core fighting engine (Subspace Emissary) for simple platforming and fighting, and they fail miserably due to intentionally floaty controls (among many other problems with that mode).

To me, Smash Bros. is boring when you strip the game down to just the fighting engine and remove the chaos that is meant to be constantly erupting on the battlefield.

It always bugged me how tourney people had to remove half of the game's elements to play. It felt like they were engineering the game to give them the best advantage they could have. Maybe it is also due to several bad experiences I had in Real Life where people freaked out and called the game unfair because of random little things. There was one guy I knew who basically ruined my game parties because no one else wanted to change the game setting to the way he played.

Part of skill, in my opinion, is reacting to things that the environment throws at you and overcoming those changes.

[Halbred]

I have fond memories of Super Mario Kart, and I still have my SNES cart. I do remember that, going back to it last year, I was annoyed by the split-screen single-player.

That reminds me...I don't know what happened to my N64 copy of Mario Kart 64. I may have to buy it on the VC.

[Mop it up]

It always bugged me how tourney people had to remove half of the game's elements to play. It felt like they were engineering the game to give them the best advantage they could have.

They attempt to remove all possible elements of chance so that the winner is determined by skill and skill alone. They may have left in "tournament play" options as they knew there'd still be a small number of people who wanted to play it like a traditional fighter, but the whole idea of the game was to create a lighthearted 4-player fighting game with lots of mayhem that doesn't take itself seriously. Brawl kind of lost sight of that though, as it's clear that it was created with an entirely different artistic vision.

[D_Average]

There was a guy on Survivor one year who played Smash as his career. Not a bad way to make a living. I think his nam was Ken.

[Arbok]

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument. This goes both ways. Tournament players, and those who criticize the tournament players. Neither is innocent, and there are cases in both where some are close minded beyond belief.

Some people like to play with no items on Final Destination? Awesome.
Some people like to play with all items on PictoChat? Groovy.
Some people like to play with only Bombombs on Smashville? Nice.

Why the heck does it matter how some enjoy the game? The futility of this argument knows no bounds. And I speak from someone who enjoys all of the above mentioned methods of play and many more. The game is versatile, yet some treat that as a personal affront.

[Mop it up]

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument.

It was meant to be played the way Sakurai said it was meant to be played, though he put in some other options for those uptight people who want to play a different way. That doesn't mean people can't play it however they want, but then again that's true of most games.

[Stratos]

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument. This goes both ways. Tournament players, and those who criticize the tournament players. Neither is innocent, and there are cases in both where some are close minded beyond belief.

Some people like to play with no items on Final Destination? Awesome.
Some people like to play with all items on PictoChat? Groovy.
Some people like to play with only Bombombs on Smashville? Nice.

Why the heck does it matter how some enjoy the game? The futility of this argument knows no bounds. And I speak from someone who enjoys all of the above mentioned methods of play and many more. The game is versatile, yet some treat that as a personal affront.

I don't mind playing the game with different setting and using different rules. What I have an issue with are the people who refuse to play if it isn't 'their way' and even end up causing a scene in some worst case scenarios.

One person pretty much killed off my college RTS LAN group because he had an issue with people destroying his command center in StarCraft before other buildings and another guy very nearly punched me when I rushed him because after I beat him he said that 'only wimps and noobs rush'. Nobody wanted to play against other humans again after that and all we did was play 'human vs AI comp stomp' missions. W.T.F.

I understand people preferring different ways of playing, but I've run into so many people who appear to more or less be upset that they were beaten with a certain item/trick/tactic that it's very nearly turned me off from those 'rule alterations' in general.

[KDR_11k]

Yeah. I remember one idiot claiming I killed his Emperor tank spam in C&C Generals with my minigunners and hence the Infantry General is OP (yeah, no way it was that gigantic pile of tank hunters I had fielded, right?).

[Pale]

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument.

It was meant to be played the way Sakurai said it was meant to be played, though he put in some other options for those uptight people who want to play a different way. That doesn't mean people can't play it however they want, but then again that's true of most games.

I'm sorry, but I think you have it wrong.  It was meant to be played EITHER way, and that's why he put those options in. /sigh

[Mop it up]

I understand people preferring different ways of playing, but I've run into so many people who appear to more or less be upset that they were beaten with a certain item/trick/tactic that it's very nearly turned me off from those 'rule alterations' in general.

That's kind of sad actually. When I played a game like Smash Brothers with a group of people, we would just take turns deciding the rules for each match and cycle through everyone. That way everybody got a chance to play the game using the options they wanted to use.

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument.

It was meant to be played the way Sakurai said it was meant to be played, though he put in some other options for those uptight people who want to play a different way. That doesn't mean people can't play it however they want, but then again that's true of most games.

I'm sorry, but I think you have it wrong.  It was meant to be played EITHER way, and that's why he put those options in. /sigh

It CAN be played either way, but it was meant to be played in the way Sakurai outlined. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

[King of Twitch]

Super Mario Kart discussion begins here
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[Mop it up]

I completed Super Mario Kart many years ago when I was on a Super NES spree. At the time I had played only Mario Kart 64 which also has pretty slippery control so I didn't have much trouble adjusting. I haven't played it since that time, other than once when I created a retro track comparison video for Mario Kart Wii. I don't know how I could ever tolerate the game.

The thing that makes Super Mario Kart challenging is the poor control, after you figure out how it works then the game isn't difficult. This is a sign of one of two things:

A) Poor game design
B) Poor aging

In this case I think it is B. Super Mario Kart used a lot of processing power to run so they couldn't give it controls that are very tight.

[KDR_11k]

I never beat any 100cc cup but I didn't figure out that the shoulder buttons caused drifts either, got my copy from a flea market and it didn't come with a manual. We only played the Special Cup through the use of cheats.

[D_Average]

From what I remember winning on150cc was tougher in this game than 64. I think I'll pick it up tonight.

[BeautifulShy]

Oh 150cx is way harder then the same difficulty in MK64.

It took me many tries before I could beat 150cc in SMK. I think I barely got first on 150cc Special Cup.

As some of you might be aware there are codes to this game.

When selecting a racer press Y and A and that will make you shrink.

As KDR pointed out you can play the Special Cup in Time Trails.
Here is how it is done.
Go to timetrails and pick your character and on the stage screen move over to Mushroom Cup and highlight it and press L,R,L,R,L,L,R,R,A that should open Special Cup so you can practice the stages.
L and R refers to the shoulder buttons.

[Pale]

I hate how often Smash Bros discussion turns to a "the way it was meant to be played" argument.

It was meant to be played the way Sakurai said it was meant to be played, though he put in some other options for those uptight people who want to play a different way. That doesn't mean people can't play it however they want, but then again that's true of most games.

I'm sorry, but I think you have it wrong.  It was meant to be played EITHER way, and that's why he put those options in. /sigh

It CAN be played either way, but it was meant to be played in the way Sakurai outlined. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

I guess it depends on your point of view of what "meant to be played" means.  While I don't have any evidence of what Sakurai's opinion of the game is, I'll take your word for it that you read it somewhere... just because he may prefer to play it one way, the sheer fact that they put the options in means they acknowledge that that is not the only way people like to play.

So again, it's meant to be played either way.

[vudu]

What part of Super Mario Kart discussion begins here didn't you understand? 

Truthfully, I hate SMK.  Hate hate hate hate hate.  Can't stand it.  I hate the controls.  I hate the coins.  I hate jumping.  I think battle mode is boring.

I played MK64 first so maybe that has something to do with it.

[Mop it up]

I guess it depends on your point of view of what "meant to be played" means.  While I don't have any evidence of what Sakurai's opinion of the game is, I'll take your word for it that you read it somewhere... just because he may prefer to play it one way, the sheer fact that they put the options in means they acknowledge that that is not the only way people like to play.

So again, it's meant to be played either way.

I think that Broodwars said it best:

That Sakurai was kind enough to give players the option doesn't mean that's how the designers meant the game to be played.  All those options are turned on by default for a reason, after all.

The game was designed as a light-hearted 4-player fighting game with lots of mayhem, hence, that is the intended way of playing it. The fact that most people find the game to be boring when you remove all of those elements which set it apart from your typical fighting game is evidence that it wasn't meant to be played that way. But that certainly doesn't mean people can't if that's what floats their boat.