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Kishi

Little Waves
(They/Them)
Staff member
Moderator
I've seen this sentiment a lot since the rerelease, which makes me wonder about my memory that they were by far the best part of the game. Guess I'll find out if I ever play it again (still yet to be seen).
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
I remember hearing that too, back when the game was new. I'm guessing people were frustrated that the core of the game was so different from classic Mario, so they latched on to the "pure" platforming sections? But the platforming here is maybe not even as good as it was in Mario 64, yet the level design is a lot more demanding. You have to make a lot of quick decisions in these levels, which is rarely true in 64, but the controls are squirrely, unlike in Galaxy. And you don't have access to the backflip (my most-used move in any 3D Mario game) or the spin from Galaxy, so the moveset feels extra limited. I just find myself constantly flying off the levels in ways that are surprising and very aggravating.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
There's at least one in every level, usually two. And the controls don't suck! I like them just fine. They're not as good as Galaxy or Odyssey, mind you, but they're not bad. I still think Mario controls better in Sunshine than in 64.
 

muteKi

Geno Cidecity
You have to make a lot of quick decisions in these levels, which is rarely true in 64

Yeah it's like every secret level is basically Rainbow Ride. Something like the early secret with the red-blue flip platforms is pretty weird, because the jump to get to the platform with the star has to be done at a pretty oblique angle, which is pretty out-of-character. If that's not the intended strategy I'm not sure what is, because it's a very difficult task for what is otherwise so early in the game
 

Rascally Badger

El Capitan de la outro espacio
(He/Him)
I remember hearing that too, back when the game was new. I'm guessing people were frustrated that the core of the game was so different from classic Mario, so they latched on to the "pure" platforming sections? But the platforming here is maybe not even as good as it was in Mario 64, yet the level design is a lot more demanding. You have to make a lot of quick decisions in these levels, which is rarely true in 64, but the controls are squirrely, unlike in Galaxy. And you don't have access to the backflip (my most-used move in any 3D Mario game) or the spin from Galaxy, so the moveset feels extra limited. I just find myself constantly flying off the levels in ways that are surprising and very aggravating.

100% agree.
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
There's at least one in every level, usually two. And the controls don't suck! I like them just fine. They're not as good as Galaxy or Odyssey, mind you, but they're not bad. I still think Mario controls better in Sunshine than in 64.

I think there is the disconnect. 15+ years ago they were an exciting change from the 3D Platforming of the era, but now there are so many better options.

Playing Sunshine after Galaxy may have been a mistake on my part...
 

Daikaiju

Rated Ages 6+
(He, Him)
Just remember. Sunshine was an evolutionary step that led to the Galaxy games and Odyssey.
 
I played it a bit last night. It's fun because it's Super Mario Bros. But if you want to win a round be prepared to play for a long time because it turns out a lot of people know how to play Super Mario Bros. Basically as long as you know the game and have a fire flower (which is easier than in the original game because of the power-up roulette), you're only going to die on accident. Getting enemies sent to your side is if anything helpful, because killing enemies adds to your timer. So unless you get extremely lucky it kind of feels like just waiting for someone to make a dumb mistake.

But, again, it's Super Mario Bros, which is fun already.
 
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Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
I got into one of those top five endurance runs when a played a little earlier. The timer starts speeding up the longer it goes, so it becomes more about playing efficiently and preventing your opponents from stockpiling time. I saw one of the “attack” options was to spawn enemies for the person with the least amount of time, so the game seems to understand that sending enemies to your opponents can be a double edged sword.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Hey, if anyone wants to play Galaxy or Galaxy 2 on Dolphin with pretty much the exact controls of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, follow this guide - with some tweaks, it works nearly exactly the same. I have yet to get to a ball-rolling or manta ray segment yet so I haven't tested those, but so far Galaxy 2 plays great. Thanks to Troa11 for help getting started finding these configurations...
 
I tried downloading Dolphin and then it was all "7Z" and I was like oh yeah, emulating anything above N64 is some fucking shit and gave up.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
As Talking Time's resident Dumbest Poster, I'm telling you it's not too bad. It's a joy when you have it working.
 
I tried downloading Dolphin and then it was all "7Z" and I was like oh yeah, emulating anything above N64 is some fucking shit and gave up.

It's possible other parts of this are complex (haven't looked), but .7z should just a be file extension for compressed files. It's the equivalent to like a .zip and most likely whatever software you are already using to expand .zip files will work for a .7z file as well. If not, there are a lot of free and safe programs out there to do so. It's like if you had only ever opened .jpgs and you saw a .png for the first time. You probably have the software to do it, and if you don't yet it's helpful to have because it's not that obscure of a compression format.

Not saying to try to use the emulator or not and I have never used Dolphin personally, but a .7z file should not be a barrier.
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
Yeah, using .7z is a good idea because uncompressed DVD based games are bloody massive. They're still pretty big even after being zipped.
 

Gaer

chat.exe a cessé de fonctionner
Staff member
Moderator
As Talking Time's resident Dumbest Poster, I'm telling you it's not too bad. It's a joy when you have it working.

He’s telling the truth, I can confirm this.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (playing in Dolphin - it should have been on 3D All-Stars so unless someone tells me otherwise I consider myself on topic) is fantastic, but Yoshi is not fun. Pointer stuff wasn't my favorite thing to do in Galaxy 1 (besides collect Star Bits, which is still fun), but using the pointer for Yoshi's tongue may make sense from a 3D perspective, it's not very fun in practice. Other than that, I'm having a blast.

I'll also have to figure out what's going on with the upright ball rolling mode, because it uses the right stick to steer that rather than motion controls and the "center" is the right stick fully down, which means I can't roll backwards. I got the one star I needed doing it so far, but anything harder than that I won't be able to beat as is.
 
I'll also have to figure out what's going on with the upright ball rolling mode, because it uses the right stick to steer that rather than motion controls and the "center" is the right stick fully down, which means I can't roll backwards. I got the one star I needed doing it so far, but anything harder than that I won't be able to beat as is.

Not to derail us too much, but check your control config for dolphin and look for a setting of "upright toggle". If there's no button/key mapped there, then add one (I usually use R3). Pressing that button will make the emulator think you're holding the remote upright for the duration until you toggle it off, and all simulated motion inputs will be considered from that upright perspective. Just don't forget to toggle it off when you're done with the ball segment.
 

Gaer

chat.exe a cessé de fonctionner
Staff member
Moderator
120 stars in Galaxy. A lot of those purple coin challenges were bullshit much like a bunch of the regular stars specifically cos you couldn’t change the camera angle (even though there were no walls).

Tbiggest problem with Galaxy is the often arbitrary, inconsistent and incorrect control options when gravity changes. This can result in backwards controls (when in another area with similar gravity they weren’t), or Mario spin in circles as the camera keeps flickering back and forth or the gravity changing rapidly cos of that sweet spot.

All of these things were fixed in Odyssey and playing Galaxy was equal parts fun and frustrating because so many deaths were due to issues out of my control.

I can’t believe Nintendo would have released a game in that state.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
He’s telling the truth, I can confirm this.

maxresdefault.jpg

What I'm reminded of right now.............................
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is great - fantastic, even. I don't know why I hear so often people like it more than the first game.

The hidden comet coins in each level are not done very well. Having to find the coin and beat the star you're on is tedious - you either have to go hunting for the coin every time you enter the level, or come back and redo the star again anyway. It should just save that you got the coin as soon as you get it, and let you move on, whether you die or exit the level or whatever.

They also seem a lot stingier with the star bits, which meant I had to grind star bits to unlock the last galaxy (2000 bits, I had close to zero when I first arrived at it because I had just earned enough bits to unlock the 1800 jerk in the previous world).

Yoshi sucks. I mean, his gameplay is a good idea, but the execution... doubling down on pointer mechanics was not what I would have done coming off Galaxy. He's just a bit too finicky. Also the game likes to pepper nearly every level with those stupid rock spitting jerks, who are weirdly accurate. If Mario gets hit while on Yoshi, he falls off, and has an interminable long time getting back on his fucking feet. I get that they were going for a bit more difficulty than Galaxy 1, but a lot of the difficulty feels cheap to me.

There are tons of levels, but some of them are, uh, uninspired. One of the latest levels you'll unlock is a boss rush of bosses from Galaxy 1. ...Woo? I've already fought each of these jerks like four times in Galaxy 1 and you haven't changed any of their mechanics here. I'd rather have had another "real" level, thanks. Or at least some new mechanics grafted on, or something. But nope, just a straight rehash. The Chimp levels are mostly dull, too. "Kill all the enemies." ...Hooray. "This time on ice!" ...Wow.

Fluzzard is worse than the manta ray from 1, and I was controlling him with the right analogue stick. I can't imagine how much of a pain that dumb bird would be with a real Wiimote. Getting the coins in those levels was the most frustrating thing I had to do in either Galaxy game by a mile.

The Green Stars, though I just started collecting them, seem alright, at least a somewhat better reward than "do it all again, this time with slightly worse controls" from Galaxy 1. I dread the Fluzzard level Green Stars, though... I'm going to try to get them all just to put a bow on this series.

I prefer Galaxy 1. It's more focused, has less tedious bullshit, and while I respect Gaer a great deal (more than it probably appears as we mostly just trade barbs on here and on Discord lol), I disagree completely on the camera. Yes, there is some weirdness occasionally, but it didn't bother me in either of these games much at all, even on the purple coin levels. For once, I'm not trying to start shit, though. I think we just disagree.

The Galaxy games have my favorite aesthetics of the Mario series. I love nearly everything about them - they even made me love Toad visuals (sorry Toad fans, I'm... not one), with those ADORABLE little Toad UFOs! The spaciness, the bendy camera, the way the games make me think about 3D space, all of it... The little star creatures are cute, the star bits flying around and peppering the sky as Mario himself soars through the galaxies... The games are gorgeous, especially now in HD. As much as this post is complaining about parts of 2, they are both excellent games and I really recommend them.
 

madhair60

Video games
It's those last two worlds. They drag the whole thing down for me, sadly. Especially that one sand world where you slide into the screen ala Crash Bandicoot while dodging rolling enemies. It's toilet in a way Mario almost never is.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
It's those last two worlds. They drag the whole thing down for me, sadly. Especially that one sand world where you slide into the screen ala Crash Bandicoot while dodging rolling enemies. It's toilet in a way Mario almost never is.

The whole last world is terrible, yeah. One of the levels is a rehash of a single planetoid from Galaxy 1, and the wall jump level barely functions.

And APPARENTLY you have to collect 9,999 star bits to unlock the 242nd star level. And after I so enjoyed the green stars! Whyyyyyyyyyyyy
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
I’ve always preferred Galaxy over Galaxy 2 as I thought it did a better job with the space theme and Rosalina’s backstory made for interesting window dressing than whatever captain Lubba’s deal was. I was watching Game Grump recently though, and Arin had one of those surprisingly smart moments between his usual doofyness.

A big problem with Galaxy 2 is it’s just forgettable from a fundamental design perspective level, which is something I can agree with because I honestly remember very little of Galaxy 2. The majority of both of these games take place on free floating objects, which makes It more difficult for our brains to process what we are seeing into something memorable.

At least with Galaxy skewing more closely to the space theme it has a mental framework for memories to latch on to. The first set of galaxies is supposed to be near earth planetoids, and as you get more grand stars your exploring into deeper and weirder places of the universe. Everything you’re seeing, while often wild and inventive, fits into an established theme.

Galaxy 2, meanwhile, was a mix of unused ideas from the first game and newer ideas included to fill it out to a full sized release, and it feels like it. The space theme isn’t as closely followed in the largely original areas, while other areas seem like even more abstracted versions of stuff from the first game. Also narratively it’s largely just copying the first game, so the overall framing of the game has less of impact as well. That’s not that to say that it isn’t just as fun if not more fun to play. It’s just harder to remember any of it afterwards.
 
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