-
Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:
- The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
- Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration
Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.
The Wario Land Appreciation Society
- Thread starter Kazin
- Start date
-
- Tags
- farts garlic wario wario land
You ever read something you posted nearly 8 years ago and nearly completely disagree with yourself? Because I have:
My first post in the thread you're reading now argues the exact opposite of what I thought in that first paragraph I wrote in 2013 lol.
Everybody point at laugh at how dumb 2013 Kazin was
My first post in the thread you're reading now argues the exact opposite of what I thought in that first paragraph I wrote in 2013 lol.
Everybody point at laugh at how dumb 2013 Kazin was
On the one hand, I think it's pretty much universal to look back at yourself 5 years ago or more at any given point in time and wonder how you were ever that dumb.
On the other hand, I'd reverse argue that plenty of the Marios from 64 on have encouraged exploration. Even the most linear 2D and 3D entries have had MacGuffins you could (or sometimes had) to collect off the beaten path. I would agree though this is not to the extent that the Wario games in question do so.
On the other hand, I'd reverse argue that plenty of the Marios from 64 on have encouraged exploration. Even the most linear 2D and 3D entries have had MacGuffins you could (or sometimes had) to collect off the beaten path. I would agree though this is not to the extent that the Wario games in question do so.
Yeah I mean, I'm not even criticizing estragon here. I disagree with what they said to an extent, but 2021 me thinks it's a matter of emphasis - the Wario Land games are all about exploration, and old Mario games aren't, though I agree with you that once you hit 64 and beyond, they generally are about exploration, though not to the degree the Wario Land games are. estragon is right though that some Wario Land games put the emphasis on exploration more - 2 and 4, especially, but I'd argue 1 and 3 still do too, just... differently.
I hope the above paragraph makes sense, I'm not sure if I'm articulating myself the way I want to lol
Phantoon
I cuss you bad
I'm always pleasantly surprised when I agree with past Phantoon
In the form of those music coins we've discussed either here or in the Gameboy thread (can't remember which), sure, but like a Metroid game, you're not discouraged from exploring otherwise, at least using the abilities you've unlocked thus far.
Now if your response to that is "that'd be fine if all the levels were combined into one big map and not discrete entities," then I can't argue further, really lol
Ludendorkk
(he/him)
I think 3's biggest problem is that it locks too much away as upgrades, especially if you're coming from Wario Land 2, so it feels like you're just coming back up to baseline instead of getting more powerful (Wario Land 3 is still a fantastic game)
I kept trying to play Wario Land 4 over the weekend and I still can't get into it. It has great music and visuals and all that, but there's something about the level design even before you hit the frog plunger thing and start the timer. They're a bit too sprawling, maybe? Unfocused? I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm going to keep trying it but for some reason it just never clicks with me.
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Agreed, every time I try to play, I stop, because the levels feel too confusing to me. A shame, it looks great, but the levels feel too confusing for me.
It does feel a lot like Mario Land 2 in a lot of ways, yeah. The mechanics feel better in Wario's more slow paced, exploratory gameplay imo.
muteKi
Geno Cidecity
Yeah slowing down Wario was clearly a great decision because it means that most of the game winds up feeling more like a traditional platformer than most of Mario Land 2. Mario Land 2 isn't a bad game at all, but it definitely does a lot to establish itself as the weird entry in the series, because so much of the game is about ways that the jumping physics is messed with, making the game slower and more vertically-focused.
Virtual Boy Wario Land seems to have clicked with me.
Turns out, you should just not play it on actual hardware! This is probably obvious to most people, but I once owned a Virtual Boy and this game, and I wanted to play it on original hardware. Because there's not really a way I'm aware of to play an actual Virtual Boy comfortably, the heavily exploration based gameplay of VB Wario Land always seemed to drag on, as my neck started to ache. But, playing it on an emulator with a SNES controller is... sublime. I wish I could see the 3D, yes - for bosses especially - but it's not necessary (at least 1/3 through the game like I am now). I've got all the treasures so far, and the game is very clear about where they are - there's one hidden in each non-boss level, so I don't know why I ever tried backtracking or whatever, as there's really no reason not to try to find the treasure your first time through the level.
They can be pretty well hidden, though. I just beat level 5, and I explored the hell out of that level - it took me 12 of the allotted 20 minutes to find the treasure. Wario being able to lose his powerups is a shame - I can see now why Wario Land 2 happened after this, as exploration is fun so long as you don't get hit, but when you get hit in a later game, it's a temporary setback rather than something that can make you waste a ton of time looking for another powerup to keep exploring with. Luckily, it seems enemies stay dead for the most part, so once you kill them, you can explore the level to your hearts content, with only the timer being a threat, which is what happened to me in level 5.
In game timer says I'm at 45 minutes, with plenty of game to go. I'm going to go for 100% in Virtual Boy Wario Land! How exciting!
Turns out, you should just not play it on actual hardware! This is probably obvious to most people, but I once owned a Virtual Boy and this game, and I wanted to play it on original hardware. Because there's not really a way I'm aware of to play an actual Virtual Boy comfortably, the heavily exploration based gameplay of VB Wario Land always seemed to drag on, as my neck started to ache. But, playing it on an emulator with a SNES controller is... sublime. I wish I could see the 3D, yes - for bosses especially - but it's not necessary (at least 1/3 through the game like I am now). I've got all the treasures so far, and the game is very clear about where they are - there's one hidden in each non-boss level, so I don't know why I ever tried backtracking or whatever, as there's really no reason not to try to find the treasure your first time through the level.
They can be pretty well hidden, though. I just beat level 5, and I explored the hell out of that level - it took me 12 of the allotted 20 minutes to find the treasure. Wario being able to lose his powerups is a shame - I can see now why Wario Land 2 happened after this, as exploration is fun so long as you don't get hit, but when you get hit in a later game, it's a temporary setback rather than something that can make you waste a ton of time looking for another powerup to keep exploring with. Luckily, it seems enemies stay dead for the most part, so once you kill them, you can explore the level to your hearts content, with only the timer being a threat, which is what happened to me in level 5.
In game timer says I'm at 45 minutes, with plenty of game to go. I'm going to go for 100% in Virtual Boy Wario Land! How exciting!
Last edited:
I'm happy for you! It's a fun game that I have fond memories of that I haven't played in probably 20 years. I do wish it were more accessible for people today.
Also, you play a Virtual Boy by lying flat on your back, putting the headset over your face, and using the tripod against your chest to keep it from falling over. OBVIOUSLY.
Also, you play a Virtual Boy by lying flat on your back, putting the headset over your face, and using the tripod against your chest to keep it from falling over. OBVIOUSLY.
There's too much weight for that to be comfortable still! I remember putting a dry washcloth sort of on the bridge my nose iirc to ease some of the weight while laying down and it still was uncomfortable and too heavy lol
I enjoyed looking at a Virtual Boy but playing it really was terrible.
Just 100%ed Virtual Boy Wario Land for the first time. I really enjoyed it!
It feels like a half step between the first Wario Land and II (which, given it came out in between those two games, makes sense). There's an emphasis on exploration like in II, except when you find the treasure, you just get it - no dumb minigame required, which is a point in VB's favor. Unfortunately, it's relatively short compared to II - that game is sprawling and has like 50 levels, this has like 12 and some boss fights. And while they're big levels, they're not ENORMOUS. There's definitely a lot more game in all three Gameboy Wario Lands. Still, it's a nice little game and well worth playing through, especially if you liked the first game (attn: @Gaer). The in game clock had me beating it 100% at 1:33, though I played it for a little longer as I usually savestated at the start of a level and if I did something dumb, I'd reload if I hadn't just skipped a power up. One of the things I like is you can't pick up a powerup you already have - meaning if you take a hit, you can go back and pick up the powerup you saw a few screens back rather than just be screwed. That's really nice! I also savestated to get coins at the end of the level, though I don't really know what they end up doing - the ending was pretty basic, and it didn't seem to change if you got 99,999 coins like I did - what matters, I think, is if you find all the treasures.
The bosses are not very fun, I'll add. You can throw away a bunch of lives on them if you're not careful, and the last boss in particular just takes too many hits. All of them would probably be easier if I was playing in 3D though, alas I was playing this emulated on PC so no help there (I don't have a VR headset, either). Here's hoping somebody eventually makes a good 3DS Virtual Boy emulator.
Some random thoughts:
- I like that the jet and fire helmets can be combined in this game, and you can basically ride that combo through the entire game. Virtual Boy Wario Land made the fire hat worth using! Nice!
- I don't mind the Virtual Boy red on black colors. I've actually been playing one of my DMG Gameboys with that color scheme, since it matches my reshell, and is easy on the eyes backlit. Granted, shoving your face in a real Virtual Boy for 1:33 would be uncomfortable regardless.
- The last treasure location is boring.
- Game looks incredible (high res Wario years before Shake It!), but if I'm honest, I'm slightly let down by the music. None of it is bad, it's just nowhere near as good as the Gameboy games.
- I'm going to keep throwing myself at Wario Land 4, I think, and see if I can't force it to click with me. I can tell it's a good game, it's just not working for me so far.
It feels like a half step between the first Wario Land and II (which, given it came out in between those two games, makes sense). There's an emphasis on exploration like in II, except when you find the treasure, you just get it - no dumb minigame required, which is a point in VB's favor. Unfortunately, it's relatively short compared to II - that game is sprawling and has like 50 levels, this has like 12 and some boss fights. And while they're big levels, they're not ENORMOUS. There's definitely a lot more game in all three Gameboy Wario Lands. Still, it's a nice little game and well worth playing through, especially if you liked the first game (attn: @Gaer). The in game clock had me beating it 100% at 1:33, though I played it for a little longer as I usually savestated at the start of a level and if I did something dumb, I'd reload if I hadn't just skipped a power up. One of the things I like is you can't pick up a powerup you already have - meaning if you take a hit, you can go back and pick up the powerup you saw a few screens back rather than just be screwed. That's really nice! I also savestated to get coins at the end of the level, though I don't really know what they end up doing - the ending was pretty basic, and it didn't seem to change if you got 99,999 coins like I did - what matters, I think, is if you find all the treasures.
The bosses are not very fun, I'll add. You can throw away a bunch of lives on them if you're not careful, and the last boss in particular just takes too many hits. All of them would probably be easier if I was playing in 3D though, alas I was playing this emulated on PC so no help there (I don't have a VR headset, either). Here's hoping somebody eventually makes a good 3DS Virtual Boy emulator.
Some random thoughts:
- I like that the jet and fire helmets can be combined in this game, and you can basically ride that combo through the entire game. Virtual Boy Wario Land made the fire hat worth using! Nice!
- I don't mind the Virtual Boy red on black colors. I've actually been playing one of my DMG Gameboys with that color scheme, since it matches my reshell, and is easy on the eyes backlit. Granted, shoving your face in a real Virtual Boy for 1:33 would be uncomfortable regardless.
- The last treasure location is boring.
- Game looks incredible (high res Wario years before Shake It!), but if I'm honest, I'm slightly let down by the music. None of it is bad, it's just nowhere near as good as the Gameboy games.
- I'm going to keep throwing myself at Wario Land 4, I think, and see if I can't force it to click with me. I can tell it's a good game, it's just not working for me so far.