I don't know about anyone else, but Yoshi's Island has been the pinnacle of the Yoshi games for me and nothing else has gotten close. I've played, but not finished, Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's...
I don't know about anyone else, but Yoshi's Island has been the pinnacle of the Yoshi games for me and nothing else has gotten close. I've played, but not finished, Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's Crafted World, and while they were fun, they just didn't capture my attention enough to see it all the way through (although I do plan on revisiting Crafted World). I've also replayed Yoshi's Island a few times and always had a blast.
It's hard for me to put into words why the first game is so enjoyable compared to the other iterations. I think part of it is the story, which felt very compelling, and the crying baby mechanic really motivated me to protect little Mario. I also loved the variety of things to do in all the levels, from the vehicle transformations to the Super Baby Mario components, to the mini-game huts you had to unlock. It seems like in the games since then they've moved away from a lot of this stuff that gave Yoshi's Island its charm.
I think part of the reason the later Yoshi games don't feel as engaging is that they've increasingly aimed to appeal to players who prefer a more relaxing, low-stress experience rather than...
I think part of the reason the later Yoshi games don't feel as engaging is that they've increasingly aimed to appeal to players who prefer a more relaxing, low-stress experience rather than frequent challenges. While that approach can make the games more accessible, it often risks making them less exciting for long-time fans who enjoy a bit more depth and difficulty.
Yoshi himself also doesn't feel quite as satisfying to control as he did in Yoshi's Island. In that original game, he moved quickly, and you could throw eggs without interrupting your flow. Later titles, like Yoshi's Story and Crafted World, force you to stop and aim, breaking momentum. Meanwhile, Island DS and New Island suffer from heavier, less intuitive physics that disrupt the smooth platforming the original nailed.
Level design has also followed a trend toward longer stages, but not always in a good way. Crafted World especially stands out for requiring you to collect flowers just to progress. To make matters worse, full completion demands replaying the same levels multiple times to clear one of the many craft objectives at a time or to find all three Poochies under a time limit in the flipped versions. It turns what could be creative replayability into repetitive busywork.
The music direction has taken a hit too. Starting with Yoshi's Island DS, the series began using simpler melodies and childlike instruments that sound more like preschool music. They fit the cute aesthetic, sure, but they also feel a bit too mellow and uninspired for older fans. Sadly, it looks like The Mysterious Book is continuing down that path.
I kind of feel like more modern Mario is so focused on being accessible that they are no longer fun. Yoshi’s Crafted World, for instance, just feels like being given busywork. The focus on...
I kind of feel like more modern Mario is so focused on being accessible that they are no longer fun. Yoshi’s Crafted World, for instance, just feels like being given busywork. The focus on searching and finding everything is especially bad. It’s nice to find a secret along the way but when secrets are the point then they stop being fun bonuses and start becoming a chore to find.
I'd argue this is a problem with video games as a whole, not just mario. It used to be only the nerds played video games, nowadays it's weirder if you don't play a little fortnite or call of duty...
I kind of feel like more modern Mario is so focused on being accessible that they are no longer fun.
I'd argue this is a problem with video games as a whole, not just mario. It used to be only the nerds played video games, nowadays it's weirder if you don't play a little fortnite or call of duty or FIFA or whatever the current popular title happens to be. Companies don't want a niche fanbase, they want their game to be the one that everyone is playing.
Take a look at The Elder Scrolls series. Pretty much everyone agrees that Skyrim is extremely dumbed-down compared to previous titles, which leads to less roleplaying freedom and less enjoyment for older fans.
An example near and dear to my own heart would be Elden Ring. It's really just a more accessible version of Dark Souls, and yet that completely ruins it for me. I have played and replayed all three Dark Souls titles countless times and I'm still not tired of them. Elden Ring was okay once and I have not had any desire at all to return to it.
Nintendo especially has enjoyed massive success since the launch of the original Nintendo Switch and unfortunately I only see their first-party games getting even dumber and dumber in an attempt to appeal to literally everyone with thumbs.
I saw this trailer, and have a different take completely on this game. This imo, looks like a Sesame Street style game. It appears to me to be a borderline educational game that smaller kids can...
I saw this trailer, and have a different take completely on this game.
This imo, looks like a Sesame Street style game. It appears to me to be a borderline educational game that smaller kids can play with parents.
From what we have seen it there is no combat at all.
If this theory is correct, while not for me, it is an interesting step Nintendo is taking. The educational gaming market is completely underserved and would be an interesting path to go down.
Interestingly the voice over for this trailer is different than the one on Nintendo.com, which is a male voice, though just as artificial sounding. I feel like the voiceover is part of the vibe...
Interestingly the voice over for this trailer is different than the one on Nintendo.com, which is a male voice, though just as artificial sounding. I feel like the voiceover is part of the vibe you're getting.
It's not rated as an early childhood game, at least not yet, so idk
I don’t think it will be per se. I think they will say it is an “cozy” adventure with exploration. No combat, no boss battles, etc. Complete the challenges to unlock the next level. We will see,...
I don’t think it will be per se. I think they will say it is an “cozy” adventure with exploration. No combat, no boss battles, etc. Complete the challenges to unlock the next level.
We will see, but it could be the voice combined with the muppet looking characters. But, i still think as of now, it is that type of game.
Which is fine, again. Little kids would likely love it.
When I was younger, there was this goofy soda ad of someone going around helping people. Of course she doesn't remember, but I recall Mom asking why games like that weren't made or more popular...
When I was younger, there was this goofy soda ad of someone going around helping people. Of course she doesn't remember, but I recall Mom asking why games like that weren't made or more popular and why many are so violent. She wasn't like "video games are the devil," my lil bro was chucking plasma grenades at me when he was like 3 and that's the only button he could reach holding the Xbox controller; I played too much WoW they paid for. But this was during the hey day of Call of Duty and Modern Warfare, she had a point that even if not violent, most games had a combat element, even Nintendo games. So it stuck with me as a lense.
All that is to say, I'm interested in seeing what games can do without combat, all the more if a big publisher can make a successful game without it. I mean, Animal Crossing made gangbusters and Pokopia is pretty popular, I don't think that has combat either. With something like cozy adventure with exploration, I think Nintendo is honing towards the engaging non-combat game, and in doing so are making something that can target kids while appealing to adults still.
I don’t disagree. I was just observing it looked different than previous Yoshi titles, that did have some form of combat. Maybe, I am wrong and we get another trailer with more gameplay prior to...
I don’t disagree. I was just observing it looked different than previous Yoshi titles, that did have some form of combat.
Maybe, I am wrong and we get another trailer with more gameplay prior to launch. Again, it was just my observation.
Side Note: After seeing some of the analytics that were shared at GDC, I was quite surprised. I think Nintendo, Sony, and gaming as a whole needs to find a way to start pivoting away from the adult games and move towards more kid games. I know that is a large ask. But those statistics regarding children and Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft were staggering.
I don't know about anyone else, but Yoshi's Island has been the pinnacle of the Yoshi games for me and nothing else has gotten close. I've played, but not finished, Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's Crafted World, and while they were fun, they just didn't capture my attention enough to see it all the way through (although I do plan on revisiting Crafted World). I've also replayed Yoshi's Island a few times and always had a blast.
It's hard for me to put into words why the first game is so enjoyable compared to the other iterations. I think part of it is the story, which felt very compelling, and the crying baby mechanic really motivated me to protect little Mario. I also loved the variety of things to do in all the levels, from the vehicle transformations to the Super Baby Mario components, to the mini-game huts you had to unlock. It seems like in the games since then they've moved away from a lot of this stuff that gave Yoshi's Island its charm.
I think part of the reason the later Yoshi games don't feel as engaging is that they've increasingly aimed to appeal to players who prefer a more relaxing, low-stress experience rather than frequent challenges. While that approach can make the games more accessible, it often risks making them less exciting for long-time fans who enjoy a bit more depth and difficulty.
Yoshi himself also doesn't feel quite as satisfying to control as he did in Yoshi's Island. In that original game, he moved quickly, and you could throw eggs without interrupting your flow. Later titles, like Yoshi's Story and Crafted World, force you to stop and aim, breaking momentum. Meanwhile, Island DS and New Island suffer from heavier, less intuitive physics that disrupt the smooth platforming the original nailed.
Level design has also followed a trend toward longer stages, but not always in a good way. Crafted World especially stands out for requiring you to collect flowers just to progress. To make matters worse, full completion demands replaying the same levels multiple times to clear one of the many craft objectives at a time or to find all three Poochies under a time limit in the flipped versions. It turns what could be creative replayability into repetitive busywork.
The music direction has taken a hit too. Starting with Yoshi's Island DS, the series began using simpler melodies and childlike instruments that sound more like preschool music. They fit the cute aesthetic, sure, but they also feel a bit too mellow and uninspired for older fans. Sadly, it looks like The Mysterious Book is continuing down that path.
I kind of feel like more modern Mario is so focused on being accessible that they are no longer fun. Yoshi’s Crafted World, for instance, just feels like being given busywork. The focus on searching and finding everything is especially bad. It’s nice to find a secret along the way but when secrets are the point then they stop being fun bonuses and start becoming a chore to find.
I'd argue this is a problem with video games as a whole, not just mario. It used to be only the nerds played video games, nowadays it's weirder if you don't play a little fortnite or call of duty or FIFA or whatever the current popular title happens to be. Companies don't want a niche fanbase, they want their game to be the one that everyone is playing.
Take a look at The Elder Scrolls series. Pretty much everyone agrees that Skyrim is extremely dumbed-down compared to previous titles, which leads to less roleplaying freedom and less enjoyment for older fans.
An example near and dear to my own heart would be Elden Ring. It's really just a more accessible version of Dark Souls, and yet that completely ruins it for me. I have played and replayed all three Dark Souls titles countless times and I'm still not tired of them. Elden Ring was okay once and I have not had any desire at all to return to it.
Nintendo especially has enjoyed massive success since the launch of the original Nintendo Switch and unfortunately I only see their first-party games getting even dumber and dumber in an attempt to appeal to literally everyone with thumbs.
I saw this trailer, and have a different take completely on this game.
This imo, looks like a Sesame Street style game. It appears to me to be a borderline educational game that smaller kids can play with parents.
From what we have seen it there is no combat at all.
If this theory is correct, while not for me, it is an interesting step Nintendo is taking. The educational gaming market is completely underserved and would be an interesting path to go down.
Interestingly the voice over for this trailer is different than the one on Nintendo.com, which is a male voice, though just as artificial sounding. I feel like the voiceover is part of the vibe you're getting.
It's not rated as an early childhood game, at least not yet, so idk
I don’t think it will be per se. I think they will say it is an “cozy” adventure with exploration. No combat, no boss battles, etc. Complete the challenges to unlock the next level.
We will see, but it could be the voice combined with the muppet looking characters. But, i still think as of now, it is that type of game.
Which is fine, again. Little kids would likely love it.
When I was younger, there was this goofy soda ad of someone going around helping people. Of course she doesn't remember, but I recall Mom asking why games like that weren't made or more popular and why many are so violent. She wasn't like "video games are the devil," my lil bro was chucking plasma grenades at me when he was like 3 and that's the only button he could reach holding the Xbox controller; I played too much WoW they paid for. But this was during the hey day of Call of Duty and Modern Warfare, she had a point that even if not violent, most games had a combat element, even Nintendo games. So it stuck with me as a lense.
All that is to say, I'm interested in seeing what games can do without combat, all the more if a big publisher can make a successful game without it. I mean, Animal Crossing made gangbusters and Pokopia is pretty popular, I don't think that has combat either. With something like cozy adventure with exploration, I think Nintendo is honing towards the engaging non-combat game, and in doing so are making something that can target kids while appealing to adults still.
I don’t disagree. I was just observing it looked different than previous Yoshi titles, that did have some form of combat.
Maybe, I am wrong and we get another trailer with more gameplay prior to launch. Again, it was just my observation.
Side Note: After seeing some of the analytics that were shared at GDC, I was quite surprised. I think Nintendo, Sony, and gaming as a whole needs to find a way to start pivoting away from the adult games and move towards more kid games. I know that is a large ask. But those statistics regarding children and Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft were staggering.