I don't understand the love for Mario Odyssey. Help.

[Yukinari]

I get crucified on discord chats for saying people probably only enjoy Odyssey for the controls and spectacle. (New Donk City festival)

Because its not a good collectathon like banjo kazooie but its also not a good 3D platformer either like Galaxy 2.

Whats the point of such fantastic movement when you have no faith in the player to use it to its full potential? I can count maybe 3 or 4 moons that push the player. Out of 880.

 

[Anthony Hopkins]

I recommend you sit in a dimly lit room with picture of marios crrators on the wall and repeat "im sorry, mario odyessy is amazing" until you sleep.

Doing this will solve your issue.

 

[Deleted member 426]

I get crucified on discord chats for saying people probably only enjoy Odyssey for the controls and spectacle. (New Donk City festival)

Because its not a good collectathon like banjo kazooie but its also not a good 3D platformer either like Galaxy 2.

Whats the point of such fantastic movement when you have no faith in the player to use it to its full potential? I can count maybe 3 or 4 moons that push the player. Out of 880.

Click to shrink...

This. I do like the game, but when I finished the main story and tried to find other fun stuff to do I realised that there just wasn't. The game is great, but it's no classic.

And it's not even a "it's not amazing for Mario but it's still amazing" situation. It's just good.

 

[Slime Thief]

3D World is bad on almost every level, so no.

Click to shrink...

lolwhat?

3D World has (compared to Odyssey)
- great soundtrack (it even almost reaches Galaxy-tier in its postgame)
- good side challenges (Captain Toad, Myster House, etc)
- great level design
- far better postgame

Odyssey wishes it was like that.

 

[Tunahead]

It's fine not to like the bad video game Super Mario Odyssey.

The graphics are an ugly mishmash of clashing art styles. Does Mario fit into the world of Dark Souls? Even a five year old could tell you he doesn't. A shame no one working on Super Mario Odyssey asked a five year old.

The gameplay is repetitive and features a series of shallow gimmicks that just slow the game down. Why do I have to tediously scale walls as a bird? Why are there 2D platforming sections that are just 3D platforming sections but with actively worse controls?

The story is an unimaginative pastiche of past franchise tropes that already got old in the nineties.

Super Mario Odyssey as a whole is so unremarkable it's hardly even worth remembering it for its flaws, because it doesn't even manage to be bad in a way that hasn't been seen a thousand times.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

The gameplay is repetitive and features a series of shallow gimmicks that just slow the game down. Why do I have to tediously scale walls as a bird?

Click to shrink...

Mods, ban immediately. This post is a sin against humanity and Pokios.

 

[Cup O' Tea?]

The game is packed full of charm and Nintendo nostalgia. I'm genuinely surprised the OP couldn't find a single redeemable thing about this game.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

It's fine not to like the bad video game Super Mario Odyssey.

The graphics are an ugly mishmash of clashing art styles. Does Mario fit into the world of Dark Souls? Even a five year old could tell you he doesn't. A shame no one working on Super Mario Odyssey asked a five year old.

The gameplay is repetitive and features a series of shallow gimmicks that just slow the game down. Why do I have to tediously scale walls as a bird? Why are there 2D platforming sections that are just 3D platforming sections but with actively worse controls?

The story is an unimaginative pastiche of past franchise tropes that already got old in the nineties.

Super Mario Odyssey as a whole is so unremarkable it's hardly even worth remembering it for its flaws, because it doesn't even manage to be bad in a way that hasn't been seen a thousand times.

Click to shrink...

???

What the fuck am I reading here?

 

[joylevel11]

sounds like you have something against the game lol. if you don't like it then that's it...move on. go play something else.

it's one of my favourite mario games.

 

[Scanna]

I'm kinda with you. I haven't enjoyed the collectathon part of it and the level design in general. It's magnificent to look at, awesome to move Mario around and I also liked the "story" if you want to call it that way, but it's one of the worse Mario mainline games in my opinion. Just most of the things you do feel pointless and Mario 64 is my favorite one, so it's not about the open levels thing, it's more of how the moons are designed. I had a similar issue with the items in Breath of the Wild, but the core of that game is worth it on its own.

 

[RespectThySole]

I get crucified on discord chats for saying people probably only enjoy Odyssey for the controls and spectacle. (New Donk City festival)

Because its not a good collectathon like banjo kazooie but its also not a good 3D platformer either like Galaxy 2.

Whats the point of such fantastic movement when you have no faith in the player to use it to its full potential? I can count maybe 3 or 4 moons that push the player. Out of 880.

Click to shrink...

Exactly. The game doesn't respect the player at all.

 

[No Depth]

Yea I've been slowly picking at it over the last year. Up to 660 moons so far and my opinion hasn't changed much since the launch period. Better than Sunshine, but sits at the bottom of the 3D Mario games.

The levels and challenges just really haven't engaged me as 3DW, the Galaxy games, and 64's novelty. There are certainly several moons that stop and make me think "why not more of this!" but they are far too overshadowed by the rest that barely raise my pulse. I get the desire to give slack to newcomers, but they really gave too much and it led to a rather limp platformer.

Looks good, plays well, but the experience is lacking.

 

[Ryengeku]

Yea I've been slowly picking at it over the last year. Up to 660 moons so far and my opinion hasn't changed much since the launch period. Better than Sunshine, but sits at the bottom of the 3D Mario games.

The levels and challenges just really haven't engaged me as 3DW, the Galaxy games, and 64's novelty. There are certainly several moons that stop and make me think "why not more of this!" but they are far too overshadowed by the rest that barely raise my pulse. I get the desire to give slack to newcomers, but they really gave too much and it led to a rather limp platformer.

Looks good, plays well, but the experience is lacking.

Click to shrink...

So it seems like you're saying No Depth ....indeed :-P

 

[Cocolina]

???

What the fuck am I reading here?

Click to shrink...

The dragon boss

 

[melodiousmowl]

I think one design change should have been the moons that change the level vs "bonus" moons should have had a distinction.

They basically streamlined getting stars in mario64, instead of booting you from the level it does the changes in situ, which I appreciate, though the effect is lessened by having other random moons.

 

[chuseph14]

The running around is really good. Like reeallly good. These days that's all it takes for me to get way into a game. It's the same thing with Spiderman

 

[Spacejaws]

Just started and I'm on the Sand Kingdom. Really enjoying it but I have two complaints. Moons are kinda given like smarties sometimes, I'm just fartin' about in a corner somewhere and bam you get a Moon kiddo. It's a little wierd.

Second, I'm playing in handheld mode, and you can get to fuck with these stupid waggle controls jesus fucking christ who was the godamn genius who thought it would be a great idea to have two buttons do exactly the same thing then lock certain moves behind a waggle motion that you can't do if you've got your JoynCons docked in handheld mode. Then they constantly rub it in your fucking face like a pup that's pissed the rug, hey kiddo do it right! Use the waggle! Look at you moron don't use the buttons waggling will make you jump higher! That godamn fucking idiot should be dragged out of the office and chucked into a rocket destined for the Sun and knowing him it was probably that motherfucking ass clown Miyamoto who will cook up the most amazing thing and go 'Hey you know what? I've just created a masterpiece, but I like this little piece of shit I just found. Maybe I'll just smear a little bit on it, just a little all over the good bits...yeaaa that looks great the kids'll eat this shit up."

Other than those two loving it so far.

 

[Deleted member 12833]

The running around is really good. Like reeallly good. These days that's all it takes for me to get way into a game. It's the same thing with Spiderman

Click to shrink...

Maybe that's why I'm also finding Spider-Man only good, not great as well.

I love the controls in both but I need a little more thought put into the design. MGSV is a perfect example of top notch controls married with good design in an open world game.

 

[sleepnaught]

3D world is still the pinnacle of the franchise for me. Open worlds are fine and all, but none of the worlds in Odyssey were fun to explore(except 1). Sand Kingdom came close because of the Pyramid, even that fell short. Then you have complete bores like the Cap Kingdom, Cascade Kingdom, Snow Kingdom, Cloud Kingdom, Ruined Kingdom, Moon, and Lost Kingdom which are terribly uninspired and, a few, laughably tiny. There was also very little platforming in the worlds themselves. Any platforming was forced away in mini challenges. The worlds would have felt a ton more complete if the platforming elements existed in the worlds themselves, not behind a warp tube. The only kingdom I felt that really met the expectations of the franchise was Bowser's Kingdom. The whole level is a masterpiece.

 

[bwahhhhh]

There are a lot of legitimate complaints for SMO, but one thing it did give me many times over is that overwhelming feeling of childlike joy, giddiness and curiosity for exploration that my jaded old-ass gamer self hadn't felt in a long, loooong time.

Lost Kingdom was the weak point for me, though. Lost Kingdom just felt like an average-at-best Jak and Daxter level that was left on the cutting room floor.

 

[Fireclad]

Yeah, it's totally okay to not like games. The switch is actually the first Nintendo console I haven't bothered to pick up near launch just because their games, hardware, and policies have been continually moving further and further away from what made me love them as a platform holder in the first place.

A significant portion of praise behind some of these titles comes from a very, very vocal minority interested in a very narrow slice of gaming and leads to a lot of perceived overhype. Not to say that a lot of these titles are poor exactly, just that the profundity of their revalatory, borderline religious gaming experience is unlikely to be shared by all. Broaden your horizons a bit and you may find equally important works and productions by other studios and publishers of note that may better appeal to your expectations and sensibilities.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

The dragon boss

Click to shrink...

You mean that one area that looks somewhat realistic...and most actually like?

 

[SuperFakerBros]

Yeah, it's totally okay to not like games. The switch is actually the first Nintendo console I haven't bothered to pick up near launch just because their games, hardware, and policies have been continually moving further and further away from what made me love them as a platform holder in the first place.

A significant portion of praise behind some of these titles comes from a very, very vocal minority interested in a very narrow slice of gaming and leads to a lot of perceived overhype. Not to say that a lot of these titles are poor exactly, just that the profundity of their revalatory, borderline religious gaming experience is unlikely to be shared by all. Broaden your horizons a bit and you may find equally important works and productions by other studios and publishers of note that may better appeal to your expectations and sensibilities.

Click to shrink...

What? That's not at all what happened here. These are the first Nintendo titles in a long time to win so many awards and be so critically acclaimed. They're all also selling very well too. Arguing that most of the praise is coming from a vocal minority is straight up ridiculous

 

[Cocolina]

You mean that one area that looks somewhat realistic...and most actually like?

Click to shrink...

you had to make me look up the name didn't you? the level is called The Ruined Kingdom

 

[Black_Red]

For me it just has the best controls of any 3D game. It has a really los dificulty, but controlo g Mario is puré joy. I just parkour my way trough the game.

 

[higgsboson1997]

I get crucified on discord chats for saying people probably only enjoy Odyssey for the controls and spectacle. (New Donk City festival)

Because its not a good collectathon like banjo kazooie but its also not a good 3D platformer either like Galaxy 2.

Whats the point of such fantastic movement when you have no faith in the player to use it to its full potential? I can count maybe 3 or 4 moons that push the player. Out of 880.

Click to shrink...

I think you may have gotten people's ire because it is little bit of a generalized statement to say that people only liked it because of the controls and spectacle.

For me, personally, I liked everything about it. I think it's a much better collectathon than Banjo Kazooie personally, which I don't like at all. 3D World remains the king in 3D platforming, but Odyssey does have a few interesting platforming sections. Most importantly, the worlds are very charming in the game.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

you had to make me look up the name didn't you? the level is called The Ruined Kingdom

Click to shrink...

No, I didn't. I know which one you were talking about after you pointed out that it's the one with the dragon and most folk, outside of the forum bubble, from what I've seen, had a great time with it. Really, the vocal folk on Era are the minority

 

[Cocolina]

No, I didn't. I know which one you were talking about after you pointed out that it's the one with the dragon and most folk, outside of the forum bubble, from what I've seen, had a great time with it

Click to shrink...

you asked it as a question

 

[Kudo]

The Ruined Kingdom was great, sure it's homage to Dark Souls but that's what makes it great and I think it fits well.
I love Odyssey.

 

[woman]

Odyssey isn't the best Mario game, but it's certainly better than 3D world. Let's not get carried away.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

you asked it as a question

Click to shrink...

It was a rhetorical question

Odyssey isn't the best Mario game, but it's certainly better than 3D world. Let's not get carried away.

Click to shrink...

Nah, I liked 3D World a fair amount more. Tightly designed platforming focused levels appeal more to me

 

[Fireclad]

What? That's not at all what happened here. These are the first Nintendo titles in a long time to win so many awards and be so critically acclaimed. They're all also selling very well too. Arguing that most of the praise is coming from a vocal minority is straight up ridiculous

Click to shrink...

I didn't mean any of that as a slight against people who enjoy these titles.

I haven't kept up with the reviews or sales figures because, as I mentioned, I have no real interest in these titles and have actively not enjoyed my time spent with the system. Heavy hitting Nintendo games almost always elicit strong response from a specific segment of the community, typically sales aren't half bad either and the community at large typically regards their titles favorably. I simply meant to suggest that the loudest voices likely come from a comparatively smaller segment of the population. I was unaware that their recent endeavors were particularly higher scoring or better selling than usual.

Regardless, that doesn't mean that it is required for myself or the OP to enjoy or appreciate these games in the same fashion as their proponents do.

 

[Okii]

I pretty much agree with everything you said.

 

[Zubalon]

I loved Galaxy I&II ...but Odyssey felt ... Boring and kinda lifeless.

 

[Deleted member 18161]

Odyssey was designed for Switch which is why there's so many moons. Wake it up, play for 20 mins and grab a few moons. A bit like BotW's bit sized shrines and dungeons.

I feel like some Nintendo fans aren't going to like this generations games because of this.

 

[AzureFlame]

Really fun game, tho half the worlds are not as good as the others, and that kinda make it feel small.

 

[NintendoMariah]

It is definitely not an issue to not like a game OP
I just enjoyed it because of Nostalgia, and i really loved Super Mario on the Nintendo 64 and this game really stood out and felt the same as that game. especially with the throwbacks to the original game.

Also, we havens had a game like this since sunshine, so a lot of people have been craving for this sort of Mario for many years, the people that loved sunshine like i did, haven't had to wait as long as the people that played Mario 64

 

[RF Switch]

I loved Odyssey, but thought Mario 3d world was complete trash. You dont always agree with the crowd

 

[Deleted member 24907]

Odyssey was designed for Switch which is why there's so many moons. Wake it up, play for 20 mins and grab a few moons. A bit like BotW's bit sized shrines and dungeons.

I feel like some Nintendo fans aren't going to like this generations games because of this.

Click to shrink...

This kind of design is not exclusive to Odyssey, it's been a part of Mario games pretty much since the series let you save progress. Stars, Shines, completing levels in 3DWorld, all of these can be done in just a few minutes.

The formula happens to work really well on Switch, but Mario being playable in short bursts has been baked into the design for a really long time.

 

[SuperFakerBros]

I didn't mean any of that as a slight against people who enjoy these titles.

I haven't kept up with the reviews or sales figures because, as I mentioned, I have no real interest in these titles and have actively not enjoyed my time spent with the system. Heavy hitting Nintendo games almost always elicit strong response from a specific segment of the community, typically sales aren't half bad either and the community at large typically regards their titles favorably. I simply meant to suggest that the loudest voices likely come from a comparatively smaller segment of the population. I was unaware that their recent endeavors were particularly higher scoring or better selling than usual.

Regardless, that doesn't mean that it is required for myself or the OP to enjoy or appreciate these games in the same fashion as their proponents do.

Click to shrink...

Of course you don't have to like them. I mean, I dislike games like The Last of Us and Bloodborne, no amount of awards or anything will change that, and I should be allowed to express that as much as anyone else. But it's just odd to try and argue that a large chunk of the praise comes from a minority of the people who played the game as it's the majority who like them and a small vocal minority who don't them and REALLY like to let it known that they don't like them. At least, that's what I've observed and seen so far as usually critically acclaimed and high selling games are beloved by the majority, outside of what it may look on Era

 

[Deleted member 18161]

This kind of design is not exclusive to Odyssey, it's been a part of Mario games pretty much since the series let you save progress. Stars, Shines, completing levels in 3DWorld, all of these can be done in just a few minutes.

The formula happens to work really well on Switch, but Mario being playable in short bursts has been baked into the design for a really long time.

Click to shrink...

My point was it takes far longer to get a Star in 64, SS, SMG than it does to get a moon in Odyssey. You can get 10 moons in the time it takes to get a Star in those games which fits right in with the portable aspect and playing in extremely short bursts on Switch.

 

[Slime Thief]

Really fun game, tho half the worlds are not as good as the others, and that kinda make it feel small.

Click to shrink...

Agreed. Too small, small quantity of worlds and the quality of them aren't even that good anyway. Easily the weakest aspect of Odyssey.

 

[Deleted member 19218]

I dunno what to really say.

You justified your reasons OP and I think your issue lies with the core gameplay. All I can do is try in vain to convince you by pointing our a lot of the charm is in the small details.

I remember throwing my hat and a dog jumped, grabbed it and returned it. I was surprised and I spent like 5 minutes just playing fetch with my straw hat on the beach with some relaxing music. The charm lies in the small details like that and it's something I don't often feel in a game.

 

[Natalie M.]

Just move on, don't waste time trying to find out what you are missing or why you don't feel the same way as some other people. It's not that big of a deal. I don't like God of War (shrug) - it happens.

 

[Harmony Friends]

I'm mostly genuinely surprised OP doesn't even like the music. Odyssey has some extremely good tracks. I love OSTs from games I otherwise don't care for or actively hate all the time. I don't want to call OP contrarian, but, I'm really surprised.

EDIT: 3D World is extremely good though and I can easily see anyone who prefers linear obstacle course Mario thinking it's better than Odyssey. I honestly like them about as much for super different reasons... but the soundtracks are both top tier.

 

[Jacobson]

I had fun playing Odyssey. It's just not for you, no need to be distressed about it. Trade it with another game.

 

[WizardofPeace]

Odyssey made me realize a big reason why I loved Mario 64 so much was because I had nothing else to play on N64 back then.

I think I just don't really care for 3D Mario and never truly did.

Click to shrink...

Ya, I tried to play through odyssey, but I just couodnt do it. I much prefer the 3D world type of Mario's than these open world ones. To each there own though.

 

[Eric Baker]

It's a video game enthusiast forum. Da fuck you think is going to happen here.

Click to shrink...

Uh, I'd think that people would be enthusiastic about video games, not trying to shit on other people's enthusiasm...

 

[Renna Hazel]

Yeah, it's totally okay to not like games. The switch is actually the first Nintendo console I haven't bothered to pick up near launch just because their games, hardware, and policies have been continually moving further and further away from what made me love them as a platform holder in the first place.

A significant portion of praise behind some of these titles comes from a very, very vocal minority interested in a very narrow slice of gaming and leads to a lot of perceived overhype. Not to say that a lot of these titles are poor exactly, just that the profundity of their revalatory, borderline religious gaming experience is unlikely to be shared by all. Broaden your horizons a bit and you may find equally important works and productions by other studios and publishers of note that may better appeal to your expectations and sensibilities.

Click to shrink...

Why do people always incorrectly assume that Nintendo fans don't play any other games? It's pretty weird.