Super Mario Odyssey (October 27, 2017)

[StaticMania]

This game seems very Mario.

Considering all that Mario's done over the years, it's hard for Nintendo to do anything "not" Mario.

[Meta77]

Far from a 10 but a solid 9. It's beautiful and music amazing. But I miss how the world's where in 64 where many were hidden away.

[Dr. Mechano]

Super Mario Odyssey is fantastic. I've been playing it all weekend and I've barely scratched the surface of this amazingly huge game.

This is the first entry in the series since Sunshine that's truly been about open-ended exploration, and I love it!  I love taking my time and discovering each kingdom's secrets. It's like I'm on a giant treasure hunt, and it's a blast the entire time. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this kind of Mario game after all these years.

Gameplay-wise, Odyssey is fantastic. Mario's really responsive, and has a lot of new jumps and maneuvers that make him more mobile than ever. Of course, the capture mechanic is amazing as well - effectively turning enemies and NPCs into powerups, each with their own incredibly fun syle of gameplay. Odyssey has great variety, and I never found myself getting bored playing it.

The atmosphere is great too. The game looks stunning. The music is catchy and I'm sure I'll be humming this soundtrack for a long time. The NPCs and enemies in each world really add tons of personality and help the kingdoms feel like real, lived-in places rather than a bunch of abstract "levels" for Mario to complete. It's a nice element of the game an I definitely appreciate it.

I have to comment for a second on story, too. For a mainline, non-RPG entry in the Mario series, they honestly put lot more effort into the presentation and - dare I say - lore in a Mario game. We got to visit the city where Donkey Kong took place, Pauline made her grand return, Captain Toad directly references the events of his own spinoff game, and later,

when Mario captures Bowser, we see a brief slideshow of Mario's history with the Koopa king from previous entries in the series.

After so many games that almost seemed to take place in their own self-contained universes, it was really cool to see a Mario game that blatantly acknowledged - and indeed, celebrated - the plumber's past adventures.

The characters are handled really well too. Again, don't expect Shakespeare or anything (it's a Mario game), but they have more than bare-bones personalities here. Bowser steals the show with some great one-liners, while still managing to feel like an intimidating antagonist. The Broodals are a hilarious squad of bosses to encounter throughout the adventure. Cappy himself is surprisingly likable, and an example of a good sidekick character in a video game. Even Mario - though he's still a man of few words - is far more expressive than usual in this title, and feels more like a person and less like a perpetually smiling mascot.

Also, the post-game content is 

huge. There's way more to do after beating the game than before. I'm not even close to done.

 

Time will tell how I ultimately rank this game, but I can safely say it at least rivals Super Mario 64 for my favorite 3D Mario. Maybe it even surpasses it, which is not a claim I make lightly, as SM64 is one of my favorite games of all time. But Odyssey is so good. It's definitely a must-have for the Switch, no question.

[Meta77]

Its not as much oprn world as it is open level. I Do love the boss designs

[mayday2592]

I'm in awe of how much there is  to do after the credits roll. I have 256 moons after at least 10 hrs and apparently theres over 800 of them.

[Thrippa]

Wow.  I've been picking up about 30 moons per world and was afraid I might be overdoing it, since I'll have to come back for later-unlocked ones anyway.  Mainly I'm just looking for purple coins; there always seem to be 4-6 I cannot find, but I run across plenty of moons along the way!  Just finished the cookery level, but discovered I have a level in my list that I never went to, which is strange.  Just a totally blank map stuck in between two levels I explored in depth.  Presumably I'll get there eventually.

[JaidynReiman]

I finished the game with around 350 moons and then got an additional 150 to hit 500 after the fact. I'm done for the moment, but I'll come back to it gradually.

[Dr. Mechano]

Odyssey has sold over 2 million copies in under three days. I'm thrilled to hear the game's doing well (though not surprised), and hope it sends a message to Nintendo that we want more games of this scope and scale.

http://nintendoeverything.com/super-mario-odyssey-sells-over-2-million-copies-in-first-3-days/

[SpongicX]

It's called "Odyssey" for a reason, folks. 
 

I swear, this was an accident! I had no idea the walls were going to push out like that! 

[PC the Hedgehog]

Stayed up over an hour past my usual bedtime because I just HAD to finish the game. Of course, I share everyone's opinion that Odyssey is absolutely amazing. The finale definitely sealed the deal if there was even the slightest inkling of doubt. And the post game...I've been trying to avoid spoilers for it, so aside from the "starting point", I have no idea what sort of surprises to expect. I LOVE this game!

Stayed up over an hour past my usual bedtime because I just HAD to finish the game. Of course, I share everyone's opinion that Odyssey is absolutely amazing. The finale definitely sealed the deal if there was even the slightest inkling of doubt. And the post game...I've been trying to avoid spoilers for it, so aside from the "starting point", I have no idea what sort of surprises to expect. I LOVE this game!

[SenEDDtor Missile]

I dunno why, but for the Broodals, I actually think they could be even more interesting if they were Punch Clock villains with a backstory related to weddings. Like let's say the young Broodals were raised or found out about the idea of extravagant or celebratory weddings when they were younger, and thus were enamored with the idea for different reasons.

The problem for them however is that the Broodals grew up in a species that reproduced so quickly and married so frequently due to their species growth that marriages and weddings were treated as mundane and usual. Disillusioned by the destruction of the fantasy they had been brought up on, they vowed to become a wedding firm that would guarantee the best most extravagant weddings to celebrate true love, regardless if they have to turn the world upside down to do it.

Years later in Odyssey, Bowser would come along and hire them as his wedding planners, something which they were all too happy to do, especially for the marriage of two royals. However, Bowser makes it a point to mention Mario and frame him as a "jealous and bitter man" who would go to any length to stop the wedding between the two royals. Naturally, the Broodals are all to happy to help stop Mario because they believe that he's trying to stop true love out of selfish desire.

However, later on in the story, they find out from Mario (and Cappy) that Bowser had lied to them about the nature of the marriage; that it was a FORCED marriage, Peach was not in love with Bowser at all, Mario was close to Peach, and that Bowser was known for KIDNAPPING Peach very frequently to force her to like him. The Broodals do not take this well at all, since the point of their wedding firm is to celebrate true love, and forced marriages are a BIG berserk button for all of them (and also being lied to regarding a wedding). They end up helping Mario at the end to find the true location of the wedding as a result and:

Spoiler

At the ending, where Peach rejects both of them, offer their condolences to the two men (a hanky for Bowser and a pat on the back for Mario), since it becomes clear that both men do like Peach, even if Bowser expresses it in the most warped and selfish way possible.

...I have way too much free time and imagination for my own good.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Early Impressions:

Odyssey's fun so far (I'm at the latter end of the Sand Kingdom right now), but I gotta admit I kinda wish there was a bit more of a feeling of each place being an actual location you visit as opposed to an island with some area-flavored window dressing (kinda ironic, considering the game I'm gonna compare it to takes place on only one island, yet it feels substantially bigger). It's not that each place doesn't have a ton of things to explore and find, but it just feels...isolated in many ways.

Sunshine for all of it's flaws always succeeded in making each level (the volcano being the exception, and that's justified because it's a volcano) feel like an actual location where you could just waffle around and interact with the locals, and they always felt interconnected due to being able to see the other locations in the distance (although that's more the result of the place being island themed so it at least makes sense there). Odyssey's a good game so far, but it feels like it could have been a bit bigger, more interactive, more...placelike.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by Sunshine and Breath of the Wild or something.

[JaidynReiman]

5 minutes ago, SenEDDtor Missile said:

as opposed to an island with some area-flavored window dressing. It's not that each place doesn't have a ton of things to explore and find, but it just feels...isolated in many ways.

This is my biggest complaints about the Kingdoms in Mario Odyssey. I don't like how they're designed. I think they're fine in terms of size, but how they're all basically floating islands just... feels off to me. And in all honesty, it wouldn't be that hard to NOT do that for most of the kingdoms. Unlike in BotW, Mario can't climb on every surface. You can easily make walls you can't get over and call it a day. I don't mind it for the mini challenges, but for each kingdom is just... ugh I don't like it.

 

First off, New Donk City, for example:

Can't you just have it at ground level with tall buildings blocking your way to the rest of the city? Show, say, a gateway that's blocked off to leave the area. Make all the really tall buildings towards the center so you can still see the outer areas of the city you can't visit.

Sand Kingdom is a bit harder, admittedly. You'd need to wall it off with cliffs... in a desert. I guess it could work, though.

Cascade Kingdom works, IMO. Its SUPPOSED to have that isolated feeling. So I don't mind how it looks.

 

Now, here's one for a post-game kingdom:

Spoiler

Ok, so why the f*** is Peach's Castle suddenly on a small island in the middle of the Mushroom Kingdom? This is STUPID. This is very EASILY rectifiable: simply add tall cliffs to the outskirts with a cave pass that's sealed with a door you can't open. From the top of Peach's Castle, you can still see the outskirts just fine.

 

Yoshi's House did not need to be accessible before reaching the Mushroom Kingdom, so that's easy to resolve as well. And keep in mind, I LOVE this kingdom as is, I just don't like this aesthetic design.

 

Granted, for me its just a minor nitpick about one part of the game. I still love the kingdoms.

 

On another note, I found something awesome in a late game kingdom (spoilers for a specific character and a late game kingdom):

Spoiler

In Bowser's Kingdom, I fished Poochy out of the freaking poison swamp! WTF?! I knew Poochy appeared in some photos, but I didn't know you could actually find him. This is the first time Poochy has appeared in a Mario game as far as I'm aware. I've also heard he can appear underground in some situations, too. But seriously, this was hilarious and awesome and I wanted to share it.

 

[SenEDDtor Missile]

3 minutes ago, JaidynReiman said:

This is my biggest complaints about the Kingdoms in Mario Odyssey. I don't like how they're designed. I think they're fine in terms of size, but how they're all basically floating islands just... feels off to me.

It feels like a weird hybrid between Super Mario Galaxy's planetoids and Sunshine's locations.

[Gabz Girl]

Finished the game last night and loved it! Can you say best final boss in a Mario game since 3D Land? Oh and can’t forget Mario

taking over Bowser’s mind like omfg that was GREAT! The music at the end reminded me of Sonic though. XD

Overall, I think Super Mario Odyssey is a great game. It controls great, the music is great (New Donk City’s music is so catchy!) and the various Kingdoms are great. The hat gimmick is a joy to use and I also love all the lore within each Kingdom that’s explained through the map screen. Also, to all the complaints about this game being easy...err, what? I thought overall it was pretty challenging, especially the platforming segments! Luncheon Kingdom’s block platforming can go die in a fire..!

Im not sure I’d put Odyssey above Galaxy yet but it’s definitely WAY above Sunshine which is still my least favourite 3D Mario game. There’s a lot of post game content I’ve realised, so it seems I have barely even scratched the surface! Anyone know if you get anything special for collecting all the Moons?

I think my only complaint so far is that I wish there were more areas in these Kingdoms you could explore. I think the biggest waste of that potential was 

Crumbleden. Very eerie stage, totally got Dark Souls vibes from it, yet it’s only used for the badass dragon boss and nothing else.

Damn it, I wanted more from that Kingdom! 

[Meta77]

Fuck the jump rope event gah

[PC the Hedgehog]

1 hour ago, Gabz Girl said:

Finished the game last night and loved it! Can you say best final boss in a Mario game since 3D Land? Oh and can’t forget Mario

  Hide contents

taking over Bowser’s mind like omfg that was GREAT! The music at the end reminded me of Sonic though. XD

 

That part reminded me of "Follow Me" from Sonic Heroes. The tunes are REALLY similar.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

*Sand Kingdom Timer Challenge 3, requires you to run and jump on an obstacle course over a pit of poison to reach the Power Moon at the end* 
Me: ...NAH! *Climbs onto a Jaxi I parked nearby and runs past the whole obstacle course to the moon* 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Something really strange happened to me. I was watching a video to help me find one particularly annoying moon (Specifically, the secret entrance to Cascade Kingdom) and it showed the entrance being in Snow Kingdom. When I got there however, it was the entrance to Lake Kingdom while the entrance to Lake Kingdom that should be in Seaside Kingdom was now the Cascade Kingdom entrance.

[Tails spin]

1 hour ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Something really strange happened to me. I was watching a video to help me find one particularly annoying moon (Specifically, the secret entrance to Cascade Kingdom) and it showed the entrance being in Snow Kingdom. When I got there however, it was the entrance to Lake Kingdom while the entrance to Lake Kingdom that should be in Seaside Kingdom was now the Cascade Kingdom entrance.

Weird. When I got to the Lake kingdom the secret enterance was to the Luncheon Kingdom. And the Sand Kingdom took me to the Metro Kingdom

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Finally managed to get Jump Rope Genius. There's a great tip for it. As soon as you hit 50, don't just mash the B button and hope for the best. Instead, jump and press Y to throw Cappy. The rope hitting Mario mid air will not count as a miss, allowing you to not only grab two points per jump, but making it a lot more easier to time jumps as you have a split second to see where the rope is. Keep repeating this as soon as you hit the ground and you should hit 100 in no time.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

This is a pretty good game.

 

[JaidynReiman]

On 11/4/2017 at 8:00 AM, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Finally managed to get Jump Rope Genius. There's a great tip for it. As soon as you hit 50, don't just mash the B button and hope for the best. Instead, jump and press Y to throw Cappy. The rope hitting Mario mid air will not count as a miss, allowing you to not only grab two points per jump, but making it a lot more easier to time jumps as you have a split second to see where the rope is. Keep repeating this as soon as you hit the ground and you should hit 100 in no time.

I beat it just by rhythmically tapping A. I hit 99 once and failed and that pissed me off so much. I came back to it later and finished it off.

 

Right now I'm hating volleyball a lot more, though. I've managed to get 71 there. Using cappy to hit the ball helps, but its still frustrating.

[Meta77]

Final boss was a joy and the escape even more so. I doubt I'll go for all 900 moons @.@

[Tails spin]

I love New Donk City! Playing a 2d version of Donkey Kong while Pauline sang Jump Up Superstar was amazing and the way she jumps when she sings jump up in the air was a nice touch.

I'm in the seaside kingdom now dressed as a pirate. I may use this costume more than others since I like pirates.