NES Remix is a series of games for the Wii U and the 3DS, which allow you to play snippets of 8-bit Nintendo games. So far there have been three games in the series: NES Remix 1 & 2 for the Wii U (available for download separately or as a compilation disc), and Ultimate NES Remix for the 3DS (which is basically a "best of" compilation of the Wii U games). The bulk of each game is a bunch of minigame challenges, where you try to get the best time while performing a task in a classic game. For example, you might have to collect 10 coins in level 4-1 of Super Mario Bros, or you might have to counter Bald Bull's charge in Punch-Out!, or you might have to find a secret cave in The Legend of Zelda.
Completing these tasks earns you stars, which unlock the Remix levels, which is where the game really shines. The Remix levels mix up elements from classic games. You might play a level of Donkey Kong using Link (who can't jump), or try to collect coins in Super Mario Bros while controlling Samus Aran, or control Toad in a Zelda II level. But it's not all about crossovers, some of the Remix levels just take normal levels and play around with the formula. You might play a level of Super Mario Bros in reverse, or at a super high speed, or with the screen constantly going dark. The game forces you to remember muscle memory you haven't used in 30 years, then it mixes it up so you can't even rely on that muscle memory. It's very creative and always keeps you wondering what the next level is going to be.
But is it fun?
Well, I love nostalgia. Playing these games brings me back to the 80s, and the Remixed levels are especially neat. But I can't tell you how many times I've gotten 3 stars on a challenge, and thought "Thank goodness I never have to do that again." When a video game has you thinking things like that, something is wrong. I love the concept, and it's something I really wanted when I was a kid. But the challenges I really like are few and far between, and there's very little replay value in the others.
Here's what I would have liked to have seen:
Something along the lines of the browser-based game "Super Mario Bros Crossover". Instead of microgames, I'd like to see a full platform game, where different levels are based on different side scroller games. You'd have a few Mario levels, a few Metroid levels, a few Zelda II levels, and so on. At the start of each level you'd pick a character, so you could have any Nintendo character/level combination. The different characters would control differently and have their own skills and abilities.
But I run risk of judging Remix based on what I want instead of what it is. As it is, the NES Remix games are nostalgia-filled fun, but more remix challenges could have made it a lot better.
Christmas of 1985, I got my Nintendo Entertainment System, along with Duck Hunt, Gyromite, and of course Super Mario Bros. Within the next few months I expanded my collection. Two of the games - Excitebike and Wrecking Crew - allowed you to create your own levels. I loved designing my own levels, and wished more games had the feature. Specifically, I always wished Super Mario Bros had a level edit mode.
So to put it simply, Super Mario Maker is the game I've been wanting since 1985. I do wish it had come out closer to 1985 than to 2015, but better late than never, I suppose. Let's face it, if it had come out earlier, it wouldn't have had nearly as many options. SMM allows you to choose from four graphical modes, and you can share your levels online, neither of which would have been possible in 1985.
So, how does it measure up to my 30 years of expectations? I love it! It gives you a great selection of tools, lots of options, and some neat little Easter eggs. It's like two games in one - it's fun to create your own levels, but it's also fun to play the levels others have made.
Just For Fun
Of course, Sturgeon's Law is in full effect here; you don't come across many truly great levels. But that's all right. It's easy to recognize bad levels right away and skip them. I do wish it had more options for finding specific types of levels; maybe future updates will help on that front.
But the bottom line is that it's the near-perfect Mario game. It's got the best elements of the four best Super Mario games, it's got an unlimited number of levels, and you can make your own stages. I can't imagine any Mario fan not wanting to own this one.
On a personal note: My preordered copy arrived the same weekend my my wife went into the hospital. (See my personal blog for more details on that.) I considered trying to get a refund right away, because we needed to watch every cent. But it was also my birthday present, and I had bought it online using reward points, so I kept it.
Yo Dawg I Heard You Like Goombas
It turned out to be the perfect game to have around while my wife recovered. I took nearly a month off work, most of which I spent sitting near my wife, ready to cater to her needs. The great thing about Super Mario Maker is that you can play it in short bursts. As a maker, you can save your progress at any time if you need to do something. As a player, you only play one level at a time, and most of the levels are relatively short.
There's no deep plot to hold your attention, and there's no drought between save points. I could make involved levels while my wife napped, or play a few short levels when she was awake and might need something. I'm glad it came out when it did.
If you have Super Mario Maker and want to follow me, my Miiverse ID is: Fury1958
My Super Mario Maker Bookmark page is here: Fury1958
Here's some YouTube videos of someone playing my levels:
I got a bonus at work for having been there 15 years (yay me). Don't worry, we're doing responsible stuff with the majority of it. But I also wanted to splurge a little and get something just for myself. So I, uh, got a Wii U.
I know, I know. By most accounts, the Wii U is the least powerful (and least successful) of the three current generation systems, and I worry that I might be buying a failing product.
But as I get older, I find that I'm just not connecting with modern gamers. I have no interest in the first person shooters that dominate the XBox and Playstation systems. And when I do see an Xbox/Playstation game I actually want (like Alien: Isolation), it's usually also available on the PC. But these days I'm more into playing retro-style games, and remakes/sequels of the games I played on my NES back in the 80s.
The Wii U is a really nifty system. The tablet-like controller works very well, and seems like something all systems should do in the future. They don't necessarily need to come with their own proprietary tablet controller like the Wii U, but I definitely think all future PS and Xbox systems ought to release apps that link the system to your iPad/Android/etc tablet (or even phone). Given how many things we do on video game systems now that don't even involve joysticks (Netflix, etc), controlling them with a tablet is a no-brainer.
A few minor complaints. Setting up the system took forever, what with downloading and installing updates, and transferring everything from the old Wii to the new system. And it is surprising that a new system in this day and age doesn't play DVDs or Blu-Rays. And of course the game selection isn't very good yet, but I can live with that. I only buy about one console game every six months anyway.
I got the bundle that comes with Mario Kart 8 and Nintendo Land. Mario Kart has never looked better, and the tracks are extremely creative this time around. I love the antigravity areas and the pretty underwater effects. Even the retro tracks have lots of new features to keep things fresh. The controls are spot-on perfect, and you can still use the wheel controllers from Mario Kart Wii. It has a robust selection of characters and vehicles, and the DLC makes the selection even better. I especially love the Legend of Zelda DLC.
Honestly, Mario Kart 8 has quickly become one of my top ten favorite games of all time. No, better than that; I believe MK8 is one of mankind's top ten greatest achievements. I'm not sure where it falls on the list, probably somewhere above the telephone but just below the Cheesy Gordita Crunch.
Nintendo Land, on the other hand, isn't exactly knocking my socks off. Like the Wii's "Wii Sports" disc, Nintendo Land is pretty much a tech demo - a collection of shallow mini games designed to show off what you can do on the Wii U Gamepad. I've only tried three or four of the games so far, and none of them made me want to play them again. However, some of the reviews rave about how fun it is as a multiplayer game, so I'll hold off judgement until I've had a chance to play it with others. I will say that all the tutorials are driving me nuts. Nintendo Land could very well be called "Tutorial: The Game".
So far I'm incredibly happy with the system. If you want to friend me on the Wii U or any other system, here's all my friend codes:
MiiVerse:Fury1958 3DS: 1306-5310-8353 Steam: 1958Fury XBox 360: MattAndKJ
