Review: Super Mario 3D All Stars

I wholly disagree with the "it's not a massive issue" of the whole limited thing.
It's a cheap marketing technique (and it will be a very succesful one) that's insulting to say the least.

At least the games are great.

( Edited 16.09.2020 14:23 by Ofisil )

Oof, yeah, ignoring the fact there are obviously more important things to concern about than vidya gaemz, I am really frustrated at Nintendo's behaviour this gen with certain things, but definitely this limited release of three incredibly massive and historical games is really anti-consumer. There are many fans that have yet to pick up a Switch, especially so during this year because of lay-offs and all sorts of financial problems this pandemic has caused, and yet Nintendo has come in for one hell of a profitable year, with Animal Crossing printing millions for the company alone. Nintendo does not need to perform business tactics like this when they are absolutely raking the cash in, and so many people are going to miss out for not being able to afford either a Switch or the game before it is pulled from the store.

Add in that I'm a big supporter of the archiving and preservation of video games (and therefore know I'm again really disappointed by how Nintendo has handled ports of its classics, the lack thereof, and tying them down behind subscription services), and this does not sit well with me in the slightest. Nintendo may be laughing even more as they watch all the money come in during the six months this pack is on sale, but it's such a middle finger to video game players regardless of platforms they play on, and is setting a worrying precedent for the future.

Unfortunately, I can't say no to this package, and I'm gonna purchase it because I want as many classics that I love as possible on the Switch to play in handheld, and it's been forever since I played the likes of 64, Sunshine, and even Galaxy. Unfortunate that I am sadly encouraging what Nintendo is doing by buying, but excited to revisit all of these...even if Sunshine has some of the worst sections of any 3D Mario game. I'm sure nostalgia goggles are helping me forget just how frustrated I used to get at that game, but I'm looking forward to giving it the time of day again.

And yeah, I am sad at lack of Galaxy 2. As a Yoshi fan, his inclusion made that game even better!

PS. The best Mario girl has got almost two decades on Rosalina. It's Daisy btw

1) Super Mario's 25th anniversary only had a limited release;
2) The NES and SNES Minis also only had limited releases... but ended up being extended due to overwhelming demand.

I suppose we just have to hope that the second situation applies to SM3DAS!

I reckon it'll get extended personally, I am part of the problem in that I've bought a copy due to the limited demand, but I would have done anyway, I may have waited for it to be £40 on Shopto or Base or something, but I did bite at first opportunity with Nintendo UK Store.

As the years have gone on I've got pretty selfish, so as long as I have a copy I don't lose sleep over it.

I'm a bit more fussed that they didn't allow for a few more options on things like using a Gamecube controller, camera options, filters and borders etc. It would have been nice to have.

jesusraz said:
1) Super Mario's 25th anniversary only had a limited release;
2) The NES and SNES Minis also only had limited releases... but ended up being extended due to overwhelming demand.

I suppose we just have to hope that the second situation applies to SM3DAS!

I'm 99% a digital gamer nowdays, so the limited digital release really gets under my feathers. I know what Nintendo is doing, but it's the fact that they *don't need* to do this, and proof that they don't give a crap about their customers and fans. Instead, they are banking on their fans to be sheep and all jump into bagging the game at £50, exploiting them for massive gain. I know I'm one of the sheep, but that's the proof of it all. Even I can't resist when it comes to a product I want badly enough.

I fell out of love with gaming a lot this gen for many reasons, but the anti-consumerism and predatory tactics are enough to turn me away, and then we have Nintendo pulling garbage like limited releases on digital video games.

I still care about things like this even if I am able to get a copy for myself just because I don't like where the industry has been going this generation (although it was going there last gen anyway). I hope I ain't reading too much into this one, but the way the industry is, what's successful now can end up being doubled-down on in the future. I hope this doesn't continue to be a thing.

I don't mean to detract too much from the package and games themselves, but this is a big related talking point that concerns me for the future. I do indeed hope it's a one-off like it was with Mario's 25th.

Flynnie:
If I'm not mistaken, I think a GameCube controller can work, but the game just hasn't been optimised for it, so things like the analogue control of water spraying in Sunshine won't be utilised. Big shame there. Those analog trigger felt so good back in the day!

But yeah, really expected more in terms of 60fps, more options, more unlockables. But looking forward to revisiting them all for sure

Ace! I can't wait to get this pack on my birthday! Looking forward to revisiting all the games especially on the go!

I think lootboxes, microtransactions, massive day one patches, gatelocked DLC, ads within paid games (UFC 2021) , all irk me more than a timed/limited anniversary release. 

With that said, I do agree, it does feel strange given that it is available digitally, mainly just because they know that people would continue to purchase it digitally, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is proof in the pudding there. 

I think they might change their decision....or you never know...maybe there might be a different proposition come March 31st

Flynnie said:
I think lootboxes, microtransactions, massive day one patches, gatelocked DLC, ads within paid games (UFC 2021) , all irk me more than a timed/limited anniversary release. 

The limited release thing might just be something that others follow suit with if it proves to pay off massively for Nintendo. Granted, I don't expect companies to only do limited releases of their next major franchise entries, of course, but for anniversary packs and compilations of the Mario 3D All-Stars kind, it's possible we will see more. Charge £50-60 for a special compilation of revered classics for a limited time, then do it all again a year or two down the line. You'll never need to drop the price, and each occasion will see massive sales.

I don't agree with it for any product, especially for digital games.

Heck, Nintendo did this for Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition, making that game only available for a limited time, and that was a *free* download! I believe it did come back again for a time, but it's just utterly bizarre to me to even do that.

Fingers crossed it never turns out as bad as I think it potentially could do!

As long as something works, it will continue, sadly...

I don't think too many brands and IP's could pull off such a release and I don't think many other publishers would have the balls to do it. 

It is a bit of a salesy tactic to get fast sales but I can't see it happening all too often. Let's hope not anyway!

As for the criticisms I've seen online about these being straight up ports I would point people to that Zelda collection on Gamecube where all four games were pretty much straight ports right? (Albeit it was a promotional disc rather than a full on purchase). I don't remember the discourse being the same as this.

Flynnie said:

As for the criticisms I've seen online about these being straight up ports I would point people to that Zelda collection on Gamecube where all four games were pretty much straight ports right? (Albeit it was a promotional disc rather than a full on purchase). I don't remember the discourse being the same as this.

I remember being extremely annoyed that the port of MM on the Zelda Collector's Edition was prone to freezing and crashing, however. They made the game worse than the N64 version in that regard.

( Edited 17.09.2020 10:44 by Azuardo )

I think it's timed to that date because we're going to see some sort of replacement at that date. Perhaps alongside the HD Switch.

Yeah, I'm thinking SMG2 is suddenly going to be added to a revamped release at the end of March, with original owners able to download it as DLC for a nominal fee.

EDIT: By the way, Luke, did you have problems with the Sunshine camera?

( Edited 17.09.2020 15:18 by jesusraz )