VIDEODROME: Legend of Zelda vs. Super Mario Bros.

I was actually pretty disappointed with Phantom Hourglass. It looked fantastic, the classic 2D gameplay was there, but controlling with the touch screen was just too sloppy at times, I had no interest in collecting crap for my ship and I hated having to repeat the temple 80 million times. Oh and the stealth crap, too. Since when did Zelda become Splinter Cell? Link should bust in there sword swinging and boomerang flinging! I finished everything up until I had to go into that temple again, I couldn't force myself to do it again.

metalface13 wrote:

I was actually pretty disappointed with Phantom Hourglass. It looked fantastic, the classic 2D gameplay was there, but controlling with the touch screen was just too sloppy at times, I had no interest in collecting crap for my ship and I hated having to repeat the temple 80 million times. Oh and the stealth crap, too. Since when did Zelda become Splinter Cell? Link should bust in there sword swinging and boomerang flinging! I finished everything up until I had to go into that temple again, I couldn't force myself to do it again.

You have crazy pants on. The controls on the DS are fucking great. Drawing the boomerang is the best ting that ever happened. Writing on the goddamn map? Awesome. Even piddly shit like blowing out candles and "stamping" the map (closing the DS) are handled well. Touch the guy to stab the guy? That's pretty intuitive. As for stealth, I spend a lot more time running than I do stealthing.

I didn't really like PHANTOM HOURGLASS either. I thought it was pretty dull, and there again, collection crap. Since when did Zelda games turn into these long, drawn out travelouges? I'm afraid that's going to happen in SPIRIT TRACKS too, _BUT ON A TRAIN_!

Thinking this over, I think that I've tried really hard to make myself like the ZELDA games more than I actually do. They just don't hold up. There's great stuff there, no doubt, but on points they kind of fall apart. It seems like with the exception of LINK TO THE PAST, which is one of the best games of all time, they're more often than not "great, but" games. Even the vaunted OCARINA OF TIME..."great, but".

Compared to Mario games, which are almost as a rule superlative from start to finish.

Oh, and I don't expect the ZELDA voters here to let us bring up the 3DO games.

Vote: Mario.

Michael Barnes wrote:

Oh, and I don't expect the ZELDA voters here to let us bring up the 3DO games.

NON-CANONICAL! I'll bring them up if we can talk about MARIO TEACHES TYPING or MARIO'S FUNDAMENTALS, or dare I say it: HOTEL MARIO.

The problem with the Zelda games is that you forget how to fucking swing a sword or carry a bomb every fucking game. That is tiresome, I'll admit. When I started BEYOND GOOD & EVIL and the game essentially opens with a mid-game boss battle from OoT--I was pleased as punch. There is an annoyance there to be sure.

jeb wrote:

metalface13 wrote:

I was actually pretty disappointed with Phantom Hourglass. It looked fantastic, the classic 2D gameplay was there, but controlling with the touch screen was just too sloppy at times, I had no interest in collecting crap for my ship and I hated having to repeat the temple 80 million times. Oh and the stealth crap, too. Since when did Zelda become Splinter Cell? Link should bust in there sword swinging and boomerang flinging! I finished everything up until I had to go into that temple again, I couldn't force myself to do it again.

You have crazy pants on. The controls on the DS are fucking great. Drawing the boomerang is the best ting that ever happened. Writing on the goddamn map? Awesome. Even piddly shit like blowing out candles and "stamping" the map (closing the DS) are handled well. Touch the guy to stab the guy? That's pretty intuitive. As for stealth, I spend a lot more time running than I do stealthing.

You're right, those touches were innovative and fun, but when it came down to hectic boss battles and you're running around trying to attack but the touch screen interprets your frantic moves as scribbles so you end up dodging, and when you want to dodge you swing your sword. That was frustrating.

Great idea metalface13

Tough choice... really, really damned tough. But I'll cut to the chase here.

Mario is too fucking weird and awesome, it doesn't feel like anything other then what it is. Zelda, as awesome as it is, felt like a light RPG back then, it was fun but I could put my finger on what it was, I understood it immediately.

I still don't know what the fuck goes on in Mario World, and I played the shit out of the first three, and Donkey Kong on my old Coleco Vision, plus I loved the DS version too. It revolutionized gaming and it's still great today... maybe both did that but Mario really appeals to my surrealistic sensibilities.

Vote: Mario

It seems like this Trashdome is going the same way as all the others, the simpler game (style) is going to win. Seriously, if you couldn't beat the water temple in Ocarina of Time with consulting a walk through, then get the fuck out if here.

Michael Barnes wrote:

I remember crying in the bathtub because my parents wouldn't buy me the first LoZ. Later on, they did, but I was so scared that I wouldn't get the gold cartridge. I thought it was a limited edition or something.

Now we know why you voted for Mario.

May I suggest the winner of this going up against Metroid?

No way Mario can beat both Zelda and Metroid. No fucking way.

And I'd also want to have the people, voting for Mario based on the fact that the Zelda game for Wii apparently sucked, to take a good look at the (first gen) Game Boy games, because Mario Land sucks badly. Maybe if you could consider Wario Land 1 & 2 as Mario games, but even these don't stand a bloody chance against Link's Awakening (and Metroid for that matter) - the game has one of the best endings in video gaming history period.

Schweig! wrote:

May I suggest the winner of this going up against Metroid?

Perhaps in time, I've already got some ideas of what will go up against Metroid.

My first Zelda was Ocarina of Time, and I really loved it. But every other Zelda I've tried after that was a little meh. I get the feeling this works the same regardless of which Zelda you start with.

Mario is immortal.

VOTE: MARIO

I'm not too surprised. Mario does seem to be more widely appealing, and there are some amazing games in the series. But...

No 3D Mario game after Mario 64 has managed to duplicate, Mario 64's excellent controls. Galaxy was closer (and its controls were good enough not to get in the way). Sunshine was awful.

I enjoyed the RPGs but I must say the newer Mario & Luigi games are some of the most frustrating games ever. The two first games I enjoyed until I got to the final boss. At that point I stopped playing the game. I hate games that have a level of difficulty more or less all throughout the game and then ramp it up at the last possible moment. Then there are small details like long dialogs just before boss battles you're forced to watch over and over as you can't save after the dialog just before the battle. And sometimes those games are just too long and tiring... I think I did enjjoy the Paper Mario titles much more, both on the GC and the more arcade one on the Wii.

Windwaker was amazing and it really gave you a feeling a big world full of unknown lands you could explore. It was long, but it was immersive and you only had to travel a long way at the beginning. Later it gets much faster, so I don't see what the problem is. That game is without any doubt the best 3D Zelda game ever.

Zelda games do have some basic elements that appear in almost all the games, but each game introduces something new, and the story (especially in the latest games) is not the same at all... Windwaker was very different, and its continuation on the DS too. The new Spirit Tracks' story with Zelda being turned into a spirit is pretty weird, and I love the "programming" elements of the golems you control by drawing a path... I wasn't too sold on the train thing, but at worst it would be similar to Phantom's Hourglass boat which wasn't bad at all...

Mario games are games I'll play in short bursts and take my time finish them. Zelda games are games I have to force myself to stop playing after a few hours. Both are fun, but Zelda games have Magic.

Mario all the way.

Zelda is a game with horrible fanboys Nintendo is too afraid to piss off, so they've been making the EXACT same game for almost 20 years.

Mario has taken the simplest platforming and done incredible and new things with it.

Mario. I was blown away by Super Mario 2 and 3. I never finished any Zelda game, despite playing the first two on NES, the one on SNES, and the first one on N64.

Nick Warcholak wrote:

Mario. I was blown away by Super Mario 2 and 3. I never finished any Zelda game, despite playing the first two on NES, the one on SNES, and the first one on N64.

Man, I really hope that's you in your avatar because that is beyond nerdy... and fucking cool too.