Topic: The Force Is Not With You

[NWR_DrewMG]

Another three Virtual Console titles have come through our team of recommendation experts.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/recommendations/24322

This week, we take a look at three storied franchises, and their respective Virtual Console entries.

First up is the iconic Nintendo franchise, The Legend of Zelda, with its controversial 2000 entry, Majora's Mask.  The game eschewed the traditional Zelda formula in favor of a three-day time travel cycle which loaded the game down with side-quests while lightening the load on the standard dungeons.

The second recommendation is Kirby Super Star, a well-loved 1996 entry into the series which has Kirby fans playing nine completely different games featuring the pink puff.

Last up on Virtual Console Recommendations this week is Super Star Wars, a 16-bit translation of the legendary 1977 film which puts players into the role of Luke Skywalker as he begins his quest to become a Jedi and take down the Empire.

[MegaByte]

Alternate title: Kirby Super Star Wars

[Mop it up]

I don't think I agree with the "For Everyone" rating of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The game has several poorly designed restrictions which make it extremely difficult to get into. Only fans of Zelda have a chance of liking it.

It's also a stretch to say Kirby Super Star has nine completely different games when five of them are platformers with slightly different goals.

[NWR_pap64]

I don't think I agree with the "For Everyone" rating of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The game has several poorly designed restrictions which make it extremely difficult to get into. Only fans of Zelda have a chance of liking it.

It's also a stretch to say Kirby Super Star has nine completely different games when five of them are platformers with slightly different goals.

See, I knew someone was going to say that Majora's Mask is not for everyone because of the time restraint. When I was writing this, I kept going back and forth between recommendations. I do believe that the time restraint is enough of an issue for some that it warrants a "Recommended for Fans" label. However, at times I feel the time issues are overblown. Too much is put on that aspect on the game and not enough on everything else. At times Majora's Mask surpasses Ocarina of Time. The character development, the world,  the dungeons, the magical masks, a lot of things make Termina one of the most fascinating game worlds I've ever experience.

And that's why I recommended the game, because it really is that good, and should be experienced at least ONCE, even if you don't like it afterwards. We often complain that games don't take enough risks, and Majora's Mask does a good job of it.

Regarding Kirby, yeah, the games might be running on the same engine, but the concepts are very different. The Great Cave Offensive is an exploring game with emphasis on collecting items, and the gameplay is much slower. Spring Breeze is a remake of the first Game Boy game. Milky Way Wishes doesn't even have Kirby's sucking ability, relying on a different method of obtaining power ups.

These are small changes that completely change how Kirby is played, hence why the game is varied despite using the same engine.

[Mop it up]

The game is more story-driven which was a nice change of pace, though the dungeons, especially the fourth, have some bad design. You even say Ocarina of Time is far more accessible and you have to work to get to the good parts of Majora's Mask. Your recommendation seems to contradict this. Would you recommend Majora's Mask as someone's first Zelda? I guess this just stems from having only three ratings for games, it can be hard to choose one when a game teeters between them.

These are small changes that completely change how Kirby is played, hence why the game is varied despite using the same engine.

It has a ton of variety, but they're all still platformers, so they are not completely different.

[NWR_Neal]

I have to side with Pedro on the Kirby variety debate. Not saying it's a ridiculous change, but each platformer is special and unique in its own way. Like he said, it changes the way you play the game. Just because they're all classified as platformers doesn't mean they can't be different. Are Mario and Sonic the same? Are 3D Prince of Persia games the same as 3D Mario games? I could play this asinine comparison game all night. But I won't, because it's late and I'm tired.

While I think Majora's Mask is great, I do side more on the "I'd recommend it for fans only." It's kind of like how Twin Peaks isn't for everyone.

[Mop it up]

Would you say Mario and Sonic are completely different games? I wouldn't. If the line were "completely different platformers" I'd be fine with it, but I feel the current line is misleading.

[Art_de_Cat]

Majora's Mask's time constraints are not really an issue once you have figured out how to maximize what you need to do in each group of days.  Super Star Wars was definitely a bit harder than I would have liked.

[Art_de_Cat]

Not sure where to post recommendation ideas, but Halloween would be a good time to recommend Halloween themed games, or scary/horror games.

[Pandareus]

Super Star Wars is indeed not too much fun, but I hope you give the other games in the series a shot at some point. I find it hard to believe you wouldn't give at least Return of the Jedi a recommendation.

[TheBlackCat]

Would you say Mario and Sonic are completely different games? I wouldn't. If the line were "completely different platformers" I'd be fine with it, but I feel the current line is misleading.

So are you saying every game in a given genre is really the same game?

[greybrick]

I remember enjoying the equivalent Star Wars games for the Game Boy, but I am not well acquainted with the Super versions.

Majora's mask always felt like a Gaiden style game to me, even the way it opens implies that the designers assumed familiarity with the franchise in 3d.

[Mop it up]

So are you saying every game in a given genre is really the same game?

Of course not, just that they aren't completely different. They obviously have a number of similarities, that's why they are a part of one genre. In the case of Kirby Super Star, its "games" all use the same game engine, the same enemies, the same abilities, etc. It isn't like comparing Mario and Sonic, it's like comparing Super Mario Brothers to Super Mario Brothers 2/Lost Levels.

Majora's Mask's time constraints are not really an issue once you have figured out how to maximize what you need to do in each group of days.

You don't consider having to perform the same tedious tasks again every time you go back in time to be an issue? To each their own I guess, but I consider that to be bad design. It's sad, but many of the game's problems could have been easily fixed by not having every little thing reset when you restart the three-day cycle, and allowing saving at any time.