[WIIU] Super Mario Maker
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:21 pm
It's undeniable that the community has already done amazing things, which is why Christian Nutt has to begin the article admitting as much. But I find it rich that Mario Maker puts all these tools into everyone's hands, and sites like this still continue to propagate the myth that "oh-no, it's hard to find a lot of good content out there on Course World. Here, let us compile for you a curated list of approved content creators for you to enjoy." This, despite the fact that a great many "efforts" available on Course World meet every last one of the above points. But you see, the difference is that those courses weren't made by an approved creator.Christian Nutt wrote: So what are the takeaways?
As I reviewed these levels while writing, I thought about what sets them apart from the majority of Mario Maker efforts:
- They are deliberate in their design. Little or nothing is extraneous to the core design ideas of the levels, and the ideas are clearly communicated.
- Many feature an inventive use of Mario objects -- koopa shells used as "locks" for "doors" made from blocks, for example.
- An aesthetic of both play and visuals that's carefully chosen and well executed.
- The levels are tested. Something that is incredibly clear when playing Mario Maker levels is when the creator is the only one who ever played it before uploading it. None of these levels suffer from that issue.
- Good pacing is key. Levels don't outstay their welcome; ideas are not excessively repeated.
Michael Thomsen wrote: “Super Mario Maker” is primarily an engine for circulating bad ideas and broken gimmicks as if there weren’t already an overabundance of them.