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Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

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Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#61

Post by barbazoo »

AllegedAlec wrote: post #26
bee_rider wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pithy but actually I think it benefits too much from not defining with it is. I mean, it is a game, they are a game studio, if they “can” make a fun game with a reasonable amount of developer effort, they should. If they can’t they shouldn’t. The quote relies on there being some horrible side effect of creating the thing without thinking whether or not they should do it. I think there’s no chance that this go…

I grew up during the age of fads, and "Open World" is very much one of them that keeps on recurring. There's no reason whatsoever for mario kart to be open world.

Maybe it’ll be fun, who knows, have you played it? There is no “reason” to do any of this they just make up what they think is fun.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#62

Post by eochaid »

bee_rider wrote: post #6

I wonder if it will be fun. The open world Zelda game kinda made sense to me because those games have always been pretty open. You could always wander around. When I was a kid, I played Ocarina of Time as an open world game, I just wandered around and made up the NPC interactions in my head. And the 2D entries in the series had pretty big worlds. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see if the trick can repeat outside tha…

It's really hard to say exactly how this will land with fans. The article mentions using kishōtenketsu in the game design of the Grand Prix mode, "now players have to drive to their next race, instead of being automatically transported", and the wiki page for kishōtenketsu mentions use of that concept in game design of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World, both well received with 97 and 93 Metacritic scores respectively.

I'm sure Nintendo has put a lot of thought and effort into this. But personally I feel like most open worlds feel empty and void to me after a few hours. I didn’t play it, but that seemed to be a major complaint with the latest Pokemon game.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#63

Post by bee_rider »

DistractionRect wrote: post #56
bee_rider wrote: post #6

I wonder if it will be fun. The open world Zelda game kinda made sense to me because those games have always been pretty open. You could always wander around. When I was a kid, I played Ocarina of Time as an open world game, I just wandered around and made up the NPC interactions in my head. And the 2D entries in the series had pretty big worlds. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see if the trick can repeat outside tha…

Yeah, it doesn't really elaborate on why openworld might be more fun than standard tracks/cups. Sure, I can drive around in it and look at it, but what makes than fun? This article basically tells us large scale level design takes a lot of effort, but no more. Zelda makes sense to a degree, but IMO they lost the plot on what made Zelda games interesting. Old Zelda games were kinda open, but had (mostly) fixed sequenc…

Actually, fwiw, I didn’t really play BotW. My non-gaming SO did, I just did the boss fights. They seemed to have fun exploring and hunting for ingredients. Although it was the pandemic so maybe standards were low.

Nowadays, I find the stagnation of open world games a little boring. But, I also enjoy steeping in a world. So I play rogue-lites, haha.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#65

Post by surgical_fire »

AllegedAlec wrote: post #26
bee_rider wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pithy but actually I think it benefits too much from not defining with it is. I mean, it is a game, they are a game studio, if they “can” make a fun game with a reasonable amount of developer effort, they should. If they can’t they shouldn’t. The quote relies on there being some horrible side effect of creating the thing without thinking whether or not they should do it. I think there’s no chance that this go…

I grew up during the age of fads, and "Open World" is very much one of them that keeps on recurring. There's no reason whatsoever for mario kart to be open world.

Well, there's no reason for any game to be open world.

That said, I do agree that the videogame industry relies on fads way too much, to its own detriment. Always chasing the latest thing that was successful.

On the other hand, Nintendo always seem to do its own thing, much to its success.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#66

Post by vel0city »

jsheard wrote: post #42
MajimasEyepatch wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you feel that way in 2005 when the Xbox 360 was released and $60 was the new standard? Because $60 in 2005 has the same buying power as $97.41 today. This game, in real terms, is cheaper than Xbox 360 games were.

Nintendo pricing is unique because they barely do sales, if a $60 Xbox 360 game was too expensive then you could just be patient and let the price creep downwards all the way to be bargain bin if desired. OTOH the last Mario Kart game from 8 years ago (which was a re-release of a Wii U game from 11 years ago) still retails for $50 to this day, even as the sequel is about to drop.

Zelda OOT was $60 in 1998, that's about $118 today.

Starfox 64 was $80 in 1997, about $160 today.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#67

Post by jablongo »

weberer wrote: post #36
jablongo wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the price have to do w/ tariffs?

Its entirely because the value of the dollar has gone down. Inflation has happened for decades, but we've seen a noticeable, sharp rise post 2020. $50 in 2005 is worth as much as $82 today according to the inflation calculator. https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

I know there has been quite a bit of inflation, but didn't Nintendo even delay the release because of the tariffs? Its hard to see how a 24% tariff on goods from Japan would not affect Nintendo's choice in setting prices.

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#68

Post by jihadjihad »

SirFatty wrote: post #60
badgersnake wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Burnout Paradise did this to Burnout and imho, it made that game worse. If you haven’t played Burnout, go find a PS2 emulator and a Burnout 3 iso and you’ll have an amazing afternoon.

I first saw Burnout 3 at a family member's house. On the way home I stopped at Gamestop and bought a (first gen) Xbox and that game. What a fantastic game, the kids and I played it for countless hours. Too bad it never carried forward (Paradise doesn't count). Still have all that gear in a plastic bin.. I think about firing it up, but maybe I should leave it alone and just enjoy my memories.

I don't have a DVD player at the house, so the trusty PS2 has been given new life with the kiddos. Sometimes it's nice to be able to fire up 007: Nightfire like old times!

Re: Mario Kart designers had to rethink everything to make it open world

#70

Post by isk517 »

matthewfcarlson wrote: post #4
thr0waway001 wrote: post #2

Looks cool! Will wait for a new Zelda game before diving into getting a Switch 2.

I feel like this is the sentiment I hear from most friends. But then the preorders sell out every time. I’m confused who is buying all these switches, but perhaps my local network isn’t a representative sample.

The sales during the launch window will only make up a fraction of lifetime sales. The average person is happy to wait for more titles and a second hand market to emerge. This also becomes more true the older you get, I do want a Switch 2 but I've reached the point were I'm no longer interested in having it Day 1.
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