Sonic 1 vs. Mario World

[o.pwuaioc]

For me it's Sonic 3 + Knuckles > Super Mario World > Sonic the Hedgehog. Out of the latter two, like here have already said, SMW just has the bigger game. So much more in it, but one thing I do like about Sonic better is the level design. Loops and twirls is where Sonic was at.


Basically there wasnt enough Mario content on the SNES while we got alot of mostly good Sonic content.. SMW2 came late in the SNES's life, which was around the time I started getting into the Playstation.

And it sucked at that. Sonic 1 through S&K was consistently getting better, while there was tons of controversy about SMW2.

[Rickstilwell1]

J_factor brings up a great point regarding Mario games and the run Button, I also find myself holding that down the whole time I am playing. I wonder what it would of been like with a walk button instead.

The Donkey Kong games and the first Gex are exactly the same way. It's just the norm in half the platformers, but Mario started it.

Oddworld also had a run button as well.

[hellraiser]

Sonic.


If you asked me way back when I would have said sonic. The game was just more fun. Mario world was an epic however I can remember thinking how boring it was.

20 years later I own both and while I've played more Mario world now then I ever did the same remains. It just gets boring after a while.

Sonic doesn't give you the time to get boring. Its all flash and action then bam its over. It's kinda like the old saying,"leave them wanting more".

[FLYBOMBER]

The Donkey Kong games and the first Gex are exactly the same way. It's just the norm in half the platformers, but Mario started it.

Oddworld also had a run button as well.

Mario didn't start it at all.

[treismac]

And it [SMW2] sucked at that. Sonic 1 through S&K was consistently getting better, while there was tons of controversy about SMW2.

Yoshi's Island is a kick ass gaming experience. It is certainly a departure from the classical Mario experience, but it is nevertheless a really great game. Also, what controversy are you talking about?

[XYXZYZ]

I don't like Sonic the Hedgehog very much. The marketing goes on and on about how fast Sonic is, but I call it "Sonic the Hedgehog: Waiting for platforms". You run real fast, stop, wait for some moving platform, or for a slow spiky enemy to move out of the way, or for the fireball to go back down, etc. It's all stop and go, and if I go too fast I wind up running into a pit, or spikes or something. It takes me nearly 20 minutes to finish the Marble Hill Zone alone. I'm sure if you memorized the game, you can blast through it in five minutes, but as it is I just don't have the patience for Sonic. Mario may be slower, but the pace flows a little smoother. It could also be that I just suck at Sonic the Hedgehog.

I enjoyed Super Mario World back in it's day, but It's pretty monotonous to me now.

So, between the two.... I'd keep my NES.:|

[Parodius Duh!]

I think the 2 games are to different to judge against each other. Mario World is classic level by level platforming action and Sonic is super fast paced, while technically still a platforming game. They just feel very different to me, if I did have to choose a personal favorite of the two, Id go with Mario World.

[treismac]

... I call it "Sonic the Hedgehog: Waiting for platforms". You run real fast, stop, wait for some moving platform, or for a slow spiky enemy to move out of the way, or for the fireball to go back down, etc. It's all stop and go, and if I go too fast I wind up running into a pit, or spikes or something.|

This was my experience too. Not a horrible game, just too "jolty" for my taste. For my money, I felt that the original Wonder Boy and the Adventure Island series did a much better job of creating a game that blended (reduced) speed and urgency in a platformer.

[Rickstilwell1]

Taz-Mania for Genesis was pretty fast, comparable to Sonic when you were doing the spin drive.

[kupomogli]

Super Mario World is one of my least favorite in the series original classics, but still much better than any Sonic title.

I think Sonic would be better if it had more stages like the one ruins/lava stage where it actually has platforming. Other than the very few stages which offer a decent platforming experience, most of Sonic is just holding one direction and jumping whenever needed.

[Drixxel]

Yoshi's Island is a kick ass gaming experience. It is certainly a departure from the classical Mario experience, but it is nevertheless a really great game. Also, what controversy are you talking about?

Yeah, I'm a little lost on the claim of controversy about SMW2. The game received stellar reviews from the gaming media at the time and, as far as I've seen, it's pretty widely loved among gamers. The only aspect which I've heard any real criticism for, and it's far from controversial, is the continuous wrangling of Baby Mario and/or the sound of his crying which, in all honesty, can be annoying.

[homerhomer]

Both
wait wait ...
Neither

They are both different types of platformers. SMW is an adventure and Sonic very arcade like.

What ever is more fun to you wins

I like them both for different reasons

[Leo_A]

Yeah, I'm a little lost on the claim of controversy about SMW2. The game received stellar reviews from the gaming media at the time and, as far as I've seen, it's pretty widely loved among gamers. The only aspect which I've heard any real criticism for, and it's far from controversial, is the continuous wrangling of Baby Mario and/or the sound of his crying which, in all honesty, can be annoying.

About the only other possible thing I can think of is it carrying the name "Super Mario World 2" when it really was more of an offshoot than a sequel.

[j_factor]

The Donkey Kong games and the first Gex are exactly the same way. It's just the norm in half the platformers, but Mario started it.

Oddworld also had a run button as well.

I didn't like it in those games either, except Oddworld. Oddworld and Flashback are good examples of a run button being a positive thing. But that's a different style of platformer. In Mario it just seems unnecessary, especially because his walking speed is rather slow for the game. They took out the run button for Yoshi's Island and it's an improvement.

[Eponasoft]

Even though it's notably easier, I prefer SMW over Sonic 1, but just barely. They really are different games, but I find SMW for me has a lot more replayability, and I love games that are expansive and full of secrets. Non-linear gameplay is also a huge bonus. Sure it's a bit slower than Sonic, but really, someone else mentioned the stop-and-go mechanics of Sonic that really does break the pace. SMW really doesn't have that kind of pace-breaking issue. Both games were excellent for their time and they still get revisited by me at least once a year. However, I never had any ambition to make my own Sonic game... but my own Mario game? Hell yeah, that'd be fun to do.

[Polygon]

Both
wait wait ...
Neither

They are both different types of platformers. SMW is an adventure and Sonic very arcade like.

What ever is more fun to you wins

I like them both for different reasons

This is my take as well.

I love both games. Sonic 1 is a game you can bolt through in an afternoon while Super Mario World is a game this is going to take you a lot of time. To me this is very apples & oranges.

[treismac]

About the only other possible thing I can think of is it carrying the name "Super Mario World 2" when it really was more of an offshoot than a sequel.

You know, I never consider YOSHI's Island to be Super Mario World 2. Ever. It was a "Mario" game, but it was not SMW2.

[Leo_A]

Yoshi's Island doesn't have a run button? So trained to keeping Y pressed in that I don't think I ever noticed that.


You know, I never consider YOSHI's Island to be Super Mario World 2. Ever. It was a "Mario" game, but it was not SMW2.

I don't think anyone considers it SMW2.

[Zing]

Thinking back to Yoshi's Island original release and the baby cry, I recall being annoyed with the sound. However, I think it was just due to being frustrated with the game itself. I found the game rather difficult back then and I don't believe I ever finished it.

I played through the game last year and it was an amazing experience. By far, one of the best, if not the best, platformers ever created. I managed to 100% it without much trouble and the baby cry was not even remotely annoying to me.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2476/5806097330_e0cf7fa1e6_m.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/55164222@N03/5806097330/)

However, I do feel the cry is an important part of the game. It creates a real sense of urgency. It is actually very difficult to "die" by getting hit in the game, so the cry and the timer creates a tension that would otherwise be missing.

As for Sonic, I tried to get into the game when I had bought a Genesis and Sega CD back when the model 2 was released. I just didn't enjoy it. It felt like you were just running through the level as fast as possible, collecting rings that meant nothing. It reminded me of Bubsy, another game that was very boring for me.

I was reminded of Sonic recently when I tried Sparkster for the first time. There is a lot more going on in Sparkster, but it definitely feels like a spiritual successor to Sonic. You blaze through the level very quickly, jerking about here and there, collecting pointless jewels. The action happens too fast for my taste. It's hard to have a feeling of satisfaction when I feel like the game is playing me instead of the other way around.

[Dr. BaconStein]

They both have their strengths and weaknesses, though I think I personally prefer the more linear "get up and go" arcade-style gameplay of Sonic. It's perfect for being able to play and complete it in one sitting, which is part of what makes it so fun to play at any time or on a handheld like the Nomad (or in my case, the GenMobile). I always thought Sonic is more comparable to the likes of Mega Man X or Rocket Knight Adventures or something in that regard.

Super Mario World was never really my favorite SNES platformer anyway, that title would go to one of the Mega Man X or Donkey Kong Country games, hands down. As far as the map system, puzzles, atmosphere, and how far it pushed the hardware in general goes I think the DKC games improved upon it vastly. SMW just feels more like an NES game "optimized" for the SNES to me (like Super Mario All-Stars, but with simpler graphics) if that makes sense.

In the end it really feels like I'm comparing apples and oranges, though. They're both platformers, but they're distinctly different from one another. It's like comparing Street Fighter with Smash Brothers or something.

[Smashed Brother]

I'd have to say Sonic. I love the look and the gameplay. Just run from beginning to end, no fuss whatsoever! Also, the music is unbelievable with some very memorable composition! I never really liked Mario World, even back in the day. I tried to force myself to get into it, but it just never happened. Jesus...it was so goddamn boring. Yeah, it's large with plenty to do, but after the brilliant design of Mario 3, I thought that this game took a step back in many aspects. SMW 2 was great, however.

[1201236]

I have to go with Sonic 1.

[o.pwuaioc]

Yoshi's Island is a kick ass gaming experience. It is certainly a departure from the classical Mario experience, but it is nevertheless a really great game. Also, what controversy are you talking about?

I disagree, and I know I'm not alone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX0cRztKrRs&list=UUT6LaAC9VckZYJUzutUW3PQ&index=12&feature=plcp). It's not a game I care for at all, neither in artistic style, nor in sounds (god awful baby crying), nor in game mechanics. I think what happened is that everyone who could withstand how annoying the game was gave it great rankings, but the rest of us couldn't stand it and turned it off, thus not being able to properly give it a fair review.

[Leo_A]

So some didn't like Yoshi's Island. That isn't exactly mind blowing information. You can find people that dislike any videogame that has ever been released.

What controversy were you talking about?

[o.pwuaioc]

So some didn't like Yoshi's Island. That isn't exactly mind blowing information. You can find people that dislike any videogame that has ever been released.

What controversy were you talking about?

Not sure if trolling or just willfully ignoring....

[Zoe F]

I have to go with Super Mario World by a huge margin. I just played through Sonic 1 again, and it's barely even above average. The levels have a lot of complexity, but there are many problems where enemies and hazards are nearly impossible to avoid because you literally cannot see them without pausing to look up or down. There's way too much "waiting" necessary, and the level designs don't seem to have been created with Sonic's speed in mind. It almost feels as though the game was a very ordinary platformer which had Sonic shoehorned in at the last moment. That said, the music is fantastic.

Lest anyone think I'm a Sonic hater, I absolutely love Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles. Those might actually tempt me to go against Mario.

[Kevincal]

Sonic 1 was and still is a masterpiece for anyone to say its mediocre is clearly a nintendo fanboy.

The fact of the matter is Sonic 1 alone convinced many NES gamers to switch brands and buy a Genesis. Myself included. I loved Mario 3 but I just had to have a Genesis and Sonic 1, I guess when I saw Mario World in magazines etc it just didnt look like a huge leap from Mario 3, whereas Sonic graphically was a huge leap from mario 3. Also mario world seemed to be a bit rushed and came out not very long after mario 3. Sonic was this brand new awesome game. The graphics sounds level design, just the whole Sonic 1 game was mind blowingly good in 1991. Ya it was shorter than Mario World but personally I dont like really long games and Mario World was a bit too long for my tastes. Mario 3 is about as long as I like platformers to be. Even that game is pretty darn long. And to this day I prefer Mario 3 over Mario World. I dont care for riding on Yoshi or the cape at all. I also dont care that the game designers try so hard in mario world to confuse you and at certain points hard to figure out how to progress in the game, I hate that and its a reason I never really cared for Zelda games. Zelda games are too long and confusing and require too much effort lol.

[Leo_A]

Not sure if trolling or just willfully ignoring....

That you and a few others disliked an aspect of the game doesn't mean there was "tons of controversy" about the game. Otherwise, every game ever released has been controversial since there's always going to be someone that didn't care for even the most positively recieved game ever made.

That was the purpose of the last post to point that out to you. The response was overwhemingly positive and there are been few complaints over the past 15 years. There was no controversy to speak of.

I don't like the art style for the characters in Rayman Origins (It looks like any generic flash cartoon from the past few years and looks horrible compared to the excellent environments). That doesn't mean there was tons of controversy about the game when the vast majority of people that have played it have loved it.

[Zoe F]

Ya it was shorter than Mario World but personally I dont like really long games and Mario World was a bit too long for my tastes. Mario 3 is about as long as I like platformers to be. Even that game is pretty darn long.

Super Mario Bros. 3 actually has more levels (not exits!) than Super Mario World, and you can't save your progress. It seems bizarre that anyone would approve of Mario 3 while claiming that Super Mario World is too long.

[TimeLady]

SMW is the better game, by a wide margin. Sonic 1 was great for it's time but sort of mediocre today... plus I'm still bitter at SEGA for using Sonic to displace Alex Kidd. SMW itself, however, does pale in comparison to SMB3 - or, for a much lower difficulty, SMB3 All Stars. I very much prefer SMB3 All Stars' graphics to the sparse sprites used in SMW, and one of the best SMW hacks I've played replaced the graphics in that game with SMB3AS's.

Sonic 2, however, and Sonic 3 & Knuckles are still top-tier video games that can hold their own with the best of the best, ever. Carve it into your soul!

[turboexpress]

nice thread. I love both games but the nod goes to SMW because of more hours of gameplay. Sonic is way too short.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I haven't read everyone's posts, but I'm honestly pretty surprised that this topic even exists in the first place. Mario World and Sonic 1 share very little in common. It's literally like comparing apples and oranges. They're both good, but you can't compare them because they don't share any noteworthy common traits.

Is this some sort of attempt to fan up the last dying embers of the Sega vs Nintendo rivalry of the early 90s?

[o.pwuaioc]

^I generally like oranges better than apples. Love me some apples, too, but if I would compare them, I'd say oranges taste better to me.

[M.Buster2184]

Hmm both really good games but I think I'd have to go with Mario World. Sonic was new and exciting at the time,(I believe i was in 1st grade) but I feel Super Mario World had more involved gameplay. I loved the new power ups, the story and seeing Yoshi for the first time was very entertaining.

[Kevincal]

I haven't read everyone's posts, but I'm honestly pretty surprised that this topic even exists in the first place. Mario World and Sonic 1 share very little in common. It's literally like comparing apples and oranges. They're both good, but you can't compare them because they don't share any noteworthy common traits.

Is this some sort of attempt to fan up the last dying embers of the Sega vs Nintendo rivalry of the early 90s?

its ridiculous that people keep saying these games are so different, bullshit they are 2d platform run and jump games that were released the same year and were direct competitors i guess a lot of you are too young to appreciate 1991 i was 10 years old and old enough to realize sonic kicked major ass while mario world was just another mario rehash and mario 3 was better. i had a group of friends in my hood and we all played nes, mario 2 3 etc etc and i brought home my genesis and we were all blown away by sonic 1. graphics control sound enemies level design everything was freaking spectacular and the game is only too short if you speedrun the damn thing but i always like to play a bit slower and collect as many rings as possible and kill lots of baddies and try to get all the chaos emeralds if you play this way the game is plenty long, i think its perfect. and technically genesis did beat snes in 16 bit console war and sonic 1 is what started genesis fever. and the sonics kept getting better until knuckles chaotix. though sonic and knuckles was too short. now that game IS too short, sonic 1? no. mario world is great i just think its overrated by so many nintendo fanboys who might have tried other companies games and systems but are hardcore nintendo people with rose colored glasses on.

[ReaXan]

After thinking about it some more...

Super Mario World was the better game than Sonic 1, but at the time I think Sonic 1 was more fun since it was so different and introduced new elements of gameplay we had never seen before. Yet today I think SMW comes out the better game with a longer replay value after trying both out recently.

Then you had Sonic 2 and especially Sonic 3 dominating the living room TV when basically there was no proper Mario content at all coming out for SNES if you don't count Mario RPG, Mario is Missing,etc. I jumped ship to Sega fully during that time just because I got sick of playing SMW for the umpteenth time and I hadn't really discovered RPGs.

Really what made Nintendo outshine Sonic finally was Donkey Kong Country, its semi competitor Sonic and Knuckles was still a fun game but DKC was just flat out epic at the time.

Then finally you have SMW2 which came out in 1995, yet by that time everyone was ready for the 32 bit era. People can say how great it is all they want, but I don't remember any of my friends really talking about it or even playing it. It was all about the Saturn and Playstation and getting the proper port of MK3 among other things.

[Rickstilwell1]

After thinking about it some more...

Super Mario World was the better game than Sonic 1, but at the time I think Sonic 1 was more fun since it was so different and introduced new elements of gameplay we had never seen before. Yet today I think SMW comes out the better game with a longer replay value after trying both out recently.

Then you had Sonic 2 and especially Sonic 3 dominating the living room TV when basically there was no proper Mario content at all coming out for SNES if you don't count Mario RPG, Mario is Missing,etc. I jumped ship to Sega fully during that time just because I got sick of playing SMW for the umpteenth time and I hadn't really discovered RPGs.

Really what made Nintendo outshine Sonic finally was Donkey Kong Country, its semi competitor Sonic and Knuckles was still a fun game but DKC was just flat out epic at the time.

Then finally you have SMW2 which came out in 1995, yet by that time everyone was ready for the 32 bit era. People can say how great it is all they want, but I don't remember any of my friends really talking about it or even playing it. It was all about the Saturn and Playstation and getting the proper port of MK3 among other things.

Depends on how much money your family had. During 1995 and 1996 the Playstation, Saturn and Nintendo 64 libraries were still pretty small, not delivering as much variety as they eventually would in 1997 and on. For people like me the Genesis and SNES still seemed like they would be important to have around and games like DKC2, SMW2, X-Men 2: Clone Wars, Kirby Super Star, DKC3 and Sonic 3D Blast were just too exciting to see in shopping ads to pass up. Before the internet, the two main places I found out about games were TV commercials and printed ads in the mail from major retailers.

[Dire 51]

Sonic the Hedgehog vs. Super Mario World. Hmmm. After giving this some thought, I'd have to say that I prefer Bonk's Adventure. :D

But really, if I have to choose between those two, I have to go with SMW. I finished Sonic when it first came out and had no desire to revisit it. It bored me. SMW I still play.

[sheath]

I've always preferred Sonic 1. Super Mario World bores me to tears. I barely enjoyed Super Mario Bros. 3 and World just feels like 3.5 with a hundred level edits. I think both games are a smidgen over rated, but I've replayed Sonic 1 a ton of times.

[wiggyx]

Can't stand Sonic. No power ups, boring enemies that present just about zero challenge, and gameplay that is entirely too simplistic for the 16-bit era.


Run run run run run run = Zzzzzzzzzz

[j_factor]

Can't stand Sonic. No power ups, boring enemies that present just about zero challenge, and gameplay that is entirely too simplistic for the 16-bit era.

Heh. It's funny, some people don't like the Sonic games because they think they're too hard ("I never got past Chemical Plant!"). Others think they're too easy. Not sure what's up with that. Personally I lean more towards the "too easy" side, but I still like them a lot.

[kedawa]

Sonic has speed, shield, and invulnerability power-ups.

[wiggyx]

Sonic has speed, shield, and invulnerability power-ups.

The speed thing just makes the game worse IMO, and the other two don't add anything to Sonic's abilities.

The same way I don't consider the clock in Zelda 1 a power-up. Makes you invincible, but doesn't add anything to your abilities.

I guess I should have been more specific.

[Gunstar Hero]

They were both pretty revolutionary and had a big impact but from personal preference I just think Super Mario world is a better more well made game. Don't get me wrong though sonic 1 still kicks a whole load of ass :)

[Gunstar Hero]

Oh AND don't forget the secret levels in SMW! There's a ton!

[j_factor]

They were both pretty revolutionary and had a big impact

I think in terms of "revolutionary" and "impact", Sonic has Mario World beat, hands down. Socket, Bubsy, Superfrog, Zool (and so on and so forth) weren't taking anything from SMW. The only game that ever reminded me a lot of Super Mario World was Donkey Kong Country.

[Eponasoft]

Both games were amazing for their day. It's hard to choose which one is better... depends on the criteria. But when you consider everything, SMW comes out on top. It's a lot bigger, allows you to play with a friend, is loaded with secrets and non-linear paths... there's just way more variety in the game. Sonic, on the other hand, is more challenging and plays a hell of a lot faster... it's not devoid of secrets but that's not really one of its strong points... more an afterthought than anything. But that's cool too, because they're still done right.

It really depends on which paradigm you prefer... an adventure game or a level-based game. SMW is an open adventure, Sonic is straightforward progression. Pick your poison. :)

(And I will actually disagree that Sonic 2 was a better game... I found it worse. It's too easy, Tails is obnoxious, the bonus stage was stupid... the bosses were inventive but that's already a mainstay of the series. Sonic CD was way better.)

[thegamezmaster]

Super Mario World for me. So much more to do for my taste.

[ReaXan]

Depends on how much money your family had. During 1995 and 1996 the Playstation, Saturn and Nintendo 64 libraries were still pretty small, not delivering as much variety as they eventually would in 1997 and on. For people like me the Genesis and SNES still seemed like they would be important to have around and games like DKC2, SMW2, X-Men 2: Clone Wars, Kirby Super Star, DKC3 and Sonic 3D Blast were just too exciting to see in shopping ads to pass up. Before the internet, the two main places I found out about games were TV commercials and printed ads in the mail from major retailers.

I agree with what you are saying and you do have a valid point, I still collected Genesis and SNES games even before and after PSX/N64, I just dont remember SMW2 being some epic gaming my friends were waiting for. Everyone around here brings SWM2 into the "console wars" equation but it came out after it had ended for the most part. I also think being 7th/8th graders at that time had to do with our tastes shifting a bit as well. We were into MK and other more mature games that didn't have the super kiddie aspect. Zelda is the exception to this rule always :)

[j_factor]

Yeah, Yoshi's Island did seem pretty "kiddie", moreso than Super Mario World. But you still had plenty of other 16-bit games. The way I remember it, Playstation and Saturn didn't catch on until the following year. 1995 was still mostly about the 16-bit systems.