Alex Kidd or Mario...?

[armonigann]

Both were a favorite growing up, but Mario seemed to always have the upper hand to most..including myself..here lately I've been enjoying a lot of AK, especially AK in Shinobi World..

[Tanooki]

Probably since Alex Kidd games were more miss than hit, even the great SMS game 2 bosses were random rock paper scissors crap shoots tearing away at your life count which sucked. The stages and play were fun though, but then Sega up and abandoned it for Sonic.

[Emperor Megas]

I didn't think that any of the Janken matches were random (I think they were called that). Even if they were though, if you got the telepathy ball you could see what your opponent was going to select. Even if they changed it a split second before the draw, you still had time to change your selection to counter it. You needed to have Dragon's Lair timing of course.

In any event, I enjoyed Alex Kidd in Miracle World more than the original Super Mario Bros. but I never thought that it was a better game over all. It just just more of a personal thing. I really loved that aesthetic that most first party master system games had, and I just loved the overall character of the game.

I actually love all of the Alex Kidd games that I've played (I never played the BMX one or Enchanted Castle on the Genesis), even The Lost Stars. It's terrible, but there's just something about it that I like. Miracle World and Shinobi World are the best, of course. To most I think they're the ONLY ones that really matter, besides maybe Enchanted Castle.

There's no contest though pitting the Alex Kidd series against the Mario series. It's not even close; Alex Kidd isn't even in the same league.

[john8248]

First post! Yay!

Personally, I've always preferred Alex Kidd over Mario. My dad bought me Miracle World at Toys R Us on the day they opened in my home town. What a great memory.

I often wonder what would have happened if Sega kept supporting Alex. The series had so much potential for memorable characters and games than span generations, just like Mario. Then again, perhaps it's best that Alex never really took off. Look at what's happened to Sonic.

[8-Bit Archeology]

I still haven't had much time playing Alex Kidd. I only have lost stars. I do like me some Psycho Fox though hah. But for this thread I would say Mario. Mainly because I have had seemingly endless more time with Mario.

Also I would have thought Wonder Boy would have had more buzz in the Sega world than it gets.

[ccovell]

Alex Kidd in Shinobi World is actually a lot of fun. Certainly can't beat any of the Mario games (except perhaps Mario Bros.)

The reversed jump & attack buttons of the original AKiMW, and its slippery character, kinda kill a bit of the fun in the game.

[celerystalker]

I think the Mario games are universally more balanced, complete games, and not by a small margin. To give it context, I do own most games in both series, and also have played and loved both since they first came out.

Alex Kidd has nice, catchy music, good control once you get used to it, and nice colors. The vehicles are fun, and there's more variety in stages. Mario also has catchy music, tight control, and nice pixel graphics. Where it wins out is difficulty curve and balance. Rock paper scissors is never an excuse for a boss fight. Late in the game, when they are a precursor to a fight? I mean, at least with the telepathy orb it was no big deal, but what if the janken matches determined an advantage or disadvantage in the actual fight instead? Mario's boss fights, while simple at best made sense with the game's form, and new obstacles or attacks were gradually added in throughout each world to keep a fair but increased level of challenge. Take Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the first and in my opinion best in the series... Janken aside, the last couple of levels suddenly ramp the challenge through the roof with spike-laden labyrinths, and if you didn't bring the right items, you are out of luck. Ever try swimming through the maze of spikes in the last level without the protective gear? Mario makes it possible, just more difficult without power-ups, but you're never at that kind of jump in difficulty that can just stop your game dead in its tracks. Had Alex Kidd built toward its end with more than one other maze level, or made more items relevant than just the telepathy orb for 95% of the game, this wouldn't be so over the top. Also, the question blocks that can spring a grim reaper on you... if the manual had explained how they work cycling through results, it would have made way more sense.

While Super Mario Bros is considerably less varied and experimental, it instead chooses to do what it does in a tighter, more balanced package that is less ambitious but way more playable and polished. It's kind of Nintendo vs Sega in microcosm... Sega tried to paint the Mona Lisa and made a lovable mess. Nintendo drew a stick figure, but they sure drew the shit out of it.

[Tanooki]

My experience with Alex Kidd is Miracle World and Shinobi World with a teeny bit of some Genesis game where he was in a house, it sucked. I just didn't want to go into all the detail as I can't be certain not owning everything but that post celery made still fits with how i was thinking Alex was likely to be like across the board between the good and bad games, and even the good games with bad balancing moments. Mario maybe all in all easier, but perhaps it's not so much if you think about it but it's because it ramps up everything harder stage by stage world by world, it's not a yo-yo with extremes.

[Emperor Megas]

The reversed jump & attack buttons of the original AKiMW, and its slippery character, kinda kill a bit of the fun in the game.Reversed jump and attack button? I recall people talking about some NES games having reversed jump and attack buttons, but I wasn't realy sure what they meant. Do you mean that they're different from most games jump and attack?

I never noticed if there was a standard, or majority used scheme.

[Emperor Megas]

Ever try swimming through the maze of spikes in the last level without the protective gear?Yeah, literally hundreds of times. And I always make it. :)

The spikes can't actually hurt you unless you actually 'push' into them. Alex floats to the surface when it swims, but it doesn't hurt you if you float into the spikes. He bobs up and down when it reaches them. It only hurts you if you push UP or DOWN into the spikes. You basically float up into the spike channels, and once you're touching them you move right or left to navigate the maze. Just float into where you need to be, then only use right or left pushes. Trust me, they can't hurt you. It's just an intimidation thing.

It took me a LONG time to realize this though. :)

[celerystalker]

That trick never worked for me. My Miracle World is the version built into the Master System II. Anyone aware of version differences? That works if I have the hard hat, but otherwise it got me. Maybe I was just sloppy with diagonals on my mushy Master System D-pad. Both of mine are a little squishy. I know I can use a Genesis pad, but it feels wrong to me.

[Gentlegamer]

That trick never worked for me. My Miracle World is the version built into the Master System II. Anyone aware of version differences? That works if I have the hard hat, but otherwise it got me. Maybe I was just sloppy with diagonals on my mushy Master System D-pad. Both of mine are a little squishy. I know I can use a Genesis pad, but it feels wrong to me.

Master System II version has "Mario controls," with jump on button 2, attack on button 1. The original has it backwards, and makes the game much harder/awkward to play.

[retroman]

I love Alex Kidd games, but I just feel like Mario games always just had more polish to them. Everything is just plain better with Mario games. That is just my opinion on the topic.

[Zap!]

Hands down Alex Kidd. I have never forgiven Sega for dropping him like a piece of garbage when Sonic too over as their mascot. I would do almost anything for a new Kidd game.

[ccovell]

Reversed jump and attack button? I recall people talking about some NES games having reversed jump and attack buttons, but I wasn't realy sure what they meant. Do you mean that they're different from most games jump and attack?

I never noticed if there was a standard, or majority used scheme.

There is, and it might just have to do with habit, but I think it has to do with biology.

A lot of gamers (not all) hold their right thumb over both the B and A (1 and 2 on SMS) buttons and need to rock their thumb joint in order to press one or both of the buttons.

With the "standard" fire function on B and jump on A, you'll be holding A for long periods to make high jumps, but pressing B rapidly to fire a weapon. Reverse those controls, and my thumb at least feels really fatigued.

So basically holding A while rapidly tapping B seems a lot physically easier than holding B and tapping A.

[Rickstilwell1]

IMO Alex Kidd always had sloppy control physics in comparison to Mario which always had tight controls. Sonic also had very tight controls like Mario so this is part of the reason he was so much more successful than Alex even on the 8-bit versions.

[ccovell]

Sonic also had very tight controls like Mario so this is part of the reason he was so much more successful than Alex even on the 8-bit versions.
......ex.....cept........for.......walk.....ing... ..up........................slopes!

[Emperor Megas]

That works if I have the hard hat, but otherwise it got me. Maybe I was just sloppy with diagonals on my mushy Master System D-pad. Both of mine are a little squishy. I know I can use a Genesis pad, but it feels wrong to me. There was a 'hard hat' in AKiMW? I don't even remember that.


There is, and it might just have to do with habit, but I think it has to do with biology.

A lot of gamers (not all) hold their right thumb over both the B and A (1 and 2 on SMS) buttons and need to rock their thumb joint in order to press one or both of the buttons.

With the "standard" fire function on B and jump on A, you'll be holding A for long periods to make high jumps, but pressing B rapidly to fire a weapon. Reverse those controls, and my thumb at least feels really fatigued.

So basically holding A while rapidly tapping B seems a lot physically easier than holding B and tapping A.Wow. I never thought about that before. It's probably a good thing that I don't design video games. I never noticed any difference between games that used one scheme over the other. I've been lucky in that I've never had a problem.


IMO Alex Kidd always had sloppy control physics in comparison to Mario which always had tight controls. Sonic also had very tight controls like Mario so this is part of the reason he was so much more successful than Alex even on the 8-bit versions.I always thought that Sonic games had HORRIBLE controls. You couldn't walk up a hill, and running at breakneck speed meant you were exploring anything. Just rushing though like a blur. Stopping sucked, walking up ANY incline sucked. In fact, you flat out couldn't do it. You had to go back and always get a running start to clear the smallest hill. Also (and this is probably just a 'me' thing), I've NEVER been able to understand how to do the charging spin dash in any of the sequels. IIRC, letting go (of the button or D pad, I don't remember anymore) after you charge it was how it was performed, but simply letting go just never felt, I don't know, natural. I wish it launched with a button push instead.

[Tanooki]

Apparently you're not the only one who never realized why games put B to (do something) and A to jump, the thumb bends that way so it's easier and you don't have to let up on one button to do the other option. I say that because the fools who did the GC port of the Mega Man Collection did the same move and the game is rendered impossible to play because you need to be able to jump and gun at the same time in that game and you just can't do it. The PS2 version has it setup right, just the GC one is broken by design.

I always felt Sonic games controlled badly too, primarily at least when you're not up to speed, but then again is there really any control in it at top speed other than kind of what you get in a modern endless runner tablet phone game? It works because you just need to tap or hold jump or maybe a quick press of a direction one way or the other and it appears fluid. That's how Sonic works, but if you have to walk around slow, or even dare to walk up a 10% incline or more and it just all goes right down the toilet. It's not really natural, you just either get used to it, or you don't and you tolerate it or give up on Sonic.

[celerystalker]

There was a 'hard hat' in AKiMW? I don't even remember that.

Oh, you don't remember because it wasn't called a hard hat. It was technically called capsule B, I think. My brother and I always said we needed the hard hat because at the time, we were playing Treasure Master on NES as well, and you used a hard hat for protection from spikes in that game. (We thought we were gonna be good enough to win the contest in that game. We never beat the moon level.)

I have always hated Sonic's controls. I know Mario had to build up a little momentum, too, but Sonic starts way too slow for my liking, and then ramps up to too fast to be played as much of a real platformer. I feel like you have to memorize the stages more than you should have to in order to play the game the way it's meant to be played. There are all those set pieces that make me feel like I'm missing something, and while the levels are meant to be explored, the game just wants me to run really fast toward the end. It's like it wants to be two different games at the same time that don't mesh well. I didn't truly enjoy a Sonic game outside of Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast, which did a good job of drawing a line between exploring and speeding toward the goal, and its movement didn't start as if Sonic was stuck in tar. Alex Kidd's control may be a little slippery, but you can get a feel for it and play it with more finesse than Sonic. I kind of resent 16 bit Sonic, because I like the graphics and sound, and they have flashes of brilliance, but then I start to hate them for tge stop/start/run really fast until an enemy pops up from under the ground or spikes pop up and make you feel stupid for losing all the rings you've painstakingly collected gameplay. What's the point of all those hidden rings if you're going to undo all of my work in one hit out of nowhere when I'm doing what the game tells me to-run really fast and occasionally jump. The games are easy to finish, but totally unrewarding to me.

Sorry, this is not about Sonic. Sonic sucks, though, and I always liked Alex Kidd better. Also, I have to agree with 8bit archaeology. I like the Wonder Boy series better than Alex Kidd or Sonic. I can only imagine it wasn't more prominently featured due to Westone also letting Hudson publish PC Engine ports and spin off the Adventure Island series...

[bb_hood]

I have always hated Sonic's controls. I know Mario had to build up a little momentum, too, but Sonic starts way too slow for my liking, and then ramps up to too fast to be played as much of a real platformer. I feel like you have to memorize the stages more than you should have to in order to play the game the way it's meant to be played. There are all those set pieces that make me feel like I'm missing something, and while the levels are meant to be explored, the game just wants me to run really fast toward the end. It's like it wants to be two different games at the same time that don't mesh well. I didn't truly enjoy a Sonic game outside of Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast, which did a good job of drawing a line between exploring and speeding toward the goal, and its movement didn't start as if Sonic was stuck in tar. Alex Kidd's control may be a little slippery, but you can get a feel for it and play it with more finesse than Sonic. I kind of resent 16 bit Sonic, because I like the graphics and sound, and they have flashes of brilliance, but then I start to hate them for tge stop/start/run really fast until an enemy pops up from under the ground or spikes pop up and make you feel stupid for losing all the rings you've painstakingly collected gameplay. What's the point of all those hidden rings if you're going to undo all of my work in one hit out of nowhere when I'm doing what the game tells me to-run really fast and occasionally jump. The games are easy to finish, but totally unrewarding to me.

Sorry, this is not about Sonic. Sonic sucks, though, and I always liked Alex Kidd better. Also, I have to agree with 8bit archaeology. I like the Wonder Boy series better than Alex Kidd or Sonic. I can only imagine it wasn't more prominently featured due to Westone also letting Hudson publish PC Engine ports and spin off the Adventure Island series...

The controls in the 1st sonic game can seem a little clumsy if you keep running into things. With practice you can fly through the levels, which is where its at. The controls in the 2nd Sonic game are even better with the introduction of the spin dash. These are games where you have to explore the levels to a certain extent so you learn the routes, then you just aim to finish the levels as fast as possible. The rings dont really matter, with practice and a little memorization only the last few stages pose any real challenge. I think the sonic games on genesis have tons of replay value. Sonic is a way better mascot then Alex Kidd, imo. And Super Mario Bros is also way better than alex kidd, no contest there.





I always thought that Sonic games had HORRIBLE controls. You couldn't walk up a hill, and running at breakneck speed meant you were exploring anything. Just rushing though like a blur. Stopping sucked, walking up ANY incline sucked. In fact, you flat out couldn't do it. You had to go back and always get a running start to clear the smallest hill. Also (and this is probably just a 'me' thing), I've NEVER been able to understand how to do the charging spin dash in any of the sequels. IIRC, letting go (of the button or D pad, I don't remember anymore) after you charge it was how it was performed, but simply letting go just never felt, I don't know, natural. I wish it launched with a button push instead.

With the first sonic you kinda do have to get a running start. The spin dash is actually super easy to master.



the fools who did the GC port of the Mega Man Collection did the same move and the game is rendered impossible to play because you need to be able to jump and gun at the same time in that game and you just can't do it. The PS2 version has it setup right, just the GC one is broken by design.

Yeah, absolutely. The GC version of Mega Man is complete garbage because of the controls. You cant even reassign the button input.

[celerystalker]

The controls in the 1st sonic game can seem a little clumsy if you keep running into things. With practice you can fly through the levels, which is where its at. The controls in the 2nd Sonic game are even better with the introduction of the spin dash. These are games where you have to explore the levels to a certain extent so you learn the routes, then you just aim to finish the levels as fast as possible. The rings dont really matter, with practice and a little memorization only the last few stages pose any real challenge. I think the sonic games on genesis have tons of replay value. Sonic is a way better mascot then Alex Kidd, imo. And Super Mario Bros is also way better than alex kidd, no contest there.

Oh, I've played a lot of Sonic. I'm well aware of how to play, and it still feels counterintuitive to me. Even after learning the control comfortably, it's exactly what I said: memorizing levels so you can hold right and occasionally jump. Rings being unimportant makes it even worse to me, as they are basically the sole reason to deviate from holding right and occasionally jumping. I know that's really simplifying things, but Sonic's play magnifies this by focusing the whole experience on running fast. Mario and Alex Kidd both only do slight deviations from their horizontal or vertical paths with rewards such as extra lives, warps, or coins you don't lose by getting touched and build toward a goal. Sonic's play control and momentum are designed to highlight his speed, but make for an experience awkward enough for me in overall feel that I don't enjoy it enough to come back to it time and again to soak it in like I will with others.

[Tanooki]

With Sonic I rarely grab rings as I don't see the point for your reasons. I'll just jump to hit them as I roll on by just so I have the one hit safety net. The design of the game is just so meant for speed that the rest just doesn't feel right so I kind of avoid it. Though those controls to tend to make it a bit more interesting on a boss fight since they tend not to be speedy.

[Zap!]

The mask has finally been removed. Look who's back and never left lol!

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/00349724-7da7-47cf-88da-b4e57c1ea648/d2u1ru9-06bdedfc-52ca-40c4-82aa-4a1ae0a0890f.png/v1/fill/w_818,h_977,q_70,strp/alex_kidd_in_sonic_cosplay_by_funkyjeremi_d2u1ru9-pre.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9 .eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZ DQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTg yMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7Imhla WdodCI6Ijw9MTIyNCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzAwMzQ5NzI0LTd kYTctNDdjZi04OGRhLWI0ZTU3YzFlYTY0OFwvZDJ1MXJ1OS0wN mJkZWRmYy01MmNhLTQwYzQtODJhYS00YTFhZTBhMDg5MGYucG5 nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlc nZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.YcGzeCkHEFOfjbS_ YT86qzhB0GJ7KXins5JCawNZ1PY

[buzz_n64]

Mario by long shot. Sega hasn't even considered making a new Alex Kidd game.

[Zap!]

Sega hasn't even considered making a new Alex Kidd game.

That's because they are fools, not Alex's fault.

[Rickstilwell1]

I can't think of any times in Sonic 1 where I even need to walk up a long steep incline with the routes I take and in Sonic 2 onward that is remedied by spindash. I am surprised at how many people aren't pros at the classic Sonic games although I am a member of Sonic Retro forums so I see mostly pros at the game anyway. The only Alex Kidd game I could actually enjoy was The Lost Stars.

[Zap!]

The only Alex Kidd game I could actually enjoy was The Lost Stars.

That's usually considered the worse AK game too. I liked it, just not as much as the others.

[megasdkirby]

I love Alex Kidd, specially Miracle World. It was one of the best SMS games I ever played. Shinobi World was good, but just didn't have that *spark* Miracle World had.

I also liked Lost Stars quite a bit. It was very repetitive and it took some time to learn the patters and master it. It takes me roughly an hour to go through the entire game without failing once. I don't remember the ending much, but I recall being quite disappointed. Still, I continued playing and enjoying the game, nevertheless.

Never liked Hi Tech World. For me, that game simply didn't make any sense...and years later when I found out it was another game with sprite changes, then I realized why. It isn't a bad game...just not a good one. Hell, it's my least favorite AK game...I enjoyed The Lost Stars more!

I can't say much on the Genesis game, as I barely played it. I recall being excited that it resembled Miracle World, but for some reason it did have the same charm. I recall collision detection being ass.

So which one do I choose? Alex Kidd or Mario? I have to choose Mario.

As much as I love AK and will continue playing the game nonstop, even today, Mario has more depth, length, playability, variability...the list goes on. Rarely has a Mario game been bad, so I am always safe when I start playing one. The thing I hated most with Mario, specially Mario 3, was the lack of any save feature. Thankfully, the SNES version saved the day with battery backup support.

I will never abandon Alex though. And I wish they would create a new game...and not fuck it up on the process.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

I can't think of any times in Sonic 1 where I even need to walk up a long steep incline with the routes I take and in Sonic 2 onward that is remedied by spindash. I am surprised at how many people aren't pros at the classic Sonic games although I am a member of Sonic Retro forums so I see mostly pros at the game anyway. The only Alex Kidd game I could actually enjoy was The Lost Stars.

I've been playing the first Sonic game since the early 90s and I still haven't beaten it. The classic Genesis games, imo, were incredible, but suffered from one single flaw, and that was no save states. Legend Of Zelda had a battery pack in 1986. The technology was there, and it was Sega's big game. Luckily Sonic 3 has one. But even a password system would be fantastic, even the NES Mega Man games have passwords after u finish a level, and those levels are much shorter.

I just remember playing Sonic a ton, getting so far in the game and then just running out of lives, and having to go all the way back to the beginning, and the games are not short like Mega Man. So eventually I'd just get sick of playing it.

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

As for Alex Kidd vs Mario, I've only played the Enchanted Castle on Genesis, and almost all the classic pre-N64 Mario's, but Mario without a doubt wins for me. Is there an Alex Kidd game that rivals SMB 3?

[Arkanoid_Katamari]

Even SMB 1, I'd rather play then Enchanted Castle. I like Alex Kidd, but not like Mario.

[Rickstilwell1]

I've been playing the first Sonic game since the early 90s and I still haven't beaten it. The classic Genesis games, imo, were incredible, but suffered from one single flaw, and that was no save states. Legend Of Zelda had a battery pack in 1986. The technology was there, and it was Sega's big game. Luckily Sonic 3 has one. But even a password system would be fantastic, even the NES Mega Man games have passwords after u finish a level, and those levels are much shorter.

I just remember playing Sonic a ton, getting so far in the game and then just running out of lives, and having to go all the way back to the beginning, and the games are not short like Mega Man. So eventually I'd just get sick of playing it.

You didn't know about the level select code?

And also the reason why Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars had a crappy ending was because it was an arcade game that was ported to the Sega Master System rather than an SMS original.

[tom]

I'm still with the original, Bounty Bob

[mario-fan]

Mario, definitely. I mean, SMB1 & 3. Nuff said.

[tom]

I'm still with the original, Bounty Bob

Besides Bob, has to be Mario, it being an original Atari console character.

[Emperor Megas]

I've been playing the first Sonic game since the early 90s and I still haven't beaten it. The classic Genesis games, imo, were incredible, but suffered from one single flaw, and that was no save states. Legend Of Zelda had a battery pack in 1986. The technology was there, and it was Sega's big game. Luckily Sonic 3 has one. But even a password system would be fantastic, even the NES Mega Man games have passwords after u finish a level, and those levels are much shorter.

I just remember playing Sonic a ton, getting so far in the game and then just running out of lives, and having to go all the way back to the beginning, and the games are not short like Mega Man. So eventually I'd just get sick of playing it.You could start from any stage in the game though. Just use the debug mode.

[Dire 51]

As much as I love AK and will continue playing the game nonstop, even today, Mario has more depth, length, playability, variability...the list goes on. Rarely has a Mario game been bad, so I am always safe when I start playing one. [...]

I will never abandon Alex though. And I wish they would create a new game...and not fuck it up on the process.
Well spoken. You've summed up my feelings almost perfectly.

[Gentlegamer]

Mario has proven the better character and series. In addition to the "main" Super Mario games, his cast of characters has invented whole new genres like Super Mario Kart, Mario Party, and even Super Smash Bros.

It's too bad Sega gave up on Alex Kidd, he could have been something similar, even after the advent of Sonic. Kid Chameleon could have been an Alex Kidd game. Alex Kidd would have made more sense for most of the adventure parts of the Sonic Adventure games.

[sloan]

Alex Kidd, to me, was always just OK. Sort of amateurish in art and play style.

Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, and 3 tore it up, went on to Super Mario World, and never looked back.

[BlastProcessing402]

Legend Of Zelda had a battery pack in 1986.

No, it had a battery pack in 1987. In 1986 it was a disk based game in Japan that saved right on the disk, it wasn't until brought to the US the following year that it had a battery added.


As for Alex Kidd, I had fun playing his first game, but he was never in Mario's league, and none of the other games in the series were any good (I'll have to check out Shinobi Kidd again, but I don't remember liking it, either). The Genesis game, oh yuck, it's no wonder Sonic was able to come in and completely take over after that garbage. And I'm not a big Sonic guy.

[Zap!]

Mario is proving tough to beat. How about Alex Kidd vs. Sonic?

[Daria]

I tried a few of the Alex Kidd game's that were on the Genesis Collection CD (360) and absolutely hated them. The only game I've enjoyed so far has been Alex Kidd in High Tech World and that's pretty much just a manic mansion type adventure game. I don't get the hype behind the series.

[Emperor Megas]

I suppose it's a you'd have to have been there sort of thing. I don't think anyone would champion most Alex Kidd games as being timeless or anything. There are a lot of things I feel that way about, like 80s action cartoons. There are a lot of games and cartoons that I didn't catch the first time around and still enjoy, but others that I experience for the first time now and hate, but I sort of think I may have appreciated with the benefit of nostalgia.

[Graham Mitchell]

I enjoy the platforming Alex Kidd games, particularly enchanted castle and Shinobi world (which is fantastic if you haven't played it, despite being kind of short.).

But as far as ingenuity and depth of gameplay, the ak games can't hold a candle to the smb series. Anybody who isn't a nostalgia-blinded fanboy would acknowledge this. Super Mario bros involves much more technique, and offers more replay value than Alex Kidd in miracle world. I would argue that that's just an objective fact.

That doesn't mean the Alex kid games are bad, though.

[Zap!]

I tried a few of the Alex Kidd game's that were on the Genesis Collection CD (360) and absolutely hated them. The only game I've enjoyed so far has been Alex Kidd in High Tech World and that's pretty much just a manic mansion type adventure game. I don't get the hype behind the series.

You didn't Miracle World at all? Playing it in 1987 was just so different. Not sure how I'd feel trying it so many years later.

[Graham Mitchell]

You didn't Miracle World at all? Playing it in 1987 was just so different. Not sure how I'd feel trying it so many years later.

I tried it again recently and it's still fun. Enchanted castle is better, though. You should give it another chance, Daria.

Edit: the lost stars sucks balls, btw but it's pretty. Apparently there's an arcade version too, but I've never played it.

[celerystalker]

I played them in the '80s and in the last few months. I still enjoy Miracle World in spite of its flaws (not as much as Mario, but it's fun), but Enchanted Castle, Lost Stars... not so much. I feel like my enjoyment relies a lot more on nostalgia in this case, but Sega in the '80s was at their best in the arcade, not the Master System.

[Michelle_Rhodes]

No doubt, it has to be Mario. Alex Kidd is nowhere near as interesting as the original Mario games.

[dinolazer]

Sonic is way past cool, but...I present the new Alex Kidd in Miracle World courtesy of W-Orks on Deviantart:

http://w-orks.deviantart.com/art/Alex-Kidd-in-Miracle-World-411354312
http://i.imgur.com/3LQuHdQl.jpg

I'd buy that for $1, heck more :)

[Tanooki]

Now that is some interesting art. If they game were that cool, and didn't have the jan ken pon crap in there I'd be sold.

[jammajup]

I don`t mind either but get bored of Mario very quickly,especially the ones where you can go around levels picking up secrets and stuff,not really my scene as I would rather just get from A-Z and get to the end of a level never to return lol,as a Master System owner I have good memories Of Alex Kidd In Miracle world and consider it to be still more interesting than many of the more recent Mario games or any after Super Mario World.
I think if Sega had paid more attention to creating more named characters we could be drawn too as in the Mario World we still may be playing Alex Kidd games today.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

I think that Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a better game than Super Mario Bros 1. To be fair, it did come a year later. Mario 1 still kind of has a "software" feel. AKiMW feels more refined. Although, admittedly, the rock-paper-scissors matches should have been optional.

After that, things tilted heavily in the Italian plumber's favor. Sticking with the NES vs. Master System/pre-Sonic Genesis era, Nintendo further refined and improved the SMB games with 2 and 3. Meanwhile Sega went in every which direction with Alex Kidd, they didn't have a cohesive strategy. A simplified game for kids (Lost Stars), a BMX game, a hybrid platform/puzzle game (High Tech World) and a crossover with Shinobi are what followed up Miracle World, but there was no Miracle World 2 or 3 so to speak, even if they probably wouldn't have been directly called that. Mario also had spin-off games (and LOTS of them), but they always had a flagship Super Mario Bros. series at its core where each game improved on the last.

Super Mario Bros. 3 was far more fleshed out and refined than any Alex Kidd game.

Dare I say it, but the SMB vs. Alex Kidd competition sort of reflected the competition between the NES and Master System as a whole. Early on, say 1988 and earlier, they were actually more closely matched in game quality and library than one might think. The NES had more games, but the Master System had the technological advantage with stuff like 3D glasses and cartridges that were as big as 512 kilobytes. No early NES game could compete with stuff like After Burner and Phantasy Star in terms of technical specs. But even in this era, Sega's refusal to allow third parties (they didn't open it up until late 1988) hurt them big time. And they didn't have the vision and direction that Nintendo did to keep their 8-bit console relevant well into the early 1990s.

[turboxray]

Mario 1 still kind of has a "software" feel.
What the hell is a "software feel" hahah.

[Alianger]

SMB3 = SMW2: YI
SMW
SMB2 = Alex Kidd in MW
SMB
Alex Kidd in SW
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Lost Stars
...
Hi-Tech World

Something like that, though this takes recent romhacks into account as well.