Sonic 1 vs. Mario World

[Kevincal]

Which is technically better, which do you like better?

2 of the greatest games of all time for sure. Personally I go with Sonic 1 because in 1991 it was new, fresh, fast, and just damn cool. Super Mario World felt a little too similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1991. Which of course is not a bad thing at all. It's just, it might as well have been called Super Mario Bros. 4, which it was in Japan

Kind of like how Sonic & Knuckles is basically Sonic the Hedgehog 4, still a great game, but the series getting a little long in the tooth. In 1991 that is how I felt about Mario World, I had already played Mario 1-3 and wanted something new, enter Sonic.

I think both games deserve a perfect score though.

I think Mario World is the more difficult game. Longer and more difficult than Sonic 1. Graphically I have to give the nod to Sonic. Gameplay, Sonic, and even music, Sonic. I just overall like Sonic 1 slightly more than SMW.

Of course I guess we are all partial to which game we chose to buy / play in 1991. Anyone lucky enough to have both a Genesis and SNES in 1991 and play both of these games at the same time? I was only 10 in 1991 so could only afford 1 system.

btw, 1991 was 20 years ago already. Damn.

Just checked Wikipedia and Sonic 1 came out exactly 2 months before Mario World in the US. Imagine if Nintendo had released the SNES and Mario World in the US before Sonic, Sonic may have never caught on and became popular.

[buzz_n64]

Which is technically better, which do you like better?

2 of the greatest games of all time for sure. Personally I go with Sonic 1 because in 1991 it was new, fresh, fast, and just damn cool. Super Mario World felt a little too similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1991. Which of course is not a bad thing at all. It's just, it might as well have been called Super Mario Bros. 4

Kind of like how Sonic & Knuckles is basically Sonic the Hedgehog 4, still a great game, but the series getting a little long in the tooth. In 1991 that is how I felt about Mario World, I had already played Mario 1-3 and wanted something new, enter Sonic.

I think both games deserve a perfect score though.

I think Mario World is the more difficult game. Longer and more difficult than Sonic 1. Graphically I have to give the nod to Sonic. Gameplay, Sonic, and even music, Sonic. I just overall like Sonic 1 slightly more than SMW.

Of course I guess we are all partial to which game we chose to buy / play in 1991. Anyone lucky enough to have both a Genesis and SNES in 1991 and play both of these games at the same time? I was only 10 in 1991 so could only afford 1 system.

btw, 1991 was 20 years ago already. Damn.

Super Mario World is called Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan.

Sonic & Knuckles was so similar to Sonic 3, that they decided to make the cart as an add-on for Sonic 3.

Sonic 1 looks better and plays faster, but Mario World is more of an adventure and expansive. I really love the world map, and being able to replay levels.

[crazyjackcsa]

Super Mario World is called Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan.

Sonic & Knuckles was so similar to Sonic 3, that they decided to make the cart as an add-on for Sonic 3.

Sonic 1 looks better and plays faster, but Mario World is more of an adventure and expansive. I really love the world map, and being able to replay levels.

Not entirely true. Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles were originally intended to be one game, but was split into two to get Sonic 3 out in time for the Christmas rush.

[kedawa]

Super Mario World kept me entertained for a lot longer than Sonic the Hedgehog, since the overworld made it less linear and the save sytem allowed more flexibility in how and when I played it.
Being able to play with another person also helped enormously.

[Blanka789]

I love both, but I'd give the nod to Super Mario World. To me, the first Sonic game was great, but not quite on the level with the best of everyone's favorite plumber. Sonic 2 is really where the series established itself as a true competitor to Mario.

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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. 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?

[Aussie2B]

It's just, it might as well have been called Super Mario Bros. 4

It was. It's on the Japanese packaging.

I'd pick World, but, honestly, I think both get a little more credit than they deserve. Maybe if I had played them when they were new, I'd feel different, but since I played both roughly within the past decade, I don't have that nostalgia that everyone else does. I enjoyed both, but Super Mario World is too easy and has some awkward elements (not that crazy about the cape, Yoshi, the football player enemies, etc.), while Sonic isn't remotely as fast as his reputation makes him out to be (outside of a few stages, many force you to a crawl). I also hate the Labyrinth Zone in Sonic, and it sucks that the game has no passwords or saving.

[Berserker]

Super Mario World for me. I liked the non-linearity, the replayability, which all the secrets added to as well. I liked the graphics/world itself more.

That said, I did have both consoles during this time, and while it seemed like they were constantly coming out with new Sonic games, by the time SMW finally got a sequel, I was already moved on to PC gaming pretty heavily. So through that period I'm sure I played much more Sonic, even though I preferred SMW to any individual Sonic game.

[Robocop2]

While I love Sonic 1; I'd say the edge goes to SMW simply because of the sheer size of the game. Hidden paths and worlds whereas Sonic follows a totally linear path excepting the different paths you can take through the levels. Both good games for sure but I do think that SMW has Sonic beat.

[Kevincal]

For me, I was a hardcore Mario Bros. 3 fan when the time came to choose between buying a SNES and Genesis. I ended up buying the cheaper Genesis w/ Sonic 1, I will never forget when I got home and played Sonic 1 for the first time, I was so blown away by the graphics. The speed and color was just unreal. My friends and I were just smiling ear to ear amazed at how awesome this game was. Let's not forget the music, incredibly awesome music. The control and play mechanics was perfect as well. As was the story.

I actually prefer a shorter and easier game such as sonic over a longer and more difficult game like Mario World. For instance, I hated so much the forest area of Mario World, for a long time I could not figure out how to progress. This is the same reason I am not a huge Zelda fan, those games are huge, large and very challenging to complete. I guess I have a short attention span, but I really do prefer easier games with flash over huge games with lots of substance.

Resident Evil 1 is another example, I bought that game around its release in 1996 and it was fun, until it became too challenging and I would just always end up getting lost, not knowing what to do, frustrated. I tried to revisit this game recently and the same thing, the game became too difficult for me. I get frustrated easily when games become very difficult and confusing. That is what I love about Sonic, it is just pure straightforward gaming.

I have to say also that I prefer Mario Bros. 3 over Mario World. I guess it's mostly for nostalgia.

There are only a handful of games that truly amazed me awith their awesomeness at the time of their release. Mario Bros. 1, Mario Bros. 3, Sonic 1, Mario 64 & Gran Turismo 3.

Honorable mention to Ridge Racer on the PlayStation & Diddy Kong Racing on the N64. Among a lot of others. :P

[j_factor]

Both are great games with pretty significant flaws.

Super Mario World is thought of as a much larger/longer game, but I think that's true to a lesser extent when you really look at it. Mario moves kinda slow, making the same stretch "seem" longer. When I play Super Mario World, I find myself continuously holding down the run button, which to me indicates that they did something wrong. Each area would contain rather similar levels grouped together, and further repetition with the ghost houses and castles. Some of the levels were basically straight lines, and some were extremely short. I didn't mind Yoshi, but I don't feel he really added much to the game either, and the cape feels like a lamer version of the raccoon. I didn't like the "!" blocks/rooms, which felt pointless. The "secrets" where you take a key to a keyhole sound better on paper than they actually are. In practice, when I play the game, I skip most of the secrets and the Star Road. Most of the bosses are pretty lame, too, and the game overall is on the easy side.

Sonic's levels are much more detailed, vibrant, and interesting. But there's still some repetitiveness in having three acts to each zone. I like the special stage aspect of the game, but the special stages themselves are just okay. Arguably the game is a little too short and basic. But I find myself coming back to it to try to beat my times, an element of replayability that SMW doesn't have. I also think Sonic has much better music.

Pretty much a tie, in my eyes. As an aside, I think it's interesting that Super Mario World has a somewhat better critical reputation, but Sonic was much more influential. With games like Jazz Jackrabbit, Socket, Zool, Kid Chaos, Awesome Possum, etc. it seemed like everyone was ripping him off. You can see a lasting influence in games like Crash Bandicoot (and even the commercials for Crash Bandicoot).

[drmay]

Sonic

[8-bitNesMan]

Mario World runs rings (heh heh, get it?) around Sonic the Hedgehog. I was lucky enough to have a Super NES sitting under the tree Christmas morning 1991 and I don't think I've ever been impacted before or since quite like I was on that glorious day. It may be slower than Sonic but the worlds and colors are so beautiful and the music was magical to me also. I remember playing each save file to 96 worlds and taking my SNES on family vacation and rocking out on some Mario World in the hotel rooms that we stayed in. Even years later I played it with my best friend just to see if we could get all 96 worlds in one sitting. We did it in a few hours and still had a ball doing it. I never played Sonic to completion, even when I had the time and attention span to do so. And @ Aussie2B: Call me crazy, but I loved the cape, Yoshi, and the football player Koopas

[jwmollman]

I grew up with Super Mario World, so I'll have to vote for that one. I like the idea of replaying levels, the massive world, the different "areas" of levels down the pipes, etc.

I always knew Sonic existed, but we never had a Genesis when I was a kid, so I never had the chance to really see what the game was like. I really only had the chance to play at dentist's offices or something. I only started getting into Sonic (still not as much as Super Mario World) until a few years ago when I began collecting. But still, my vote goes to Super Mario World.

[NayusDante]

I really only had the chance to play at dentist's offices or something.

What is it with dentists and the Genesis? That was my exposure to Sonic as well...

Sonic definitely has more precise timing, and for me that's actually a minus. I much prefer the freedom of motion you have in SMW. You can be good at SMW and not just be hitting the right buttons on a schedule, it's more reactive.