Sonic 1 vs. Mario World

[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.



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. 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....