New Super Mario Bros. 2

[StarSock64]

Super Mario 64 used random default worlds, but they used them in a way that was interesting. The huge eel in the water? The bob-omb war? The penguins and how momma penguin would get mad if you took her baby? The bird that took your hat? The infestation of boos? Talk about charm! All the details made the difference. Everything felt alive and interactive.

The Galaxies had some of this, sort of, but they felt half-hearted and weren't as memorable. Like Koopaul was saying, they felt like an obstacle course for the sake of an obstacle course, not an obstacle course in an exciting world.

Sunshine's probably my favorite 3D Mario game ever because its atmosphere was just great. Gameplay is good and all, but I've played a lot of games with good gameplay, so why waste my time on one that has good gameplay but lackluster everything else? Just because it has Mario in the name? That's not the way it works.

The games with just good gameplay alone aren't the ones I bother to remember. The gameplay can be similar, because I don't think I'll ever spontaneously get sick of Mario-style platformers, but at least spice up the rest of the game, please.

When I buy a game, I don't just want a time waster doing something I've already done and seen before, I want a new experience.