The final game is big and ambitious compared to previous Mario games
I think SMB3 is about even with it or slightly better even.
SMB3 is also an excellent game, and technically the best of the NES era (it's hard to compare to the iconicness of the original), but for me SMW is the perfect Mario game.
You're right on your comparison, but I never liked a lot of the suit powerups all that much aside from the raccoon, the bonus levels aren't important to me, and SMW didn't feel like it needed the inventory as much with how it played. The combo of cape + Yoshi was hella fun, and I just generally preferred the levels, music, graphics and atmosphere. It had some levels much more big and complex than the NES Marios were capable of, and exploring the levels for the alternate paths was one of the big pluses for me.
That's not to put down SMB3 at all, I'm just splitting hairs on why I prefer SMW. I played through SMB3 again not too long ago, and it doesn't surprise me that many people consider it the best. It wouldn't surprise me for any Mario game to be considered the best. But for the elements I like the most in platforming, SMW is the better fit for me.
Yep, totally agree. SMB3 is a great game but, to me, it's definitely a quantity over quality game. Lots of powerups, lots of levels, lots of worlds. SMW is just super refined and boiled down to pure, Mario excellence.
And now I feel like replaying SMW/SMW2.
Do it!
I'd never even heard of that until just now.
Really? I thought you'd know all of them.
I remember renting Mario is Missing back in the early/mid 90's from the video store and being incredibly disappointed with it, because I had no idea what kind of game it actually was until I got it home.
Oh god yes, Mario is Missing was awful. I remember being really surprised that a new Mario game was out and then, upon playing it at a friend's house, I wasn't so surprised anymore, I was just disappointed.
Anyways, on with the list.
16.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC: 2002)
For the longest time, I hated this game. I felt it was inferior to its sequel,
Oblivion.
Oblivion had better combat and an actual fast-travel option. But, despite my declaration, I still found myself returning to the ash-covered environs of
Morrowind over and over again. What was calling me back? It certainly wasn't the clunky combat or the fucking cliff racers, so what was it?
It was Vvardenfell, the island on which
Morrowind takes place.
Oblivion is set in the relatively typical fantasy land of Cyrodiil, which means lots of verdant, pastoral fields, expansive lakes, bustling towns, and lush forests. It's beautiful to look at, even pretty to explore, but ultimately it's a bit passé, a bit... hollow.
Morrowind, on the other hand, takes place on the island of Vvardenfell, a realm of bubbling bogs, towering mushrooms, ash storms, clockwork dwarven ruins, and the alien architecture of the dark elves which all looks like its been cut and shaped from the hide of some massive, continent-sized beetle. It's utterly unlike anything else in a fantasy game.
The environment isn't the only notable aspect of the setting. In Vvardenfell, most of the citizens will treat you like the foreign mainlander that you are, with sneers of derision, condescension, and even outright contempt. The politics and beliefs of the characters of
Morrowind play an important part in the game, far more important than anything in
Oblivion or maybe even Skyrim. This gives the game world an actual personality, as you'll encounter tribal dark elves that want nothing to do with outlanders, Hlaalu slavers, ruthless Morag Tong assassins, and the casually racist Ordinator guards. This gray morality infuses even the non-dark elf groups and organizations. Even the 'best' of them have seedy underbellies that make it hard to root for one group over another. The dark elves may be a brutal, war-like people, but the Empire of Tamriel is hardly any better when you get right down to it.
And it's not just the setting that brought me back.
Morrowind has probably the most interesting plot and villain of any of the Elder Scrolls games. Most of the time, the main plots in the Elder Scrolls games are incidental, they exist merely to give you a setting to explore and loot, but in Morrowind it's actually kind of interesting. The plot concerns various prophecies and your place in them, an apocalyptic cult known as The Sixth House, and its sinister God, Dagoth Ur. It's all fairly epic stuff, as Elder Scrolls games, usually are, but it's well handled and involves a variety of different and unique quests.
But, even the best of Elder Scrolls games comes down to how much shit there is to do. And with
Morrowind, there is a lot. You can customize your character in a multitude of ways (though the leveling system in
Morrowind is fucking bonkers stupid at times). You can become a member of any of the three guilds, but unlike
Oblivion or
Skyrim, you can't become a master of the mage's guild with, say, only the dimmest of understanding of magic. You actually have to be a mage! The horror, the horror! You can even join up with one of three Noble Houses amongst a few other organizations. I'm actually not really sure about how much there is to do, because there is a lot of stuff in this game and despite how often I've played this game, I've only scratched the surface. Each organization has its own sprawling quest lines.
If joining a House or a Guild isn't to your style, you can just hoof it and explore the world. There are countless ruins, caves, temples, tombs, sewers, mines, and other places to discover and explore, some huge and sprawling and others only a few rooms in size. In these places, you'll encounter the bizarre fauna of Vvardenfell, undead guardians, vampires, Sixth House cultists, demonic daedra, and even groups of common bandits. You can take them head on, with sword and shield, shoot them from a distance with a bow, stealthily eviscerate them, or even blow them all up with magic. The choice is yours.
So, if you've played either
Oblivion or
Skyrim and thought they were the bee's knees, then give Morrowind a try. It may not be as polished, but it does an excellent job of transporting you to a dark and alien world full of magic, cliff racers, prophecies, more cliff racers, and cults. Oh, did I mention cliff racers too? Seriously, there're a lot of cliff racers in this game.
Morrowind comes with a full 90 points in the Recommendation skill for those who are prophesized to actually finish an Elder Scrolls game, fans of aerial racers that live on cliffs, and people that proudly announce their character class when you talk to them.