Video Game Comparisons: Super Mario - 64 vs Sunshine vs Galaxy (Part 2)

[Alolan_Apples]

Last time, I went over where each of the 3D Mario games are at their best and at their worst. I declared that Sunshine had a better plot, better missions, and better soundtrack while Galaxy excels in title design and graphics. Super Mario 64 only won the gameplay basics battle. I couldn't finish it because of the 10,000 character limit, so I moved some of the other parts to today's entry.

Levels:

Now that I went over the missions, let's look at the levels.

• SM64 - with 15 levels containing six or seven stars each, Super Mario 64 has some interesting ones. Some show how the game is still worth playing today, but there are three with interesting concepts. Unfortunately, the levels are too small, which is another reason proving why this game hasn't aged well.
• SMS - while some levels are large as some are small, just seven levels was enough to show how well-done the game is. SM64 and SMG may have more variety, but the seven levels in SMS is an example of worldbuilding. It's showing more of what Isle Delfino is like rather than throwing random levels all around. They all have their own advantages too.
• SMG - as games get bigger, we get even larger levels, but here's the problem. All levels are broken up into many different objects, each having their own gravity. If you "fall off", you will normally go to the other side of the object.

Verdict: I may have bias for Super Mario Sunshine, but worldbuilding in general makes games better. The only drawback is the lack of variety in themes (like winter theme and desert theme). It's also worth mentioning that each level has their plots. As for the other two games, there's no way they can win. Super Mario 64's levels are too small and simple. And Super Mario Galaxy, it's not even a true platformer to me. It lacks obstacles, levels are nothing but multiple objects, and they lack variety in unique missions. Bigger doesn't always mean better, and there's more than what meets the eye. Winner: Super Mario Sunshine; Loser: Super Mario Galaxy.

Hubs:

There's one more level to look at in each game.

• Peach's Castle - some say that this is the best hub, but they're only saying it out of nostalgia. It was neatly designed, but the hub is too small. I'm not overly fond of Peach's Castle as a hub, including where we jump through paintings. Even Paper Mario 64 had Peach's Castle done better.
• Delfino Plaza - Delfino Plaza is not just a level hub, but it's a level on its own too. If it weren't, it's still a nicely made city. There's a canal, a lighthouse, a boathouse, and many markets to go to. The fact that it acts like a level shows even more world building.
• Comet Observatory - The Comet Observatory is the most hub-like hub out of the three. All it does is that it shows what levels you would head to. It can be done in smaller observatories (like the gardens).

Verdict: Once again, it's not possible for Sunshine to be in second or thid place on that. Even the Sunshine haters think Delfino Plaza was a well-made hub. As for the other two, Galaxy would be a loser, but it was redeemed for not being too simple. Plus, it shown level unlocks better than the other two. Winner: Super Mario Sunshine; Loser: Super Mario 64.

Unlock Mechanic:

How meaningful is it to collect all of the power stars or shine sprites? It's meaning is determined by how they unlock levels.

• SM64 - collecting stars did have meaning earlier in the game, but as you progress (and as other 3D platformers like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64 came out), you would realize that collecting power stars became more meaningless. Reaching a certain star value is supposed to unlock only one level at a time. In SM64, you can unlock two to four levels at once at the same value. It's also easy to go out of order when choosing your levels. And you can skip levels too.
• SMS - It's a good thing that you can only unlock one level at a time, but collecting shine sprites also had less meaning. To unlock Sirena Beach, you need to befriend Yoshi. To do that, you have to specifically complete "The Wilted Sunflowers" mission. You can unlock the turbo nozzle after collecting 25 shines, but if you haven't gotten Yoshi, you won't be able to unlock the turbo nozzle. You can unlock the rocket nozzle after collecting 30 shines, but if you haven't gotten the turbo nozzle, you can't get the rocket nozzle. Basically, you are forced to complete that specific mission to get any further. In other 3D games like Sunshine, there aren't missions like that. And have I forgot to mention, you need to hunt down Shadow Mario 7 times to unlock the final level? This basically shows that collecting shine sprites have little meaning in Super Mario Sunshine since 50 specific shines are always required to get.
• SMG - this time, collection really did have a meaning. No specific missions are required to go further (except that green stars unlock the trial galaxies). And all levels have their own level locks. What else is cool is that you can unlock more observatories after beating certain bosses.

Verdict: The results are ironic this time. I may have claimed that Super Mario Galaxy had the worst levels and worst missions, but collecting is really meaningful in SMG, giving it another score. For once SMG has something that beats the other two games in gameplay. The other two didn't have much meaning, but I think it's worse to require players to collect specific items earned by completing specific missions to move further than it is to have more than one level unlocked at once at the same value. Winner: Super Mario Galaxy; Loser: Super Mario Sunshine.

Enemies:

Not everyone would befriend Mario, but which game had the best enemies.

• SM64 - Super Mario 64, along with Paper Mario 64, have all or most of the classic enemies we all know. These are goombas, koopa troopas, piranha plants, bob-ombs, boos, chain chomps, and more. There were also some weird enemies in SM64 that never appeared after SM64 such as amps, spindrifts, these fire-spitting orbs, and bullies (which is a funny name for the enemies).
• SMS - the enemies in Super Mario Sunshine are a lot weirder and more unrecognizable. Bob-ombs have digital faces, boos look a lot sleepier, and bloopers don't look like the bloopers we know. And have I mentioned the Strollin' Stus, Cataquacks, Wind Spirits, or the goop scrubs (or whatever they are)? Were they in Super Mario Bros or Super Mario World?
• SMG - some of the classic enemies make a comeback in this one, but it had its fair share of weird enemies as well.

Verdict: The winner is definitely not Super Mario Sunshine. The enemies are so weird that I wouldn't even think it's a Mario game. I know this is my first Mario game as I was 10 when I played it, but I now find these enemies too weird. As for the other two, less weird and more recognizable will make it more recognizable to get an award. Winner: Super Mario 64; Loser: Super Mario Sunshine.

Bosses:

We seen the enemies, so let's move onto the even bigger baddies in all three games.

• SM64 - as time passed by, the bosses in this game are now simple and easy to beat (and out of uniform), giving another reason why it didn't age well. In fact, some enemies later in the game are tougher to defeat than the Bob-omb King in the first level. How embarrassing.
• SMS - the bosses are a lot better than SM64's. Each boss had their unique ways of defeating. The only problems are the repeated bosses (Petey Piranha and Gooper Blooper) and the final boss. In my honest opinion, the hardest bosses were Eely, Phantamanta, and Mecha-Bowser, and Bowser at the end is one of the easiest bosses. How shameful Nintendo.
• SMG - I do like the bosses a lot here. They are all unique to fight, they look cooler, and worth fighting over and over again. SMG is easy, but Bowser is much harder to defeat.

Verdict: Even if Super Mario Galaxy has too many bosses while some are repeats (I'm okay with the Bowser repeats), it has the best bosses of the three games. The other two games aren't as good with bosses, but Sunshine would be the better despite a lackluster final boss and repeated bosses. Winner: Super Mario Galaxy; Loser: Super Mario 64.

Sorry to say, but there's a part 3.