Why Super Mario 3D All-Stars doesn’t need the Retro Remake Treatment
Since Nintendo stealth dropped their Super Mario 35th Anniversary Direct last week, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding the re-releases of multiple games, but mainly the 3D All-Stars Collection. This collection had been rumoured time and time again, to the point where people were actually beginning to feel a bit fed up of constantly hearing ‘Mario Rumoured This Week!’ just to be with the same fate of nada. Upon 3D All-Stars announcement however, a large majority still seem somewhat disappointed with the content unveiled — only citing minor changes for improving visual quality, and leaving the rest untouched. However if we take the time to appreciate the package on offer, there’s more than meets the eye…
When taking into consideration the product, ultimately the player wants to know they’re getting value for money whilst also getting a high end product. On offer here are 3 of the best games of all time — 3 iterations of the highest quality plumber platforming you’ll ever see. Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy are all coming together in one convenient package alongside their OSTs in a music player within the game itself. Having all these classics with ease to access in one place is an absolute godsend for a player like myself, who adores all 3 of these titles, but would require 2 different consoles setup in order to play these. For those with little space in their setup, this is less than ideal. Never before has it been this easy to get access to the franchise that really got Nintendo to the forefront of the industry, and I think this in and of itself should be noted.
In addition to this, the work and effort put into reworking and adding Quality of Life touches into these games has very much gone under the radar. When we take the time to look under the hood, it’s clear there’s some significant work done to each title:
Nintendo have gone back to work on SM64, giving it a breath of fresh air by rendering at native 720p and as a result, the upgraded textures are an absolute pleasure to see. For a game not long turned 24, it’s as vibrant and enjoyable to play as it was at launch.
With the improved 16:9 1080p resolution (720p in Handheld), the visual clarity between the original and this port are still night and day. We can see that care has been taken here, and that it’s a bit more than just ‘slapping it’ onto the switch as seems to be the current consensus.
One of the more impressive changes can be seen in the remastering of certain scenes like the cutscenes, which have been completely re-rendered. The Wii version of Super Mario Galaxy does show its age with a significant level of blurring; In 3D All-Stars, the quality is much better, once again showing a nice, crisp 1080p image on that which was before 480p at best
I continue to see many arguments against the collection, citing Nintendo’s laziness as a reason for disdain towards the product. What I struggle to fathom is what players are looking for if these Mario titles were to receive the ‘Retro Remake’ that we’ve seen Crash Bandicoot and Spyro receive recently. Naturally, yes, a fully HD modernized Mario 64 would be breathtaking, but I do think skipping out on this takes away from the end product? Not at all.
In other remakes (I’ll continue to refer to Spyro and Crash for easy comparison), the games in question will benefit from tweaks to gameplay. The original PS1 Crash Bandicoot can feel extremely harsh, and the camera slightly unsatisfying to play with. Come the PS4 remake, we see the updated visuals and gameplay elements compliment each other. I don’t think this form of treatment is applicable to the Super Mario series. 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are all praised for their tight controls, fast paced gameplay and a solid rate of progression throughout the game by collection stars.
Overall, this collection is still a treat for any Super Mario fan. It’s presenting 3 of the most iconic video games, in a convenient package at a nice price point. £16.75 for each Mario game on one of their most successful platforms? Happily. Whilst of course I could continue to ask for everything in full 1080p60 with HD textures, the fact of the matter is to timeless classics such as these 3 titles, I simply don’t think it would affect the overall class and quality that will continue to shine through the gaming industry like the stars they are.
Besides, With Nintendo reportedly asking developers to get their games 4K ready, maybe those hopes of 4K Mario aren’t too far away…
