Set and Console Translation
First, she discusses SET (116-7). Which is amazing.
But, she makes an interesting case for Geometry Wars and Super Mario 64, both of which use the kinesthetics of the game controller (224-5). And, both games were adapted for the DSi, to greater and less success, which is an interesting study of how intrinsic game hardware is to game play. Both games, theoretically, adapt well to the mobile gaming system, but in replacing the responsive joystick central to both games with the direction pad the play changes. In Super Mario 64, it’s very difficult to maneuver Yoshi around the series of obstacles that rely on the precision of the N64 controller (which was really amazing). Nintendo is (usually) very good about closely linking hardware to games, and using the benefits of the hardware. The 3-D world of Super Mario 64 was stunning, and the gameplay relies on exploring that world which could not exist as a two dimensional image. The direction pad on the DS is radically less sensitive, and in turn, the game is deeply frustrating even though it’s pretty much exactly the same game that was lauded for the N64. Geometry Wars, on the other hand, is a flat, arcade-style game that’s great for the DS, and the adaption to the keypad is much less awkward, and it’s connection to the hardware is less ingrained (it was originally a virtual arcade game within Project Gotham Racing 2). So, while Super Mario 64’s close connection to the console was what made that game so successful, it was also the reason that it was less successful when translated to a different platform.
I am not much of a gamer anymore myself, but I have been “forced” into gaming on several occasions in the recent past and this idea of the Super Mario 64 game reminds me of a more recent game called Super Meat Boy 2, which is playable on a variety of platforms. I was playing it on a friend’s X-Box 360 when another friend showed up and essentially began “calmly discussing” how much he hates this game. It is a difficult game, but it has more to do with the strategy and less to do with the controls, which I had no problem maneuvering despite not playing on the console frequently. It was here that I learned that his great hatred for the game is due to the fact that he played the game on a PC and not on an X-Box, essentially destroying any of that sense of flow that is absolutely necessary for the game. The moral is that the control system is incredibly important!