Nintendo’s Equivalents to Star Wars Episodes I and II

  Most of the reaction comes from memory of reactions from my friends, old forums, and news sites and comments, many that disappeared a while ago. However a quick Google search should give some insight on at least some reactions.

   The mixed reactions of the first two prequels to the hit trilogy of the late 70s and 80s can be compared to the mixed reactions of many games today. Just as Star Wars Episode one was ridiculed for being too different and how Attack of the Clones was ridiculed for poor acting and characters, a few of Nintendo’s biggest games of the last 4 years can be applied to the same type of criticism. Two of them are comebacks to a long awaited series of gameplay in two of Nintendo’s biggest franchises; another is from a franchise that was deemed kiddy due to its graphic style. Today on In Depth, I will show you how Metroid Fusion, The Wind Waker, and New Super Mario Bros can be considered equivalents to the general reaction to the first two Star Wars prequel movies.

Metroid Fusion

   I talked about this in the Irony of Metroid Prime. The reaction, while positive in some sites had a mixed view among fans. The gameplay, while containing most of the elements from previous Metroid games, was shattered with a linear story and linear mission objectives. A quick look at the GameFAQs reviews, or just about any site containing user reviews (GameFAQs just has more “good” examples). It was a huge departure from the series that disappointed many. It reminds you of Star Wars Episode One almost. Yes, this is what fusion has in common with Episode I. The Phantom Menace had a very different story from the Original Trilogy. People didn’t want a 12 year old Anakin Skywalker; they wanted Darth Vader, and all those other memorable characters from the old trilogy. Fans of Metroid didn’t want some computer that knew everything and a linear story; they wanted classic exploration and the Power Suit. The X parasites were also a major story departure also. Fans felt that Phantom Menace went a bit too far back and didn’t have enough story elements we have come to expect from Star Wars. The game and that prequel were both too different.

New Super Mario Bros

This game seems more like Star Wars episode II actually. Sunshine would be Episode I for being so different but New Super Mario Bros has more in common with Attack of the Clones for its lack of difficulty, repetitiveness structure, and music & sounds. While I personally had no problem with the Music and difficulty, many other people did. Even Nintendo Power said that the Music felt uninspired. The game was very short, and lasted only a few hours before you completed it. The story could have been much better. Most Mario games had at least some twist to the traditional Save-the-princess story. For example, Bowser steals the Stars in Super Mario 64 and causes the castle to lose all its power, and in the original Super Mario Bros, Bowser has the Mushroom Kingdom residents turned into stone and locks peach up because she is the only one who knows how to unfreeze her people. However New Super Mario Bros just had Peach Kidnapped and that was it. The simplicity of the game had it criticized for these reasons, even if the score was indeed high.

When it comes to similarities between this and attack of the clones, it would be the hope and hype that this game redeems a somewhat stale series (I thought it did, but remember, this is what THEY think). It was also a throwback to the old days. Attack of the Clones brought back some more characters from the original film, added a few new ones, and improved the characters from the previous films, well sort of. Jar Jar and other annoying characters from Phantom Menace weren’t nearly as annoying as they were previously, but Anakin’s acting was just awful. The “sound” sounded bad. It should have been a step up from Phantom Menace but the poor acting and silly dialogue mauled the experience. In New Super Mario Bros, poor sounds effects and a very easy difficulty have been considered by many to have ruined the game. Neither Attack of the Clones nor New Super Mario Bros were as good as they should have been due to a few minor issues that caused major setbacks.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

How could I not put this is? This game is so similar to the reaction to Episode One that it is scary. The problem with Phantom Menace was its level kiddiness and Comic Relief. It didn’t appear to take itself too seriously on the surface, but there was some seriousness hidden underneath it. It wasn’t a bad movie, and the plot wasn’t that bad, but the goofy presentation just seemed very unfitting. In The Wind Waker, we had a big headed Link with oversized eyes in a cartoony environment surrounded by hideous MCPs. Kiddiness in the presentation was present in Wind Waker as well (No! I mean THE Wind Waker! Don’t Gannon Bann me TSA or someone else!).

There was some seriousness hidden in theses kiddy looking things. Despite wacky characters, there was seriousness hidden within Episode One and The Wind Waker. The story in The Wind Waker was much deeper than any previous Zelda game. In Phantom Menace, the occupation of Naboo could reference to the Suffering of Nations and its people in the unfair event of a war. Oh and here is the best example of how the game and the movie are alike: At the end of Episode I, Obi Wan cuts Darth Maul right in Half, and both of his half go flying down a giant shaft. In The Wind Waker, Link Stabs Ganon right in the head with the Master Sword. In fact, it is rumored that the ESRB almost gave the game a Teen rating for that. These are both something that happened without warning and shocked many.

Conclusion

All major franchises have dips in them once in a while. The first two prequels of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is a perfect example of this. Most people agree that “Revenge of the Sith” redeemed the series. It seems that many of Nintendo’s titles coming up will redeem and minor disappointments during the Gamecube Era. If Wind Waker, New Super Mario Bros, and Metroid Fusion are the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, then Metroid Prime, Super Mario Galaxy, and Twilight Princess are Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.

Written By: WillBillXP

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