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My Game of the Year (2017) – Super Mario: Odyssey #4

At the beginning of the year Nintendo was at the backend of the console market. We knew that they were going to launch a brand-new console, but was that enough to put Nintendo back in the conversation? In March, Nintendo was set to launch their new console – The Nintendo Switch along with the highly anticipated Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo promise a trickle of game every month, for the most part they stayed true to that with re-releases of Wii-U games, new exclusive games, and an abundance of indie games. But the next highly anticipated game for Nintendo was Mario Odyssey set to release in October.

Now the we understand the importance and the impact the Switch has in the industry. A hybrid console that can be played at home and on the go in handheld. When you combine the portable nature of the Switch and how Mario: Odyssey’s pick-up and play gameplay of collection is – it’s a perfect storm of joy in any time of day.


Mario Odyssey Made Me Feel Like a Kid Again

The first thing that popped out at me was the amazing visuals—this is the best-looking Mario game ever. We came a long way from the days of Mario 64. The graphics and visuals are improved over the years, but there are markings of Mario 64 in this game. The open world aspect feels exactly like going through a painting and seeing a unique explorable world.

Running around in the world reminds me of the time I went up the hill to battle the Chain Chomp boss. Every action was a blast from a past. All the audio sounds, the animation, and enemies blends together in a joyful experience that made me smile the whole ride though.

Boss battles compared to Mario 64 are different mechanically, but each encounter is a fun simple puzzle that has unique mechanics that hasn’t been introduced in that world before.

As I played through more, the more I realized how many parts of Odyssey were reused, or improved from Mario 64. I haven’t had a chance to play the last couple Mario titles, but I’m glad that my first experience as an adult with Mario was with Mario Odyssey.

Mario Explores Unique Worlds




Before release I knew that Mario Odyssey would have many worlds. I didn’t think there were 12 worlds! These worlds come in all different sizes. Some can be massive but feel shallow or it can be a small compact world with many nooks and crannies.

Whatever world you’re on there are many secrets that feel rewarding. It can be a building you’ve pass repeatedly, or it can be as simple as a butt stomp on small hill. Mario Odyssey’s world designs were made in a way that makes the player achieve something. Moons, paintings, hat puzzles, or heath packs. Exploration in Mario Odyssey is never a dull moment. There will be always something to do even after the credits roll.

Cappy the Hat is The Best Companion -- Sorry Yoshi

If you didn’t already know, Cappy is a sentient hat that Mario obtains early in the game. The power he has allows him to transform in to different hats. He can also turn himself and Mario anything if captured. They can take over curtain objects like, animals, and enemies. it’s cute, you can see Cappy as the hat and Mario’s mustache and blue eyes.

Cappy as a mechanic is Nintendo’s best envision in a Mario series I’ve experienced – it’s definitely the weirdest. The way Nintendo creates the world is so tied to this mechanic. For example, taking over a goomba allows you to stack other goombas – in doing so it can take you to higher heights or taking over Bullet Bill allows you to hover over gaps like a pit or pool of lava. This mechanic is great for exploring the world and hidden areas that might be seen otherwise.

Cappy is the Mario’s best friend in Odyssey and it’s slowly becoming my favorite secondary character in a Nintendo game. Sorry Yoshi it’s been fun but Cappy is one of a kind.
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As a collectible game this game has almost an endless amount of gameplay value, as to 100% Mario Odyssey you must collect 999 moons. That’s a lot of moons to find.


Mario has been in our gaming culture for as long as I can remember or me. It all has the fundamentals of a great platformer. But as technology grow videogames grew and Mario grew with them. As someone who hasn’t played a Mario game since Mario 64, Mario Odyssey made me think about how I grew, and how I might grow with it.

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