Nice analysis. At first I thought it was uncalled for, but the way you put it makes sense.abacab driver said:Personally.. I say the blowing up of 8-bit Mario (the archetype of all platforming characters and their functionality) is a brilliant and intentional metaphor for doing away with limiting a character to pre-defined abilities.
I agree, the less the industry as a whole takes itself seriously, the better. Gaming is all about having fun, and the people developing them should reflect this stance. Games referencing each other isn't something to be downplayed, quite the contrary.