Support NeoGAF

[Alcibiades]

I'm worried I may have led some customer astray about Mario Golf...

Basically, our Best Buy sold out of Mario Kart, Super Mario Advance 1, 2, 3, & 4, so we only had Mario and Luigi, Mario Golf, and NES-edition Super Mario Bros. and the lady really wanted a Mario game.

I told the lady (from Mexico, and she told me her kid didn't know how to read in English) that Mario and Luigi was an adventure game that might be a bit reading-intensive, so probably Mario Golf or Super Mario Bros. would be a better choice, but I told her Super Mario Bros. wouldn't be that special to a kid nowadays, so if I was a kid I'd probably go with Mario Golf, but now I'm worried the RPG-like elements might require too much reading...

So, how much reading in English does Mario Golf require, or is it simple enough for a 10-year-old kid to figure out on his own more or less...

 

[Justin Bailey]

There's quite a bit of reading in the story mode, but you can bypass that and play the tournaments and character battles by themselves if you want to.

 

[Alcibiades]

thanks man...

looks like it's pretty playable with or without doing RPG mode, so as long as the kid is entertained...

 

[TheDiave]

This purchase was made in America right? One could only assume they live here... So perhaps she should teach her f'ing kid English!

Sorry... *turns rant mode off*

 

[Memles]

thanks man...

looks like it's pretty playable with or without doing RPG mode, so as long as the kid is entertained...

I'd agree with that statement. If the kid knows "yes" and "no" he'll be able to progress between the various modes, and his mother can help him understand basic terms (Singles Play, Doubles Play, etc.).

Of course, if the kid doesn't understand golf, it might prove a little more difficult, but hopefully he does. If he's 10, nor speaking English or not, I think it's a good choice.

 

[drohne]

er, i don't know if a 10 year old kid would necessarily have any interest in golf. or knowledge of its rules. and of course he won't be able to read the manual or the in-game explanations. and mario's barely in the game, for fuck's sake. you should've sent her to a different store.

 

[Alcibiades]

This purchase was made in America right? One could only assume they live here... So perhaps she should teach her f'ing kid English!

Sorry... *turns rant mode off*

It was made on the Texas-Mexico border (where I live), and I'd estimate about 70% of our customers are from Mexico...

I usually address customers in Spanish, unless they respond in English or are clearly English-speaking...

The parents didn't seem to be fluent in English (although they looked like well-educated people)...

 

[Wario64]

I think you should be worried about the kid's interest in golf. The game can be pretty tough if the dude/gal doesn't know much about golf, or just hates golf period. As for the reading, I hope the kid knows that there is a quick play option in the menu upon making a character, and can read the menus.


I would have pushed a sale for Super Mario Bros. over Mario Golf, although Mario Golf does rox. But I don't think it should be sold to someone who can't read well

 

[drohne]

this reminds me of the simpsons episode where bart wanted bonestorm but ended up with lee carvallo's putting challenge.

i love golf games, incidentally. i just think this was a bad call.

 

[Alcibiades]

er, i don't know if a 10 year old kid would necessarily have any interest in golf. or knowledge of its rules. and of course he won't be able to read the manual or the in-game explanations. and mario's barely in the game, for fuck's sake. you should've sent her to a different store.

I usually send customers to Target (like a block away) or Gamestop (also about a block away), but they seemed like they wanted to be done with quickly and they were already taking Kirby GBA, so I didn't want to complicate matters considering they seemed like they didn't know 100% what they were doing (although they had Kirby and Mario written down on a list)...

 

[Alcibiades]

I think you should be worried about the kid's interest in golf. The game can be pretty tough if the dude/gal doesn't know much about golf, or just hates golf period. As for the reading, I hope the kid knows that there is a quick play option in the menu upon making a character, and can read the menus.


I would have pushed a sale for Super Mario Bros. over Mario Golf, although Mario Golf does rox. But I don't think it should be sold to someone who can't read well

woops, well hopefully they can figure it out... maybe it was a bad call...

well, I've played through some of Mario Golf (GCN) and Super Monkey Ball Golf, so I just assumed you didn't really need to know the detailed rules to have fun with the game, you know just knowing you need to get the ball in the hole and stuff, and I had heard a ton of postive feedback about the game here (though I didn't read previews or impressions in-depth)...

yeah, I tried to recommed Sonic 3, but she wanted a Mario Game, I guess I should have played it safe with the $20 SMB, but I didn't want to kid to be like "WTF is this?!"

 

[Acrylamid]

Am I the only one who thinks it's amazing how much efralope cares about his costumers?
I always assumed that the sales clerks I talked to have forgotten me the minute after I left their shop, let alone the idea that someone asks in a message board if he has sold me the right thing.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I hate the sales people at Best Buy. They assault me every 5 seconds asking if I want help. I just want to be left the fuck alone. I'm not scared to ask if I need help.

 

[Justin Bailey]

I hate the sales people at Best Buy. They assault me every 5 seconds asking if I want help. I just want to be left the fuck alone. I'm not scared to ask if I need help.

They only do that because their sups will yell at them if they don't. I worked in computers for about a year there once, my store was filled with crap managers.

 

[kiryogi]

The box art does say "requires basic reading ability to fully enjoy the game" ....

 

[Alcibiades]

The box art does say "requires basic reading ability to fully enjoy the game" ....

true, and so does Pokemon, but if non-English speaking kids could enjoy Mario Golf on Cube (at the demo kiosk we had last summer), that might be the case here if they don't do the RPG mode...

so basically it was down to

Mario Golf non-RPG parts vs. Super Mario Bros. with blocky graphics

I doubt a 10 year old kid is going to be nostalgic about SMB (although for sure he would know how to play)...

I'd being hearing how much fun Mario Golf was, and last year the Cube version was a hit, so I took an educated guess and put myself in the position the kid (who hopefully is clever enough to run through options and do a trail-and-error kind of deal) was in, since his mother asked me which I would take if I was her child...

 

[miyuru]

You went with Mario Golf over Super Mario Bros? Mario Bros is way more universal, no shit!

 

[Scorpion]

You should have went with SMB, the kids only 10 so i doubt he played it before on the nes or snes. And from my experience the younger they are the less they care about graphics.