Board Thread:SMG4 Discussion/@comment-34378849-20190213054217

[Beware: Long post.] After reading RF2024's discussion regarding the criticisms of modern SMG4, I've decided to post some thoughts that other users might like to join in and discuss. Mainly, I want to raise this question: Should Modern SMG4 be Considered SM64 Machinima?

My Answer: Personally, I would actually say NO to this question, and for several reasons:

*G-Mod Usage: Long-time SMG4 fans commonly point out that G-Mod is used seemingly too much in newer videos, but I have a crazy theory for why this is: I think SMG4 is willing to eventually eliminate SM64 from his videos entirely and make them entirely with G-Mod. As ridiculous as this sounds, allow me to explain. I think the only reason he hasn't done this yet is because most fans know him as an SM64 Machinimist due to his pre-2016 content, and even though he knows he can make much more dynamic scenes with just G-Mod, he makes the conscious effort to keep SM64 in his videos just for the sake of pleasing his older fans and keeping consistency. If he didn't have this label to himself, I honestly believe we would be getting purely G-Mod Mario videos instead of what we currently have.

*Out with the Old, In with the New: It's become apparent that the main SMG4 cast is much different now than it was even just three years ago. Completely gone (outside of cameos) are the multicolored Mario YouTubers, such as X, FM, and Starman, and appearing much less frequently are the main characters of SMG4's side series such as Sonic the Derphog and Guards N' Retards. Even Peach seems to have gone all but missing as of the past year, and I think this was a conscious decision to make room for the new cast of characters that includes Boopkins, Bob, Meggy, Saiko, and Tari (not to mention Shroomy and Jeeves as well). Modern SMG4 has differentiated himself to the point where half of the main cast doesn't even have a native SM64/N64 model, and as such, the use of G-Mod is required for these characters, which can relate to my first point above.

*Character Arcs: With the inclusion of character arcs in newer videos, SMG4 has become willing to stray away from the sort of random and humorous videos he's always been known for. I often find that other modern (and much smaller) SM64 Machinimists almost never step away from the SMG4 style of video and try experimenting with a different format, leading me to believe that the random SMG4 video style has become the new norm for almost all modern SM64 Machinimists. Because SMG4 now has a new successful way to differentiate himself from this norm, combined with the other two factors above, it becomes increasingly clear that SMG4 is no longer what he used to be.

Overall, these are my reasons as to why I believe Modern SMG4 should not be considered SM64 Machinima. Personally, if you asked me when SMG4 stopped being an SM64 Machinimist, I would probably say sometime during 2017, around when Meggy was first introduced to the main cast. Anyways, what are your thoughts on this subject? Leave a reply if you're interested in joining this discussion! 