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"Mario - Had His Day?"

We all know who he is. If you don’t, where have you been over the last 20 years? Mario is the most recognised icon in the gaming industry. Miyamoto’s creation has captivated audiences from children to adults alike, and has appeared in more video games than Michael Schumacher has won F1 races. But as we enter the next generation of console gaming, is Mario still that character who stars in such fantastic titles, or has Mario had his day, and is desperately trying to stay in the industry for the sake of it?

When the arcade game of Donkey Kong came out, people looked at that low-res character on the screen, wearing a cap and dungarees and though to themselves ‘Will this guy become a star?’ And sure enough, it only took Mario a few years to star in some of the greatest video games ever created. Hitting the big time on the NES, Mario was the subject of the Super Mario Bros. series. When people played Mario Bros. for the first time, they knew that it was a masterpiece.

Then, as the years rolled on, Mario left the platforming and started to explore more of the industry. People today claim that Super Mario Kart is one of the best racers ever, and sure enough Mario’s racing title would inspire every ‘kids racer’ for the next 10 years and beyond. It then didn’t take Mario long to enter the world of sport either, with his Mario Golf and Tennis titles, which brought all the trademark of Mario to these everyday sports.

But we all know Mario for his platforming adventures, and that’s where he astonished us the most. Super Mario World on the SNES was pure magic, introducing characters such as Yoshi to the series and acclaimed as the greatest 2D game ever by many people. And sure enough, it was the little Italian who would again change the face of the gaming industry by going 3D in Super Mario 64. Was there any stopping this guy? He had starred in some of the greatest video games ever made, made more cameo appearances than any other gaming icon, had hundreds of games with his name in the title and basically revolutionised the gaming industry.

But now, in 2004, is Mario the character he once was? It now seems Mario is running out of ideas fast. His Gamecube debut, Super Mario Sunshine, was full of originality but lacked the greatness the likes of Super Mario 64 possessed. And now when we buy a Mario title, it’s a case of ‘Been there, seen it, got the T-shirt’. Look at how many re-makes of his classic games are on the GBA, and his Gamecube titles just seem to be updates of his classic titles. Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, it just seems a case of ‘Take an old Mario game, chuck in a few new features and add a bit on the end of the name.’

Mario 128 will be the acid test for Mario. Titles such as Paper Mario 2, Mario Tennis and Mario vs. DK for example will be very good, but not ground-breaking, like we have come to expect of Mario from the last few years. Miyamoto has promised Mario 128 will be a revolution in gaming, but is keeping the lid on his latest creation. If Mario 128 fails to impress, then maybe Link or Samus will have to take over Mario’s roll, and make their own golf and karting games for us. If Mario is to keep his status, he needs to star in new and original titles that can live up to his great games in the past, and not star games by the name of Mario Kart: The Ultimate Karting Simulator and Mario Golf: Mushroom Kingdom Tour 2010. They say the Big N never let us down - well they need to do something for Mario very soon.

Forest Fan wrote:
> Make the thread interesting and lively and ask questions of what
> people's views are on certain subjects.

It won't let me, cuz I'm a NEWBIE. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that's not fair. How do I become a regular??

You have to sing the Song of the Loris, while dancing the dance of Queen B.

After the chant of The Moonies, you must ask the head Moomin for permission to become a regular, and if he grants it, you have achieved your task.

Memorandum! wrote:
> You have to sing the Song of the Loris, while dancing the dance of
> Queen B.
>
> After the chant of The Moonies, you must ask the head Moomin for
> permission to become a regular, and if he grants it, you have
> achieved your task.

I thought it would be simpler, like posting 400 posts or something...

No, it's ridiculously complex.
There's more to it, but I don't have the time to go into it right now.

Damarus wrote:
> If you're trying to win a GAD you've got the wrong thread for a start.

If this is the thread he created, then he's hardly got the wrong one has he.

As for the forum itself, you can win by posting in any forum. It's just the general trend tends to be from out of this forum due to the lack of decent stuff.

Damn. Well I will e-mail them and see what they say. I don't like being a Newbie. Just cuz I didn't come on the forums much, that makes me a newbie. Man, life sucks.

Johnson wrote:
> It won't let me, cuz I'm a NEWBIE. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that's not
> fair. How do I become a regular??

You'll be a regular at precisley 3:30am this morning, give or take a few minutes.

Forest Fan wrote:
> Johnson wrote:
> It won't let me, cuz I'm a NEWBIE. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that's not
> fair. How do I become a regular??
>
> You'll be a regular at precisley 3:30am this morning, give or take a
> few minutes.

Hows that then. What have I done right?????

Johnson wrote:
> Damn. Well I will e-mail them and see what they say. I don't like
> being a Newbie. Just cuz I didn't come on the forums much, that
> makes me a newbie. Man, life sucks.

If you tell them I sent you, they'll make you a regular out of fear of me.
This is my good deed for the day.

You can thank me later, dear Johnson.

Damarus wrote:
> If you're trying to win a GAD you've got the wrong forum for a start.

That's what I meant to say as Edgy so rightly pointed out.