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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.
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.
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Memorandum! wrote:
> 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.
Um, yeah okay then (strokes chin slowly). So what have you done, threatened them with stanley knives of something.
> 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.
Um, yeah okay then (strokes chin slowly). So what have you done, threatened them with stanley knives of something.
Damarus wrote:
> 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.
Edgy isn't in this forum. Do you mean the one Forest posted a few weeks back??
> 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.
Edgy isn't in this forum. Do you mean the one Forest posted a few weeks back??
Johnson wrote:
> Um, yeah okay then (strokes chin slowly). So what have you done,
> threatened them with stanley knives of something.
If you don't stop asking questions, I might have to see to it that you never become a regular.
> Um, yeah okay then (strokes chin slowly). So what have you done,
> threatened them with stanley knives of something.
If you don't stop asking questions, I might have to see to it that you never become a regular.
I think Aper Mario 2 will be groundbreaking. Mario's test will be Mario128 but I think it'll be good.
SlaveToDixieKong wrote:
> I think Aper Mario 2 will be groundbreaking. Mario's test will be
> Mario128 but I think it'll be good.
True, True. Paper Mario 2 won't be as good as the likes of Super Mario 64 though, or the first Paper Mario.
> I think Aper Mario 2 will be groundbreaking. Mario's test will be
> Mario128 but I think it'll be good.
True, True. Paper Mario 2 won't be as good as the likes of Super Mario 64 though, or the first Paper Mario.
SlaveToDixieKong wrote:
> I think Aper Mario 2 will be groundbreaking. Mario's test will be
> Mario128 but I think it'll be good.
True, True. Paper Mario 2 won't be as good as the likes of Super Mario 64 though, or the first Paper Mario.
> I think Aper Mario 2 will be groundbreaking. Mario's test will be
> Mario128 but I think it'll be good.
True, True. Paper Mario 2 won't be as good as the likes of Super Mario 64 though, or the first Paper Mario.
Mario has had his day as the main seller for Nintendo consoles, however he's still a big seller despite that.
Mario Kart Double Dash!! sold well, Mario Party games sell well in Japan, Mario Golf makes golf games seem fun and Mario Tennis has always been very popular.
But because Mario has done everything, then there's not really much Nintendo can do other than to expand on what they've got. For example, the introduction of new characters such as Waluigi, and the RPGs that can take on any idea the developer at the time wishes to put together.
As for the GameCube games being updates of previous games, Super Mario Sunshine may have used the same kind of method of play, but it wasn't the exact same game engine, unlike Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan. It was updated, but was also put intoa unique setting for a Mario game and expanded the Nintendo universe greatly by introducing a new 'Kingdom' for Nintendo to explore through various games. They seem to have left it out for Mario Golf, but Mario Kart Double Dash!! greatly used this to its advantage as well as expanding on the way it plays.
The only way Mario could go further would be to create a totally new genre of gaming. Something that is incredibly hard to accomplish and is the reason why it'll be hard for any games character to live up to Mario's standards. Mario was the first real platforming character, he was in the best 2D Kart racer of its time and has done so much more than the average games character such as the samey Lara Croft and the generic Crash Bandicoot. Sonic was Mario's only real competitor and I feel will only have a chance of proving more successful on the handhelds whilst the cartoon Sonic X is keeping Sonic alive.
Mario may not be what he used to be, but he has evolved just like the games universe in general.
Mario Kart Double Dash!! sold well, Mario Party games sell well in Japan, Mario Golf makes golf games seem fun and Mario Tennis has always been very popular.
But because Mario has done everything, then there's not really much Nintendo can do other than to expand on what they've got. For example, the introduction of new characters such as Waluigi, and the RPGs that can take on any idea the developer at the time wishes to put together.
As for the GameCube games being updates of previous games, Super Mario Sunshine may have used the same kind of method of play, but it wasn't the exact same game engine, unlike Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan. It was updated, but was also put intoa unique setting for a Mario game and expanded the Nintendo universe greatly by introducing a new 'Kingdom' for Nintendo to explore through various games. They seem to have left it out for Mario Golf, but Mario Kart Double Dash!! greatly used this to its advantage as well as expanding on the way it plays.
The only way Mario could go further would be to create a totally new genre of gaming. Something that is incredibly hard to accomplish and is the reason why it'll be hard for any games character to live up to Mario's standards. Mario was the first real platforming character, he was in the best 2D Kart racer of its time and has done so much more than the average games character such as the samey Lara Croft and the generic Crash Bandicoot. Sonic was Mario's only real competitor and I feel will only have a chance of proving more successful on the handhelds whilst the cartoon Sonic X is keeping Sonic alive.
Mario may not be what he used to be, but he has evolved just like the games universe in general.
Johnson wrote:
> Damarus wrote:
> 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.
>
> Edgy isn't in this forum. Do you mean the one Forest posted a few
> weeks back??
You what?
Ofcourse I'm in this forum - my post down the page and this one now proves that.
> Damarus wrote:
> 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.
>
> Edgy isn't in this forum. Do you mean the one Forest posted a few
> weeks back??
You what?
Ofcourse I'm in this forum - my post down the page and this one now proves that.
Edgy wrote:
> Mario has had his day as the main seller for Nintendo consoles,
> however he's still a big seller despite that.
>
> Mario Kart Double Dash!! sold well, Mario Party games sell well in
> Japan, Mario Golf makes golf games seem fun and Mario Tennis has
> always been very popular.
>
> But because Mario has done everything, then there's not really much
> Nintendo can do other than to expand on what they've got. For
> example, the introduction of new characters such as Waluigi, and the
> RPGs that can take on any idea the developer at the time wishes to
> put together.
>
> As for the GameCube games being updates of previous games, Super
> Mario Sunshine may have used the same kind of method of play, but it
> wasn't the exact same game engine, unlike Super Mario Bros 2 in
> Japan. It was updated, but was also put intoa unique setting for a
> Mario game and expanded the Nintendo universe greatly by introducing
> a new 'Kingdom' for Nintendo to explore through various games. They
> seem to have left it out for Mario Golf, but Mario Kart Double Dash!!
> greatly used this to its advantage as well as expanding on the way it
> plays.
>
> The only way Mario could go further would be to create a totally new
> genre of gaming. Something that is incredibly hard to accomplish and
> is the reason why it'll be hard for any games character to live up to
> Mario's standards. Mario was the first real platforming character, he
> was in the best 2D Kart racer of its time and has done so much more
> than the average games character such as the samey Lara Croft and the
> generic Crash Bandicoot. Sonic was Mario's only real competitor and I
> feel will only have a chance of proving more successful on the
> handhelds whilst the cartoon Sonic X is keeping Sonic alive.
>
> Mario may not be what he used to be, but he has evolved just like the
> games universe in general.
You like replying to these long topic posts don't you. However, your points are true.
> Mario has had his day as the main seller for Nintendo consoles,
> however he's still a big seller despite that.
>
> Mario Kart Double Dash!! sold well, Mario Party games sell well in
> Japan, Mario Golf makes golf games seem fun and Mario Tennis has
> always been very popular.
>
> But because Mario has done everything, then there's not really much
> Nintendo can do other than to expand on what they've got. For
> example, the introduction of new characters such as Waluigi, and the
> RPGs that can take on any idea the developer at the time wishes to
> put together.
>
> As for the GameCube games being updates of previous games, Super
> Mario Sunshine may have used the same kind of method of play, but it
> wasn't the exact same game engine, unlike Super Mario Bros 2 in
> Japan. It was updated, but was also put intoa unique setting for a
> Mario game and expanded the Nintendo universe greatly by introducing
> a new 'Kingdom' for Nintendo to explore through various games. They
> seem to have left it out for Mario Golf, but Mario Kart Double Dash!!
> greatly used this to its advantage as well as expanding on the way it
> plays.
>
> The only way Mario could go further would be to create a totally new
> genre of gaming. Something that is incredibly hard to accomplish and
> is the reason why it'll be hard for any games character to live up to
> Mario's standards. Mario was the first real platforming character, he
> was in the best 2D Kart racer of its time and has done so much more
> than the average games character such as the samey Lara Croft and the
> generic Crash Bandicoot. Sonic was Mario's only real competitor and I
> feel will only have a chance of proving more successful on the
> handhelds whilst the cartoon Sonic X is keeping Sonic alive.
>
> Mario may not be what he used to be, but he has evolved just like the
> games universe in general.
You like replying to these long topic posts don't you. However, your points are true.
Nope, Mario and friends are still going strong.
What with changing into 3D in the most brilliant way possible, and branching out into other areas (all areas) - [EDIT - racing, party games] golf, tennis, pinball now, you've got Superstar Saga, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Paper Mario not to menion cameos in just about every other Ninty game and star roles in Smash Bros.
That's the key to Mario's greatness - he can do anything, and do it fantastically. Unlike, say, Sonic - who died outside his natural 2D environment, despite attemping to branch out (and failing dismally, because all the other chatacters Sega have come up with suck more ass than is humanly possible, and are painfully annoying doing so - whereas, all of Mazza's mates rock eternally)
What with changing into 3D in the most brilliant way possible, and branching out into other areas (all areas) - [EDIT - racing, party games] golf, tennis, pinball now, you've got Superstar Saga, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Paper Mario not to menion cameos in just about every other Ninty game and star roles in Smash Bros.
That's the key to Mario's greatness - he can do anything, and do it fantastically. Unlike, say, Sonic - who died outside his natural 2D environment, despite attemping to branch out (and failing dismally, because all the other chatacters Sega have come up with suck more ass than is humanly possible, and are painfully annoying doing so - whereas, all of Mazza's mates rock eternally)
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