Hey Nintendo, Jack here. Unabashed button-pusher and Nintendo fanman. Just a thought here, something a bit crazy. A little ditty for your developers and product managers to chew on in the coming year.
You see, the consumers have spoken about Super Mario Bros., and maybe the future of the franchise isn’t necessarily one that’s dominated by 3D.
In this day and age of making things more powerful and pushing polygons and GPU usage and telling engaging emotional stories, it’s crazy talk, I know, but “facts” and “sales numbers” and “what consumers really want” are annoying like that.
gojiguy
Yeah, I hope that Nintendo makes more 2D titles.
And hell, a TRUE 2D title at that. How about Super Mario Bros 5? In full pixellated glorious two dimensions?
Yutsud
That would be increadable! They should do it like this:
Full game as a Wii Ware title and a ‘level modifier’ for DSi Ware.
David
I want ALL OF THEM!!! Super Paper Mario and NSMBW and Super Mario Galaxy and Dr Mario. More more more! I don’t care which dimensions are present, just make the games fun.
Paul
Yes, clearly all that should be made is 2d Mario games.
Actually, I’d be kinda okay with that.
raindog469
Yeah, even though the first one is my least favorite of the 3d games so far, I’m still looking forward to Super Mario Galaxy 2. Hoping there’ll be a little more blue sky, Mushroom Kingdom environments and bouncy, chip-tuney stuff, and a little less black sky, generic bodies floating in outer space, and pompous, fully orchestrated music. What I’d really like is something that creates a sense of place like Sunshine does, but I know I’m one of about 3 people in the world who liked that the best.
But of course more people are going to buy the side-scrolling one. All those older people who make up a huge chunk of “casual gamers” remember the original SMB pretty readily, but are just now getting back into video games after blowing off the N64, Gamecube (and maybe even SNES) generations of Nintendo games. A 3D Mario game means nothing to them.
I probably would have been the same way if I’d come back to Nintendo with the Wii rather than the Gamecube.
Mark
I completely agree. 3D Mario games are fantastic but they’re very different from the 2D Mario games. I’ve been hard on 3D Mario recently, but really only because I’m annoyed at how 2D Mario was abandoned in favor of 3D Mario. I see no reason why both can’t co-exist. They might as well be different series anyway (obstacle-course Mario versus treasure hunt Mario), so why not treat them as such and do both on the same console from now on? It never hurts to have more Mario, right?
Wii Wii
I am for BOTH the continuation of the amazing 3D Mario platform games AND the great retro 2D Mario platform games. I love it all.
Just get rid of the stupid ” NEW” in front of mario bros Wii title , thats all I ask. Seriously, call it ” More ” Mario bros or something, because its not a new concept, really.
I hope to see both 2D and 3D super Mario greatness in the future. One can ALWAYS look back, when still moving forward. However, lets keep going forward none the less.
deepthought
yeah you were right that it would outsell galaxy. i def didnt expect that.
i wonder how galaxy would have sold with the current install base. we’ll have a chance to see some of that with galaxy 2, but i think it might be tempered by mario inundation.
wonder if it will outsell mw2 in the states now…. if so then we’ll see the snarkiness really get turned on!
deepthought
also, meant to comment on how this looks like evidence of the casual wii market
(cause i know how much you like that line of thinking)
Zac
I like sidescrollers but they don’t have to be in 2-D.
I like what they have done with Brawl, NSMBW and what they are doing with Other M.
James Kochalka
20 years from now when they reissue New Super Mario Bros. Wii on whatever system is current in that day, the title is going to seem incredibly silly.
Taulmarill
A 2D Kid Icarus or Metroid with the point&shoot mechanic from Trine´s archer (remember Abuse?) …. that would be awesome.
[obscene screen name]
@raindog469 “and pompous, fully orchestrated music”
Okay I can understand not liking some of the aspects of the game play, but that music was AMAZING! There was nothing pompous about it. It added to the overall aesthetic beauty of the game, and is something Nintendo should have been doing way before Galaxy with games like Twilight Princess and Prime 3.
Collin
I’m not surprised about NSMBW selling more than Galaxy. Many “casual” gamers want a game that’s easy to pick up and for some the 3d beauty just distracts them and they will have no clue what to do. But for me, Galaxy wins.
BlueRocks
@Collin,
We’re not idiots. ‘Casual’ does not mean ‘retarted’. I am 42years old and not senile (enough) to be confused or distracted by all the pretty 3D.
I have played both NSMBWii and Galaxy and the former is a much better game. Pure and simple, I just enjoyed playing it, something I didn’t with Galaxy. To the point that I have finished all eight worlds and I am working on the ninth. With Galxay I got bored and stopped before I got half way through.
Now if someone could explain why Mario never sidescrolls left, that would be appreciated.
deepthought
@ bluerocks
intimidation by 3D also does not mean ‘retarted’
the casual gamer’s hallmarks are an affinity for simple presentation, simple objectives, familiarity with the content, and a lack of exposition.
2d mario has this more than 3d mario. and maybe not for you, but plenty of casual gamers know they get confused in 3d games and thus don’t play them.
some may be intimidated by them. but i think a better explanation is probably that they consider the cost of learning the skills associated with 3d games as not rewarding when simpler and more familiar games are available and are more immediately rewarding. casual gaming is largely rooted in instant gratification.
muggy8
that’s why the world ends with you is still my fav
raindog469
@[obscene screen name]: And for Zelda and Metroid, that style of music would have been totally appropriate. Mario needs light, jaunty, even chip-tuney music. I even thought the castle music in Super Mario 64 was a little overdone for Mario.