The Super Mario Galaxy Anticipation Thread

[TheGrayGhost]

Shame on this forum for not having any mention of our beloved plumber's first foray onto Wii. When I first saw this game in action on several YouTube videos (found here and here), I was captivated, mesmorized. Even now, it's difficult to put into words how I feel about this game. I just can't explain it.

Who remembers where they were and how they felt when they first glimpsed Mario 64? The realease of Mario 64 was a turning point of the industry, demonstrating how games can be brought into 3D glory with masterful controls and a cutting edge camera system, both of which still remain top notch, even today. The same attention to control, camera, and level design that has made Nintendo the best developer in the world is apparent in Super Mario Galaxy. There's just something about Super Mario being on Wii that feels right. And like its predecessor, I think Super Mario Galaxy will create another turning point in the gaming industry...

Videos

• http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rgd7OkT8x8k
• http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=19095
• Matt Casamassina, IGN Editor, profiles Super Mario Galaxy as his game of E3.

Articles

• http://wii.ign.com/articles/707/707184p1.html
• http://wii.ign.com/articles/732/732898p1.html

Excerpts

We've written this more times than can probably be counted on two hands, but it is nevertheless the truth: for the hardcore player, Super Mario Galaxy is Wii's flagship experience. This is the case because the game successfully brings the Nintendo new style without abandoning the Nintendo old style. Whereas games like Wii Sports succeed on brand new criteria, Galaxy is a success because it neither loses the cherished tried-and-true platformer mechanics of old nor beats players over the head with the new fundamentals of the Wii pointer. There is a balance and it's a perfect one.

Playing Galaxy, in contrast, is much more like riding a bike. Once you've done it, it's almost impossible to undo it. After we pushed whatever undeserving person may have been attempting to gawk over the game out of our way, we immediately found ourselves taking Mario for a free and easy ride using both the nunchuck attachment and Wii-mote. Galaxy is a lot like Mario 64 in that it is fun simply to run around the game's universe, even if you're accomplishing nothing of note.

When we played Galaxy on Thursday, though, we knew that we had attained a new level of gameplay competence and in turn confidence because all we really wanted to do was use the Wii-mote to mess with enemies. One of the great uses of the peripheral is that in Galaxy it's also used to stop foes in their tracks, literally. If, for instance, we were to aim the reticule at an oncoming Bullet Bill and then press and hold the B trigger, we would suspend the enemy in mid-air. And if we had the skill to keep the reticule glued to Bill with the Wii-mote while we controlled Mario's movements with the nunchuck, we could actually walk circles around the baddie and it would be practically helpless to do anything but look at us. There is a sick satisfaction to this new mechanic and we can't help but love it.

Although over way too soon for my liking - frankly, I could play a game like this forever and never grow bored - the Galaxy demo offered up a few interesting departures from the standard moon and star exploration. At one point, Mario is launched from a star onto a floating pirate ship - yes, we're still in space. Don't even try to make sense of this stuff or your brain will explode. Just go with it.

Having played through it all and multiple times, I have no doubt that Super Mario Galaxy is going to be an amazing platformer when it finally hits. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Nintendo's famous plumber will ship with Wii later this year. You. Want. This. Game

There's no doubt in my mind that Super Mario Galaxy will be GOTY 2007 and will join Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime, etc. as one of the best games of all time. I can't wait for this game.

The music, the sense of freedom, the vibrant colors, soaring through space, intriguing level designs, comfortable and intuitive control... I want this game, and I want it now.

NEW VIDEO (3/8/07)
http://media.wii.ign.com/media/748/748588/vids_1.html

Matt Casamassina (IGN Wii) on the GDC trailer:

March 8, 2007 - Nearing the end of his anticipated Game Developers Conference 2007 keynote, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto played a short, but incredibly sweet new video of Super Mario Galaxy in motion. The movie showcased less than two minutes of new gameplay footage, but it was enough to ignite a wave of applause from excited Nintendo fans.

In the video, Mario again collects stars and soars through space, landing atop giant spherical bodies complete with enemies and platformer obstacles. In addition, though, the footage debuts a variety of different, never-before-seen planetoids, baddies, and challenges, all of which look incredible. In older demos, Mario could be seen traveling across more traditional asteroids and planets, but in the new trailer he is shown bounding across enormous eggs, glass cylinders, exploding volcanoes, through stars, onto grassy knolls, on wooden planks, and even onto gargantuan apples, among other objects. It's clear that Nintendo has absolutely abandoned any attempt at keeping a galactic logic of laws with the game, which is, we're sure, just fine by everybody.

Although regular-sized worlds make up the backgrounds in many of the galaxies Mario explores, the mascot seems to traverse much smaller bodies, going from spheres to apples, from volcanoes to glass cylinders, and so forth. Gamers expecting giant land masses are - at least so far - out of luck. That noted, Nintendo has done quite a lot with the objects and obstacles in place as many of them seem to change dynamically or are altogether interactive.

When Mario reaches the end of a grassy peak, a beanstalk sprouts from its edge, rises into space and eventually connects to another body, enabling Nintendo's iconic mascot to jump to it. Later in the footage, Mario stomps a protruding cork into an oversized apple and a greenish walkway extends from the giant fruit. Mario is sent flying over flowing volcanic landscapes and crashes through pillars in the process. All of the planets share one trait in common, which is that they ignore gravity, which means that Mario can run up and over or down and under anything he sees. As readers can imagine, the physics go hand-in-hand with a series of impressive environmental puzzles. In one sequence, gamers must use the Wii remote to first point at and then drag Mario through a hazardous obstacle course made of fiery planets, but the satellites spew flames as he nears them.

Mario is seen swimming and battling what appears to be a fish boss of some kind in one snippet of the footage. In another, a spiral galaxy twists in the depths of space as he flies to a nearby ship. It's evident from the footage that gamers have only seen a very limited selection of the game's variety.

Galaxy is probably the prettiest title yet for Nintendo's new console. Not only does the art design shine with stunning characters, worlds and enemies, but the mascot and environments come to life with a host of graphical effects. The title's crispy-clean textures look to be bump-mapped in some cases, and we can't recall spotting better particle effects in a Nintendo title. Plus, everything runs in progressive-scan and 16:9 with a silky smooth framerate.

You don't have to keep reading about it, though, because we've got the video in our media section. Simply click below and get watching.

NEW IMAGES (3/8/07)
http://media.wii.ign.com/media/748/748588/imgs_1.html

 

[TheGrayGhost]

When I first saw this game, it clicked with me and I understood what the Wii is trying to achieve. "I get it." And that's when I wanted a Wii.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I am in anticipation for this game.

This, Metroid Prime 3, and SSBB need to hurry and get released.

 

[DACrowe]

Looks good.

I dunno though, if there isn't any level variety (if it is all small planets in space) it may get a "Sunshnine-complex." But I hope they learned their lesson and that their are massive planets with huge variety.

It looks good, but while the controls may be flawless, I need some convincing still this is really going to live up to Super Mario 64. SSBB and Metal Gear Solid 4 are still the biggest games of '07 to look forward to though.

 

[jaydawg]

This has to be the only time I've ever wanted a 3D Mario game. I think this game looks amazing.

 

[iambilly81]

this it one of the three games i want i just cant wait to get my hands on. i just hope i dont have to wait till next xmas to get it. bah.

 

[TheGrayGhost]

This has to be the only time I've ever wanted a 3D Mario game. I think this game looks amazing.

There's only been two in existence, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. I can understand holding off on Sunshine (even though it's been regarded as the best platformer, ever), but Mario 64?

 

[jaydawg]

Yeah. I'm not much of a 3D platformer guy. I love the 2D marios, but I could never get into the 3D games. That said, I can't wait to see how this works with the wiimote. Between Smash Bros, Galaxy, Super Paper Mario (we all know thats gonna be six shades of awesome) and Mario Kart 64 (which I just dled today), Nintendo's number one boy is gonna take all my money.

 

[TheGrayGhost]

I haven't been able to post as much as I wanted to; Metroid Prime has been absorbing my time for the past few weeks. But I've finished it, and I'm ready to post my thoughts...

I dunno though, if there isn't any level variety (if it is all small planets in space) it may get a "Sunshnine-complex." But I hope they learned their lesson and that their are massive planets with huge variety.

Agreed. Level design and variety have always been important aspects in a Super Mario game. Super Mario 64 was a great translation because it understood this and was able to circumvent the problem that might have occured by brilliantly employing the use of portraits. However, I think there were still some issues... In the original Mario titles, Mario's ability to jump was not only used for speedy platforming, but also for enganging enemies. One could jump on a Shelled Koopa twice and send it hurling towards a row of nearby Goombas. I think this is what Super Mario 64 was missing, and I think the smaller planets in Super Mario Galaxy may be a clever way of addressing the issue. The smaller environments could allow for more... um... "platforming combat" and less exploration.

But you're not alone in your concerns. IGN Wii's Matt Casamassina had this to say in his article:

2. Don't Forget that Too Much Space is Boring
As much as the subject intrigues me, I'll be the first to admit that outer space can be a big, boring, uneventful place, too. Nintendo can't forget that. In the E3 demo, Mario explored relatively small moons, never setting foot onto what I would call a typical franchise level. The good part about this approach was that the camera system - controlled automatically by the game - was flawless. It never got in the way, largely because there was never any gigantic world to block the view. But I can also foresee the potential downside, which is that the same old tiny planets will eventually become monotonous. For Galaxy to be as amazing as it could, it's got to dish out some galactic variety. Massive planetoids and space stations seem all-too obvious, and the great part is that these land-based areas could still incorporate all of the gravitational physics of outer space, again facilitating a selection of thinking man's puzzles. Of course, these two suggestions barely scrape the surface of the possibilities open to Super Mario Galaxy and so I'd love to read your thoughts on the subject, too. Send an e-mail to me with your own thoughts about what types of elements and puzzles you'd like to see in Nintendo's new Mario game. I'll post together an article later this week or next with the best suggestions.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/719/719773p1.html

Nevertheless, I don't think you should worry too much. The gameplay videos and demonstrations I've seen have also featured larger, more fleshed out worlds.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

When I first saw the demo, I wasn't sure what to think; mostly of the controls. Now that I've used the Wiimote a lot, I'm very excited for this. PLEASE SUMMER 2007 RELEASE!!!!

 

[TheGrayGhost]

New information on this game should be turning up in the upcoming Game Developer's Conference (where Miyamoto-san himself will be a key-not speaker.) Some one should really make a thread for that conference.

 

[GoldenAgeHero]

or just post it in here.

 

[TheGrayGhost]

or just post it in here.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll post information on SMG in here and make a separate thread for the GDC.

 

[newmexneon]

SSBB and Metal Gear Solid 4 are still the biggest games of '07 to look forward to though.

Have you forgotten about a little game called Halo 3?

I need a Wii. This game looks like tons o' fun.

 

[Spider-Gamer]

SSBB,Metal Gear Solid 4, and Halo 3....it's like each system will have a huge hit for Christmas!

 

[Brainiac 8]

This year in general is going to be a gamers dream year.

 

[Spider-Gamer]

This year in general is going to be a gamers dream year.

MMMMM Mass Effect...

 

[Brainiac 8]

http://media.wii.ign.com/media/748/748588/vids_1.html

New trailer for SMG.

It looks outstanding!

 

[jaydawg]

Looks nice, but the parts where your running according to gravity... they remind me of the latter parts of Sonic Adventure 2 and god.... this game should be the total opposite of those levels.

 

[Kritish]

Gamecube 1.5 will never win the consule war.

 

[Brainiac 8]

Gamecube 1.5 will never win the consule war.

Because they are doing so badly in the "Console" war right now.

 

[TheGrayGhost]

Gamecube 1.5 will never win the consule war.

Well, it's already won round one (that is, the launches.) But I've dropped out of the competition, so to speak. Although I'll gladly defend Nintendo as the best developer any day of the week, I no longer find it necessary to attack the other consoles.

Anyway, I'll be updating this thread. Stay tuned.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Gamecube 1.5 will never win the consule war.

Obviously. It's impossible for a console that doesn't exist to win the "console war"

 

[terry78]

Obviously. It's impossible for a console that doesn't exist to win the "console war"

Wah-wah-wahhhhh.

 

[Kritish]

Brother's friend's son was playing Call of Duty 3 on his Wii the other day. I vomited in my mouth. My PS2 has better graphics than it. What Nintendo did was to take the brain of a gamecube and put it in a trendy new skin.