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No, it’s not New Super Mario Bros. Mii.
Nintendo and Mario go way back. In fact, everyone’s favorite plumber has a long history of defining whatever console he and his “special” mushrooms grace. It all started way back with Super Mario Bros. for NES, but held true for Nintendo’s subsequent console endeavors as well. Super Mario World for SNES. Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64. Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube. Super Mario Galaxy for Wii. Nintendo’s console history is littered with Mario being super, so it’s no surprise Wii U is set to continue this trend.
Problem is, we couldn’t care less.
This might sound crazy considering how incredible and ground-breaking Mario’s other console adventures have proven, but Nintendo sort of dashed our dreams of an HD Mushroom Kingdom with the confirmation that Mario’s first Wii U venture, set to be shown off at this year’s E3, would be based on the New Super Mario Bros. Mii demo from last year’s show. To be fair, what we played at E3 2011 was simply an early tech demo, one that showed off a handful of New Super Mario-esque levels and let up to four people play as either Mario or Mii characters. But the thought of a full game based on this experience just doesn’t sound good enough. It’s just too easy, too safe, and not at all what we’ve come to expect from Mario’s console debuts.
It’s completely possible Super Mario Bros. Mii (or whatever the game’s final name turns out to be) will exceed our expectations. The actual game might have plenty of new features and hidden secrets to help it stand out. But regardless, as much as we adore side-scrolling Mario platformers, it’s just not what we want for Mario’s Wii U debut. What do we want? Well, since you asked…
Wii U Magic
The Wii U’s launch is a huge step for Nintendo. Not only is it the company's first foray into the realm of HD graphics, it also marks the launch of a completely new controller, and thereby a new way of playing and thinking about games. Again, if anyone is in a position to show off what this new system and its tablet controller are capable of, it’s Mario.
While graphics aren’t everything, and are definitely far less important than good gameplay, it makes little sense to squander the world’s first peek at a high definition Mushroom Kingdom. The problem with New Super Mario Bros. Mii is that it doesn’t really matter whether it’s in HD or not - that franchise has looked as good as it ever needed to since the original’s DS debut six years ago. What we want is a dazzling world full of all the magical Mario staples we’ve come to know and love. Show us that graphics don’t need to be realistic to be gorgeous. Show us how the Big N does HD, and leave us salivating over the prospect of seeing other Nintendo franchises in such detail (Zelda, anyone?).
Graphics aren't everything, but it's cool when they're
The ideal Mario game on Wii U should also make good use of the tablet controller. Just like Mario Galaxy showed us that motion controls could be successfully implemented in a sprawling platformer (who knew?), Mario on Wii U needs to do the same for tablet gaming. In short, Nintendo needs to show the world why it needs this system immediately. We need to understand all the new gameplay applications this new hardware and its controller have to offer.
Huge Scope
Better hardware has more advantages than just shiny graphics - it also allows game developers to create a much grander scope in their games than was previously possible. Just like how Super Mario 64 felt so huge and all-encompassing when it first came out (heck, it still feels like that in many ways), Mario for Wii U needs to have a scope like no other Mario game before it.
What does this mean, exactly? It means a large assortment of varied worlds to explore, full of stars to collect and secrets to unearth. We don’t want to see the same snow, desert and water levels that have become the norm - we want them included, but alone they’re not enough. Mario 64 had levels on slides, a level where you were either shrunken down or blown up, and even one inside a clock. We don’t think it’s asking too much to expect the same imaginative and inspired world designs in Mario’s Wii U debut. Sure, this is possible to achieve in a side-scroller (look at Super Mario Bros. 3, for crying out loud), but it would be mind-bendingly incredible if it was successfully executed in a full, three dimensional, HD platformer.
Please, Nintendo. PLEASE let us return to the castle!
And while we’re at it, bring back the damn castle. Add a few extra wings and as many painting as you can manage. It’s been too long since we’ve jumped through a painting and into a world beyond our wildest dreams.
No Miis, Please
We like Miis. We love them, even. In fact, we’ve spent more time than we care to admit making Miis that resemble Bruce Wayne or the various Beatles. (Editor’s Note: Okay, so maybe that last one just applies to me. -Audrey) But seriously, enough is enough. We’re fine with Miis showing up in sports games. We’re fine with them living in our 3DS’s. We’re even fine with Miis being used as avatars in Mario games. But they do not belong in the Mushroom Kingdom. It makes absolutely no sense to shove them in and call it a day.
Just say no to Miis in Mario.
In truth, this one is more of a personal preference than anything else. It’s definitely not anything that could make or break a Mario Wii U game, but Miis feel so tacked on and out of place in the Mushroom Kingdom we thought it was worth mentioning. Also, something about seeing a Mii jumping on a Goomba is just... wrong.
Mario’s Future
For all the flack the Mario franchise gets for iterating, most Mario games actually bring a lot of "new" to the table. Take New Super Mario Bros. Wii, for example. A lot of people dismiss the game as a clone of its predecessor, but that's a mistake. It brought some truly innovative updates to the concept of multiplayer platforming and absolutely set the standard for all future examples (we’re looking at you Rayman Origins and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland). Likewise, just compare Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario World, or Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine or Mario Galaxy. They’re all quite distinct, even if many of them share common mechanics and themes (and even if Peach is always the reason behind all the madness).
We expect to see Mario's legacy of innovation continued in his future games, and especially in his console debuts. It’s why the franchise is so memorable, and part of why it’s so very, very successful. Don’t cheapen the plumber's name with an HD debut not befitting his revolutionary history. Mario deserves better. Wii U deserves better. And gamers deserve better.
Nintendo and Mario go way back. In fact, everyone’s favorite plumber has a long history of defining whatever console he and his “special” mushrooms grace. It all started way back with Super Mario Bros. for NES, but held true for Nintendo’s subsequent console endeavors as well. Super Mario World for SNES. Super Mario 64 for Nintendo 64. Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube. Super Mario Galaxy for Wii. Nintendo’s console history is littered with Mario being super, so it’s no surprise Wii U is set to continue this trend.
Problem is, we couldn’t care less.
This might sound crazy considering how incredible and ground-breaking Mario’s other console adventures have proven, but Nintendo sort of dashed our dreams of an HD Mushroom Kingdom with the confirmation that Mario’s first Wii U venture, set to be shown off at this year’s E3, would be based on the New Super Mario Bros. Mii demo from last year’s show. To be fair, what we played at E3 2011 was simply an early tech demo, one that showed off a handful of New Super Mario-esque levels and let up to four people play as either Mario or Mii characters. But the thought of a full game based on this experience just doesn’t sound good enough. It’s just too easy, too safe, and not at all what we’ve come to expect from Mario’s console debuts.
It’s completely possible Super Mario Bros. Mii (or whatever the game’s final name turns out to be) will exceed our expectations. The actual game might have plenty of new features and hidden secrets to help it stand out. But regardless, as much as we adore side-scrolling Mario platformers, it’s just not what we want for Mario’s Wii U debut. What do we want? Well, since you asked…
Wii U Magic
The Wii U’s launch is a huge step for Nintendo. Not only is it the company's first foray into the realm of HD graphics, it also marks the launch of a completely new controller, and thereby a new way of playing and thinking about games. Again, if anyone is in a position to show off what this new system and its tablet controller are capable of, it’s Mario.
While graphics aren’t everything, and are definitely far less important than good gameplay, it makes little sense to squander the world’s first peek at a high definition Mushroom Kingdom. The problem with New Super Mario Bros. Mii is that it doesn’t really matter whether it’s in HD or not - that franchise has looked as good as it ever needed to since the original’s DS debut six years ago. What we want is a dazzling world full of all the magical Mario staples we’ve come to know and love. Show us that graphics don’t need to be realistic to be gorgeous. Show us how the Big N does HD, and leave us salivating over the prospect of seeing other Nintendo franchises in such detail (Zelda, anyone?).
Graphics aren't everything, but it's cool when they're
The ideal Mario game on Wii U should also make good use of the tablet controller. Just like Mario Galaxy showed us that motion controls could be successfully implemented in a sprawling platformer (who knew?), Mario on Wii U needs to do the same for tablet gaming. In short, Nintendo needs to show the world why it needs this system immediately. We need to understand all the new gameplay applications this new hardware and its controller have to offer.
Huge Scope
Better hardware has more advantages than just shiny graphics - it also allows game developers to create a much grander scope in their games than was previously possible. Just like how Super Mario 64 felt so huge and all-encompassing when it first came out (heck, it still feels like that in many ways), Mario for Wii U needs to have a scope like no other Mario game before it.
What does this mean, exactly? It means a large assortment of varied worlds to explore, full of stars to collect and secrets to unearth. We don’t want to see the same snow, desert and water levels that have become the norm - we want them included, but alone they’re not enough. Mario 64 had levels on slides, a level where you were either shrunken down or blown up, and even one inside a clock. We don’t think it’s asking too much to expect the same imaginative and inspired world designs in Mario’s Wii U debut. Sure, this is possible to achieve in a side-scroller (look at Super Mario Bros. 3, for crying out loud), but it would be mind-bendingly incredible if it was successfully executed in a full, three dimensional, HD platformer.
Please, Nintendo. PLEASE let us return to the castle!
And while we’re at it, bring back the damn castle. Add a few extra wings and as many painting as you can manage. It’s been too long since we’ve jumped through a painting and into a world beyond our wildest dreams.
No Miis, Please
We like Miis. We love them, even. In fact, we’ve spent more time than we care to admit making Miis that resemble Bruce Wayne or the various Beatles. (Editor’s Note: Okay, so maybe that last one just applies to me. -Audrey) But seriously, enough is enough. We’re fine with Miis showing up in sports games. We’re fine with them living in our 3DS’s. We’re even fine with Miis being used as avatars in Mario games. But they do not belong in the Mushroom Kingdom. It makes absolutely no sense to shove them in and call it a day.
Just say no to Miis in Mario.
In truth, this one is more of a personal preference than anything else. It’s definitely not anything that could make or break a Mario Wii U game, but Miis feel so tacked on and out of place in the Mushroom Kingdom we thought it was worth mentioning. Also, something about seeing a Mii jumping on a Goomba is just... wrong.
Mario’s Future
For all the flack the Mario franchise gets for iterating, most Mario games actually bring a lot of "new" to the table. Take New Super Mario Bros. Wii, for example. A lot of people dismiss the game as a clone of its predecessor, but that's a mistake. It brought some truly innovative updates to the concept of multiplayer platforming and absolutely set the standard for all future examples (we’re looking at you Rayman Origins and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland). Likewise, just compare Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario World, or Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine or Mario Galaxy. They’re all quite distinct, even if many of them share common mechanics and themes (and even if Peach is always the reason behind all the madness).
We expect to see Mario's legacy of innovation continued in his future games, and especially in his console debuts. It’s why the franchise is so memorable, and part of why it’s so very, very successful. Don’t cheapen the plumber's name with an HD debut not befitting his revolutionary history. Mario deserves better. Wii U deserves better. And gamers deserve better.