Good-bye 2-D platforming, hello 3-D polygons and analogue sticks.
The Nintendo 64 emerged in 1996 as one of the most powerful consoles of its time, producing 3-D visuals that not even the Playstation or Sega Saturn could produce. At a time when franchises were attempting (and often failing) to make the jump to 3-D, along came Super Mario to save the day yet again.
Mario’s 16-bit debut serves as an introduction to Nintendo’s most legendary console and fleeting farewell to 2-D Mario platforming. And Yoshi.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 90s. In this era we saw many things; we saw the true start of the (in)famous 16-bit console wars, the slow decline of arcades, the invention of CD-ROM media and the start of a tradition with mainline Mario titles. Thought it was nice the NES had three great Mario games? You are not going to see that again for a very long time. Make that nineteen years to be exact. Take a good long look over this fourth Mario Mania entry, because the 2-D Mario platforming ship is sailing and it feels like a bittersweet moment.
However, Wired magazine is saying otherwise.
LATEST UPDATE: Wired magazine is defending its reporting of Miyamoto stating he's stepping down, in a statement to G4. Some, including Nintendo, are claiming that this was due to a misunderstanding, perhaps due to a translation error, since Miyamoto spoke in his native Japanese. However, Wired editor Chris Kohler says that the translator was Nintendo's own. “It was Mr. [Yasuhiro] Minagawa; who has been Miyamoto’s translator for a very, very, very long time,” Kohler said. “I did an interview with Miyamoto in 2002, and Mr. Minagawa was Miyamoto’s translator then. It is Nintendo’s translator, not ours.”
Taking fun to another dimension.
It’s time to rise up, my friends! It’s time to storm Nintendo HQ and liberate the concentrated fun they slowly leak out to us, the common man. We’ve been waiting years for the next proper handheld Mario game, and they finally deigned to give us… Super Mario 3D Land. Now that we have it we know what we’ve been missing out on and can only wonder what else they must be keeping from us. Super Mario 3D Land is a delicious feast from Nintendo’s fun hoard that is not only a worthy installment in the Super Mario Bros. oeuvre, but it also evolves the series, makes good use of the 3DS’s capabilities, and offers a flawless platforming experience.
Two games in one part! Can you guess which one I like better?
Different things usually happened with Nintendo in two completely different continents. While the NES arrived in 1986 in North America, Japan was already in its third year of Famicom glory. Nintendo’s then-released Famicom Disk System introduced the battery back-up save feature, eliminating the need for long over-drawn password saves. Games like Metroid and The Legend of Zelda greatly benefited from this innovation. It was also this year that Nintendo saw fit to release a sequel to Super Mario Bros, appropriately titled Super Mario Bros. 2. This was a completely different Super Mario Bros. 2 than the one North Americans got in 1988. So what in the world happened?
You can have fun with Yoshi’s Story, if you’re willing to find it.
Oh, Yoshi. You’re just so cute. You have got to be the cutest dinosaur (or whatever you are) I’ve ever seen. How Nintendo had the means to fabricate such an enduring and appealing character we’ll never know. After his introduction in Super Mario World, Yoshi became Nintendo’s newest star. A sweet dinosaur that could swallow enemies and turn them into eggs for him to shoot was quite an imaginative concept. Add Yoshi’s elongated tongue which he can pull enemies with, and a saddle so Mario could ride comfortably on his back and you’ve got a favorite as well as powerful character that was more than just a lovable mascot. After a couple of throwaway games for the NES and SNES, in 1995, Nintendo decided to make Yoshi the star of his own game and released Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The game was a success and highly praised, proving that Yoshi could be strong enough on his own. At least, it seemed that way.
Updated impressions of one of this year's most anticipated 3DS titles: Super Mario 3D Land.
In my opinion, there’s something about the handheld Mario titles that have a certain draw to them. Whether it was the Gameboy color version of Super Mario Bros, or the insanely addictive Mario Kart DS, handhelds have done a great deal for the famous Italian plumber. The 3DS looks to provide even more quality to the already fantastic franchise with Super Mario 3D Land.
Temples, Volcanos, and Cubes. Oh My!
Nintendo keeps adding fuel to the fire with these three trailers. The first trailer shows Link going through the Earth Temple, rolling across a lava pool, fighting lizard guards and dodging fireballs. The next shows Link literally dropping into Elden Volcano, rolling bombs and dowsing. The last trailer shows off the Goddess Cubes. Check them out below and get ready for Link's latest adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Wii on November 20, 2011.
Two additional trailers were released today.
More info was released by Nintendo about the upcoming return of Link in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Faron Woods, one of the locales in the game, was discussed. This forest will be the first area Link will visit after he leaves his floating island home, Skyloft. Upon completing the forest, Link will arrive at Skyview Temple, where Zelda might be.
Matt takes an extensive look at Mario’s first console outing, Super Mario Bros.
I have a pet peeve that goes along the lines of this sentence: “It’s good, for its time.”
