Its a long time coming. I'm far from the first person to suggest this, but I hope the next Mario Kart does take advantage of how big the franchise has grown and reflects this. Imagine racing through the Beanbean Kingdom with Mario, Gooigi, Geno, Vivian, King K. Rool, Captain Syrup, Mona, Dreambert, E. Gadd, Poochy, Captain Toad and Pauline.
Playable Fawful and Vivian in a Mario Kart game would make me buy the game immediately. (I haven't bought Mario Kart recently) I can't see it happening though somehow, Mario Kart feels very resistant to going outside of a specific pool of characters, to the point where they'd rather make a gold pink version of an already existing character. (aside from the odd crossover character I guess)
@dizzard5297 Something I've seen in videos or discussions about a potential Mario Kart 9 is just making the "gold/silver" versions of characters as alternative skins. Instead of new characters. And yeah, it's a little embarrassing that isn't a thing yet. The closest we have is Yoshi colors and Mii amiibo outfits. Yeah, Mario Kart and other Mario spin-offs has always been a little "stingy" around using more secondary characters. Even though fans would clearly love them included.
I feel like Wonder was kind of the point where people started to look back and see how inventive and interesting Mario has been in this era. Odyssey was for sure a jump but it could easily also be seen as a return to form for what people ususally expect. Wonder really had me turn around and realize how wild Mario's actually decided to push itself in these last few years and saying I'm here for it would be an understatement
I think wonder is an exception, we are long gone from the over-formulaic Mario era and the compliant this time(2019-2023) is that the general Mario preset and the lack of story/visual is getting more uninteresting in the eyes of young adults(switch’s audience). Therefore, Wonder is created to push the boundaries but I doubt a franchise without any formula works, so I predict we will get a more tune down 2D mario afterward
@@michaelmayers3622 I don’t think so, it’s reverting to more flat character which I don’t like. Beside, they nsmbu artstyle don’t look good in HD anyway.
I feel like Wonder does still have *some* of the NSMB look, but significantly upgraded and given a much-needed boost in creativity. Part of me was hoping for something as far out in left field as the Yoshi's Island look was back in 1995, but I'm still happy with what we got.
I couldn't sleep and decided to play this video in the dark. I fell asleep, listening to this video go through the history of the series and it helped me vividly dream. I felt like I was living through different worlds of Mario as they were mentioned. Galaxy, Odyssey, Bowser's Fury... I was overwhelmed by a sense of happiness and freedom. Then you started talking about Wonder. Hearing the Overworld theme alone brought me to cry. I wake up and realize just how much Mario means to me, just how much I truly love the entire franchise. I've personally been emotionally disconnected for so long and knowing that THIS is what got a brief moment of tears out of me feels vindicating. Thank you so much for making this video, and helping me see just how special this era of Mario is now.
When I was a kid, my first videogame ever was Super Mario Galaxy. Even as someone who barely knew the Mario universe, I found myself quickly loving the absolute wildness of the worlds and themes of Galaxy, as well as Rosalina's beautiful story. I got Mario Kart Wii, seeing a remotely similar creativity in it, and immediately got Rosalina as a save data gift. It was at that point I got my personal favorite too, that being Daisy. Feeling curious, I went back on games of the past for a short while, looking at what I missed while also still getting Wii titles too. From there I got to experience not only cute obscure games like Super Princess Peach, but also Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi at both of their peaks, side by side. My mind immediately went places, imagining these cool new characters I had met in the more mainstream titles in the wild environments and narratives of the RPGs, hoping that some day maybe this would actually happen. It was kind of a dream of mine. However, while Daisy missed a fair amount of chances for such wild adventures in the early Wii times, Rosalina's timing was even worse; being an early Wii character made it so by the time she made it to other spinoffs (aside from Kart thanks to Wii), the "vanilla effect" was already in full motion. In a sense, having Rosalina there just felt obligatory and shallow, a reminder of much cooler and wilder times. Hell, even Daisy was such a reminder, as I got to play the original Super Mario Land duology and see its really creative world themes, which have been unused for longer than I have been alive for, or at the very least their actual locations have been. And while I pettily shyed myself away from the last time Mario&Luigi was fully unique, both Paper Mario and even 3D Mario threw my hope away me with world themes I had seen twice ingame already (I had played both NewSMB DS and NewSMB Wii) and no attempt at innovation or uniqueness, as 2D Mario continued being the same stale bread over and over again. By the time we reached Paper Jam, I had honestly given up on the Mario RPGs coming back to the days of SuperPM levels of wildness, deeming it the second lowest chance of happening for something I cared about, ever, above *only* Pokemon getting control quality (yes, THAT desperate). It has now been a decade. I had my doubts about Odyssey, thinking it was gonna just for 3D Mario and crossovers (like the Rabbids)... about Luigi's Mansion 3 too, thinking it was only gonna be an exception because "it's Luigi, not Mario"... and even Tennis Aces despite giving it a shot, thinking that was the (admittedly not too gratuitous) limit they'd take spinoffs towards. Early on I just thought these were going to be exceptions (with Mario Maker 2, Origami King, and NewSMBUDX solidifying that), and then later I just thought they wanted to end the Switch with a bang to move on to the next quickly, and thus leave a fake spark of hope for that old dream only to extinguish it immediately. And then came the SMRPG remake. I thought they wouldn't touch that thing with a 20 ft pole, and yet they did. AND THEN BEGAN THE AVALANCHE! Mario Bros Wonder with Daisy AND Yoshi playable! New, fully unique Peach spinoff! And the godmother of them all: A TTYD REMAKE. My jaw is on the goddamn floor. For once, my hope for this decade old dream is reanimated; I just wish this will go on, and not just be a fluke that accidentally makes Nintendo strict again. Let the efforts of Pauline & Cappy not go to waste; for once it might just mean something to have Rosalina and Daisy again, and not just filler spaces! Please. Oh please. Let this NOT be a one time thing. - a longtime fan from the late 2000s
Mario Galaxy is one of my favorites to play,Back then I was A HUGGGGE MARIO FAN! (still am now) I played Galaxy NSMB Wii Super Mario Bros 1,2,3 And Mario 64 and many others
I honestly didnt even realize how long this video was, just watched like 35 mins of it (plan to finish it) and I totally forgot that I was existing. I was just so focused on the video lol
25:16 hearing your unbridled enthusiasm for the Mario renaissance through your clapping and that voice crack is pretty endearing, not gonna lie. Your passion for Mario comes through with this video, and it was fun to watch. With the overall bland takes on Mario's identity in the 2010's (with 3D World being the major exception, love it so much) it's really refreshing to see the creative freedom it needs returning, especially with Paper Mario's hopeful return to form. Here is hoping Paper Mario will expand on Mario's lore in interesting and inspiring ways once again, if the TTYD remake does well!
I think people tend to forget that Intelligent Systems isn't a first party dev, but a second party dev. So we can't dismiss the possibility that IntSys and Alpha Dreams were given a different set of rules than first party teams.
Its good to see Nintendo taking a huge leap with Mario in terms of bringing some unique and creative ideas that will make fans delighted on what they are offering now vs what they offered a decade ago. Not to say past games have been bad but some feel that Nintendo is just taking the safer route rather than taking risks and surprising the fans. Hopefully other Nintendo franchises can do the same like how Kirby did with forgotten land or Zelda with BOTW & TOTK
Or even just reviving a lot of their IP's back from the dead since for the longest time, seemed to act like Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and Smash Bros were their only franchises.
Between you and Arlo, it's nice to see a video like this where you aren't just bashing New Super Mario Bros. to pieces. Rather, you give a comprehensive look at what happened over the past decade and see what's improved since then. I've jumped ship from defending the Mario sports by the time Battle League came out. Still, I do find all three of the original Mario sports games on Switch to be fun, with Golf being my favorite. I feel like social media, Twitter especially, likes to put this air of "NSMB is garbage" or the whole idea of "Mario Mandates is POISON" to cause a bit of division to the fanbase. At one point, it led me to have shame for loving New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Super Mario Bros. 3 as my two favorite platformers. Recently, however? I learned not to take stuff like that so personally. It is also good to examine other opinions and better understand where passionate folks are coming from. On my end, I don't think that Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be my _favorite_ 2D Mario. Similarly, I can't bring myself to hate stuff like Super Mario 3D World and Mario Party: Star Rush. I'll most likely stay a bit of a goofy Mario fan. And that's okay; I mean no harm... Good video, dude.
This new era has me excited for the new things the Mario series can explore and try out, also curious about the Switch Successor too and if it will have backwards compatibility.
Even though these new games (and remakes) are coming, which by the way is absolutely amazing! I still have the sense we’re building to something even greater (perhaps that open world 3D Mario there been rumours about👀)
The success of the New series condemned Mario to be formulaic as hell, Nintendo thought the only thing we wanted was Mario saving Peach from Bowser with a lot of generics toads, the worst for me its that traspassed it to his spin off series I remenber the DS/WII era full of creativity and from that practically stoped playing Mario games in 3DS and not buy a Wii U -Passing from a one the most deepest Mario games in terms of story with Super Paper Mario to a "all its about Paper/Sticker" with Sticker Star -Have games like Galaxy 1&2 to a 3D World that its not a bad game but was "basic" to the core -Broke my heart that the 3DS was the first Portable System without a Wario Land style game because i was following the series since the original game boy and the last gen we had the series in a home console - Mario & Luigi games was the only safe Land for me but then the series was gone But now the future its bright and still have high hopes for the returns to series like Mario & Luigi and Wario Land
Tf? The Galaxy games are not basic lol. Those 2 are the exception, the peak of 3D mario. You can deny Galaxy is one of the most wild creative marios outhere
So unpopular opinion time; I didn’t mind the Mario series going bland for a few years. I think the main series for this was that I still liked the games that were coming out in that era. Yeah, the NSBW series was samey, but they were still good games in their own rights. I just finished NSBWU Deluxe today and I can say I enjoyed it. I mean, it was still Mario at the end of the day. Hell, I’d even say that NSMB Wii introduced a lot of new ideas compared to DS (especially since 2 and U would end up reusing a lot of them). 3D Land was pretty good for what I remember of it, and I have 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and currently I’m having fun with both games. I even liked Paper Jam and Origami King from what I have currently played of them. But, I do understand where you (and SO many other people) are coming from, and Wonder, the two RPG remakes, and Showtime do look very cool. I like both ways. I’m just tired of people ragging on the New series, is all.
I love Wii but fail to see how it introduced a whole lot compared to DS beyond multiplayer co-op w/ 4 players & the Propeller, Ice & Penguin power ups so I'm interested to hear what you mean by that.
They are the platforms with screws you can control with Spin Jumping, the platforms you control with the Wiimote, the world maps are more expansive, and they brought back old stuff the Koopalings, Yoshi in a 2D game, Enemy Courses, the Spin Jump, etc. I probably exaggerated how unique Wii is compared to DS in the heat of the moment so that point may not be as substantial as I thought it was.
See, I always love pointing at the irony of the Koopaling's return in Wii because it was sick af at the time, and then it just took another New Soup, rather 2 at once, to deter that. But I don't see expansive maps doing a whole lot, let alone the return of Yoshi, the Spin Jump & Enemy courses which were also ripped from Mario World & 3 respectively. That essentially is still by the books by a considerable margin. I'm saying all this + in the video as a guy who adores DS & Wii alot btw.
Just remember to don't take these opinions personallly as it is more an attack to an opinion than a person, as a person has many different opinions themselves...that being said if both creativity and fun can happen in the same time, I think we should encourage it.
I always have a soft spot for New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D World because I love the Super Acorn and Cat Bell power-ups. The former is my favorite flying power-up and it's fun climbing on walls with the latter.
As someone who loves Paper Mario with all my soul, and yes, that includes the modern 3, I am stoked that TTYD is getting a remake and hope that PPM64 gets the same treatment, and who knows, maybe even Super Paper Mario. 👀
Nintendo can hatch as much wacky cartoony stuff as they like, but they'll never challenge their player fans in new paths of thinking, regardless of the shell of their concepts.
36:00 God I hope so. The Mario Series has definitely become Weird,Wacky,and Genuinely Interesting again with Wonder being on the Horizon plus the other Games Nintendo’s cranking out whether This Year or the Direct Next. So,If they’re being Experimental with New and Creative Ideas (Including DAISY being Playable in MAINLINE CONSOLE MARIO) I WANT to Hope They’ll maybe do something BIG with Waluigi in the near distant Future. Or even just Him AND Wario. A game starring those Two would make for a VERY interesting Dynamic looking back at the Sports Games’ Intros (Mainly Power Tennis and Toadstool Tour) but a Waluigi Standalone Game would ALSO be Hella Fire 🔥🔥
"Time goes faster the older you get" Duuude, you know it. I started on the NES. At last Nintendo has started to announce games a few months before release instead of YEARS so we waste our lives away waiting.
This is such a wonderful thing - Mario is finally getting the RENAISSANCE that he deserves, and it started with Odyssey. While I'm not as big on the remakes of two classics since I don't consider SMRPG anything more than a meh, it's fine kind of game (TTYD is a masterpiece though), the fact they're remaking them only proves that they're trying to embrace Mario's more creative side. However, since Paper Mario was still bad/mediocre in 2020 with Origami King, years after mainline Mario was revolutionized for the better, this begs the very important question: Will the Paper Mario 2 remake compel the Paper Mario devs to create the True Paper Mario 4 that was once scrapped because it bore too much resemblance to Thousand Year Door? Will Paper Mario finally go back to its roots to the Fire Emblemized Mario series it was since the Original Trilogy, which emphasized fantastic characters and story writing over just picking a paper theme and sticking to it a paper thin story and cast? Speaking of Fire Emblem, I have completely accepted that it will live the rest of its life as a zombie of its former self - a sterile, boring, generic anime series which fails to exude the flavor of writing championed by Shouzou Kaga, who continues the True Fire Emblem series in the form of Vestaria Saga.
Really hope Luigi’s Mansion gets another sequel on the Switch 2. LM3 was amazing but I’d like them to do something more like the first one on Gamecube.
I don't know that I agree with your point about the movie not being possible during the boring era. The production was a very long process, and it started kind of in the middle of the boring era. A joke with a lot of my friends for a few years is that Miyamoto found his true passion as a director instead of a producer at Nintendo, and they had him so distracted at Illumination that everyone back home was able to make Mario interesting again behind his back. While that *may* be mean-spirited, it does harken to the point that the movie didn't start and come out entirely in this new interesting era, it's been a long process that probably interacted with both of these company philosophies of what Mario *is*.
Genuine discussion between Miyamoto & Melendandri on the movie started late 2016, with the rumors of the movie rising out the following year. Sony attempted to close a deal earlier than that, but nothing came about until Nintendo & Universal Studios collaborated. If anything, the work for the movie started around the exact same time Mario Odyssey & Mario + Rabbids were being developed. It was a very long development process for sure, but it did take 6-7 years for them to finally wrap it up, which was how long the Switch has been around for too. Behind his back is a bit of an overstatement too given Miyamoto was still in contact with main branches working on mainline Mario games and allowed plenty of ideas & decisions he liked & didn't like in recent Mario games anyways (Elephant Mario he didn't like for one). You never see this kind of implication with Miyamoto whenever Pikmin or Zelda beyond Link's Awakening is involved & a lot of Mario's relation to that discussion having far more nuance than that.
23rd person that didn't reach 30:40, & if you played Wonder, you'd know the hundreds of different mechanics, design elements, enemies & overall ideas, plenty no Mario game's ever done before, that make it stand out compared to practically any Mario game. Calling it just a callback to Mario World incredibly undersells & misses everything it does.
@@SuperMarioT 23 people! Before I commented I wondered if this was one of those comment bate trap titles. You're right though I didn't even make it 00:10. Probably a bad title.
Brrruuuuh lmao Honestly, idk if it is 23 people exactly but it has to be at least 10 bc this comment comes up so much I have the timestamp memorized at this point. I get it's kind of a meaty vid, but my whole schtick is picking apart every possible corner I can of some topics, haha
Well, this whole RU-vid biz for me started around late high school & doing more video essays aided all my English classes throughout college so you’re not that far off lmao
If they go back to basic and boring, they would be making a huge mistake. But I know all the teams that been kept from doing anything unique for so long, and now that huge creative bubble they've been holding on to has exploded in a very colorful way of creativity. I can't go back to Wii and Wii U era after this
@@traviscunningham7062 That was the wii era,s first half (2006-2010) the second half after nsmb wii (aside from galaxy 2) was insanely bland, the mandates likely started in c. late 2009/2010.
I feel like we're never gonna get the ultimate fantasy of having great wacky mainline games, and great wacky sports games. It feels like Nintendo uses the sports titles to be able to take their time with the mainline ones.
i can’t believe people are just realizing this now, mario has been always creative, mechanics are simple but intuitive, the artstyle and story has been risky but effective ever since Yoshi’s Island (Coloring Book style). People just take these things for granted because they cannot see past the 2d graphics this is why Mario has always been feel so good to play is because nintendo always literally reinvents Mario. How can a game with simple mechanics last so long and even gets better overtime. It’s harder to innovate a simple game like this than an overdesigned cookie cutter action packed triple a games I’m still waiting for people to realize seeing past the game soundtrack and check how goated and creative the compositions are. realizing this just today and calling it as an “creative era” is literal vanilla
Wii U & 3DS era was not a part of that creative era for Mario, that’s the whole point of the video. If you mean that generation on top of the Switch era, I completely disagree.
Wii U and 3ds was not part of that creative era for Mario? I respectfully disagree,(and yes I’m referring to not only the switch) and I appreciate you making the video but this is why I created this comment. People take those for granted The line up for Mario games in those era are insane and became the progenitor for something bigger than those console. I am simply referring to Mario games has always been creative, and the term “creative era” for Mario is simply a fallacy as Mario games has always been creative, as much as I cringe while saying this Is not as simple as saying Mario games in WiiU and 3ds hasn’t been creative (i’d use the term “limited” by a lot of technical factors), and saying that disregards and enables dismissing parts of the creative experimentation of this franchise
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has actually been stuck in the same loop as most Mario games do before Mario Odyssey & Super Mario Bros. Wonder to be honest. Instead of giving us more wacky freedom & make characters we love more expressive as they were in the comics, the recent MCU movies outside of Spider-Man No Way Home, The Multiverse Of Madness & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3, were extreeeemely stale & the characters had no fun whatsoever, even with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel in the upcoming films, The Marvels.
Mario sports games on Switch aren't a good representation of those sub-franchises. They got sterilised and just acted like fillers in the Nintendo's line up, doing the bare minimum to be complete stand-alone games (like Switch Sports for example) Mario Odyssey, Origami King and Mario Party where an attempt to return to the basics. A return to what the fans expected from the series. While Mario+Rabbits, Bowser's Furry, Mario Wonder or Princess Peach Showtime on the other hand are creative, fresh and new approaches to the IPs. Nintendo has entered a new era with Switch. Nintendo is brunching in movies, theme parks, toys and collaborations out of the strict video games field. I wish the new console will not flop and become as huge as the Switch allowing Nintendo to give us more of what we loved.
I always looked back at the Wii U/3DS era as the "dark age" of Mario, and there's many contributing factors for that. I'm glad Mario has a solid identity again that doesn't just rely on nostalgia for it's branding; That's what I always knew the franchise for since I was a baby. With the success of the movie and the crazy new direction of Wonder, I think Mario is transcending beyond it's status as just a gaming franchise and into a full blown multimedia giant; He's more than just "top dog" in terms of video game mascots now. I'd say he long surpassed Pac-Man as an icon years ago, but this really just cements that statement. Who knows what more we could see in the future: TV shows, comics, new genre spin-offs... the possibilities are literally endless now.
This is the second comment telling me this, I need elaboration as a NSMBW fan myself because I don't find a lot new added to it that DS didn't already do.
Yeah, DS is one thing because it was that return + it had it's own ideas & mechanics that never got brought back, not to mention a banger VS. multiplayer mode and minigame mode. Wii, probably is the textbook definition of vanilla for Mario because every 2D Mario & several other games followed it.
This makes me think how Sega missed a huge chance at making Sonic cooler than Mario again. Instead they followed on their stands to make Sonic as bland and boring as possible to be marketable to a wider audience. Imagine if after Generations they canceled Sonic 4 Ep II, Lost World, and Boom, then released a game like Sonic Mania, and Sonic Frontiers, then Sonic Superstars. Sure Sonic Boom was a shit show, but I games like Sonic 4, Lost World and Forces did the biggest damage, for being so bland and forgettable a lot of people lost interest in the brand.
Not that its a bad video but he spends 20 minutes explaining the entire history of Mario and it gets stale in the first 5 minutes because it all leads to the same point
Where's the fun in making a video if I wanna cover every angle/perspective of a topic & have passion throughout but gotta squish it down to 10 minutes?
You lost me when you said Origami King was like Sticker Star. Origami King used a lot of elements from the original series, has amazing stories to share and it is a game that been made with care. Yes SS and CS was very generic 😅
It had the exact same character limitations SS & CS had. It had the exact same problems in how flawed the battle system is, even when the ring system isn’t the same. I.e, the lack of incentive, the shallow strategy in both attacks and the ring puzzles themselves, borderline the same enemy variety, etc. It definitely had more care put into it than SS & CS & made the most out of what it could do & use, but it was still so visibly held back by a lot of the exact same stuff that held back SS & CS that it’s still not far to compare, even when TOK’s a better game than those 2.
>most creative era >two remakes in the thumbnail Lol. Also people’s hate boner for NSMB is so frustrating because despite people saying “gameplay matters most” they clearly don’t apply that mindset to NSMB, which consistency had some really good level design. That franchise really solidified Nintendo’s level design philosophy (which not only was used in 3D World/Land but Wonder also strictly adheres to it as well). I wonder if Nintendo had not severely mishandled NSMB, perhaps cancelling NSMB2, that it would have a much better reputation. All said, it’s nice that Nintendo has finally brought 2D Mario in line with what the fanbase actually wants and shows a willingness to experiment. Still think 3D World >>> Odyssey tho ngl and you undersold it a bit in the vid.
I firmly believe Odyssey's a better Mario game than 3D World & expressed twice between both 3D World and the New Soup games that they're still good/great games regardless of the implications made in the video. That & every time I've gotten comments on the remakes being thrown in here or the thumbnail, even for the handful that did watch the whole thing & make it a harmless joke, most admit they didn't even get as far as 30:40 where I talk about that exact thing.
@@SuperMarioT joke or not it gave me a chuckle and I know you said they’re good games, I’m venting more generally. Think when it comes to platforming prowess that 3D World just has a lot more going on in terms of design than Odyssey, which restricts its platforming to challenge rooms whereas the open world doesn’t demand much from the player.
It reminds me of the GameCube era. My favorite era of Nintendo. The Nintendo Switch feels like the sequel close to hitting those peaks again for Mario! I love it.
Exactly on point. You and I have exquisite taste. 😉 I knew I wasn’t crazy when I noticed the Wii era taking a turn that seemed declining in my opinion.
@@Oscar-Guzman Wii Era was really good at some parts. Specifically 2007-2008 when we got the one of the darkest Mario games ever and the probably the edgiest Mario game ever. And if we count the DS there were plenty of creative gems during the mid-late 2000s. Around 2009-2010 when NSMB Wii released is when things declined a bit and started being safe which of course led to the 3DS/Wii U Era.
Disagree. The Wii U and 3DS era was the most mediocre. We kept on getting New Super Mario games, games got bland with no creativity, overuse of the Koopalings, Paper Mario started to not be an RPG anymore, sports games got boring, Mario Party got boring, etc.
Really hope this trend continues to the next generation system. We’re finally seeing the creativity we had back in the GC era, and having that combined with better hardware and even an OS with more personality would be the perfect return to form in my eyes. Also, fix the sports games, Nintendo…
I completely agree. Creativity makes up half a video game. I don't know why Miyamoto said Mario should be basic, but now he's saying, "To hell with it." No risks, no reward. As for sports, when is Nintendo going to make a Mario Karate game?
Honestly I think the Wii and DS era was the most innovative era for Mario imo. New mechanics, return of 2D Mario, multiplayer becoming more common, Peach having her own game etc.
I say it started being generic with 3D Land and NSMB2. At least NSMBWII made sense because it was the first 2D Mario game on a home console since World.
The only thing that needs fixing is the Mario Sports games. I'm not gonna rag on them because it's beating a dead horse at this point. They have their own set of problems they need to sort out, like launching the games with a satisfactory amount of content and ditching the free update approach because it does more harm than good. Everything else though has been excellent.
It often seems that companies don't truly understand why their fans decide to become their fans, and Nintendo is unfortunately no exception to this phenomenon. Whenever a single ultra-successful Mario game comes to pass Nintendo focuses all the creative direction of other titles to follow what they perceive was the key factor in this defining success for at least two console generations. The original Super Mario Bros. on the NES was the first such success, and arguably the largest, as it not just financially secured Nintendo's portfolio into what we see today but also defined the basic development landscape that other companies followed. While there weren't many Mario spinoffs during those early days the reflection of this could be seen with other platformer franchises made by Nintendo and other studios during the 80's and 90's. Super Mario Bros 2 and 3 also sold greatly well due to running on the same hardware that everyone bought to play the first game years prior, but they didn't sell nearly as high. This trend continued on with Super Mario World on the SNES, but was magnified further due to the console sales of the SNES not being as high as the NES despite SMW building on the Mario formula further and being critically acclaimed by everyone now that Nintendo had growing competition with other similar structured games on different consoles. But then another phenomenal development happened with Super Mario 64 being the first truly competent 3D platform game ever. Nintendo had a lead and recognition on other companies for the first time since the first Mario Bros game, and this time Nintendo knew to capitalize on Mario's image before other companies caught up. That's when most of the Mario spinoffs were first created or became truly recognized and there was an explosion of creativity that fans loved. But unfortunately, the Achilles heel of the N64 was its continued usage of old-school cartridges instead of discs and that spelled even fewer console sales that both previous generations despite the great software innovations, and that seems to be the tipping point for the start of Mario's creativity decline. The Gamecube tried to correct the main error the N64 made while still maintaining the creative direction of that generation but was too little too late. We all know the story of the Gamecube's horrible install base, despite the system having phenomenal games with some of the most creativity yet seen. Playstation and XBox were just more attractive from a developer perspective to make multi-platform games, and Nintendo seemed to learn an unfortunate lesson that franchise creativity alone does not boost console sales, but that software creativity should be discarded in favor of primarily innovating on hardware design, and that led to the structure of the Wii and the DS. But it was Mario's signature adventures on these consoles that would seal Mario's direction for the next decade. Super Mario Galaxy on Wii and New Super Mario Bros on DS dominated sales numbers due to the Wii already selling phenomenally due the new appeal of motion controls and NSMB being the first 2D Mario game since the 90's which boosted DS sales among nostalgic older fans before smart phone games became a thing. A combination of the highest install base since the NES and this new design philosophy between hardware and software convinced Nintendo that these games were the true image of Mario in the people's eye. If any other Mario game did not resemble the appearance of Mario from those aforementioned games the casual audience wouldn't recognize it as Mario and would turn away. That's when the spinoffs became super bland. No original characters or settings, environments and enemy designs being ripped directly from the NSMB games, and pretenses of games that can never be more complex than the platformers all the way through the Wii U and 3DS generations. But that design philosophy didn't help those consoles reach repeat success of their predecessors either, which brings us to the Switch. Switch is in a new frontier for bringing home-console strength games into a handheld capacity, and that has triggered the install success we see now. And while Oddyssey is super successful and creative the first Mario spinoffs of the early Switch years were rather plain, much like the games of the Wii U and didn't sell very well despite the high install base. But Super Mario Party of all things suddenly shattered expectations due to returning to the formula of the N64 and Gamecube generations despite those games being on significantly lower selling hardware. I can't help but feel that this struck a chord with Nintendo that the creativity styles of the past were not inherently bad ideas despite their lower past performance. After this point, it feels like Nintendo has started allowing Mario spinoffs to have an identity separate from the platformers, and if both Super Mario Bros Wonder and the TTYD remake both surpass expected sales margins Nintendo might finally realize that fans just want creativity in all aspects of their company, and innovative success in either software or hardware alone doesn't guarantee success for the other and that Mario games of very different identities can be successful simultaneously as long as the games themselves are good and are marketed seriously. Let's hope the right lessons are learned this time, and thanks to anyone that made it to the end of this grossly-long monologue!😂
Feel like this video captured this journey of ups and downs with Mario creativity very well. The heavy NSMB inspired period wasn't a "Dark Era" per say... since a lot of those games were still decent or solid. But that lack of creativity was slowly driving everyone crazy. It makes sense how the Mario fandom got so annoyed with it. Especially over in the Paper Mario camp. I will say I feel bad for games like 3D World, Dream Team, and even Dark Moon... because they had small bits of that classic creativity in there. Its just drowned out by those NSMB troupes being felt every-mf-where. So they get lumped in just as harshly. Probably the most tragic aspect of it all for me. (Mario Kart 8's creativity was also overlooked too, but everyone agrees that game is fire lol. But yeah, the Switch was undeniably that turning point. Odyssey was filled to the brim with creativity. And folks arguing otherwise just because it makes some references is so stupid as hell lol. (Some of yall know what video I'm referring to) I will say I CAN understand those who had doubts in the Switch Era overall turning things around. Because you could very much still feel the effects of the NSMB Era. Namely in the spinoffs, which still had aspects that make them creatively inferior to previous installments. And even port wise, yeah Bowser's Fury was bursting with charm... but we also have NSMB U DX which did nothing but slap in Toadette and curse this world with that crown lmao. But that final combo of the Mario movie, the Mario RPG remakes with faithful combat, and Mario Wonder put those doubts to bed. So yes, for the time being, we are so back. I do still have a fear that Nintendo could 180 on all this because... its Nintendo. They're no stranger to baffling decisions that ignore sensical logic. But right now, I am satisfied and confident in Mario's future.
Let's hope history does not repeat itself with Switch's follow up. Nintendo's weakness has always been playing it too safe when the business is thriving. It shouldn't require a flop to wake up, keep innovating Nintendo.
I'm a little bit worried that this era will end with the Switch, because it pretty much started with the Switch and it's wasn't the first time that Nintendo changed their focus at the same time they released a new console (I notably remember the N64 and the Wii).
I was almost ready to get upset with Nintendo for not bringing Super Mario RPG to the online service, but this remake will allow me to experience a game I've only ever heard about except fully updated, and I couldn't be happier!
I’m really happy Nintendo’s finally begun to tap into Mario latent potential- a world that’s fucking insane and where literally anything is possible- and have begun to realize there’s so much to this world than the first 2-3 games
Looking at MK8D I can’t help but wonder what the fate of the Koopalings is. Like they were everywhere during the wiiU/3Ds era and I remember us being so tired of them at the time. (Or atleast a loud amount).
It is not just the Mario series getting better at creativity, but also other series such as Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, etc. Something inside of Nintendo really changed their perspective how their series goes forward after THAT MAN died. It is an unpopular opinion, however, the post Iwata era was better than during the Iwata era of Nintendo. Yes, the ‘too corporate’ thing is real during the Switch era but that’s nothing new being ‘anti-consumer’.
I don't get why people always categorize 3D Land and ESPECIALLY 3D World as part of the problem. They have plenty of interesting twists on existing and brand new level themes and level design concepts. I'd argue that at least 3D World is far more engaging and creative with its level design and overall aesthetic variety than Sunshine, which is mostly seaside areas and a couple villages, or even Galaxy 1. To give a few examples,, 3D Land has the level where you scale a big tree, the Zelda inspired stage complete with Fire Mario puzzles, the maze-like level where you're in the burrow of a buncha Monty Moles and have to move around them as they dig, and the level where you trapeze thru cogs, gears and more in a giant clock. And then 3D World just goes hogwild. Thats the game where Bowser pulls up in a giant purple hotrod and JAZZ METAL FUSION starts playing. A BIG BAND HIP HOP BEAT plays before you go to fight Hisstocrat and Motley Bossblob. There's Hands-on Hall, a level that takes place in a feudal Japan style castle where you sneak thru the first half with the Goomba Mask, fight thru halls of Spikes and other enemies, and then scale to the outside of the castle with the Propeller Hat while collecting Key Coins to get to the very top, just like some sort of old time play about Ninjas or an old fantasy TV show. There's Double Cherry Pass with its cotton candy color pallette that introduces the unique number lift platforms that only move when you get enough people standing on it. There's the Beep Block levels with their funky disco music that keep you on your toes and force you to control your Double Cherry clones under timing based platforming pressure. There's Switch Scramble Circus with the various on/off ? Platforms that you have to manage while dodging enemies, not to mention the slowly evolving music that reaches its climax as you go to grab the flag pole. There's Puffrod Peaks with its dreamlike purple-pink gradient cliffside aesthetic and gimmick centered around touch and mic activated platforming. There's Shadow Play Alley where you have to use the shadows casted along the wall to find various secrets, and some entire sections that are basically the silhouette levels from DKCR/Wonder. There's Spooky Seasick Wreck with its moody rainy shipwreck atmosphere accompanied by the AMAZING ghost house theme. There's Footlight Lane with it's sky scraping castle aesthetic, where you have to dodge incoming Cat Bullet Bills and Para Dry Bones as you figure out where your foothold are cuz the floor is only visible while you're near it. I could literally go on and on about the unique ideas and level themes in 3D World for ages. 3D World is cut from the exact same super creative cloth that folk claim the Switch era is, but JUST BECAUSE it has like 10 levels out of 82 that look "standard Mario" it gets lumped in with games as uninspired as stuff like Sticker Star and NSMB2. Its downright disingenuous and I can only assume anyone who says that hasn't played 3D World since it dropped, or just played it with their eyes closed and ears plugged.
Fun video, really makes the future exciting and I can’t wait for sure. Every Mario game since Odyssey added their own unique flair and it’s great. Origami King did also have unique flair and even though the TTYD remake is an awesome thing, we can’t ignore that TOK fits with the rest of pushing a much more creative direction, especially as it has a ton of positives that the classic formula would benefit adopting.
As someone who's observed the Mario franchise sense 2016, to see it come back to the wild creative side again is great to see. I seriously believe that the theme park and the movie with Universal helped Nintendo get out of their comfortable shell. As well as Odyssey's development, because it seems Nintendo wanted something new for the franchise ever since 3D World released. I just want more new stuff like Princess Peach Showtime, maybe even crazy out there ideas. For example, I've had this crazy idea of Sony 1st party cinematic like Mario game, based in the movie universe with the movie cast. I know it's crazy, but I would buy 10 copies of it, if it's of similar quality to those type of Sony games. Hell, bring back Warioland and Capitan Toad for brand new games, they would be great for new material. Give the current Mario Sports games a slight revamp and make a new sport while you're at it. There's plenty of potential and I think Nintendo is willing to go for it. So I'm very much looking forward to the next few years of Mario content.
Every standard and limit Mario had to follow, what Mario stood for in Nintendo's eyes last generation, both TTYD & Mario RPG breaks all of it. Remade or not, they stand for that exact type of character diversity, character originality, narrative density, gameplay depth & mechanics: they are creative Mario games regardless. It counts just for the sole fact they wouldn't be acknowledging them at all, let alone remaking them, if Mario still had that status quo & vanilla standard to adhere to, TTYD in particular they visibly tried to not replicate or pay tribute to at all & went on record implying such for the last 11 years. The whole heart acknowledgment of both speaks a lot more than just "Nintendo remaking a game & absolutely nothing more" if you bothered to listen the first 2 times, which I feel like you're still purposefully trying not to. I'm not the first & only person saying this kind of stuff either.
Gonna be real, As someone who grew up during the Late Wii/Early 3DS era, I personally didn't care about any of the "mandates" discounting the Paper Mario related ones. Like yeah, It made the lineup a little more disappointing in comparison to what came from the Early Wii, DS, GameCube, GBA, N64, ect. eras. But the games themselves were still really solid for the most part. I still to this day consider Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, and Super Mario Maker to be among the very best Mario experiences out there. And while I can recognize that the Switch entries are trying to be a lot more experimental in nature, I don't think they hold up nearly as well in comparison. Odyssey and Luigi's Mansion 3 are good games undoubtedly, But the amount of unnecessary padding holds them back from being truly amazing. Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars are a step in the right direction, But their content is still lacking. (Don't even get me started on the mediocre sports games and pointless Wii U ports) So as far as quality and consistency is concerned, Late Wii - Early Wii U is still better. Switch era deserves props for trying to break new ground, But if the results aren't all that great, Then it's really not much better than before. (Discounting whatever happened in 2016 cause that year was bad) Though nothing beats the GBA - Early Wii era, Those games were both experimental and top tier.
I'm going to have to disagree with you on Mario sports games for the switch the Mario sports game on GameCube and Wii where very creative they had fantastic characters choices, courses and personality the new ones lack 1 or 2 of those things
In my opinion the 2010,s was a massive decline for films, games and Media in general, the decade was dominated by rushed, free to play games, nostalgia pandering, meta humor everywhere, less ambitious gci in movies and dumbing down media for kids.This was caused by a growth of the internet and meme culture, greedy developers and a misunderstanding of children,s media and franchises.
For the next Mario Kart I want the most non "play it safe" roster possible. I want Petey Piranha, Wiggler, Kamek, Pauline, Nabbit, Hammer Bro, Poochy, King Bob-Omb, Honey Queen, but also I want characters that hardly ever get to be playable and are usually just NPCs or enemies like Pianta, Noki, Spike (not Foreman Spike, the green one that throws spiked balls), E Gadd., Toadsworth (stop ignoring him Nintendo 😤), Tostarenan (Mario Odyssey), Luma/Lubba, Baby DK, Baby Wario, Peepa, etc. And I would also love if Nintendo worked something out with Ubisoft because I would play as Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Rosalina in Mario Kart in a heartbeat. I would have named characters from the RPG games but I still don't think Nintendo is ever going to want the RPG characters to show up in the other games unfortunately.
