Mario has been overrated for the last decade. Case closed.

This is so so true thank god atleast IGN is realizing how bad Mario has become

It is deliciously ironic for IGN to claim that Nintendo takes no risks, because the biggest risk they took this generation was the risk of the hardcore/HD backlash that IGN's recent articles so typify. And guess what - it came true, oh how it came true. Thankfully it is a lot less influential that perhaps it could have been, because these people have been marginalised.

As for online, there are some very good reasons for Nintendo to not major on online gaming:

The first is that the WIi is predominantly a family and friends machine, it is the antidote to the stereotype of the solo gamer in the darkened back room, it is intended to bring people together and it does so. An emphasis on online play would destroy that.

The second is that local multiplayer not only encourages people to play together, it is also better for sales. When you are playing online you are only ever playing with people who already have the game, but when you play locally you are often playing with people who are new to the game, may like it and may buy a copy for themselves.

So not having an emphasis on online is good for the customers - the vast majority of Wii customers anyway - and good for Nintendo.

That sounds to me like a deliberate decision, and a good one. Not like laziness.

I agree.It's more than just fun to me(but fun counts a loooooot).Machina's comment "Clearly he never tried 2 play Splosion man online" really made me LOL! I hope with Mario Galaxy 2,Metroid Other M & Zelda Wii,we see the nintendo we used to know!

Then IGN wonders why they have less exclusives and less traffic

I never really played much Mario before.Even on my GC,I never played Mario sunshine.Only my little brother did.Then I got Mario Galaxy on my wii.By far the best game I've played recently and now my 3rd best of all time.Then my younger bros play it.1 comments "I don't think I've ever enjoyed a game this much b4!".Then the 1 dat played sunshine says(after the 1st 5 levels) "This game is far better than sunshine!".It'd take a lot to convince me dat Mario has been overrated for the last decade as even the mario RPG games(& the portable ones too) far beat my expectations.

Silly boy, pay attention now. I'll give you a full analysis on NSMBWii value when compared to SMW.

Levels on SMW - Yoshi island = 6, Donut plains = 10, Vanilla dome = 8, Upper bridge = 9, Illusion forest = 9, Chocolate Island = 10, Bowser valley = 8, Star road = 5, Special = 8, 13 star points, 1 yoshi house, 1 recover level

PLUS

The original 73 levels all over again after you beat the special. They are different now.

The grand total = 176

77/176 = 0.4375 

AND

1MB cartridge verse 440MB compressed DVD data. 1/440 = 0.002

AND

SMW was free (bundled with a SNES) while NSMBWii costed yoy $50. Let's assume the cartridge manufacturing costs as $10. 10/50 = 0.2

Result - 0.002 * 0.4375 * 0.2 = 0.000175 and 1/0.000175 = 5714

NSMBWii is only 1/5714 of what SMW is and Nintendo brainwashed you all.

You forgot the simultaneous multiplayer, while SMW had turned based. How would you calculate that? And what's the value of the propellor suit versus the cape. And SMW doesn't have the ice suit or penquin suit.

I think we may have to use long division for this one.

I'm not saying Mario is bad or anything. When they truly take the character and make a new game from it (Like Galaxy, and not like Mario Party 700 or a new remake of SMB), it's great! It's just that it's usually completely blown out of proportion to be the best thing ever since humans invented the wheel lol.

For me, games are art, they can be about much more than just "fun", and we're in 2010, "just fun" doesn't cut it anymore, we need to evolve past that to be recognized as an art form - like some games try (Heavy Rain and most Quantic Dream games, Mass Effect saga, Deus Ex, Flower, Braid, etc).