We all know how the 5th generation went. All the big game companies switched production to 3D games, with only a few franchises like Castlevania and Kirby remaining fixed to two dimensions. Nintendo revolutionized the 3D game with classics such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, but ultimately lost the generation.

BUT

What if there weren't a 15 year wait between 2D Mario games. Nintendo made a couple of 2.5D platformers, including Yoshi's Story as early as 1997 and Kirby 64 as late as 2000. What if, say New Super Mario Bros were an N64 launch title instead of Super Mario 64, complete with 4 person coop?

Would Nintendo have sold twice as many systems, as suggested by 2D fans such as Malstrom? Would 3D gaming have taken a major hit without a Mario game to lead the way? Would other franchises such as Zelda also have remained in 2D?

I think this is a very interesting alternate history, worthy of investigation.

would of done better

I think the system would have sold better, but still would´ve ended far behind the Playstation.

I remember reading an article wayyyy back when about how Jumping Flash came out around a year before SM64, but Mario became the format to copy for 3D platformers and JF just fell into obscurity. It certainly offered a different take on 3D platforming, but I can totally see why SM64 was copied so much.

Crash Bandicoot came out the same time as Mario, but it was like 2 years until we were seeing the fully 3D games like Spyro and Banjo-Kazooie, so yeah, SM64 was a pretty important part in 3D platforming's history, and I'm glad it came along and not another 2D Mario game.

I don't know how much it would have affected system sales, though. The world was in a bit of a different place back then.

it was the 3D boom, 2d was a past thing, i think it wasnt the time for it, also Nintendo marketing is way better now, sure it could have moved some systems, but nothing too big, the revival factor played a big role in NSMB sales, that wasnt there in that era...

Agreed. The time wasn't right. If they released it then all that would have happened is the 3d boom would have just dragged a bit slower and the console race would be closer. But the absence is what made the resurgence refreshing. But business wise, and in hindsight of course, it would have made sense to release 2d mario on the N64.

It would have bombed even more than Super Mario World.

Cheers

If a 2D Mario came out in holiday 1998 alongside Zelda OOT, the N64 would have sold millions more units of hardware...but the 3rd party support would not have changed. N64 development would not have gotten any easier.

N64 would've sold more but not much more. 3D was the trend at that time.

2D Mario at launch would have been a big fail all around because the big selling point of all the 32 and 64 bit consoles was 3D games. Not just platformers, but 3D fighters, racers and sports games were big hits that helped launch all three consoles. At that point traditional 2D games like Rayman were considered novelties.

Everyone would have bashed the N64 as not being able to deliver 3D games in an era where 3D gaming was the next big thing. And in all honestly it probably would have played horribly because the N64 control pad wasn't suited for 2D games. Yoshi's Story and Kirby 64 were exceptions because they were more 2-1/2D games, and weren't as precision jumping heavy as traditional Mario games were.