I don't think Mario games are kiddy at all. They are well crafted games and can be downright devilish in difficulty for more experienced gamers.

I wonder what those who say it's too childish want. I'm curious. Is it blood, gore, and M-rating, for Mario? How many less copies would Nintendo sell of an M-rated Mario!  A story in Mario is inconsquential, it's all about the gameplay.  Not deep narratives.  Perhaps folks want M-rated Mario with codec-sequences between warp pipes and long CG cutscenes, I don't know.

Mario is for EVERYONE.

My guess it's that it depends on Nintendo's level of success of the game, if they hope New Super Mario Bros. 2 sells the same as the DS and Wii ones (which I highly doubt it will), then I guess they will try to change the formula or not release a New Super Mario Bros game for a while. If on the other hand the overall sells of the game are acceptable for them then Nintendo will continue with the series only adding some few changes here and there.

Thanks! I very much enjoyed that video. I would have flipped out if I went to my friend's house and the guy that voiced mario was there and started talking in his Mario voice.

No. But I'm conflicted. Story can definitely be properly integrated into platformer/adventure games...themes can be introduced, and stories told. But personally, Mario's universe as it is now is a difficult place for those because he's so synonymous with a particular type of game that I can't dissasociate his character with them. I mean...internal conflicts or external relationships...personal journeys or world changing revelations...none of them fit. I think a traditional, dialogue and characterisation-heavy approach is off the cards. To do this, they'd have to fundamentally change the Mario series, to the point where there's no use in it being a mario game in the first place. 

However! They can take a minimal approach, and still say something in the game that is meaningful, and that I think is a worthwhile thing to attempt in a Mario game. Two of my favourite examples would be the environmental-storytelling in Demon's/Dark Souls and the gameplay narrative in Journey. The Souls games' narrative and context are gleaned almost completely from the world around you - the sounds creatures or characters make in the distance, the decrepit or fantastic buildings and magic, the enemies themselves patrolling an area or cowering in a dark chamber, the changing reaction of NPCs towards you, their faces, even item names..all non-intrusive story telling, that are possible in the confines of mario's universe. Now with Journey, the emotions you feel are completely tied to the person playing with you. The beautiful/symbolic environments and sound help but...without the other player travelling with you, the Journey ceases to be so affecting. Such simple things... having to huddle together to keep energy up through a storm....using eahcother's chirps as a means to fly higher...it adds meaning to the game without any text or explicit character development. I would never quit that game early, because I'd feel guilty for the 'journey-er' that I suddenly left alone. Playing on my own, I would. I honestly don't know how they'd incorporate that one into Mario though, althougn co-op does fit naturally into the series, it's the interaction that is important here. I wouldn't want to be the one at Nintendo HQ tasked with making that game. 

So it can be done, and should...but non-intrusively. I think. But it would be very difficult and require a delicate touch. 

I agree.100%.That´s a great post.

Anyway...old Nintendo >>> today´s Nintendo...imo.

I don't think The Thousand Year Door has exactly a kiddy story...

padib, just derailing your thread a bit, I thought you might find this interesting, from Malstrom (I´m sure you know who he is)...it´s a long read, but I think you´ll like it:

http://seanmalstrom.wordpress.com/

It´s the "Nintendo just doesn´t care" post.

Did you like Super Mario Sunshine?

It had a story! Everythang got so yucky and messy in town and Mario happened to go there on his HoneyMoon with Peach, so instead of working he cleaned up town. Then we find out that the person behind it was Bowser Jr. and that Peach is his mother! That means that she did it with Bowser!

PLOT TWISTTTT!!!!!

(But seriously, that was a good enough story for a Mario game and I quite liked it. It was... interesting.)

I did like it! But there's a difference between having a story and having a good story I mean it worked for that game, but I'm talking about it becoming something more than that. 

First off, what exactly is it that makes Mario kiddy? You didn't exactly define that in your post. You mention story, but story has changed very little in any Mario games.

Donkey Kong- Giant Gorilla has captured Pauline. Go save her.
Super Mario Bros.- Giant reptile has kidnapped Peach. Go save her.
Super Mario 64- Giant reptile has kidnapped Peach. Go Save her.
Super Mario Galaxy- Giant reptile has kidnapped Peach. Go save her.
NSMB Wii- Giant Reptile has captured Peach. Go save her.
Super Mario 3D Land- Giant Reptile has captured Peach. Go save her.

Of course, other Mario games have offered more story. In particular, the Mario RPG series has constantly offered very adult humor. Not adult in the sense of "I once knew a man from Nantucket", but adult in the sense of knowing in-jokes, self referential humor, and subtle jokes that would go over a child's head. Even Mario Galaxy had a somewhat somber story to it, if you spent the time in the library.

But as for the main story, it's changed very little. To be honest, the only change is in the subjective way which you described them. You say that Mario Bros "is the story of a plummer that needs to attack crabs and turtles and butterflies, with fireballs coming out of the wall to attack him." Well, Super Mario Sunshine is a story of a plumber crushing small animals underfoot, blasting enemies into walls with powerful streams of water, and RIPPING THE LIMBS OFF OF Squids who stand in his way. He does all of this in an effort to clear his name which has been besmirched by a shadowy imposter as part of a misguided quest to find his long lost mother.

You also mentioned color, but that seems unfair considering the differences in hardware. Naturally, the NES/Arcade systems of the time were limited in the amount of colors that could be easily replicated. Besides, I'm not sure what makes a color kiddy or not kiddy. Are bright primary colors only for children? Super Mario 64 has a whole level based on Rainbows and sunshine and is filled with color. I don't know what makes other games more kiddy in terms of their color palette.

As for why the mainline Mario series isn't a story with "real emotion" it's because that isn't what Nintendo wants it to be. Simple as that. Miyamoto in particular thrives on making games which are simple, accessible, and have great pick up and play value. Personally, this is what I'm looking for in a Mario game. Whether that's better or worse is subjective, but that's what Nintendo wants the mainline Mario series to be, and that's what it is. If you're looking for something different, you're probably looking to the wrong franchise.