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Forums - Gaming - Mario Platformers

a.l.e.x59 on 31 May 2007

When the Nintendo Entertainment System first came out, it gave us four Mario platformers: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. (USA), Super Mario Bros. 2 (JAP), and Super Mario Bros. 3. Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. 3, are amongst the earliest, and greatest, Super Mario Bros. games of all time.


Then, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System came out. It gave us two Mario platformers: Super Mario World, and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Then again, Super Mario World 2 is technically not a Mario platformer. Why? Because you never even play as Mario. You play as Yoshi. It's more of a Yoshi Story predecessor. Not only that, but only baby Mario makes an appearance? Where is adult Mario? Why does baby Mario even exist? Even worse, why is baby Mario, and baby Luigi in Mario Kart: Double-Dash!!? Pretty lame excuses as additional characters in the game.

Well, after the Super Nintendo came the Nintendo 64. We got Super Mario 64. That's it. However, it is possibly the greatest Mario game of all time. It was originally planned to be released on the Super Nintendo, possibly using the Super FX chip, which Star Fox used, but it was moved to the Nintendo 64, because it was too large for the Super Nintendo, and Super FX chip. There was going to be a Super Mario 64 2, for the Nintendo 64 DD, but it was cancelled. It's not like Super Mario 64 came late to the Nintendo 64's life. In fact, it was one of the Nintendo 64's earliest games, so why couldn't they have made a Super Mario 64 2? Why did Nintendo have to make so many Mario Party's, yet barely any Mario platformers for the Nintendo 64, and Nintendo Gamecube?

Next, we get Super Mario Sunshine for the Nintendo Gamecube. That's it. There wasn't even going to be a Super Mario Sunshine 2, that would later get cancelled. Just Super Mario Sunshine. Come on, the Playstation 2 had four Ratchet and Clank games! That's right, four! Ratchet is far inferior to Mario, yet there is only one Mario platformer for the Nintendo Gamecube. Why isn't there a Super Mario Sunshine 2, or Super Mario Sunshine 3?

If the Wii does better, and lives longer than its predecessors, we might get more Mario platformers. So far, all we know is that Super Mario Galaxy is coming out. For some reason, I doubt there is going to be a Super Mario Universe, or any other Mario platformers for the Wii.

There are two Mario platformers for the Gameboy. Super Mario Land, and Super Mario Land 2. Okay, that's a little bit better.

But no, it gets worse. There is no new Mario platformer for the Gameboy Color. All we get is a port of Super Mario Bros. for the NES. Why? I have no idea.

Now the Gameboy Advance comes. We get three brand new Sonic games, and two brand new Crash Bandicoot games. However, we get zero new Mario games. Instead, we get a bunch of NES, and SNES ports. How does Sega's mascot, and Sony's old mascot, bring out more, fresh games, on a Nintendo console, than Nintendo's Mario? I have absolutely no idea. Nintendo did the same thing with Donkey Kong. Nothing but ports for the Gameboy, Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance.

Now, the Nintendo DS comes out. What do we get? Another port; Super Mario 64 DS. Well, we finally get a brand new Mario platformer; New Super Mario Bros. But how long did it take? Too many years. So at the end, we get 10 Mario platformers, when we could have had at least 30 by now. Why are there 3 Mario platformers for the NES, and 1 for practically every other system, and 0 for the Gameboy Color, and Gameboy Advance?

The Gameboy Advance was the perfect time to release Super Mario World 3, and Donkey Kong Country 4! What was Nintendo thinking? I don't want to play the same games on the Gameboy Advance, as the ones on my Nintendo Entertainment System. It almost defeats the purpose of buying the Gameboy Advance.

So where does Mario stand next to his competitors? Well, even though there are only 10 Mario Platformers (I don't count Yoshi's Island, because it's a Yoshi platformer, not a Mario platformer), they all got considerably high reviews. But we could have had so many more Mario platformers. I mean, practically every month, we get a new Sonic game. Practically every 5 years, we get a new Mario game. Why? I have absolutely no idea.

Why aren't there more Mario platformers?


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Quantum-Tarantino on 31 May 2007

Come on, the Playstation 2 had four Ratchet and Clank games! That's right, four! Ratchet is far inferior to Mario, yet there is only one Mario platformer for the Nintendo Gamecube.
You ever think that maybe, just MAYBE the reason ratchet is inferior to mario, is lack of quality assurance, and the ship it mentality of designers these days?



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stof on 31 May 2007

That's easy, So they don't ruin Mario games.



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a.l.e.x59 on 31 May 2007
Quantum-Tarantino said:
Come on, the Playstation 2 had four Ratchet and Clank games! That's right, four! Ratchet is far inferior to Mario, yet there is only one Mario platformer for the Nintendo Gamecube.
You ever think that maybe, just MAYBE the reason ratchet is inferior to mario, is lack of quality assurance, and the ship it mentality of designers these days?

Can you ever post a response in one of my threads that isn't criticising?



Quantum-Tarantino on 31 May 2007

What is criticising. Ratchet is not on par with mario BECAUSE there were 4 for PS2 and only one mario for GC And when you start becoming a more constructive member of this community, and this thread is close enough, youll receive less criticism.



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reverie on 31 May 2007

Spawned by the Super Mario Bros games, 2D platformers were a wildly popular genre of the 80s. There were hundreds or thousands of different platformers across all systems, from consoles to handhelds to arcades to home computers to PCs and Macs. Every console manufacturer needed a platform mascot like Mario. Their popularity has faded since then (just like the popularity of point'n'click adventures). This can partly be explained with a changeing audience, but also with new technological possibilities. The art of game design has moved on, reprises like the New Super Mario Bros not withstanding. 3D platformers are not the same genre at all (it just so happens that Mario went from one genre to the other) and they are certainly not as dominant today as 2D plaformers were in the 80s and early 90s.



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Blue3 on 31 May 2007

"Why aren't there more Mario platformers?" Just how many times can you play the same game ? She get kidnapped, Mario to the rescue a bunch of hours later game over.



a.l.e.x59 on 31 May 2007
RolStoppable said:

I have seen this coming. Edit following shortly.

EDIT: I have responded to this question in the "Why the Wii won't sell 80+ million" thread.

Basically Nintendo doesn't milk their franchises to death like most companies. That's why we don't have 30 Mario platformers. Great games take time to make and the development teams that did the Mario platformers also made a lot of other great games as well.


Mario

More games than any other mascot.
Less platforming games than other mascots.
More spin off games than other mascots.
More spin off games games than platforming games.
Most spin off games are very good.

Other mascots

More platforming games than spin off games.
More platforming games than Mario.
Most spin off games are mediocre, or bad.

For every three Mario spin off games, Mario could have had another platforming game. And, if the Nintendo Entertainment System could have had three Mario platformers, then why not the other consoles? Technology isn't to blame, because technology increases. And why isn't there even one new Mario platforming game for the Gameboy Color, or Gameboy Advance?


a.l.e.x59 on 31 May 2007
Quantum-Tarantino said:
What is criticising. Ratchet is not on par with mario BECAUSE there were 4 for PS2 and only one mario for GC And when you start becoming a more constructive member of this community, and this thread is close enough, youll receive less criticism.

Fair enough. Those other threads were pretty usuelss.



a.l.e.x59 on 31 May 2007
Blue3 said:
"Why aren't there more Mario platformers?" Just how many times can you play the same game ? She get kidnapped, Mario to the rescue a bunch of hours later game over.

She doesn't have to get kidnapped all the time. Nintendo could think of something else.

Besides that, the Mario games never needed a complex story. The story was simple enough to give you reason to play the game.