http://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_FX

Super Mario FX is a game that was originally going to be released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, using the Super FX chip used in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. It seemed, however, that even the chip didn't have enough capability to run this complex 3-d platformer, so it was moved to the Nintendo 64, and released as Super Mario 64.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_FX#Development

Essentially what this means is that super mario 64 (But not 64) was originally going to be released on the SNES.

free bump

Shame that nothing about that was ever released. I'd definitely be interested in playing.

I mean, yeah, it ended up moving to the N64, but how similar is the N64 version to the original SNES version?

I´ve never seen this before!
Thank you for posting!

Imagine the repercussions if this had indeed released for the SNES instead of the N64.

What would the N64's Mario game have been? How much longer would Nintendo have supported the SNES? Would the N64's launch have been delayed due to renewed SNES interest? Or would this have generated interest in the N64, considering the degree of complexity in this game and the obvious vast advantage the N64 had over the SNES? Would we have seen more advanced releases on the N64, or would Nintendo have turned out even cockier?

This single game, and the simple decision of which console to release it for has incredible influence over the entire rest of the gaming industry. Funny how that decision's mentioned practically in passing, in the end.

 This

Lets just hope that someday someone will drop a ROM like the canned and great game STAR FOX 2 on the snes.. Love that game...

Right, but being the first major 3D platformer, and being on a system with a nearly fifty-million unit installbase, and having Mario as its subject matter, it'd still have sold well.

And it'd have shown what Nintendo was capable of, which very well could have brought incredible attention to their next console, which assuredly was capable of far more.

The level design would have been bland, but seriously. Didn't stop them from making Star Fox, and certainly didn't stop it from being popular.

I disagree that Nintendo would have had to package a new controller. I've played 3D platformers with a d-pad only and it's not bad. An analog stick does indeed improve the experience, but it's not necessary.

Thank God they didn't.

I do agree - it probably IS better this way.

But still. One does wonder.