GameZone's David Sanchez writes: "Nintendo has done great things with the Mario franchise, but as of late, it seems to be losing its luster. That magic that first propelled the iconic platforming series is now but a faint light bulb, barely surviving on the success that every cash-in so unremorsefully chugs along by. There's nothing novel about Mario anymore, and it's a shame."
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They did with Super Mario 3D Land; that game is awesome
(That's coming from a 21yr old).
So, the real question is: Does Mario even NEED the hardcore crowd to make Nintendo money? It can't hurt.
It's not , of course every once in a while there will be rehashes to introduce it to a new generation of gamer . Doesnt mean that you have to buy and enjoy all of them .
Ultimately sales are all that matter. So, if Nintendo can still sell it, it doesn't matter what everybody's preferences are.
I would buy a Nintendo system again if they just made mario 64-2 for the wii U. I loved mario 64 it is amazing. Also make a cool looking 2d mario game that doesnt look cheap and made to play in flash player. more like mario world or yoshi island.
although New super mario bros was pretty good
Also, "this guy" isn't living under any rock, nor is he a "Nintendo hater." For years the only current platform I owned was the Wii. I'm a fan, but I've grown tired of the series. You don't have to love Mario to be a Nintendo fan. Xenoblade and Last Story? Pre-ordered and own both. Kirby? Easily one of my favorite franchises of all time (getting the Dream Collection on September 16, actually). Super Mario Bros. 3? Quite possibly my favorite game of all time.
So yeah, I'm a fan. I'm just not a fanboy.
If they put some serious effort into making triple A new IPs, instead of just relying on Mario games and Mario-related spin-offs all the time. They're not just milking the brand; they're bleeding it dry. I don't know if it was last week or the week before, but there were 4 3DS games in the UK Top 40 Video Games chart, and they all had Mario in the title. I mean geez, give it a rest.
Some people like only 2d mario games , other 3d titles , some other only the non platform spin offs like tennis or Kart .
And if you like all genres liek some others , well it's up to the individual to not burn and tire itself with an overdose imo .
If you like hop-n-bop platformers you've got Nintendo's, Sega's and ... ... ... the indie junk?
3D Land I thought was pretty neat. There were a couple of neat ideas in there. The big drawback of 3D Land, though, is that the levels felt way too short. I see big potential for a sequel featuring less condensed levels.
NSMB Wii and NSMB 2 are okay, but they feel a little uninspired to me. The coin idea in NSMB 2 is neat, but to me the series seems to scream safe. Even in the 2D format, I feel there's still a lot they can do with it.
So overall I don't think I'm tired of Mario yet. It'll be interesting to see the first 3D Mario game with the Wii U. What they do with it should give a better picture in terms of where they're going with the core series.
Sure, sales probably won't see much of a difference since there's so many fanboys and loyal Nintendo fans out there that worship Mario like a cult. I just think in the scope of things Nintendo needs something new, a new IP to continue success for future generations and hardware. The last actually original Mario title to be released imo was Super Mario Galaxy in 2007. Go ahead and dislike this, but somewhere down the road the turning point will be seen by all.
I dont even like mario mind you . I can only enjoy him in stuff like Kart and Smash bros ... but it's quite a stretch to say it's going to die because you personally are tired .
Sales do need to show a sign of fatigue , and it's not .
It's not as if people were exactly rushing toward a fresher pikmin instead
PS :
While it has indeed been a while this gen . Nintendo has actually explored quite a variety of genre and new ideas imo . They just "hidden" it in a coat of mario franchising . But they've created quite many ips from it .
So it's hardly as if it was the same damn exact genre and game
Melon didnt make one valid point in their entire rant. All she did was spout her opinion as fact. Just because it matches your doesnt make it the best argument. Did you even read what they posted?
"and other future Mario titles just feel like a complete waste of time"
Now here they claim to have played future Mario titles and know how they play. Do you really think they can go into the future? Of course not you just blindly agreed without even comprehending what was said.
So what they are tired of Mario? Who said they ever supported Mario games to begin with? Nobody. They cry about the DS conference and that is it.
Do you know why people keep bringing up sales? Because 30 million people didnt buy a game they were sick of. That is the point, the only point that matters , that you cannot seem to grasp.
They ask for new IP's and you agree with them? What about Last story, Pandoras tower, Xenoblade, Disaster, and that is just on Wii this gen? Forgetting that Wii Sports is a new IP too.
What I get from this is that you know little to nothing about gaming and are just looking for hits for your site. Agreeing with her post proves that 100%.
Exactly how is a franchise dying when its sales haven't gone down? Your opinion that a franchise has gone stale does not mean that franchise is dying or ever will die.
That means that as far as it goes, it's still a very healthy and successful franchise. The people who are buying the games are not relevant at that point.
If it makes money, it's successful. Period. That's it. There's no working any way around that other than being hateful or a fanboy.
Also, I couldnt care less about sales. Sales don't affect my enjoyment of a game.
Zeon is right. There's nothing wrong with Mario. If people actually took the time to play ALL his games, they would realize that there is innovation for each one, even if the playstyle is still the same.
The core audience is kids. Alot of us oldheads have been playing Mario for more than a decade, so yeah, of course it's gonna be stale for us. The games are targeted toward the younger crowd, just like it was when we were kids.
So don't count the fat plumber out yet. Just because we're too old doesn't mean the franchise is. I personally still find Mario enjoyable.