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What Is The Future of 3D Mario?

If Miyamoto can further improve the handling of Mario with 3D depth effect, he will achieve status beyond godly.
 
zoukka said:
If Miyamoto can further improve the handling of Mario with 3D depth effect, he will achieve status beyond godly.

In the 3DS Iwata Asks videos released at E3 Mario was one of the prime examples Miyamoto used for the advantages of depth perception in games.
 
I loved the Galaxy games, but I'd like a return to the 64/Sunshine-style design. I don't think the issue is that linearly designed levels are inherently better than open worlds. They were just so much more well designed in Galaxy that it became hard to imagine how open worlds could be better. I'd like to see what kind of crazy things they could do with the old style, now that the Galaxy style has come pretty close to perfection.
 
grap3fruitman said:
Yup, "shake the remote here" and don't forget "shake the remote there."

It seems that your basic fundamental failure to even whiff the point of what I was saying really just displays the kneejerk nature of your response.

The diversity we were discussing is in level design. And since level design is the #1 most important thing of any platformer, surprise, Galaxy is far and away the greatest 3D platformer!

grap3fruitman said:
Is it really too difficult to grasp the idea that someone has a different opinion than you?

I too would like a return to the Mario 64 and Sunshine formula. I played both of those through 100% but I don't think I ever finished either Galaxy game.

Hell, if they released the 64DD and Mario 64-2 for it today I would go out and buy them.

You want some shitty archaic adventure game with less platforming elements like Mario 64, and I want a fucking amazing and sublime pure platformer like Super Mario Galaxy 2. I understand the difference.
 
Haunted said:
EAD Tokyo is primarily a console team, so probably not.

Didn't Miyamoto hint at them working on Mario 3DS in an E3 interview somewhere? Otherwise, as long as the genius level design keeps flowing, I think EAD Tokyo can be trusted in knowing when to depart from the Galaxy structure to some new overarching concept.
 
I have no idea what to expect and I don't know how they can top Galaxy. Besides being the two best video games ever made, the formula is just so damn... enabling. They can do anything with this concept. I guess I would sort of like a return to some more exploration/open-world stuff, but that could also feel like a big comedown from the non-stop barrage of ideas in SMG.
 
Back when Galaxy 2 was first released I wanted Galaxy 3...

After I saw the pics and impressions of the 3DS at E3, I changed my mind and wanted Galaxy 3DS instead.
 
Super Mario Universe 3DS. Oh the amazing things that Nintendo could do if they mix amazing 2D and Galaxy type gameplay into this game while messing with the 3D feature.
 
I think the star missions, or "levels," should be linear like Galaxy, as I agree the tightly focused platforming serves the gameplay best... But I think the overworld should be as huge as Sunshine's Delfino Plaza, with ONE major difference: at any time you can instantly access a Level Select screen.

See, Starship Mario was great in how it allowed you to quickly access levels, but it was a lifeless overworld in and of itself. I don't want want to give up the Level Select, but why does it and a robust overworld have to be mutually exclusive? Hint -- they don't.

Having a Delfino-grade overworld would allow players to have fun simply running, jumping and wall-jumping around. At any time you could hit Start, or head over to one of the copious Warp Pads littered around the overworld, and access the Level Select, just like Starship Mario. But unlike Starship Mario, if you wanted to explore, there'd be something to explore. All the convenience of Starship Mario; all the depth of Delfino and Peach's Castle. It would preserve the sense of exploration, of adventure. And it would anchor the game in a sense of place that was sorely lacking from SMG2.

Frankly, I've already forgotten most of SMG2. It's fun when you play it, but when I look back on it, I can't tell you the name of a single level, or what levels were clustered in which worlds. They're just a bunch of disassociated realms, each one over before you know it. It makes the game as a whole feel fragmented, unfocused, and less fulfilling. Though I think SMG2 had better levels, I think SMG1 still feels more EPIC because as unfunctional as SMG1's overworld was, at least it had a sense of place that created a warm, central core to the whole experience. A place with magic.

I also think that, in addition to having a huge overworld (one that again, has Level Select available anywhere at anytime), there should be some cohesion to the "worlds" in which the "levels" are clustered. For instance, the last world could be a "dark" world in which each of the seven Koopalings -- and Bowser -- have their own level. Each level would be a riff on the castle/haunted theme. Perhaps each Koopaling has one key to the Bowser galaxy at the center. Defeating them all opens the way to the final boss, creating a sense of progression and -- wait for it -- adventure. Like you're actually going someplace.

I think this is a good compromise between the two styles. :)
 
I want a classical style, Super Mario World style game now. No rehashed levels, just levels in 3d, pure platforming, nothing controller-related (enough with shaking and twirling..) except for bonus levels, and so on.

I want a pure Mario adventure. While Galaxy was great; to me, it feels like a spinoff from the main line of mario games, just like Mario Sunshine.
 
apana said:
I dont think Nintendo would ever do that.

If they'd see it being what's needed to push Mario even further, then yes they would.

I can see it now... you can trade levels by walking by another 3DS user. Glorious.
 
No idea of what it could be exactly, but Mario 3DS is very likely the next 3D Mario game.
I like the SMG2 formula: hub and 3D worlds a la Super Mario 64/Galaxy, but also some levels with more 2D gameplay.
I would like a more balanced game between 3D and 2D, with more additions from the New SMBs, especially the enhanced multiplayer. Screw 3D OR 2D, just bring us all the stuff in order to serve us your New Super Mario World!
 
Amir0x said:
It seems that your basic fundamental failure to even whiff the point of what I was saying really just displays the kneejerk nature of your response.

The diversity we were discussing is in level design. And since level design is the #1 most important thing of any platformer, surprise, Galaxy is far and away the greatest 3D platformer!



You want some shitty archaic adventure game with less platforming elements like Mario 64, and I want a fucking amazing and sublime pure platformer like Super Mario Galaxy 2. I understand the difference.

Man I can't believe you said this, you go overboard sometimes. Also a modern day hybrid between adventure and platformer on a Wii HD would be different than Mario 64. Think of something like the Epic Mickey concept art in terms of scale.
 
Funny, I was asking myself a similar question earlier. I just don't know how Nintendo will ace the Galaxy games, they just seem to be the zenith of set piece platforming (i.e. platforming that revolves around overcoming static structures with given rules with just running and jumping). Now if the next Mario game revolves around an Epic Mickey interactive design (actively changing the level design to varying degrees by player choice) while emphasizing the same degree and variety of design that the Galaxy series had, well then there's infinite directions to go in that case.

Knowing Nintendo, Shiggy & EAD Tokyo however, they'll find a way to slap me in the mouth for ever thinking about how they can out-Mario a Mario game and make me like it with the next game in the series. :lol
 
I think the next "3D Mario" will be New Super Mario Bros. 3DS from EAD Group No. 4 (Hiroyuki Kimura). Honestly. it's where the MONEY IS.

As for as the Galaxy/Sunshine 3D Mario. I think EAD Group Tokyo is probably going to take a break from that franchise until sometime in the next main console cycle. I just want to see the next game(s) from this talented group. Resurrected franchise? New franchise?
 
Agree with the others here about 4D. Mario being able to phase through time in an otherwise frozen time environment. The level's environment changes form by phasing through time, backwards or forwards, and enemies change characteristics. Think about it.
 
I couldn't imagine them making a better Mario game than Mario Galaxy, but they did it with Galaxy 2. I don't know where they can go from something as perfect as Galaxy.
 
i think both galaxies are WAAAY better than Mario 64, but i also loved M64 to death.
I do think Galaxy is done now.

I just really really hope the games will be in HD from now on.
The gameplay will be brilliant either way.

AceBandage said:
Hand Drawn 3D models and world.
.

Ugh, i hate that. No thanx.
 
Amir0x said:
Difference being Galaxy has more diversity in a single level than other Mario games have in their entire fucking play throughs.

A simple enough distinction, even a Neanderthal could grasp.

Garbage has more diversity than a ham steak.

But I digress. I'm not very passionate about this discussion, I will buy Mario games if they are on the level of Galaxy. If they are on the level of Mario 64 with it's expansive worlds that thoroughly explores a theme then it's even more tantalizing.
 
I want to be surprised once again. No Mario 64 clones. Possibly no Mario Galaxy clones (but about this: I would not be unhappy). Something innovative as Galaxy was, but of course different.
 
GAF asks: What's the future of 3D Mario?
GAF answers: I want it to be like in the good ol' days! Less new features, less innovation, less 3D plzz. Please Nintendo, stop moving forward in game design!

:/
 
If it's anything like Galaxy and Galaxy 2, I can't care. There are good stages in these games, but getting to them is a chore that makes the whole experience not worth it.
 
I think the Galaxy style can still be improved for the next 3d Mario. Some points of it were held back by ties to the SM64 design style.

Eliminate "Star" collection, or, at least, change them basically just to "goal posts", like the end level marks (flags or goals) in the 2d games. In Galaxy 1, the stars seemed to be basically a leftover of the Mario 64 game design, it's about time they drop them, or, maybe not drop. Stars can give some variation in challenges aside from "Go from point A to B", but change them to a secondary role (like the post game
bonus stars
in Galaxy 2).

For a visual style, especially if this is a game for the next Nintendo home console, they probably can change the scenario back to Earth/Mushroom Kingdom, but that'd be only a matter of visual style change, creating busier backgrounds around the levels, but the levels themselves still should keep the same general style of Galaxy's, and not go back to Mario 64's style.

Personally, I'll never agree with people who say that going over and over to the same places creates a more "adventurous" feel. An adventure usually involved a hero traveling through various locations, not getting stuck somewhere for a long time and repeatedly going through the same locations over and over.
 
SalsaShark said:
I think people who prefer 64 is just nostalgia messing with their heads. Galaxy 1/2 are the best 3D mario games by a fuckin MILE, c'mon guys, really.

Let's not be telling others what they think, k?

SalsaShark said:
Yup.

I mean Mario is all about platforming. Its ussually more fun when you break it down to the basics. There's a reason why these:

SMSunshine_SecretLevel.jpg


were the most enjoyable levels in Sunshine.

They indeed were the most enjoyable levels, but it wasn't because of the platforming. Instead, it was because they removed most of what was wrong with Sunshine: Poor gameplay mechanics (Flood), uninspired levels, unclear objectives (which is a problem when there's only one objective available at a time, unlike Mario 64), among myriad other reasons. IMO, of course.
 
enzo_gt said:
GAF asks: What's the future of 3D Mario?
GAF answers: I want it to be like in the good ol' days! Less new features, less innovation, less 3D plzz. Please Nintendo, stop moving forward in game design!

:/
what exactly would be a step back in terms of game design? i'm not sure what your point is.
 
enzo_gt said:
GAF asks: What's the future of 3D Mario?
GAF answers: I want it to be like in the good ol' days! Less new features, less innovation, less 3D plzz. Please Nintendo, stop moving forward in game design!

:/

Well, if it can comfort you, Zelda fans usually are much worse.
 
I fully expect the next Mario to be an all new Mario Galaxy 3D for 3DS, out before 2012 ends. It will be more Mario Galaxy style goodness except in 3D.

RustyNails said:
Mario needs to die. Enough.
Never ever ever ever ever.
 
Amir0x said:
The diversity we were discussing is in level design. And since level design is the #1 most important thing of any platformer, surprise, Galaxy is far and away the greatest 3D platformer!

Your point is contingent on the belief that diversity automatically lends itself to better level design, when the two are really independent of one another. Great level design can be enhanced by diversity, but is not a prerequisite.

The original Mario Bros. has, what, about 4-6 level templates (and mostly only visual distinctions at that)? And yet it still stands--for me at least--as one of the greatest platformers of all time.
 
Tim the Wiz said:
Didn't Miyamoto hint at them working on Mario 3DS in an E3 interview somewhere? Otherwise, as long as the genius level design keeps flowing, I think EAD Tokyo can be trusted in knowing when to depart from the Galaxy structure to some new overarching concept.
What he said looks more like a Mario remake for 3DS.

Nintendo development legend Shigeru Miyamoto has told us that he's keen to remake a Mario platformer for 3DS - following the announcement of 73 new titles for the system.

We got hands-on with a demo of a remake of Ocarina Of Time earlier.

Speaking in Los Angeles at E3 today, Miyamoto-san said: "Some of you saw an R-wing flying today in the [E3] video. With the StarFox games being a shooting genre, particularly in the 3D space, it's hard to know when you're going to hit... all of that becomes very clear in full 3D. As soon as we started work on [3DS], I said I wanted to make a StarFox game. Particularly with a touch screen as well."

He added: "If you play something like Mario, even jumping onto a stump or hitting a question mark in the air can be very difficult for people - unless you have full 3D visuals to go with that full rendered world, then it becomes clear. We've been looking at what we can do with past games like these."

However, Miyamoto promised that he wouldn't just take simple ports of classic Nintendo games - and promised plenty of new products, too.

"If all we wanted to do is port [the old games], we'd have the same games," he said. "We've been looking to improve them, and add new features. We're having a lot of fun."
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=251880
 
Amir0x said:
Difference being Galaxy has more diversity in a single level than other Mario games have in their entire fucking play throughs.

A simple enough distinction, even a Neanderthal could grasp.

Yes, but one of the appealing parts of SM64 was that it was somewhat like a 3D version of genesis sonic games in that it had many paths to the same goal. THe preoblem was that the limitations of the N64 made it so that the paths were not too varied in their methods, but with a console in the power range of 360 it would be possible to have something like SM64 but with the varied levels design of SMG.
 
Maybe a Jak & Daxter (1 and 1 only) type of Mario could work. Travel through Mushroom Kingdom and fuck shit up! Zelda meets Jak & Daxter meets Super Mario 3. Endless possibilities
 
The thing that was great about SM64 was that you could complete a level in 5-10 minutes or spend 20-30 minutes on it if you wanted to collect all the stars. I wouldn't call it open world so much as I would say it had multiple paths. They encouraged you to explore. At the end of the day, I suppose they don't have to make it a Mario game, but I'd like them to take those ideas of exploration from SM64 and make another game out of it. Maybe a 3D DK game would be better suited for that type of level design. I like the Galaxy games as much as the next guy, but it would be a shame if they didn't continue to use what was established in SM64 in some fashion. It's still a great game to this day imo and I'd buy a remake for Wii or 3DS with SMS or SMG quality graphics day one.
 
I want to go back to the Mushroom Kingdom in a 3D Mario. I liked going on Vacation, Space was fun, but let me hang out in my country.

And it's funny. Playing the secret cave levels in Sunshine were my most hated memories from that game. After seeing how much love they got here on GAF I went back to try them out thinking maybe I was wrong... but no, I still can't handle them. I don't know what it is but I find them extremely hard and not that fun.
 
The Sunshine "secrets" and the Galaxy stages are a pretty good direction to go. Abstract shapes creating platforming challenges in a 3D plane. Even Mirror's Edge used this to good effect in DLC. Galaxy's gravity mechanic was just a means to an end, but there's still plenty more design space that can be mined in this area.
 
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