It's-a Mario World: Two Years on Wii

by Kenneth Caldwell { Nov 22nd 2008 at 11:00AM }

As both game character and flagship intellectual property, Mario has long been the focal point of Nintendo's efforts. Thanks in no small part to creative genius Shiggy Miyamoto, Mario's adventures have ushered in some of the most pivotal games in the history of electronic entertainment. His moves have established and defined the entire platforming genre, and he almost single-handedly paved the way from 2D to 3D action-adventure games.

To put these landmark achievements into perspective, consider the Wii: This week marks the second birthday of Nintendo's current money-printing console. To what extent has Mario enriched the platform in the two years it has been ~~sold out~~ available? The increasingly casual (and characteristically generic) orientation of popular first-party titles like Wii Sports and Wii Fit have stolen some of the Nintendo spotlight from under the 'stach of our able plumber, and the marketing appeal of the Wii Remote has powerfully overshadowed the age-old run and jump control mechanic. Does Mario still sell games? Good god, yes. But how much have his games determined the success of the Wii? In this week's gallery, we examine the significance of Mario's Wii appearances to date. Enjoy!

It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps.

Tags: anniversary, anniversary-week, happy-birthday, its-a-mario-world, joystiqfeatures, mario-brothers, release, releases, super-mario-bros

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bowser the Baptist @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:28AM

"Not merely the latest, greatest iteration in what is the most popular Mario spinoff series"

Kenneth must be a fan of vodka shots because I didn't just see him call Mario Kart Wii the greatest iteration. Wait, what...

It does make me wonder how many more games Mario games we'll see in the Wii's lifespan. Nintendo have clearly blown their load in the first 18 months, where else can the plumber go?

KaBob799 @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:17PM

Well Mario seems to get 1 non-spinoff platformer, 1 paper mario, and 1 kart game on every console. So is Mario basically done influencing the Wii? Excluding other random spin-offs.

Mr Khan @ Nov 22nd 2008 2:43PM

Tennis and Golf are obvious, but with Camelot's departure, their future is in doubt

Especially given that Tennis has already been targeted for Wii de Asoubu

milan @ Nov 23rd 2008 5:25AM

If I may respond, MK Wii is my favourite in the series, since being a diehard Super Mario Kart fan since its original release. (But I would still rank SMK and MKW as a tied #1 in my books... although I guess I am occasionally a fan of vodka shots so my opinion is moot :)

Anyways, people have different opinions. Doesn't necessarily mean they're crazy, it's just taste... what's your fav?

milan @ Nov 23rd 2008 5:29AM

ha, and i didn't see your response with kenneth right below, mind you, i totally understand you having entrenched roots, so to speak. my deep SNES roots made for some steep overcoming myself.

Kenneth Caldwell @ Nov 22nd 2008 12:48PM

Only Grey Goose brand vodka.

But, seriously, you don't like Mario Kart Wii? Do you still play N64 or something? Actually the DS iteration is probably the best package, but superior online play gives Wii a huge advantage. I personally love watching ghosts of world record leaders, then trying (and failing) to match their times. Where else can you do that?

Bowser the Baptist @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:21PM

Something felt off about it, I can't put my finger on any single issue, but it sure didn't seem as polished as the DS version. I'm being a bit fluffy. I guess the main nagging point would be that the tracks are well too wide for local play. It felt like a ghost town. This could be alleviated by adding computer players, but you know how the Ai is like.

Maybe I simply burnt myself out on the DS version and I won't allow myself to deviate from my already entrenched standing points.

Mr Khan @ Nov 22nd 2008 1:30PM

Fun clarification: Nintendo R&D is dead, it was destroyed in 2004, it's last work being Metroid Zero Mission

Only Nintendo EAD stands, and they are working on the new games

Kenneth Caldwell @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:48AM

Oops, good catch, Mr. Khan! You should be an editor. I still tend to refer to all first-party development as R&D.

Daryl @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:00PM

People really have short memories.

As far back as the Nintendo Entertainment System, games like "Track Meet" existed which were similar to wii fit and didn't use a standard controller. To use your misguided terminology, Nintendo has always had both casual and hardcore games. Nintendo is just now selling successfully like never before, but little changed in terms of Ninendo's approach.

Kenneth Caldwell @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:45AM

I wouldn't disagree with you at all, and I'm certainly not of the mind that Nintendo neglects (or has neglected) its core fanbase, but there is no question that production quality and mainstream marketing for casually-oriented titles has ramped up considerably since the days of your example, Track & Field. Define casual here however you feel necessary.

Daryl @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:20AM

I think Nintendo has done all kinds of crazy experiments. Virtual boy is a good example. I'm not trying to be derogatory, I think it is good that they experiment. With the wii, one of their experiments actually worked, and now there is a big renaissance of games of the complexity level of atari. But I don't necessarily look down on those types of games, like wii sports. I just don't like calling it casual because you'd be surprised, some people can take even pacman and pong seriously. To these gamers, who go for the highest score, it isn't casual, so I don't want to imply that people who prefer modernism are superior. And I wouldn't doubt that some people take wii fit and wii sports very seriously.

JC Fletcher @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:35PM

World Class Track Meet and the Power Pad were finished, released products that Nintendo just bought off of Bandai and rebranded.

While they were pushed hard by Nintendo (included with the hardware as they were), it's hard to compare that to Nintendo's heavily-involved development of stuff like Wii Fit. That is a definite change in strategy!

Kenneth Caldwell @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:12PM

I advocate an even more dramatic change in strategy: I move that Nintendo pull out of the console business altogether and return to their humble origin as a manufacturer of Hanafuda cards. Does anyone second this motion? I would totally dip into my savings to pay for a Mushroom Kingdom themed deck.

Daryl @ Nov 22nd 2008 3:02PM

http://ui22.gamespot.com/565/editpowerpad.jpg

Such games were always out there. They just started SELLING now. Nintendo continues to supply a variety of games as always.

folkie_1 @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:21PM

I think you guys are strictly associating "peripherals" with "casual". I doubt the same grandmas that are enjoying Wii Sports and health enthusiasts that track themselves on Wii Fit were the same target audience for "Track Meet".

SoshiKitai @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:41PM

Very true. Very very true.

But at the same time, families did play Nintendo together back in the day. That was when they saw it as a cute novelty entertainment system... families would get together and laugh at people losing in Mario, or take turns in Duck Hunt, and etc...
My family was one of them.

So in that fashion, Nintendo has always liked family entertainment (or "casual")... but you never really did see suburban moms or grandmas claiming certain games as their's and only their's like you do with Wii Fit and Wii Sports. :P