Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy | |
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File:Smgboxartwii.JPG | |
Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD Tokyo |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Designer(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto Takao Shimizu Yoshiaki Koizumi |
Series | Super Mario |
Platform(s) | Wii |
Release | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Genre(s) | Platformer |
Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Super Mario Galaxy (スーパーマリオギャラクシー, Sūpā Mario Gyarakushī) is a forthcoming video game for the Wii developed by Nintendo and will be released on November 12, 2007 in America.[4] It will be the third first-party true 3D platformer Mario game. The game was announced at Nintendo's press conference at E3 on May 9 2006. This was confirmed at the Nintendo Press Conference at E3.
Gameplay
Most of the game is set in outer space along a vast chain of miniature planetoids and other space matter. Mario is capable of jumping or launching from planet to planet in order to gather items and defeat enemies. Gravity plays a significant role in the game, as each planet has a gravitational force that prevents Mario from drifting off into space, which allows the player to walk evenly around a complexly rounded surface. The varying degrees of gravity also have an effect on Mario's ability to jump, and is used to pull Mario towards certain planetoids while in mid-flight. Like previous 3D Mario games, the main objective is to collect Stars, which are awarded by completing tasks or defeating enemies. The game will have six themed areas, 40 galaxies, and 120 stars to collect. [5]
Two items have been revealed recently at E3 2007; a “Bee Suit” which transforms Mario into a bee so he can walk on certain surfaces and be able to fly for a period of time and a “Boo Suit” which transforms Mario into a Boo; according to Nintendo Power, the Boo Suit can help Mario travel through certain objects. The confirmed suits have weaknesses to certain natural elements, for example the bee suit will be lost when water is touched and the Boo suit will be lost if a beam of light is touched. In addition, Mario can use his stinger in the bee suit and other boos will not notice Mario when wearing the boo suit.[6]
Like Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64 DS Mario’s health consists of a power meter, which causes Mario to lose a life if it reaches zero. When the game starts, Mario begins with a power meter made of three sections. Mario has a second and separate health meter that designates his air supply when swimming underwater; if it is empty Mario will drown. The bottomless pits featured in previous Mario games which cause Mario to lose a life when fallen in have been replaced by black holes, which are stationed beneath the surfaces of certain planets and peppered throughout space.
Nintendo has also created some new items:
- Star Rings: A floating, hollow star found in most planets, they appear to be mostly used for long-distance transport. It has been demonstrated they can help the player get out of certain death situations, such as a fatal drop into a pit of lava. Sometimes the Star Ring is broken, and Mario must find the pieces to fix it.
- Beam Stars: These appear as floating blue orbs of light with stars inside of them. When the player points the Wii remote at one of them and presses A, the blue orb pulls Mario into it's orbit via a beam of light. They usually appear in a chain sequence as a form of transport through open space. They eventually pop and if Mario is still inside he will be automatically dropped to the closest planet with the strongest gravitational pull.
- Piranha Plant Vines: Whenever Mario stomps on or shoots at a Pirahna Plant, it will disappear and a long vine will shoot out for Mario to climb. The player grabs it by thrusting the Wii Remote forwards, then climbs it by swinging the Wii remote rapidly side to side, but if they stop he will slide back down. This is also seen in New Super Mario Bros.
Multiplayer
During an interview with IGN,[7] Takashi Tezuka, Nintendo's analysis and development's general manager, stated that multiplayer for Super Mario Galaxy is more likely to be co-operative. Two-player functionality was already confirmed for the game. The development team is already experimenting with new ways to use the Wii Remote so that one player can control Mario while the other aids him. Conversely, Shigeru Miyamoto also suggested that the second player could have the ability to interfere with Mario's progress. However, during Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference, one person mentioned helping another by collecting items through pointing on the screen, suggesting that a co-operative mode has permanently been implemented in the game. Nintendo's E3 2007 information page for Super Mario Galaxy reveals that two-player will operate as follows: one person controls Mario and a pointer, while the other, using a second Wii Remote, will control another pointer.[8]
Demo controls
A new powerup for Mario provides him the ability to transform into a bee and hover in the air for a short time. Although Super Mario Galaxy's controls are very similar to past Mario games, the controls have been partly redesigned to take advantage of the Wii Remote.
- The control stick on the Nunchuk attachment is used to move Mario.
- The A button on the Wii Remote is used for jumping. Timed presses will result in progressively higher jumps, similar to the triple-jump function in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros.. Also, this button is used for talking to the in-game characters.
- The Z button on the Nunchuk is used for crouching. Most of the crouching/jumping combinations (with the A button) from the two past 3D Mario games are present such as the long jump and the back flip.
- Pressing the B button causes a star-shaped cursor to pick up or move objects (particularly star shards), shoot star shards as weapons, or grab onto special locations while in mid-flight.
- The Wii Remote itself is integral to the gameplay. It can be used as a pointer for several actions. If the cursor is held in front of an enemy, the enemy will be blocked temporarily by the cursor. Grabbing onto plant stems requires a forward thrust from the Wii Remote, and climbing the stem will be done by shaking the Wii Remote from side to side. Shaking the remote rapidly from side to side also causes Mario to do a spin attack.
- The camera view is mostly automatic, though the D-pad can also be used to adjust the view. The C button on the Nunchuk can be used to center the camera.
Plot
After Princess Peach is kidnapped, Mario follows the culprit into outer space.[9] There, Mario encounters enemies and bosses while traveling around and between spherical worlds and flat space platforms. Bowser has been confirmed to appear in the game. Also, new screenshots in Famitsu magazine show a new female character, Princess Rosetta, though her exact role has not been determined.[10].
History
In a roundtable discussion at E3 2007, it was made clear that Super Mario Galaxy was not Mario 128, after Miyamoto stated that production only began after the team finished making Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat."[11] , (early 2005) and Mario 128 has been in production and development since at least 2001 (when the first trailer was shown at E3). In an after-hours press event at E3 2006 in May, Shigeru Miyamoto said "I don't want to promise anything yet. But if it's not a launch title it will definitely be there within the first six months."[12] Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime later stated in a November 27 2006 interview with MTV that the game is expected to release sometime up to Holiday of 2007.[13] On January 4 2007, Nintendo of Europe issued a press release indicating a 2007 European release.[14] Near the end of Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote presentation at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in March, he stated, "You'll be able to play Super Mario Galaxy this year."[15][16] At Nintendo's E3 2007 Conference they confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy will be released in North America on November 12 2007.
Reception
Pre-release
Critics and fans have reacted positively to the demo version.[17] When the game was first revealed at E3 2006, it was one of the most played and enjoyed games of the show floor. Matt Casamassina, the editor of IGN Wii, loved it so much that he went on to say that the game was practically perfect.[18] Matt Wales agreed that it was everything Super Mario Sunshine was not.[19] Giancarlo Varanini, of 1UP.com, wrote that it was the best example of how the controller can be used.[20] Russ Fisher appreciated the game because it was "fresh", and compared it to the Metroid Prime series which transformed the Metroid franchise into 3D and was very successful.[21][22] It has been addressed by many of Nintendo's Developers and Producers including Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto that this Mario adventure is the greatest to have ever been made and is inclining it to be one of the greatest video games ever made.
See also
References
- ^ E3 07: Mario Galaxy blasts off 11/12
- ^ http://gonintendo.com/?p=22792
- ^ Aussie-Nintendo.com Wii Boxarts : Released & Upcoming { Updated : August 12}
- ^ "Super Mario Galaxy". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/articles/804/804397p1.html
- ^ "[Wii] Mario Galaxy fills the tank with infos and images". ADJ. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-11). "Mario Multiplayer Details". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
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(help) - ^ "Nintendo E3 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy". Nintendo. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
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(help) - ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-09). "Super Mario Galaxy Details". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
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(help) - ^ http://news.filefront.com/new-damsel-in-distress-in-super-mario-galaxy/
- ^ Nintendo E3 2007, Nintendo E3 2007 (2007-07-13). "Mario Galaxy production started in 2005 [5:42]". Retrieved 2006-05-29.
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(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-05-10). "Mario to Miss Launch". IGN. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
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(help) - ^ Totilo, Stephen (2006-11-28). "Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console". MTV. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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(help) - ^ "The Big 2007 Preview". Nintendo. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
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(help) - ^ "GDC07: Super Mario Galaxy Confirmed for 07". Kotaku. 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
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(help) - ^ Shigeru Miyamoto (2007). Shigeru Miyamoto: "A Creative Vision" - Keynote at GDC 2007. Event occurs at 1:09:08.
- ^ "Super Mario Galaxy (working title) - WII". GameRankings. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
- ^ Casamassina, Matt (2006-09-14). "Hands-on Super Mario Galaxy". Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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(help); Text "publisher=IGN" ignored (help) - ^ Wales, William (2006-05-17). "Super Mario Galaxy Preview". computerandvideogames.com. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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(help) - ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (2006-05-10). "Super Mario Galaxy Preview". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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(help) - ^ Fischer, Russ (2006-05-31). "Super Mario Galaxy preview for Wii". gamerevolution.com. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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(help) - ^ Zlotnick, David (2006-05-09). "Super Mario Galaxy Announced". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
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