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Nintendo To Get DS Renamed, Paper Mario Sequel

Posted by simoniker on from the now-called-the-sd dept.

Thanks to CNN Money for its column interviewing a Nintendo spokesperson on the company's possible strategy for the rest of 2004. Although not giving much away, the article notes official word that: "Though the company has publicly referred to [their new handheld] system as the DS since announcing it on Jan. 20, the plan was never to use that name at retail", renewing "Internet rumors [that] have suggested that system will be called 'Nitro'." The piece also mentions the company is "already planning a second wave of classic [NES] games for the GBA, with a possible launch date of the 2004 holiday season", and elsewhere, GamerFeed confirm Nintendo has announced a GameCube sequel to Paper Mario, an N64 title which was "an RPG-like game that was based on a unique combination of 2D graphics set against a 3D background." Update: 04/02 16:02 GMT by S : GI.Biz has the U.S. Nintendo release schedule for the rest of the 2004, "with Geist, Mario Tennis, Metroid Prime 2, Paper Mario 2 and Star Fox 2 all down for release between October and December."

12 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Unique? I don't think so... by Bagels · · Score: 5, Informative

    Trust me, it was - the characters literally behaved as if they were made of paper. When Mario takes a snooze, he flutters through the air and between the sheets; when he turns around, he spins like a coin. Some of the bosses looked like elaborate origami creations...

    --
    --- Bwah?
  2. Re:Unique? I don't think so... by Pxtl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't think Parappa deserves the credit - Capcom had a long-standing love affair with 2d sprites on 3d graphics.

    I mean, hell, if we're discussing this concept seriously, how about Doom? Still, paper mario was unique in that it didn't run from its 2dness but actually made it part of its style.

  3. Re:Bah by Doches · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Paper Mario looks a little different from Doom...and it's 2D graphics are part of the design, not an ugly cheat.

  4. Re:Bah by scabb · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A "unique combination". It was unique in the way they combined the 2D and 3D.

  5. If they can do it again... by warmgun · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If Nintendo is able to infuse this new Paper Mario game with the diverse gameplay and humor of Mario & Luigi for the GBA, then the game will sure to be a hit. Also, wouldn't it be nice if they included the original game as a pre-order bonus bonus?

  6. Looking to the past for the future? by Torgo's+Pizza · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is a serious question. How long can Nintendo keep using past titles and characters as their main source of creativity? Old NES titles being ported to the GBA, sequels to previous titles. Nintendo really hasn't shown anything truly new for a while now in terms of story or gameplay. Eventually this *has* to catch up with Nintendo.

    1. Re:Looking to the past for the future? by Rallion · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They can keep using the same characters as long as the games keep being good. In fact, using the same characters is a damn good idea. People see it, and think, "Oh, I know that guy/girl/thing! The last game he/she/it was in was great!" and even if they don't buy it, they're a hell of a lot more likely to check it out.

      And no, you can't accurately call it 'cheating,' it's just good (and practically free) marketing.

    2. Re:Looking to the past for the future? by StocDred · · Score: 3, Insightful
      They can keep using the same characters as long as the games keep being good.

      A-fucking-men to that.

      Here's what everybody misses about the Mario franchise. Try to describe Mario for me. Tell me about his life, his backstory, his motivations. The answer is: he has none. He is purely a conduit for the gameplay. When it comes to character, he's as generic as they come.

      And the games still come out first-rate nearly every damn time. That's what counts. Not that he's a cute plumber in overalls, or that he bounces on turtle asses, or that his world is colored in pastels and smiley faces... it's his games that matter.

  7. Re:Another Paper? by Rallion · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Uh...yeah...when I get these consistently good games, I just wish they'd do something different for once...

    Wait, no. Nevermind. They're as original as anybody else is, anyway. Really, who's better? Whovever came up with that crazy roll-stuff-into-a-ball game, maybe, if that's really much more original than Pikmin.

  8. Re:Another Paper? by lightspawn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Am I the only one that doesn't want to see another Paper Mario?

    Just don't look, then.

    Most of the first-party sequels Nintendo has made for the GC have been sadly lacking, mostly appearing as incremental updates instead of real sequels.

    Is there really that much that was missing from the previous versions and can now be added?

  9. Re:Another Paper? by metroid+composite · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Am I the only one that doesn't want to see another Paper Mario? One of them was fine, but this series (Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi) has showed up in a different form each time until now. Why copy off the N64 version? Why not make it different?

    First, just because it's paper-style doesn't mean it can't be vastly different from the original. Second, Paper Mario had massively untapped potential. There was a claymation-type thing I saw with paper once--flat world I think it was? You had Goldfish Bowls hanging as picture frames on walls; people slipping underneath doorways; people getting crumpled up and rolling down the street (and Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes did rolling in another way, as well as turning sideways to be invisible); you had people being folded up and put into other people's purses.
    Paper Mario 2 seems to be trying out some of the potential it never used, like Mario folding himself into a Paper Airplane. Hopefully that's not all Nintendo throws in.

    Ah, I shouldn't be surprised. Most of the first-party sequels Nintendo has made for the GC have been sadly lacking, mostly appearing as incremental updates instead of real sequels.

    Mario Kart Double Dash adds a new dimension to things, and from what I've seen is the first Mario Kart game I actually respect. Metroid Prime...that gameplay really impressed me personally and it is new. I've heard that Wind Waker has a swordfighting system that doesn't suck (and frankly OoT was downright limited; Majora's Mask is a reasonable step up with the masks but still meh). Pikmin...no comment needed. Animal Crossing was never released in the US until now.

    So...where's these lacking sequels? If you're referring to Mario Party 23419 those are no longer programmed by Nintendo; Capcom is doing them IIRC.

  10. Bleh, I should stop responding individually.... by metroid+composite · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Nintendo really hasn't shown anything truly new for a while now in terms of story or gameplay.

    OH MY GOD! HOLLYWOOD RERELEASED CASSABLANCA ON DVD!! THEREFORE THEY'LL NEVER MAKE ANOTHER INNOVATIVE MOVIE EVER!!

    Seriously though, Nintendo hasn't been making innovative story/gameplay? Umm what are you smoking? Warioware Mega Microgames is the best new gameplay I've seen in several years. Nintendo made Pikmin fairly recently. Nintendo made Animal Crossing. There's plenty of more examples but I grow tired of relisting to this kind of thing over and over. The point stands, they can and do do BOTH things at once. Don't they own more development studios than anybody else? Multitasking is NOT a hard thing for them to do.