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Indie Super Mario Title
Press the Buttons has a post about an independently created Mario game which combines elements of Super Mario World and Super Mario Sunshine to create a great 2D gaming experience. From the post: "Equipped with the FLUDD water pack, Mario must collect pieces of a warp pipe, assemble them, and then exterminate the Piranha Plant living inside. FLUDD functions as both a jetpack and a weapon, and when the water supply runs dry Mario must get a refill at the local water hole."
Anyone else working on indie titles based on older games?
I'm working on a Blaster Master title (early in development) based on the first game (since the others sucked). I was just wondering how many people were into this... it's encouraging!
I just pooped your party.
This should hopefully tide me over until the next 2D Mario game for the DS.
Companies needs to stop turning classics into 3D BS until they have decent reason to do so. ie: Not just taking the 2D gameplay and translating it to 3D.
Before anyone mod's me down. I'm not reffering to Mario 64 as being crap, just the 3D Castlevania's and Contra's.
Chewie does not get a medal. Come on, George. Can a Wookie get a medal?
This is completely wrong. Unauthorized derivative works (including fan fiction, remakes, etc) are a very clear case of copyright infringement. Profit is irrelevant.
Please see 10 Big Myths about copyright explained
LOAD "SIG",8,1
Completely and utterly 100% absolutely wrong. I don't actually like Nintendo much, but in this situation, they have so many legs to stand on that they're a verifiable centipede.
You do not have to be profiting from IP infringement like this in order to be smacked for doing it. Nintendo could, if needed, take these guys to court (although a C&D order would probably be tried first), with near absolute certainty of victory.
Nintendo could claim that this title has harmed the value of their franchise. Now, I know the next bit is going to sound like a fanboy rant, but believe me, I've not liked a Nintendo system since the SNES - this is just how the legal system will see the case. When a customer buys a Mario title, their purchase is informed by the values tied to the franchises involved, both "Nintendo" and "Mario". Both of these imply a set of production values associated with the product. If somebody else puts out a game under the "Mario" brand, then Nintendo could reasonably argue that this has an adverse affect on the value of their franchise. If you want to see the power of a franchise, look at the Final Fantasy series. Virtually no links between the games in terms of characters, settings or even combat systems, but the games sell on the reputation for production values that go with the franchise.
Moreover, even if Nintendo don't really care about this, the legal situation with trademarks pretty much compels them to take action. If you don't defend a trademark against these challenges, you lose it.
Apologies for any terminological errors in the above, IANAL. However, I'm confident that the core argument is true.
Download Here
Requires Gamemaker 5.3a to edit the source but there is an exe to see the engine in action.
I think the fact that this game came out in 2003 means that Nintendo's not going to be siccing any lawyers on the developers just yet.
Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
I don't believe that profit is a necessary element of trademark infringement. If they're using Nintendo's characters, they're using Nintendo's characters, whether they are giving it away or selling it.
But, IANAL, so I could be wrong.
I just played it a bit and I have to say I'm not impressed. It's nice to see people making games for free but there just really isn't very much to this game. Don't be fooled by the graphics and sound, this plays nothing like a Mario game, basically it's a Jetpac clone with ripped off graphics and sound from Mario. The gameplay is very repetitive and though fun for a few games it quickly loses its charm. There are plenty of better freeware games that don't get slashdotted because they use original ideas. For an example of a very fun original freeware platform game that involves a jetpack check out Cave Story: http://agtp.romhack.net/doukutsu.html
The gameplay is exactly the same as an old ZX Spectrum game called Jetpac (I believe it was by Ultimate) You had to get grab the bits of the rocket and then drop in the fuel and then you could get in a go to next level, of course you had a jetpac on instead of the water pack. Exactly the same game with different graphics. So not only are the graphics ripped of the gameplay is a complete rip off to.