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Mario Might Save Christmas?

Posted by Zonk on from the when-you-have-nintendo-power dept.

Last week there was a Nintendo media event giving the gaming press preview experiences for the Christmas season's games. 1up has a look at all the titles on offer, but the one that (understandably) got the most attention was Mario Galaxy for the Wii. Wired's Chris Kohler thinks Mario's bee suit might save Christmas, while MTV's Stephen Totilo has comments from an hour hands-on with the game ala Games For Lunch. From Totilo's comments: "Each planetoid presents a challenge -- squash things, collect things -- that rewards players with the creation of a new launch star. I've launched Mario to a sphere that looks like it's made of wood. A star guy of some sort is in a glass jar. I need to kill all the Goombas to free it. I can jump on their heads, but I can also do the spin move, which knocks them dizzy and sends them spinning themselves. If Mario runs into them while they spin, they die."

127 comments

  1. Awesome. by Applekid · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this similar to how The Flintstones, Underdog, The Peanuts, Garfield, and Futurama saved Christmas?

    (alternative jokes rejected for this submission:
      Thank you Mario, but the Christmas is in another castle)

    --
    More Twoson than Cupertino
    1. Re:Awesome. by techpawn · · Score: 1

      I thought KISS saved Christmas

      --
      Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what your country did to you
    2. Re:Awesome. by Mattintosh · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hey, at least Christmas comes once a year.

      Peach has been holding out on Mario for a couple of decades now.

    3. Re:Awesome. by Seumas · · Score: 1

      Underdog.... UNDERDOG...?

      Did you seriously just reference like a 70 year old comic character?!

      Anyway, no mario isn't going to save christmas. How is any game that is only around 6 hours to 20 hours (as almost every $65 game is these days) going to "save christmas".

      It used to be that a videogame offered you far more content than a movie. For $65, I can buy one game that lasts between 6 and 20 hours. Or I can spend $65 and see about ten movies at an average of two hours each. That's at least twice as much entertainment for the same price.

    4. Re:Awesome. by stoolpigeon · · Score: 1

      nope - he just referenced a 2 month old movie.

      --
      It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
    5. Re:Awesome. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean Kiss saved Santa

    6. Re:Awesome. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is no Santa; there is only Zuul.

    7. Re:Awesome. by ECMIM · · Score: 1

      The ACLU respectfully requests (read: threatens to sue) that you change "Thank you Mario, but the Christmas is in another castle" to "Thank you Mario, but the Seasons Greetings is in another castle."

    8. Re:Awesome. by Newander · · Score: 1

      Actually, the ACLU has nothing to do with any War on Christmas.
      http://www.aclu.org/religion/gen/22324res20051207.html

      I know it was a joke, but spreading that kind of FUD is never right.

      --

      Jesus saves and takes half damage.

    9. Re:Awesome. by Applekid · · Score: 1

      IIRC*, there was an Underdog cartoon in which he saves Christmas.

      * Please note that the C in this case always corresponds to "correctly" which is a bit of a weasel term since I might have hallucinated the whole thing.

      --
      More Twoson than Cupertino
    10. Re:Awesome. by ECMIM · · Score: 1

      You might have a point, but any group that would try to tear down the Mt.Soledad cross and strip a tiny little cross out of the LA county seal deserves all the "FUD" they can stomach--and then some.

    11. Re:Awesome. by JoshJ · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Each state's ACLU does its own thing. The national organization is just a collective lobbying group. The decisions made by the ACLU of California have nothing to do with the ACLU of Vermont.

      --
      Care about privacy? Read this!
    12. Re:Awesome. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't see your logic. 65 dollars gets you a 20 hour video game. 65 dollars could alternatively get you 10 movies that average at 2 hours each, so that would be 20 hours of movies. Explain how 20 hours of movies is twice as much entertainment as 20 hours of a video game?

    13. Re:Awesome. by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      65$? I think you need to check those prices for Wii games again. Also I doubt that the average length of movies is 2 hours now unless you count the commercials.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    14. Re:Awesome. by chrismcdirty · · Score: 1

      Don't know where you live, but even the independently owned theater where I live charges more than $6.50 for a movie. I think $6.50 is their matinee price. Take into account that I generally don't go to the theater alone, but with my wife, and the price doubles. And no Wii game so far has been more than $50.

      --
      It's like sex, except I'm having it!
    15. Re:Awesome. by SethraLavode · · Score: 1

      And no Wii game so far has been more than $50.

      With the obvious exceptions of the games with pack-in accessories, such as Boogie and DDR: Hottest Party.

      Not sure where the OP lives, though. Do Wii games run that much in Canada?

    16. Re:Awesome. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have mod points and I looked, but there's no "unfunny" moderation. You're lucky. Your post isn't a troll (if it is it's very badly done) or redundant but there's no "waste of time" moderation. Too bad. I'll keep an eye on you.

  2. $5 Says... by Baylan295 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    $5 says Mario Galaxy loses game of the year to Halo, despite the fact that it will be a game that is talked about for twice as long, in the same way that people still talk about Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Super Mario 3, Final Fantasy 7, and the other great games of the generations.

    1. Re:$5 Says... by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I'll take that, if for no other reason than that Halo is the great game of the new generation. Like it or not (think it's uncreative or not) it is by far the largest game in the world today, far beyond the new Link or Mario. In 5-10 years it's going to be the game being talked about, perhaps alongside Mario Galaxy, but most certainly there.

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    2. Re:$5 Says... by Sciros · · Score: 1

      Wow you have high hopes for this thing. Do you seriously think it'll be one of the *best games ever made* (the list that includes the games you mentioned as well as things like Starcraft, Baldur's Gate, Goldeneye, DKC, Castlevania SOTN, etc.)? Somehow I doubt it, although I hope it's at least better than Mario Sunshine.

      --
      I like basketball!!1!
    3. Re:$5 Says... by Stormwatch · · Score: 0

      Final Fantasy 6
      There, fixed it for you!
      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    4. Re:$5 Says... by Volante3192 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      it is by far the largest game in the world today

      World of Warcraft? Second Life?

    5. Re:$5 Says... by drcagn · · Score: 1

      Despite thinking that FF6 is a better game, you have to admit FF7 is what gets talked about more, and that is what this is about.

      --
      Scorta futuere amo!
    6. Re:$5 Says... by Vorpix · · Score: 1

      don't get me wrong, i love halo, but my guess is that Bioshock or Orange Box (or maybe even Mass Effect?) will win most Game of the Year competitions.. but with the number of Wii's out there, I wouldn't be surprised to see Mario challenge Halo's sales numbers.

      --
      frog blast the vent core
    7. Re:$5 Says... by HappySqurriel · · Score: 1

      Well, except Halo isn't that big of a series ... http://vgchartz.com/worldtotals.php?name=Halo&console=&publisher=&sort=Total http://vgchartz.com/worldtotals.php?name=Grand+Theft+Auto&console=&publisher=&sort=Total

    8. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Welcome to the pathetic and delusional world of Xbots.

      None of the Halo games are even in the top twenty all time best sellers. This latest Halo isn't going to outsell the last Halo which had about twice the installed base - the 360 is selling at a slower rate than the last Xbox.

      There is some bizarre idea amongst Xbots that somehow all of them going out at once and buying the latest Halo game is something anyone cares about.

      Xbots of the World: "We all bought Halo at the same time! Take that gaming world!"

      Gaming World: "Uh, ok..."

    9. Re:$5 Says... by Mattintosh · · Score: 1

      No, FF6 gets talked about more because every time someone mentions FF7, an FF6 fanboy (like myself) has to bring up the fact that the original speaker was a newb that never played FF6. And then we proceed to ramble on about FF6 for the next half-hour. Oh, and there was about a 3-year head start for it, too.

    10. Re:$5 Says... by Pojut · · Score: 1

      Ah yes...you know it's slashdot when a story about a Nintendo game has TAMs (Trolls Against Microsoft) blasting a game that has sold millions of copies.

      I'm not saying Halo 3 is the best game ever, and I'm not saying it's the worst game ever...but Halo 3 sure as hell has sold more copies than any other game so far this gen...

      Isn't number sold what you trolls like to talk about the most?

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    11. Re:$5 Says... by Sciros · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Howdy troll,

      Do you REALLY want to bitch about graphics when WoW looks quite a bit worse and yet has 9 mil active accouts? (last I checked, anyway) People care about gameplay more than graphics. Guitar Hero, WoW, Second Life, STARCRAFT, man I could go on but the point is maybe over half of your criticisms shouldn't have been about graphics.

      As for art direction, Halo has its share of the mediocre and the spectacular. Not everyone has Bethesda's concept artists, you know ^^

      One would have thought you'd try and criticise things like the story mode, where the last level is an uninspired rehash of the last level from Halo 1, or something. But you probably don't even know about it, as who would expect you to give the game a fair shake...

      As for what else an Xbox owner can buy, go to the store and see for yourself. There's a lot of good stuff out there, and there's soon to be more.

      Bottom line, sometimes it's not about the graphics but about providing more of the good thing that people have come to expect from a franchise. If "Halo 2.5" can make $300 mil in a week, then that speaks for the strength of the franchise more than anything else. How is it a disaster?

      Play the games you like, and stop trying to bash others.

      --
      I like basketball!!1!
    12. Re:$5 Says... by nine-times · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Well, if the people giving the "Game of the Year" award are the sort of gamers who are most interested in console-based multiplayer FPS games, then Halo will likely win.

      I mean, if you want to talk about it, then let's just say what's going on with that. The current pop-culture of gaming right now is biased towards multiplayer, either FPS or MMORPG, doesn't care about story, art, or single-player gameplay. If that's who's handing out awards, then it's no surprise that Halo is the big game this year.

      That's not to say there aren't better games, more original games, or games which will ultimately prove to be more influential. Personally, I think that if you look back in 10 years, Wii Sports will probably have had a bigger effect on the gaming community than Halo 3. Portal is far more innovative than Halo (even though it's kind of a remake of Narbacular Drop), and the Half Life series continues to provide a better single-player experience than Halo.

      I recently read someone's attempt to compare Bioshock and Halo 3 to decide which was a better game. The review basically said, "Bioshock looks better, has a better story, and generally has a much better single-player experience. but Halo 3 has the best multiplayer ever, and multiplayer is what really matters!"

      So yeah, it's basically a question of who's giving the review or who's giving the award. For some people, Mario Galaxy won't be a very good game unless it's a multiplayer FPS they can play on XBox Live.

    13. Re:$5 Says... by N3Roaster · · Score: 1

      Not to mention that people were still finding new things in FF6 to talk about on Usenet up through and even after the release of FF7. Not even all of it was FWAK-like.

      --
      Remember RFC 873!
    14. Re:$5 Says... by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Wow you have high hopes for this thing. Do you seriously think it'll be one of the *best games ever made*

      In 'proper' Mario games, they've missed twice by my count. Super Mario Bros. 2 (which wasn't really a Mario game anyway) and Super Mario Sunshine.

      Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 are absolutely legendary, definitely among the 'best games ever made'. Yoshi's Island and New SMB are both excellent.

      So I'd say that yes, there are very good grounds indeed to think that Super Mario Galaxy will, like most of its predecessors, be one of the best games ever made.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    15. Re:$5 Says... by Jarjarthejedi · · Score: 1, Informative

      Sub HD graphics - 640p resolution

      That's just flat out wrong, it's 2x 640p resolution, or 1280p equivalent scaled down to 1080i.

      The most unstable/shitty framerates of any fps on any console ...Wait...are we playing the same game?

      Horrendous IQ - AA? what's that? ...Huh? Are we speaking the same language?

      Jarringly bad art direction - day glow? WTF?

      What is Day glow and why is it so bad?

      No dedicated servers like every other modern fps

      No need for dedicated servers like every other modern FPS (you can make any benefit sound like a disadvantage, and visa versa)

      A pathetic 16 player cap per online game - the rest of the fps world is 32,40,64

      Okay...you should know I can't play on more than 16 player servers for BF 2142 with my 3x the price of the 360 laptop. Your point is lost once price is factored in.

      But hey, what would I know, I'm just a PC gamer who owns a Wii and occasionally plays Halo 3 at a friend's house, I'm obviously too much of a Fanboi to comment realistically. Now please excuse me while I go play some Wii Play, wait for the new Guitar Hero, and get depressed about SSB:B being pushed back to February.

      But hey, that's all irrelevant because the quality of a game is less important than it's hype. Personally I thought Goldeneye was a horrible game, I could never get used to it's control and it's graphics were a little pathetic compared to some of the other games of it's time. What I thought about the game, however, is far less important than what the tons of people who enjoyed the game thought, because they were the majority. Halo 3 haters are the minority, by far, and so it's really irrelevant even if you're right. Games get talked about years later because they were well known about, not necessarily because they were good or bad.

      --
      There are two kinds of fool One says 'This is old therefore good' Another says 'This is new therefore better'- Dean Ing
    16. Re:$5 Says... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Do you REALLY want to bitch about graphics when WoW looks quite a bit worse and yet has 9 mil active accouts?

      He's the pro-PS3 troll, of course he's going to complain about the graphics and other numbers because those numbers are the only thing the PS3 counterparts have over Halo 3.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    17. Re:$5 Says... by ECMIM · · Score: 1

      What is with the hatred for Mario Sunshine?! Why do people not like this gem? Because it's not as good as their memories of Mario 64?

    18. Re:$5 Says... by sanosuke76 · · Score: 2, Informative

      > That's just flat out wrong, it's 2x 640p resolution, or 1280p equivalent scaled down to 1080i.

      Actually, they considered 'blooming' (i.e. the day glow you mention) to be important enough, that they rendered each frame twice at 640p. One overexposed frame, one underexposed frame - then combined the two. Were they rendering different pixels, rather than the same ones at two different exposures, you could call it 1280p equivalent. Certainly it's rendering that many pixels, but they aren't rendering that many displayed pixels.

      That having been said, I'm certainly not a fan of the x-box. Just felt compelled to point out what the dual buffering was about.

      The wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_3 touches on the 640p rendering a bit...

      --
      My 229 is all the Sig I need http://thegunwiki.com/
    19. Re:$5 Says... by Egdiroh · · Score: 1

      mean, if you want to talk about it, then let's just say what's going on with that. The current pop-culture of gaming right now is biased towards multiplayer, either FPS or MMORPG, doesn't care about story, art, or single-player gameplay. If that's who's handing out awards, then it's no surprise that Halo is the big game this year.

      Wait, trends in gaming? Hasn't the wii out sold the xbox360 already? Doesn't that mean that Wii sports has outsold ALL xbox360 games?

      "My friends and I only play FPS and MMORPGs and have narrowed our world view to the point that other game genres and trends don't show up in our small minded view of the world", does not mean the world is changing to adhere to your ignorance. If you pay attention you might notice that guitar hero and games of that type are also pretty big right now, or be surprised to find that people are still playing the pokemon games.
    20. Re:$5 Says... by C0rinthian · · Score: 1

      This sony astroturfer fails. He totally forgot to mention the ROCK SOLID gameplay in Resistance at least 3 times in his post.

      I'm sure your paycheck will be docked accordingly.

    21. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "That's just flat out wrong, it's 2x 640p resolution, or 1280p equivalent scaled down to 1080i."

      You're confused, they do two passes for lighting, but the game is not actually rendering at HD resolutions.

    22. Re:$5 Says... by hansamurai · · Score: 2, Insightful

      None of the Halo games are even in the top twenty all time best sellers. If the only games we discussed were the best selling games of all time, our discussions would all be about whether we should evolve our Pikachus into Raichus or whether or not Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen were worthy remakes of the originals. Seriously, Pokemon dominates your top twenty all time best seller list and it's filled in with Marios, Sims, and GTAs in between.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games

      Those are all fine games to talk about, but considering there are many more games worth discussing than just those, I don't really see your point about sales numbers.

      Halo 3 was mega hyped and marketed by Microsoft. It made lots of dollars very fast. People outside the industry are noticing us and it's not about boobs, deaths in internet cafes, or hot coffee. He may be an "Xbot", but that doesn't make his point invalid. Just look at last generation, ten years from now, a lot more people are going to be talking about Halo and GTA than Super Mario Sunshine.
      --
      Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
    23. Re:$5 Says... by Mr2001 · · Score: 1

      Okay...you should know I can't play on more than 16 player servers for BF 2142 with my 3x the price of the 360 laptop. Your point is lost once price is factored in. It's no surprise that laptops are expensive, especially the ones that aren't completely worthless for gaming. My desktop cost under $600, on the other hand, and it runs 24-player games of Team Fortress 2 as smooth as butter.
      --
      Visual IRC: Fast. Powerful. Free.
    24. Re:$5 Says... by SetupWeasel · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes. Nintendo regularly takes a critical hit due to a nostalgia bias. Look at Wind Waker.

    25. Re:$5 Says... by nine-times · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "My friends and I only play FPS and MMORPGs and have narrowed our world view to the point that other game genres and trends don't show up in our small minded view of the world", does not mean the world is changing to adhere to your ignorance.

      Geeze, calm down, I'm not even talking about me.

      My point wasn't about about actual trends in games, but the pop-culture biases about games. Whenever I see anything related to gaming on TV, it always seems to be about frat-boy types playing Halo. Whenever I read game reviews these days, they're always slanted, favoring multiplayer games over single-player games.

      But I don't agree with those people. If you read my post again, more carefully, you'll realize that I'm saying Wii Sports is a better game than Halo. The media and game sites are trying to cater to what people call "hardcore gamers", which basically means teenage boys and frat kids who are into playing first-person shooters on XBox Live. However, those "hardcore gamers" aren't really representative of gamers in general.

      And where it really becomes a problem is that "hardcore gamers" (IMO) don't have very good taste in games. There was nothing new, interesting, or innovative about the original Halo game. It was merely the first FPS that really worked on the console, and had managed to have good controls and weapon balance for multiplayer games. AFAICT, the next two Halo games weren't particularly innovative either, but only refined the same formula that Halo had been using.

      So if you're looking for a game that really does something cool, innovative, or that hasn't been seen before, Halo isn't where it's at. However, the people who give these "Game of the Year" awards are often catering to "hardcore" gamers. Therefore, I wouldn't be surprised if Halo won a bunch of those awards in spite of not really being an interesting game.

    26. Re:$5 Says... by grumbel · · Score: 1

      ### Why do people not like this gem?

      Because its not as good as Mario64 and many previous Marios. It has nothing to do with nostalgia, Mario64 simply is the better game (more scenarios, more actual jump'n run, no "clean this, clean that" quests, much better balanced, less frustrating, no load times, no dumped down swimming, etc.). There is lots and lots of what is wrong with Sunshine, its still a good game, but not as great as we were used from previous Marios. That said compared to other non-Mario jump'n runs its still great, but it could have been so much better.

    27. Re:$5 Says... by TheGeneration · · Score: 1

      I must be the only one who absolutely loved Super Mario Sunshine...

      --


      The Generation
      I'd say something witty here, but I'm not that bright.
    28. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love this guy. It's like that retarded Sony Defense Force turned into a Slashdot poster.

    29. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Woah, you really have no idea what you're talking about.

    30. Re:$5 Says... by FinestLittleSpace · · Score: 1

      Nope, I loved it too. The controls are heavenly.

    31. Re:$5 Says... by Muffinmasher · · Score: 1

      Portal IS a remake of Narbacular Drop... At least spiritually. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbacular_drop

      --
      Schrödinger's download is slow.
    32. Re:$5 Says... by Walpurgiss · · Score: 1

      Wii sports was not included with the console in Japan, so it has not necessarily outsold all xbox360 games by the virtue of wii sales alone. That's not to say it probably hasn't outsold all xbox360 games though.

    33. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Opinions stop being opinions when they run counter to facts. You kinda missed badly overall, but with SOTN you're so far off base (and I mean that in a purely factual way. The game was a total departure from the Castlevania formula) that you can pretty much be dismissed. I wish you were logged in so I'd know who to ignore from now on.

    34. Re:$5 Says... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      I think mthe game mechanics are superior to SM64 but overall the game is less fun, not sure why. I'd guess the level design is not up to par or the linear progression forces you to play through the less interesting levels instead of allowing you to do something else like Mario 64. Getting the requirements to get to Bowser felt like a chore and once I got there and beat Bowser I never touched the game again. It was great fun for the first ~30 stars though.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    35. Re:$5 Says... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      Let me guess... You have never played Baldur's Gate or Castlevania SOTN? Or more exactly you have only played that BG: Dark Alliance or what it's called game on the PS2? Sorry but that's not what he's talking about. He means the real Baldur's Gate, the PC RPG famed for taking up 5 CDs.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    36. Re:$5 Says... by LKM · · Score: 1

      Super Mario Bros. or Ocarina of Time aren't still talked about because they were technical masterpieces (although they were, I guess), but because they are some of the best games of all time. Halo 3 isn't.

    37. Re:$5 Says... by ookaze · · Score: 1

      Sub HD graphics - 640p resolution
      That's just flat out wrong, it's 2x 640p resolution, or 1280p equivalent scaled down to 1080i. You're flat out wrong, how could you get caught in such a bad spin?
      What they did is sure enough NOT equivalent to 1280p. Rendering a 640p frame twice in two different color space never was equivalent to 1280p frame. It's far from being the same even in computational power needed.
      So no sorry, 640p is sub HD graphics, and will never be equivalent to 1080p any way you look at it.
      You should have realized that as Xbox 360 already struggles to display true 1080p (with 16:9 ratio, meaning 1920x1080 frames)
      , it could never render a 1280p frame. So you should have realized that rendering a 1280p frame is not the same at all as rendering two exactly identical 640p frames where the only difference is the color space.
    38. Re:$5 Says... by AcidLacedPenguiN · · Score: 1

      Overrated entry into the Diablosploitation genre that eventually killed real CRPGs. Popular, but again, a far cry from the best game ever made. lol @ Dark Alliance.
      --
      disclaimer: I've been known to store numbers in my ass for which to dig out when quantities are required.
    39. Re:$5 Says... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      They're suns, not stars (yes, I'm aware the sun is a star), get the story right.

      While I thoroughly enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine, and thought it was a great game, I also found the story line a little bit uncreative. It was almost a complete rip-off of Super Mario 64. No new goals (beat boss, collect red coins, go to top of level through nifty jumping exercise, etc...).

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    40. Re:$5 Says... by porcupine8 · · Score: 1

      Personally, I couldn't get used to controlling the water by pressing up to move it down, etc. I keep meaning to go back and try again, but so far it's just sitting on my game shelf, barely one level finished. I have enough trouble controlling 3D games, that one was just too much.

      --
      Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
    41. Re:$5 Says... by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually I believe they're called Shine Sprites or something but I just call 'em stars.

      What changed from M64 was that while in M64 the level stayed mostly the same and all stars were always available in SMS only the selected star was spawned, forcing you to go through the stars in order and discouraging random exploration because you wouldn't get anything out of it.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    42. Re:$5 Says... by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Yes, it's sort of part remake, part sequel, part unrelated game. That's why I said it's kind of a remake.

      For those who aren't familiar with the history, the short version: Some developers made a little game called "Narbacular Drop" more as a proof-of-concept than a real game. It involved using doorways (same thing as the portals in Portal) that the user could place in order to solve puzzles. When Valve saw the game, they hired the developers of Narbacular Drop to remake the game, but this time set in the same world as Half Life. The end result was Portal.

    43. Re:$5 Says... by jlf278 · · Score: 1

      I loved BioShock. It was a great gaming experience...for 15-20 hours. And that's about how long I've played Halo 3 single player. However, Halo 3 multiplayer will certainly entertain me for hundreds of hours. In this case multiplayer is more important to me.

    44. Re:$5 Says... by nine-times · · Score: 1

      And that's fine. I'm not saying you're wrong to enjoy Halo or that multiplayer can't be important to you. People who, like you, are very interested in multiplayer gameplay will likely believe that Halo 3 is a far better game than Bioshock. People who have that opinion are allowed to have that opinion.

      But that isn't the only point of view. Essentially, I don't care about multiplayer capabilities because I'm not going to be playing online. I'm more interested in the visual style, story, and creativity of the single-player game. Following those criteria, none of the Halo games have been particularly remarkable. That's my opinion and I think I'm equally allowed to have that opinion. And I'm not alone in that opinion either.

      So what I'm trying to point out is that who wins the award is largely an issue of who is giving the award, and what kind of gamers those people are. Are they like me? Are they like you? Are they of some other perspective?

    45. Re:$5 Says... by ADRA · · Score: 1

      "That's just flat out wrong, it's 2x 640p resolution, or 1280p equivalent scaled down to 1080i."

      If you read the original Halo team rebuke, you'd know that the '640p' renderers are OVERLAYED: one on top of the other, which makes your point pretty pointless. Plus even if you had '640p' * 2 renderer it would still only render 1/2 of the required 1280p

      Note: doubling must be done on both X and Y axis, for example 4x as much processing is required to move from 720p to a 1080p signal
      |-------| | |
      | X | ? | 640 |
      |-------| | 1280
      | X | ? | 640 |
      |-------| | |

      The sad part is that I spent this long describing how its not native HD and I really couldn't care less if it was native HD or not. It either looks good or it doesn't. Anyone that bitches needlessly about HD and non-HD or kinda HD aren't spending enough time playing the game they're glaming/panning, me included =/

      "Okay...you should know I can't play on more than 16 player servers for BF 2142 with my 3x the price of the 360 laptop. Your point is lost once price is factored in."

      If you bought a 'Laptop' to play games then you weren't thinking very clearly at all. If you bought a laptop for more than gaming then you're price argument misrepresents the 'value' of the purchase. Why not spend $600 on a perfectly acceptible custom built desktop PC and play pretty much anything out there? You may need to update this or that component every few years, but you won't be stuck with a lump of useless laptop when you realize you can't upgrade it. PS: Buy custom because many vendor PC's also use incompatible form factors to force full system updates (which definitely aren't necessary).

      Just FYI, I paid $500cdn for my current PC, play Team fortress 2 on my 720p TV with as many players as the server can throw at me. If you want to play with 16 players thats your business but thats personally too few unless you're really working within a guild that has solid players that you can work with.

      --
      Bye!
    46. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I see Bioshock winning game of the year... not Halo 3

    47. Re:$5 Says... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ha Ha...you claim to not be judging. Spin some more stories about how Halo is dominated by fratboy types - oh wait, by hard-core gamers (yes you claimed both, in the same post).

      Or how the core users of Wiis are, it would seem, rural families and the common folk, not the hard-core gamer. I envision grandmas and grandpas playing Twilight Princess...

    48. Re:$5 Says... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I don't think that's really how it worked. In M64, on the first level, the race the turtle star is only available if you had selected that stage. Same with the beat-the-boss stars all over the game. I think the only stars you could get at any time were the 100 coins, the red coins, and a couple other stars. There was only a few others that were always there, but many were impossible without some cannon being activated, which was only activated when your goal was to reach that star.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    49. Re:$5 Says... by BTWR · · Score: 1

      I absolutely love it too. But then again, I love Super Mario Bros 2...

  3. sorry.... by ILuvRamen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Sorry but Christmas is in another castle. Guess Mario's not gonna save it this time lol.

    --
    Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
  4. What The Hell Is Wired Thinking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's been too long to remember if Wired ever had any decent articles - haven't read been to their site or read their magazine since the dot com days.

    But that "Mario's bee suit might save Christmas" is easily one of the most dimwitted video game articles I've read in a long time.

    1. Re:What The Hell Is Wired Thinking? by Volante3192 · · Score: 1

      But that "Mario's bee suit might save Christmas" is easily one of the most dimwitted video game articles I've read in a long time.

      Least it's not Jerry Seinfeld's bee suit

  5. Not to troll... by AsnFkr · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ....but is it just me, or does this sound like Mario64 and Mario Sunshine's basic theme of collecting stars after tasks, only on planets instead of "rooms" or "areas"? I was hoping for more innovation from Nintendo's main franchise and hope I'm proven wrong. Ah well, I'll download it and try it either way.

    --


    adventure-today.com
    1. Re:Not to troll... by KyleTheDarkOne · · Score: 1

      Just out of curiosity, how many sequels nowadays actually change the main objective of the game?

    2. Re:Not to troll... by Sciros · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The basic premise doesn't really matter. Zelda, FF, Halo, etc. have had the same basic premise throughout the life of each franchise. It's not about coming up with a new premise, but about setting new standards in how that premise is made into something fun. ^_^

      --
      I like basketball!!1!
    3. Re:Not to troll... by SeeManRun · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If it ain't broke...

    4. Re:Not to troll... by nicolastheadept · · Score: 2, Funny

      Oh noes, this game consists of DOING things!

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    5. Re:Not to troll... by pembo13 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ....but is it just me, or does this sound like Mario64 and Mario Sunshine's basic theme of collecting stars after tasks, only on planets instead of "rooms" or "areas"? You make it sound like they retitled it and were trying to pass it off as a brand new thing. And how exactly are you going to download Mario Galaxy?
      --
      "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    6. Re:Not to troll... by AsnFkr · · Score: 1

      Yea, but really...Mario64 was refreshing and new, which made it a lot of fun. On the other hand Mario Sunshine sucked. I played through like 90% of it hoping it would get better as I went along, but really it was just repetitive and annoying-hard....not fun-hard. I just hope Mario Galaxy doesn't have the same curse.

      --


      adventure-today.com
    7. Re:Not to troll... by sycotic · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      And how exactly are you going to download Mario Galaxy? http://thepiratebay.org/ ... *duh* ;)
      --
      -- If I were a fish, I'd be wet
    8. Re:Not to troll... by Prien715 · · Score: 1

      I was very happy when Final Fantasy finally gave up the "save all teh crystals" plot in FF6 (not that I'm saying it can't be done well, but FF4's "Oh noes! They've got all the crystals! But wait there's more underground! Oh noes, they've got all the crystals...but there's more on teh moon!" was a bit contrived for my liking).

      Mario switched from linear levels, to backtrackable worlds, to multiplayable worlds. I agree with the GP it's about time to switch.

      --
      -- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
    9. Re:Not to troll... by Sciros · · Score: 1

      Yeah I share your thoughts exactly. But with Sunshine I think the problem wasn't lack of innovation, rather it was misguided innovation. That water jet pack would have been an appreciated "change" if it wasn't just plain less fun than playing as regular Mario...

      Oh, and the final boss, ugh soo bad...

      But what made Mario 64 so awesome wasn't just that it was new, but that what it did, it did more competently than anyone since has managed. The next best platformer of that sort was Banjo-Kazooie, and it was no Mario 64. The tightness of the controls, the "atmosphere" of the levels, it just all came together so well that the game is still fun to play to this day, despite no longer being "new" at all.

      --
      I like basketball!!1!
    10. Re:Not to troll... by theNeophile · · Score: 2, Insightful

      ....but is it just me, or does this sound like Mario64 and Mario Sunshine's basic theme of collecting stars after tasks, only on planets instead of "rooms" or "areas"? Explain to me how that's not awesome.
    11. Re:Not to troll... by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      More importantly, how many do that and don't end up as the black sheep of their respective series?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  6. UR MR GAY by samwh · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those who don't get it: http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/18/u-r-mr-gay-message-discovered-in-super-mario-galaxy-box-art/

  7. A Bee Costume? by hal2814 · · Score: 1

    "Swarms of South American Killer Bees have been spotted crossing the border into California. Sightings have mostly been confined to rural areas....Eyewitnesses say that the bees are yellow and black and dress much the way Eli Wallach did in the movie, The Magnificent Seven (1960). The bees are also overweight...(radio clicks off)."

    Sounds about right. Mario certainly fits the Killer Bees profile. It was only a matter of time. Hide you pollen, folks. At least he hasn't found a Landshark suit.

  8. Quick comparison by Captain+Spam · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quick comparisons, Mario and Santa Claus:

    [Overweight] Mario: YES; Santa: YES
    [Dressed in red] Mario: YES; Santa: YES
    [Facial hair] Mario: Moustache; Santa: Beard
    [Hair color] Mario: Brown; Santa: White
    [Headgear] Mario: Cap with 'M'; Santa: Floppy conical hat
    [Frequency] Mario: Annual/Bi-Annual*; Santa: Annual
    [Lineage] Mario: Unknown**; Santa: Elf (Jolly)

    *: Rough estimate of release frequency of new Mario games
    **: Is he human? A mushroom person? What is he, anyway?

    Tough call, but I'm still gonna give this one to Santa Claus. Mario might be able to save Peach, but he's got a bit to go to save Christmas.

    --
    Demanding constant attention will only lead to attention.
    1. Re:Quick comparison by Scutter · · Score: 2, Funny

      Tough call, but I'm still gonna give this one to Santa Claus. Mario might be able to save Peach, but he's got a bit to go to save Christmas.

      I'm sorry, Santa, but your cookies are in another castle.

      --

      "Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
    2. Re:Quick comparison by Bender0x7D1 · · Score: 1

      While Mario may lose to Santa, he easily beats Rudolph, who is also credited with saving Christmas.

      --
      Reading code is like reading the dictionary - you have to read half of it before you can go back and understand it.
    3. Re:Quick comparison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "**: Is he human? A mushroom person? What is he, anyway?"

      A plumber from Brooklyn.

    4. Re:Quick comparison by Creepyguywithastick · · Score: 1

      [Lineage] Mario: Unknown**;

      ...Really? You can'ta tella what he'sa supposed to bea?

    5. Re:Quick comparison by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      Quick comparisons, Mario and Santa Claus:
      **: Is he human? A mushroom person? What is he, anyway? Italian construction worker-turned-plumber from Brooklyn.
  9. Fuck you very much... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...for writing about Christmas two and a half months before it happens.

  10. Help me out with the Christmas tie-in... by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 0

    Super Mario Galaxy Might Save Christmas


    Help me out with the Christmas tie-in, if you could. Are you suggesting that SlashDotters are so young that they are typically waiting for mom and dad to buy them the right game for Christmas? Are you suggesting that SlashDotters' lives are so pitiful that a video game release around Christmas would be the major event in their lives around that time? Or what?
    1. Re:Help me out with the Christmas tie-in... by Kilraven · · Score: 1

      Are you suggesting that SlashDotters are so young that they are typically waiting for mom and dad to buy them the right game for Christmas? Speaking for myself only, I'm waiting for Santa to hook me up with a copy.
      --
      I didn't want to leave this blank.
    2. Re:Help me out with the Christmas tie-in... by Abreu · · Score: 1

      Some of us are waiting for the christmas bonus paycheck to buy a Wii + Mario + Zelda

      --
      No sig for the moment.
  11. Senseless violence? by tepples · · Score: 0

    A star guy of some sort is in a glass jar. I need to kill all the Goombas to free it. What did the Goombas ever do to you? For players who prefer cartoonish stealth over cartoonish violence, why can't more games have a no-kill route to victory?
  12. Mario by nycheetah · · Score: 1

    Mario has been around for a couple decades and I'm sure he will be around for decades more. His games have always been fun because thats what he's always been about. I'll never forget the day my dad bought a nes for me and my bro and sis, and we had so much fun! (Duck Hunt was fun too, hehe) He's been a plumber, a stomper, a tail wacker, a Doctor, a brother, a fire thrower, a flier, a mushroom eater, a mud cleaner, and stared in one of the best 3d games ever created. Mario is world famous and I believe one day when I get old, my grand kids will play Mario 512 and maybe get jacked in like the matrix. :) Live long and prosper Mario, live long and prosper.

    1. Re:Mario by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A flash version you can play very well on the Wii is at http://wii.joshbuhler.com/duckhunt/
      Lots of fun!

  13. He's a plumber from Brooklyn! by rdunnell · · Score: 1

    Granted, the Brooklynites have some alien tastes, but they're still generally human.

  14. Wii Play by brunes69 · · Score: 1

    Actually, according to Chartz, Wii Play has sold 1.6 million more copies than Halo 3 thus far.

    http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=2666

    If Wii Sports counts then of course it trumps both with 10.6 million. But this is a bundle so it doesn't really count.

    1. Re:Wii Play by pokerdad · · Score: 1

      Wii Play has sold 1.6 million more copies than Halo 3 thus far. http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=2666 If Wii Sports counts then of course it trumps both with 10.6 million. But this is a bundle so it doesn't really count.

      Why do you not want to count Wii Sports for being a bundle, but ignore the fact that Wii Play is practically free when you take off the price of the bundled controller? (amazon lists wii play right now for 48.99 and wiimotes on their own for 39.99; that's $9 for the game)

      I obviously can't speak for the millions of other buyers, buy I would never have bought Wii Play if it hadn't been bundled with a wiimote. (having said that, I like the game and it has seen more play time than several games which I paid full price for, but never the less, I wouldn't have bought it at full price)

    2. Re:Wii Play by tighr · · Score: 1

      I obviously can't speak for the millions of other buyers, buy I would never have bought Wii Play if it hadn't been bundled with a wiimote. (having said that, I like the game and it has seen more play time than several games which I paid full price for, but never the less, I wouldn't have bought it at full price) If it hadn't been bundled with a remote, would you have paid just $10 for it? I would have. In fact, for a $10 game, I've also played it more than most of the $50 Wii games I have, effectively giving me more fun per dollar. But I agree; I probably would not have paid full price for the game.
    3. Re:Wii Play by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I'll agree on this one. There's very few games I've ever payed full price for. Actually I could probably count them on one hand if I don't count the ones I've gotten as gifts. Price games at $20 or under and I'll buy them up. Or I would have, when I was younger and had more free time to play games. I probably have at least 6 or 7 games just sitting on the shelf that I haven't gotten around to finishing yet. The truth about Wii sports and Wii Play is that they were really cheap to produce games. Basically tech demos from Nintendo. And they turned them into something they could make a profit from.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  15. People? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1

    Well, I am people, and I only seen those games and be instantly repelled. Halo as well.

    I guess we have to wait till the Halo movie to see who the real winner is. Mario Brothers is already a loser, D&D (representing western RPG, my kind of game) is severly wounded but had a small comeback (second movie was passable), Final Fantasy was okay if part of it was just Aliens with less slime.

    Just because YOU are a nintendo fanboy doesn't mean PEOPLE are. Just as easily I could point out that some of the alltime classics in gaming are ALL pc gamers. Greatest flightsim, greatest adventure (Sierra style), greatest RPG (western style).

    While I don't like Halo, saying that Halo is less then any of the games you mention is a bit fanboyish. People still talk about Spacewar, doesn't make it a better game then any of the ones you mentioned.

    Stop pretending you speak for everyone else, you like genre X, others don't. For some reason I think Halo and Mario are so different that those who like one will automatically not like the other (que person who likes both).

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:People? by Baylan295 · · Score: 1

      Just because YOU are a nintendo fanboy doesn't mean PEOPLE are. Just as easily I could point out that some of the alltime classics in gaming are ALL pc gamers. Greatest flightsim, greatest adventure (Sierra style), greatest RPG (western style). There are a lot of other games that I could've talked about being great - I loved Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings, I loved Deus Ex (I should play that again sometime soon) and I enjoy playing Halo... but when I think Game of the Year, I think of fantastic gameplay that can be replayed over and over, or at least for an extended period of time. Halo 3 is a great game, with fun multiplayer, but I don't see it as being nearly as great in terms of gameplay as Mario Galaxy, Halo is great because of the competitive aspect - not because of the fun aspect. I am far from a Nintendo Fanboy, but I do know that as a college student, kids play Halo, kids play Guitar Hero, kids still play Mario Kart64, Super Smash Bros., Mario 64, Ocarina of Time. The last 4 may be Nintendo titles, but I don't see anyone playing any games on their PS2s, Xboxs, Gamecubes, Dreamcasts, or Playstations. I see N64s and Super Nintendos, though, in terms of the old generations. I think Super Mario Galaxy will be a much better game than Halo 3, call me fanboy if you like, but there are very few other games that are on my radar - everything I've heard about SMG has been extremely positive, from visuals to control, and while it is a "successor" to Mario 64, I feel that it is also a very different game with many different gameplay mechanics that will make it different enough to be almost revolutionary? I also don't think there is a true "Game of the Year" game like there has been in years past that has changed or improved a genre dramatically (I have not played BioShock though, so take that with a grain of salt). In any case... how about we all enjoy some good games?
  16. Alternate headline by Sciros · · Score: 1

    Christmas this year might suck.

    (Depending on how you take this, it can mean: a) if Mario is what's needed to save Christmas, then the standards for a merry Christmas have really sunk; b) Mario might not save Christmas, period; c) I'm sitting here with a high fever about to pass out from fatigue and can't think of anything funny to type)

    --
    I like basketball!!1!
  17. Videogame Christmas is safe by Kohath · · Score: 1

    I think Christmas is safe. A very large number of very high quality videogames are due out in the next 2 months.

    This follows the recent release of Halo 3, Orange Box, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Bioshock, and several other outstanding next-gen games. And some Wii games too.

  18. Is a Christmas present at my house by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    And Ian thinks he's getting Super Smash Brothers ... boy will he be surprised!

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  19. As a Jar-Jar... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...you ought to know that popularity != quality.

    1. Re:As a Jar-Jar... by fractoid · · Score: 1

      Wait, are you saying that Jar-Jar was GOOD?! 'cuz he certainly weren't popular!

      --
      Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
  20. Re:Mario (Duck Hunt) by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    I'll never forget the day my dad bought a nes for me and my bro and sis, and we had so much fun! (Duck Hunt was fun too, hehe)

    There's a new version of Duck Hunt out for the Wii, you can see it listed online at any GameStop store.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  21. What about Chanukah? by Mr.Dippy · · Score: 1

    I'm Jewish you insensitive clod!!!

    --


    -Dipster
    1. Re:What about Chanukah? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then have fun with your dreidel.

    2. Re:What about Chanukah? by superyooser · · Score: 1

      A little known fact is that Mario's brother, Luigi, was originally named Levitzi. (He was adopted from a Jewish couple.)

      Nintendo will be releasing a game next spring called Luigi Rescues Pe[s]ach. "Let my princess go!" In the game, Luigi eats moshe-rooms and chocolate shekels to give him power, but watch out for the maror! He tosses spinning dreidels at the Koopa Troopas to knock them off their feet.

      Unfortunately, the sequel to this game is going to be a real bummer... 40 years in the desert

  22. ADVANCE WARS!!!!!!! by 3on3 · · Score: 0

    Finally some info! WOoOOooooOOOOOTAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. A christmas brawl by Kratisto · · Score: 0

    It'd be nice if Mario saved Christmas by kicking Sonic's speedy blue ass, but I suppose it's not in the cards... Or bits.

    --
    Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
  24. Uh, hello... Bioshock? by Draconix · · Score: 1

    Bioshock is far more worthy of Game of the Year than Halo 3. Gripping story, stunning visuals, wonderful gameplay, and the permanent inability to look at the phrase "would you kindly?" in the same way ever again. :) Halo 3 is just Halo 1 and 2 with less of the detrimental stuff from the previous two. (Such as cut-and-paste level design.) It's a fun game, but hardly game-of-the-year material, unless you're only looking at sales.

    --
    By reading this you acknowledge that you have read it.
  25. Why People Dislike Sunshine by LKM · · Score: 1

    Mario Sunshine is clearly among the top 5% of all games ever made. However, it's among the bottom 5% of all "proper" Mario games ever made. Not because it's bad, but simply because Mario games are generally astoundingly good.

  26. First Metroidvania by LKM · · Score: 1

    It's all opinions, but it should be pointed out that SOTN is (if I remember correctly) not a re-hash of the Castlevania series. I think it was the first "Metroidvania" and as such about a hundred times better than (and very different from) all previous Castlevanias.

  27. Against Goomba Violence!!! by LKM · · Score: 1

    Yeah, the Goombas are actually sentient beings who can choose to be nice if they want to, see the Paper Mario series. I find it disgusting that we are forced to kill them! I will boycot Mario games from now on.

    Against Goomba Violence!!! Who's with me?

    1. Re:Against Goomba Violence!!! by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      You've obviously never had a nice Goomba sandwich. mmmmm.

  28. That's a shame. by Ayanami+Rei · · Score: 1

    Because that was one of the few unique features of the game that I thought made it fun. It was like you were a rocket man, and the levels were designed to work with that (big open spaces).

    --
    THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
  29. MTV!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many references to to the MTV Blog have there been now? Since when did MTV go from corporate Non-Music TV filled with sh*tty reality shows to some sort of omniscient gaming authority?