• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.

News 15 minute Super Mario Bros Wonder Direct August 31st at 10 am EDT

Wtfpigeons said:
I don’t think he feels like the additions change the core gameplay. This is a quote from the article.

The past 15 years (at least) of Mario titles has largely focused on introducing a flashy new mechanic that generates a lot of fan buzz but ultimately doesn’t add much to the core gameplay.

There is other stuff in there that I really don’t agree with but I’m not sure if I can just post the whole article.
Click to expand...

Is this both 2D and 3D? Definitely don't agree with 3D.

The NSMB series didn't really introduce anything new other then multiplayer.
 
PixelKnight said:
I laughed out loud at ‘anyone can ride Yoshi! Even Yoshi!’ with both of them using their tongue at the same time. Or Yoshi carrying the bloody elephant form. Poor thing!
Click to expand...

Only thing that disappointed me in this game so far is that, apparently, Yoshi isn't a power up during normal gameplay.

I love that he has his droopy eyes again, but I won't get to actually see him on my screen of I don't engage with easy mode or multiplayer :(
 
You hate to be right about Yoshi being easy mode, but imma still play him anyways. At least he gets... bumped by enemies...
(Real SMW1+2 vibes I guess)
 
0
Ripfeld89 said:
I think the thing that might give a lot of people the impression that this still feels like a New SMB game to some degree is the fact that despite the wide variety of imaginative concepts and level designs we've seen, there's still the prevalent default of single screen tall courses you run from left to right. We as a society must relearn how to make a Yoshi's Island...

And while the music does sound pretty good so far, it's funny how it's still noticeably below the production quality of your 3D Marios, Karts, and Zeldas. I can practically hear them hitting that "doo" sample on the keyboard. They've been toying with it over 20 years, will Nintendo ever foot the bill to hire a few real life acapella singers for one of these? Much less record live instruments.

Also the amount of extreme zoom ins they do in these trailers to show off some detail just has me thinking this'll be way more appreciable to play in 4K, one way or another.
Click to expand...

What's "low quality" about the doos?
 
Stilt Village said:
To be fair to random paywall article, the exact moment Mario games shifted to being built around a one-off gimmick is also the exact moment it stopped being an industry-defining series that repeatedly pushed forward the concept of what platformers and video games in general could be. Or to be more precise, the exact moment they went from making Mario 64 to making Mario Sunshine.

As much as this looks like a return to form and a game from a hypothetical world where 2D Mario didn't stop being a thing after Yoshi's Island, it's not going to be what it was. It has potential to be good, really good, but it would be in a Tropical Freeze way, not in a "all platformers before this are now primitive in comparison" way.

Which is perhaps an unfair bar to keep holding someone to, and I'm not sure I'd even agree that this game is built around a gimmick in the same way as Odyssey, but it remains to be seen how the Wonder Flower concept will actually feel in practice. At worst I can see it being a pointless way of contextualizing ideas that only ends up hamstringing their potential. They didn't actually need the Wonder Flower to justify doing things like a stampede or weird moving pipes, so it's mainly down to whether the format itself is worthwhile or an unnecessary interruption to the flow of the level. Because oh boy can things like this be overbearing to deal with.
Click to expand...

Jeez, let's play the game before making such a dismal indictment.
 
0
He also got to play Mario Wonder. It’s nice to see these where they sit and play.



I see now you can take pipes to bring you to the forefront of the screen lol. That’s why they looked so zoomed in.
 
0
MondoMega said:
Poor Red Toad, Blue Yoshi and Purple Yoshi, they were in Run but didn't make the cut here... If there's any secret 13th character i'm still sticking to guessing Rosalina. We saw Captain Toad in an overworld clip so being a 3D Mario character is no hurdle.

As for character abilities, they're seemingly making some of them available as badges. The Parachute Cap works like Peach's float in Mario Run (goes forever instead of a short distance), and like I highlighted last night, the scuttle jump is a badge too:



We actually got to see the scuttle badge in action in one of the preview clips, and yep, if anyone wants Luigi to feel more like himself just equip this:

Click to expand...

jesus this is beyond polished
 
0
Kartina said:
To me the most insane thing was in the interview: the fact that developed the game without a deadline is crazy, it makes sense that it took so long to see a new 2d Mario games and I expect a game brimming with content.
Click to expand...
Maybe this is why we haven't seen the next 3D Mario yet.
 
The only meh looking worlds so far in terms of environment creativity are Pipe Rock Plateau (I’ll forgive it since it’s the first) and the magma one.

Fluff Puff Peaks, Shining Falls and the forest world all look super cool and unique. Desert looks a bit meh so far but it looks like there’s a giant castle-like structure in it on the world map so I’m hopeful for that

I also love how many of them are natural feeling combinations. Like FPP’s ascent from a snowy mountain into the sky.
 
Phendrift said:
The only meh looking worlds so far in terms of environment creativity are Pipe Rock Plateau (I’ll forgive it since it’s the first) and the magma one.

Fluff Puff Peaks, Shining Falls and the forest world all look super cool and unique. Desert looks a bit meh so far but it looks like there’s a giant castle-like structure in it on the world map so I’m hopeful for that

I also love how many of them are natural feeling combinations. Like FPP’s ascent from a snowy mountain into the sky.
Click to expand...
To be fair, we've barely seen any of the levels in the Magma area. They could easily surprise us there. The world map seems to be heading down into the ground, so maybe there's something at the end?
 
Game looks great, but.. why though?

F48p9ucXwAAU_Ve


The NSMB games got this right, so why they are changing this? Doesn't even look good...

F49H9pLW0AAsFQb
 
Stilt Village said:
To be fair to random paywall article, the exact moment Mario games shifted to being built around a one-off gimmick is also the exact moment it stopped being an industry-defining series that repeatedly pushed forward the concept of what platformers and video games in general could be. Or to be more precise, the exact moment they went from making Mario 64 to making Mario Sunshine.

As much as this looks like a return to form and a game from a hypothetical world where 2D Mario didn't stop being a thing after Yoshi's Island, it's not going to be what it was. It has potential to be good, really good, but it would be in a Tropical Freeze way, not in a "all platformers before this are now primitive in comparison" way.

Which is perhaps an unfair bar to keep holding someone to, and I'm not sure I'd even agree that this game is built around a gimmick in the same way as Odyssey, but it remains to be seen how the Wonder Flower concept will actually feel in practice. At worst I can see it being a pointless way of contextualizing ideas that only ends up hamstringing their potential. They didn't actually need the Wonder Flower to justify doing things like a stampede or weird moving pipes, so it's mainly down to whether the format itself is worthwhile or an unnecessary interruption to the flow of the level. Because oh boy can things like this be overbearing to deal with.
Click to expand...
You do you, but this is one of the most weirdly cynical posts I've ever seen.
Phendrift said:
The only meh looking worlds so far in terms of environment creativity are Pipe Rock Plateau (I’ll forgive it since it’s the first) and the magma one.

Fluff Puff Peaks, Shining Falls and the forest world all look super cool and unique. Desert looks a bit meh so far but it looks like there’s a giant castle-like structure in it on the world map so I’m hopeful for that

I also love how many of them are natural feeling combinations. Like FPP’s ascent from a snowy mountain into the sky.
Click to expand...
Don't really agree with the first level. The flowery picturesque atmosphere really makes it shine in comparison to other 2D and some 3D Mario games. The transition from that to this sandy plantation like feel with all the pipe mountains really makes it stand out. Although I somewhat agree with you on volcano area, but I have a feeling not all of it is volcanic theme.
 
I love how many levels are in the worlds. When they showed you can go to Pipe Rock there was like 15 levels there. It shows they meant there was no deadline. So much content is going to be in this game.
 
Cheetah6442 said:
You do you, but this is one of the most weirdly cynical posts I've ever seen.

Don't really agree with the first level. The flowery picturesque atmosphere really makes it shine in comparison to other 2D and some 3D Mario games. The transition from that to this sandy plantation like feel with all the pipe mountains really makes it stand out. Although I somewhat agree with you on volcano area, but I have a feeling not all of it is volcanic theme.
Click to expand...
Oh it looks gorgeous, but it’s definitely this game’s basic “grass world”
 
Dark Cloud said:
She played the game too

Click to expand...


I've noted this elsewhere, but just like SMW where the music changes when Mario rides Yoshi, the music changes in this game when a character is an elephant. The singing is gone and the music has more bass and an added horn.
 
Phendrift said:
Oh it looks gorgeous, but it’s definitely this game’s basic “grass world”
Click to expand...
Here's the thing though, a large portion of mainline Mario games, especially 2D Mario, barely differentiate grass levels. This is the first time in a modern 2D Mario game where you can see it has a unique identity compared to it predecessors.(NSMBU tried to do this, but ultimately fell flat. Didn’t help matters when you were still within Mushroom Kingdom soil despite you being thrown from the castle).
 
I need to stop rewatching the direct. My goodness, this game looks incredible.

I'm not even a big 2D Mario guy, and yet this is pretty easily my most anticipated game for 2023 now. Everything looks sublime.
 
I keep seeing people complaining Yoshi/nabbit is easy mode. I’d argue they aren’t actually a true easy mode. Yes they’re an enhanced moveset, and don’t take damage, but they also can’t use power ups so they’re not able to use any of the perks of them either meaning they can’t go after certain collectibles or secrets through orthodox means. Arguably Nabbit is a hard mode all together. While invincible to attack damage his moveset is incredibly limited and cannot change. He doesn’t have the buffs of unique moves, he would be the same as playing with Mario without a mushroom and does take knockback and is vulnerable to instant death. There will be plenty of levels where that restricted moveset will make things a heck of a lot harder
 
Mandos said:
I keep seeing people complaining Yoshi/nabbit is easy mode. I’d argue they aren’t actually a true easy mode. Yes they’re an enhanced moveset, and don’t take damage, but they also can’t use power ups so they’re not able to use any of the perks of them either meaning they can’t go after certain collectibles or secrets through orthodox means. Arguably Nabbit is a hard mode all together. While invincible to attack damage his moveset is incredibly limited and cannot change. He doesn’t have the buffs of unique moves, he would be the same as playing with Mario without a mushroom and does take knockback and is vulnerable to instant death. There will be plenty of levels where that restricted moveset will make things a heck of a lot harder
Click to expand...
Yes Yoshis especially are just an alternate way to play with its own gameplay. From the moment they didn't have them use powerups they had to be different altogether. And with its own moveset and quirks it's more of a "Yoshi mode" than an "easy mode".
 
Charamiwa said:
Yes Yoshis especially are just an alternate way to play with its own gameplay. From the moment they didn't have them use powerups they had to be different altogether. And with its own moveset and quirks it's more of a "Yoshi mode" than an "easy mode".
Click to expand...
I mean don’t get me wrong for kids it’s definitely an easy mode, but for experienced players trying to do a Yoshi% or Nabbit% completition run will probably be hell for challenge levels
 
So I've just been replaying the Direct a bunch of time and after a while the main thing that excites me is the world map, specifically how big and varied each area is. I'm dying for someone to do a proper analysis but for now I really like how the open area showcased is just a small part of World 1, how the narrator said that the ice levels are part of a mountain you climb where you end up in the clouds, or how the desert world features a large structure that will presumably take a bunch of levels to go through. It just seems way less rigid than before.
 
Phendrift said:
I don’t think this was mentioned in the direct, but in the Eurogamer interview they mention “Break Time” courses, which are separate from badge challenges. There’s a brief shot of one on the world map in the direct too.



This truly does continue EPD’s new design style that BotW, TotK, Odyssey and Pikmin 4 used. Expanded scope, freedom to engage with so many different mechanics and gameplay styles, bite sized challenges that are suited for portable play…
Click to expand...
another trend that has truly defined this gen is the how much more fleshed out and populated their worlds have gotten; the NPCs at every corner in TOTK, the NPCs in the Pikmin 4 hub, and with SMBW adding a new kingdom with a different toad species. it could prove to be very useful for upcoming cross-media projects.
 
CyberWolfJV said:
They made it purposely look wrong and ugly because it's "funny", apparently
cartoon-kitten.gif
Click to expand...
It’s not even funny, it’s just weird—and not in the good way, lol. I’m totally onboard with all the other new animations we’ve seen, but I just don’t understand what they were going for with this one…
 
CyberWolfJV said:
Game looks great, but.. why though?

F48p9ucXwAAU_Ve


The NSMB games got this right, so why they are changing this? Doesn't even look good...

F49H9pLW0AAsFQb
Click to expand...
My gut feeling is that this change was done for two reasons. One, the game is going for sillier, more exaggerated expressions, and this fits the bill there. Secondly, the art style is pushing the characters further towards the 3/4ths angle akin to Mario World sprites. Yoshi is not not at that angle in Yoshi's Island, but that game features a larger sprite in proportion to the screen and has dark outlines. Meanwhile NSMB Yoshi is closer to SMW Yoshi - not fully facing left but moreso than the characters in Wonder. Perhaps they found that the new expression (exaggerated lip, nose being covered) was both more in line with their general visual direction and more clear at that angle and at the gameplay sizes they were looking for.

You don't gotta like it, it does look a bit awkward, but I can kinda see the logic. And I dunno, I think it's funny, so I guess it works for some people?
 
CyberWolfJV said:
Game looks great, but.. why though?

F48p9ucXwAAU_Ve


The NSMB games got this right, so why they are changing this? Doesn't even look good...

F49H9pLW0AAsFQb
Click to expand...
To me the Wonder version looks more like what they were going for in Yoshi's Island than the New Super Mario version. See how the Wonder version draws attention to his puckered lips and makes it look like he can barely hold it in his mouth? Meanwhile the New version just looks like he was injected with botox in his cheeks.
 
Phendrift said:
I don’t think this was mentioned in the direct, but in the Eurogamer interview they mention “Break Time” courses, which are separate from badge challenges. There’s a brief shot of one on the world map in the direct too.



This truly does continue EPD’s new design style that BotW, TotK, Odyssey and Pikmin 4 used. Expanded scope, freedom to engage with so many different mechanics and gameplay styles, bite sized challenges that are suited for portable play…
Click to expand...
That’s intriguing, may explain how they managed at least 20 levels and 5 different biomes in the first world alone.
 
0
Leo said:
Oh wow, that was a lot to take in! At first Inwas a bit underwhelmed, but as the presentation went on, they just kept serving more and more.

I still think the game could have gone for a more unique art style, the intro sequence especially with all the characters and Bowser felt like deja vu of the NSMB series as well as 3D World. I also wish the environments felt more organic and less blocky, but I suppose the "blockiness" is an essential part of Mario's modern visual identity, being so prevalent in Nintendo World and the movie.

I wasn't super impressed by any of the new power ups, but the wonder sections seem like will be what makes the game really shine. They basically give the devs a free pass to break the game's own rules and just do whatever they want for that particular section. It's so clever and now it feels so obvious that it's baffling why no one has ever done it in a 2D platformer before. The final montage show us the game is brimming with creativity and fun set pieces. If it has a considerable lenght and lots of special challenging post credits content like 3D World, we're in for a blast.
Click to expand...
Well you do kinda need a significant level of budget and manpower wise to pull this kind of unique gimmick where you're essentially making unique setpieces for various levels. Especially at the level of polish a Mario game is required to hit.

And Nintendo is pretty much the only sizeable company in the world that still produces 2D games with any kind of frequency with high budget compared to similarly big companies.
 
0
AngryAlchemist said:
To me the Wonder version looks more like what they were going for in Yoshi's Island than the New Super Mario version. See how the Wonder version draws attention to his puckered lips and makes it look like he can barely hold it in his mouth? Meanwhile the New version just looks like he was injected with botox in his cheeks.
Click to expand...
Sure, but what’s up with the lower lip covering half of the nose like that? That’s the part I don’t like, and that wasn’t in Yoshi’s Island either so they pulled that out of nowhere for Wonder. It would look so much better if it wasn’t for the weird lip thing going on that doesn’t even make sense.
 
0
They probably tried various versions of the Yoshi holding an object in its mouth pose and went with this one because it's unique and funny.
 
So the game no longer slight pause when someone gets a power up or dies in co-op it seems. That’s an amazing update always hated that.
 
Just a heads up: There is going to be a Treehouse Live demo for Wonder at 2:30 (so in less than 20 minutes from this post.)

I think its streaming here:
 
Ripfeld89 said:
And while the music does sound pretty good so far, it's funny how it's still noticeably below the production quality of your 3D Marios, Karts, and Zeldas. I can practically hear them hitting that "doo" sample on the keyboard. They've been toying with it over 20 years, will Nintendo ever foot the bill to hire a few real life acapella singers for one of these? Much less record live instruments.
Click to expand...
The intro cutscene music at the start of the Direct was still an immediately noticeable leap in production quality for 2D Mario. I'm not sure if they've got live instruments in there, but it's way closer to Odyssey or Bowser's Fury than it is NSMBU.

The "doo" thing is definitely a stylistic choice that's not even trying to sound realistic though, it sticks out so badly from its surroundings and I think it's the exact same sample they were using back in Sunshine. Personally I just can't with that, it's like a self-parody of NSMB music, but luckily this is sounding like it'll be one of those platformers where the clunker main theme isn't representative of the rest of the soundtrack. Oh, for a reality in which "platformers with a main theme that gets remixed over and over" never became a trope...

SpaceGodzilla said:
that's such a weird and cynical way to look at things
Click to expand...
Cheetah6442 said:
You do you, but this is one of the most weirdly cynical posts I've ever seen.
Click to expand...
Damn, if "the game won't revolutionize the industry but it has the potential to compare to Tropical Freeze if it's well-executed" is too cynical a take for this thread, some of you could probably use a little more cynicism.

I get that the mood of the post was overall negative, but most of it was more observation than indictment. It's somewhat disappointing that Mario games aren't earth-shaking events anymore, but you probably can't expect anyone to keep doing that forever, and I acknowledged as much.

Personally, I have my qualms with Nintendo's tendency to build sequels around a big gimmick, because the gimmicks frequently feel unnecessary or underutilized. But like I said, I'm not convinced the Wonder Flower is really even going to come off like one of these in practice. It seems like more of a framing device for just... Having creative platformer stages.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom