N_Gamer Vol. 2

Welcome, Nintendo fans and the N_curious alike.

Welcome, Nintendo fans and the N_curious alike. You have managed to stumble upon NZGamer.com's esteemed Nintendo column: N_Gamer. Every so often our columnist will take your through a particular topic or subject line relating to the world of Nintendo. Keep in mind the following rant does in no way reflect the group thoughts or opinions of the rest of the NZGamer staff nor characterize the sanity of the average New Zealander...

Many Nintendo gamers were disappointed at the petite number of games from Nintendo at this year's E3. One particular missing from the ranks was the second GameCube sequel to Nintendo's most well known videogame franchise and character in the world: Mario.

Mario 128. Once described by creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself as the true sequel to Mario 64, a game considered by many to be one of the greatest videogames of all time. But Mario 128 didn't show up at E3 2003. It was a month later that Japan's Nintendo Dream magazine reported that Nintendo did not unveil Mario 128 as it featured a new idea never before seen in a videogame and were afraid it would be stolen. Since then rumour and speculation have run raging like a bull in heat. What is this new idea? Could this innovation be so grandiose it could alter the platformer genre forever? Or is Nintendo just exaggerating again?

I too have wondered what Nintendo might be cooking up in the mushroom kingdom. It isn't often that a very fresh or new idea is released on the staling videogame industry. And even Nintendo have been accused of providing very little in the way of new game ideas. But this could all change. The following are several ideas and scenarios dreamed up by myself about the possibilities of Mario 128. Some of them are going to over estimate the originality in Mario 128 by several fold, but perhaps some of them will barely scratch the surface of what could be the most revolutionary platformer we have seen since Mario 64.

THE MULTI MARIO THEORY
Easily the most common theory among the general Nintendo community in which the player will be in control of several Marios at once, possibly 128. This idea though is based on some shaky facts, as the original Mario 128 idea turned into Pikmin. It is also highly likely that the name 'Mario 128' is susceptible to change; therefore the game might not actually have anything to do with the number 128 at all. However the multi Mario theory should certainly not be ruled out, here are a few ideas based around this concept.

DIVIDED WE FALL
CRAZY LEVEL:
This idea is based around the concept that whenever our Italian Plumber falls from a high point, he splits into a couple more Marios. You no longer receive damage for falling. The higher you fall from the more Marios split from you. These Marios will then continue to follow your original Mario, slowly merging back into each other after time. But these extra Marios aren�t there to hinder your playing there here to help. Certain baddies can only be defeated after several Marios jump on them at once. Further more if you accidentally fall from a high point your group of Marios can chain together to save you from falling. This would attempt to make gameplay far less frustrating as parts of the game you are struggling with become easier.

And where does the 128 fit in? Well every time your divided Marios fall they also divide. If you fall enough times your band of Mario�s may reach the maximum of 128. The idea of falling to build up an entire army of 128 Marios could be used very strategically by the developers and would definitely be needed to defeat some of the larger enemies. This is an idea I think actually has a lot of merit; it could definitely be a possibility for Mario 128.

128 TOADS
CRAZY LEVEL:
This idea is only crazy because it is so close to Pikmin. This rather unoriginal theory has it that you control 128 Toads from the Mushroom Kingdom throughout the entire game. Why you would be controlling so many Toads and how is anyone�s guess. My bet would be that the story involves some kind of danger to the entire Mushroom kingdom requiring the citizens to band together as Mario as their leader. It could use a Pikmin style control set up, where groups of Toads jump on enemies to defeat them. These toads could also be used to build back the kingdom. This idea is further made unlikely by the fact that it is shifting more into the real time strategy genre rather than a platformer.

MARIO ONLINE
CRAZY LEVEL:
One of the most unlikely scenarios ever in which Mario 128 can only be played online. Players band together and chat in the gigantic Mushroom Kingdom hubworld, forming groups that can be at a maximum of 128 and going outside the kingdom to thwart Bowser. Naturally team work is required kind of in the style of The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords. The possibility is indeed quite crazy based on Nintendo�s negative stance towards online gaming, but none the less the idea for a Mario Online is very appealing

SHIFTING CONCEPT
These ideas are much harder to define than the Multi Mario Theories, but they all generally involve the shifting of some sort: be it setting, character or morals. These concepts are much more detached from the 128 value, existing in the belief that the name Mario 128 will change before release.

RANDOM CHARACTER
CRAZY LEVEL:
Similar to the concept above, except instead of switching level or graphic style your character randomly switches. While you might be playing Mario for a moment with average attributes you may instantly change to Mario�s slow but high jumping brother Luigi, or the low jumping yet fast Toad, or the delicate peach with the ability to hover in mid air.

CHANGING DIMENSIONS
CRAZY LEVEL:
This is an original idea based loosely around the random level changing seen in Wario Ware inc. for Game Boy Advance. This idea would pay heavy homage to past Mario Games as whilst playing Mario is randomly thrust between dimensions which vary in graphic styling and gameplay. The dimensions are generally based around time and 2D, 3D and a futuristic 4D. 2 side scrolling dimensions represent early Mario games, but are given a cell shaded, Viewtiful Joe, cut-out graphic look to make it so the graphics are still on par for a next generation console. A fully 3D Mario sunshine/ Mario 64 dimension is there and a science-fiction 4th dimension that allows you to manipulate time.

You switch randomly between these 4 dimensions throughout the game, with no real idea of which dimension you were originally in. As you switch between levels the exact same obstacle or enemy you were facing changes into the next dimension changing its graphic style and how it must be approached. The further you get into the story the greater control you will have over switching between dimensions. At the end you receive one of 4 possibly endings based around which dimension you played in the most.

This is also an idea I think has a lot of realistic possibility, the difficult part about developing a game of this magnitude would be creating 4 separate game engines that each could play as a stand alone game. This idea could also incorporate a Game Boy Advance connection somehow involving playing the 2D portions of the game.

BOWSER'S ARMY
CRAZY LEVEL:
A far fetched design in which instead of playing Mario at all you play as Bowser and his cronies instead. This idea is quite crazy as it would not really match the Mario 128 profile of being a true sequel to Mario 64 or being very original. But to back up the general platforming action Bowser can instantly spawn enemies such as goombas, to attack Mushroom Kingdom citizens or Mario and company.

GAMEPLAY MECHANIC INNOVATION
Perhaps instead of utilizing a completely original game idea, the original idea will instead be a mechanic innovation or gameplay tweak. Which may expand on some of the tired and true control and camera effects used in the platformer genre.

THE C-STICK JUMP
CRAZY LEVEL:
Improving on the classic button pressing method of jumping in platformers, perhaps Mario 128 uses a different control method for Mario�s most common action. Introducing the C-stick jump. Whichever direction the C stick is pressed Mario will jump in, allowing for greater jump freedom and move expansion. This move could be expanded to use several different styles of jump and moves including the classics like the wall jump.

FIRST PERSON MARIO
CRAZY LEVEL:
Something Nintendo almost had in Metroid Prime, perhaps Mario 128 will feature Mario with a first person view. This is a rather unlikely scenario because it not only makes it harder to view the platforms but it could make it much harder to have much accuracy when jumping But if there is any developer who could pull something like this off it�s Nintendo.

MIND CONTROL CHIP
CRAZY LEVEL:
There is always the possibility that Nintendo could release a special mind-control chip with Mario 128. The chip is implanted in the gamers brain and allows the player to be inside the game via a matrix-style download. You will literally play as Mario. Jump as Mario. Run as Mario. Get jiggy with Princess Peach as Mario. You will be Mario!

GRAPHICS OVERHAUL HYPOTHESIS
Could this brilliantly fresh and new idea for Mario actually be a complete graphics overhaul? A graphics style never before seen in a 3D platformer? The options are limited but you never know for certain with Nintendo�

CEL-SHADED MUSHROOMS
CRAZY LEVEL:
A scenario that wouldn�t exactly shock many gamers after Nintendo released Zelda: The Wind Waker in the controversially cartoony look. There is always the possibility that this �great innovation� turns out to be merely another foray into cel-shaded graphics again, which would make a rather disappointing anti-climax to all the hype. However, more credit must be given to Nintendo than that as there are already a number of cel-shaded 3D platformers available on the market such as �Sly Cooper & The Thievius Racoonus� for PlayStation 2. So no doubt if Mario 128 was released cel-shaded it would feature something extra to actually enhance gameplay.

LUIGI ENSTEIN
CRAZY LEVEL:
Perhaps instead of an incredible new graphics look, the game pushes the borders of hardware limits in a different direction. Throughout Mario 128 could Mario's lanky green brother Luigi follow him? But not just any Luigi, Luigi with super AI! This super intelligent follower actually learns from Mario�s actions. He will learn how to tackle certain platform challenges and defeat certain enemies. Not to mention showing off some self initiative that will put all other videogame AI to shame. Luigi has never been so smart.

SUPER POWERED GRAPHICS
CRAZY LEVEL:
Perhaps the graphics in Mario 128 will be so utterly intense it will take 4 GameCubes linked together to power through just the loading sequence, with an additional 6 GameCubes required to actually play the game. Not only that but the graphics will be so absolutely powerful that it will burn out your retinas if you try to watch the game for more than 20 seconds at a time. The game so life like that to watch it for more than 10 seconds would trick your brain into believing that you were actually looking into a window that contained the true reality, ultimately driving you insane. Only two people in the world would ever complete the game, one of them would be Shigeru Miyamoto.

PLATFORM THEORY
Could this incredible idea actually involve incredibly original level design? Could Mario 128 unleash something so absolutely revolutionary to level design it would be above all logical train of though?

RANDOMLY GENERATED LEVELS
CRAZY LEVEL:
Perhaps this new Mario will feature large portions of randomly generated levels, something never before seen in a platformer before. This would be tricky to create as the developers would need to create a series of rules that make the level possible to complete yet provide some challenge for the player. This would no doubt be a very interesting addition to replay value.

SEAMLESSLY INTERWOVEN SINGULAR HUBWORLD
CRAZY LEVEL:
The hubworld is a staple in many different genres of games. A hubworld is basically the centre point from which your in-game character travels from when going to a different world or stage, often returning back to the hubworld after the stage�s completion. But what if the entire game was the world? There is no warping or transporting to a different area, the whole entire game is one seamlessly interwoven quilt.

MARIO MEETS NEW YORK
CRAZY LEVEL:
What if Mario 128 is actually set in a real life city, fully created in its simulated glory. Has any other platformer ever dared to full recreate a real live city? Perhaps Bowser has burst out of the videogame world into the real world ready to cause havoc and destruction and it�s up to Mario to pursue and stop him before he destroys the city of New York. The game would feature Mario jumping and dodging around the entire city of New York as one seamlessly interwoven singular hubworld. Mario would have to avoid enemies such as caffeine hyped New York taxi drivers and Bowser�s evil lawyer henchmen.

COLLECTION PROGRESSION MODEL
Collection has always been an integral factor in Mario games, most often in the case of coins. But rather than just passing an objective by retrieving coins, what if this collection actually physically affected our Italian hero�

COIN SPROING
CRAZY LEVEL:
Throughout Mario 128 coins are vital for your story and level progression, but not because you just need them to pass a level. The more coins you gain the higher Mario can jump, so naturally there will a large amount of places Mario wont be able to reach yet early in the game because he wont be able to jump high enough. This could be an interesting/frustrating addition to platformer gameplay. It would certainly be something slightly original.

MARIOZILLA
CRAZY LEVEL:
This idea basically flows similar to the last in that the more coins Mario collects the larger he becomes. Or as a more interesting twist, Mario keeps growing at a rapid rate and needs coins to shrink otherwise he�ll grow so big he explodes. Watching Mario accidentally step on members of the mushroom kingdom ensures amusement, besides who doesn�t want to see that fat tub of Italian Plumber explode?

OFFENSIVE DISCRIMINATION PROGRESSION
CRAZY LEVEL:
Standing against every humble principle and moral fibre in classic Nintendo gaming, Mario 128 could be Nintendo�s first truly offensive and rude foray. As Mario progresses through levels they literally become more and more offensive and politically incorrect. Passing the initial classic happy Mario level in which Mario makes his way to the place of where a mysterious item has mysteriously appeared in the kingdom� mysteriously. Discovering the said item to be a machine gun the Mushroom Kingdom is lead on a voyage of dark discovery as Mario and Co. learn of the forbidden fruits� sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

And that is the end of my ideas for now. Many of my ideas seem absolutely absurd and perhaps some of them are, but when you�re looking at adding new innovation into a genre that only has so little potential for expansion in game ideas, it becomes a difficult task. There is always the very real chance that Nintendo have once again exaggerated; the innovation might indeed turn out to be another gimmicky addition like the water pack seen in Super Mario Sunshine. But what if it isn�t?

With rumours that Mario 128 is set to be unveiled at one of the Nintendo press conferences between the 15th-17th October, it may not be long before we do find out the true idea behind Mario 128, but for the moment we can rest easy that Mario 128 is in the hands of a developer (in)famous for it's innovative touch. And perhaps if we're lucky at least one of these crazy ideas proves to be on the money, but if there is one thing to be expected from Nintendo it has to be the unexpected.