SUPER MARIO GALAXY

is a highly anticipated platform game developed by Nintendo EAD Tokyo and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It will be the third first-party true 3D platformer ''Mario'' game. The game was announced at Nintendo's press conference at E3 on May 9 2006.

Contents

History

Gameplay

New Features

Multiplayer

Plot

Reception

Pre-release

See also

References

External links

History

In a roundtable discussion at E3 2007, it was made clear that ''Super Mario Galaxy'' was not ''Mario 128'', after Miyamoto stated that production only began after the team finished making ''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat'',^[1] (early 2005) and ''Mario 128'' has been in production and development since at least 2001 (when the first trailer was shown at E3).
In an after-hours press event at E3 2006 in May, Shigeru Miyamoto said "I don't want to promise anything yet. But if it's not a launch title it will definitely be there within the first six months."^[2] Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime later stated in a November 27 2006 interview with MTV that the game is expected to release sometime up to Holiday of 2007.^[3] On January 4 2007, Nintendo of Europe issued a press release indicating a 2007 European release.^[4] Near the end of Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote presentation at the 2007 Game Developers Conference in March, he stated, "You'll be able to play ''Super Mario Galaxy'' this year."^[5][6] At Nintendo's E3 2007 Conference they confirmed that ''Super Mario Galaxy'' will be released in North America on November 12 2007 and four days later in Europe.

Gameplay

Most of the game is set in outer space along a vast chain of miniature planetoids and other space matter. Mario is capable of jumping or launching from planet to planet in order to gather items and defeat enemies. Gravity plays a significant role in the game, as each planet has a gravitational force that prevents Mario from drifting off into space, which allows the player to walk evenly around a complexly rounded surface. The varying degrees of gravity also have an effect on Mario's ability to jump, and is used to pull Mario towards certain planetoids while in mid-flight. Like previous 3D ''Mario'' games, the main objective is to collect Stars, which are awarded by completing tasks or defeating enemies. The game will have six themed areas, 40 galaxies, and 120 stars to collect. ^[7]
As in every 3D ''Mario'' game, Mario’s health consists of a power meter, which causes Mario to lose a life if it reaches zero. When the game starts, Mario begins with a power meter made of three sections. Mario has a second and separate health meter that designates his air supply when swimming underwater; if it is empty Mario will drown. The bottomless pits featured in previous ''Mario'' games which cause Mario to lose a life when fallen in have been replaced by black holes, which are stationed beneath the surfaces of certain planets and peppered throughout space.

New Features

The October 2007 issue of ''Nintendo Power'' confirmed the return of the Super Mushroom, Starman, and Fire Flower power-ups. This is the first time these have made their first true appearance in a 3D ''Mario'' platforming game.^[8] Nintendo has also created some new items: the Bee Suit, which transforms Mario into a bee^[9]; Gravity Arrows, which make Mario gravitate in the direction that these arrows point; Star Shards, which can be grabbed by pointing at them and pressing B; and The Boo Suit, which transforms Mario into a Boo^[9]. Also, music notes were most recently discovered as perhaps an alternative to the idea of collecting blue coins for a 1-up. The music notes usually come in chains of 25 when activated and often play classic Mario themes when they are hit. They are activated by another new feature: The Question Mark Coin, which activates most items in the game such as suits.

Multiplayer

During an interview with IGN,^[11] Takashi Tezuka, Nintendo's analysis and development's general manager, stated that multiplayer for ''Super Mario Galaxy'' is more likely to be co-operative. Two-player functionality was already confirmed for the game. The development team is already experimenting with new ways to use the Wii Remote so that one player can control Mario while the other aids him. Conversely, Shigeru Miyamoto also suggested that the second player could have the ability to interfere with Mario's progress. However, during Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference, one person mentioned helping another by collecting items through pointing on the screen, suggesting that a co-operative mode has permanently been implemented in the game. Nintendo's E3 2007 information page for ''Super Mario Galaxy'' reveals that two-player will operate as follows: one person controls Mario and a pointer, while the other, using a second Wii Remote, will control another pointer.^[12]

Plot

Every hundred years a comet passes over the Mushroom Kingdom and rains down magical stars and stardust, and as Princess Peach and the citizens of the kingdom are celebrating the centennial event, Bowser and his legions attack.^[13] As Mario attempts to put a stop to Bowser's shenanigans, things go awry: the next thing he knows, he finds himself on a mysterious moon high above the Mushroom Kingdom. There, Mario encounters enemies and bosses while traveling around and between spherical worlds and flat space platforms.
Also, new screenshots in ''Famitsu'' magazine show a new female character, Princess Rosetta, though her exact role has not been determined.^[14]

Reception

Pre-release

Critics and fans have reacted positively to the demo version.^[15]
When the game was first revealed at E3 2006, it was one of the most played and enjoyed games of the show floor. Matt Casamassina, the editor of IGN Wii, loved it so much that he went on to say that the game was practically perfect.^[16] Matt Wales agreed that it was everything ''Super Mario Sunshine'' was not.^[17] Giancarlo Varanini, of 1UP.com, wrote that it was the best example of how the controller can be used.^[18] Russ Fisher appreciated the game, because it was "fresh", and compared it to the ''Metroid Prime'' series which transformed the ''Metroid'' franchise into 3D and was very successful.^[19][20]

See also

★ List of Mario games by year

★ List of Wii games

References

1. Mario Galaxy production started in 2005 [5:42]
2. Mario to Miss Launch
3. Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console
4. The Big 2007 Preview
5. GDC07: Super Mario Galaxy Confirmed for 07
6.
7. http://wii.ign.com/articles/804/804397p1.html
8. Throwback items in Super Mario Galaxy
9. http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/media/smg/ss
10. http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/media/smg/ss
11. Mario Multiplayer Details
12. Nintendo E3 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
13. Super Mario Galaxy Details
14. http://news.filefront.com/new-damsel-in-distress-in-super-mario-galaxy/
15. Super Mario Galaxy (working title) - WII
16. Hands-on Super Mario Galaxy
17. Super Mario Galaxy Preview
18. Super Mario Galaxy Preview
19. Super Mario Galaxy preview for Wii
20. Super Mario Galaxy Announced

External links

★ Official Game Page

★ E3 Video Footage

★ E3 Summary and Video Footage

★ GDC 2007 footage