Super Mario Galaxy 2

[Patticus]

New Wii Mario, WiiFit This Year

Japanese newspaper confirms sequels.

Word of WiiFit Plus already leaked out a little while back. But a sequel to the multi-million-selling fitness software isn't all Nintendo has in the works.

The online version of Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper reports today that Nintendo will release both the new version of Wii Fit along with a new Wii Mario game to Japan later this year.

For Wii Fit, the article says to expect internet connectivity, allowing for users to compete with friends and families in weight loss races. The new version will be able to more accurately measure weight and center of gravity.

The story does not mention if a new version of the Balance Wii Board will be required for this greater accuracy or if Nintendo has managed to attain the greater precision strictly at a software level.

For Mario, the article says absolutely nothing -- just that it's a new entry in the popular series. It lists this as being one of Nintendo's tools for pushing domestic (Japanese) Wii sales, so this is definitely a Wii game.

Wii Fit Plus will hit Japan some time this Fall. The new Mario game is planned for the latter half of the year.

These time frames are just for Japan. While we imagine a new Mario game would be a simultaneous worldwide affair, it's possible we'd have to wait for a new Wii Fit. Japan got the original a few months before us.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/988/988444p1.html

I don't think anybody would begrudge Nintendo if they knocked out a relatively straight sequel to SMG.

[SuperLink]

It's too soon though, I'm calling Mario Party 9.

Why can't Nintendo work on other franchises? They say "hardcore gamers ask for too much, we can't churn out that much Zelda and Mario"

HELLO. YOU HAVE OTHER FRANCHISES. *facepalm*

[Mistle]

Most likely just a Mario spin off title. Could be Mario Party 9 as said above, or just another one of his crazy sport outings.

I am secretly hoping for a SMG sequel though =D

Why can't Nintendo work on other franchises? They say "hardcore gamers ask for too much, we can't churn out that much Zelda and Mario"

HELLO. YOU HAVE OTHER FRANCHISES. *facepalm*

Everybody knows that Mario and Zelda is the key to the average Nintendo fans heart =P

Edited May 31, 2009 by Mistle

[speedfreak]

It's funny how Nintendo has us all trained. For any other game company two years is a normal wait time for a sequel, but when it comes to Nintendo it's too soon.

Anyway I'd LOVE a cookie cutter sequel to Galaxy, but yeah, it doesn't seem to be Nintendo's style and because of Nintendo's history it does feel too soon for a "Galaxy 2". Maybe it will be the next Paper Mario, some type of Mario Sports game, a (sigh) Mario Party 9, or maybe they just are talking about Mario/Sonic Winter Olympics.

I guess we find out soon enough. Or at least I hope we do. Nintendo at E3 haven't been very interesting for a few years now.

[Patticus]

HELLO. YOU HAVE OTHER FRANCHISES. *facepalm*

Beyond Mario and Zelda which have teams that only make those games and literally nothing else, and of course one or two new bits of "non-gamer" fodder, there's really no telling what else they might show. You're right about them having other franchises though, there's a lot they haven't put out this generation from their roster.

[Mistle]

Maybe it will be the next Paper Mario

Didn't think of that.. Oh how much I long for a true sequel to the first 2 games. TTYD was absolutely amazing imo.

I doubt we'll get another Paper Mario RPG though. Mario & Luigi 3 for DS will be coming out soon =D

[blackherox]

It's too soon though, I'm calling Mario Party 9.

^Most likely this. Or something else Mario has yet to try.

[SuperLink]

Like Mario Extreme Underwater Basketweaving.

I'd love a new Paper Mario too. Or another 2D Platformer.

What else have Nintendo not given us?

- Kirby

- Donkey Kong

- StarFox

- F-Zero

- Golden Sun (FFS)

- Metroid (>.<)

- Pok

Edited May 31, 2009 by SuperLink

[Patticus]

Those other franchises aren't in Nintendo's Top 5 Moneyspinners, ergo they're a lower priority.

[SuperLink]

Of course, but there's still big fan demand for them. Like I said before, Nintendo act like we ask too much of them. Yeah, of course they can't put out a big Zelda or Mario game every 1-2 years, that's what the other franchises are for in the first place! So we have lots of games to enjoy, all the time.

It's like Nintendo have just forgetten, or have no idea how requested a new F-Zero or StarFox has been. This is another problem with Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony are very in touch with their fanbases in comparison.

[speedfreak]

but Zelda needs a new shocking formula

See, I don't get why so many people say this. I LOVE Zelda the way it is. It's by far my favorite game series and I thought TP was the best of the bunch. What do you mean by "shocking new formula"? I would HATE if they changed Zelda up too much. Do you mean something like what was done with MM? To be honest that wasn't really too different from your typical Zelda game. It just had a time limit twist, but it was still very much typical Zelda gameplay.

[SuperLink]

See, I don't get why so many people say this. I LOVE Zelda the way it is. It's by far my favorite game series and I thought TP was the best of the bunch. What do you mean by "shocking new formula"? I would HATE if they changed Zelda up too much. Do you mean something like what was done with MM? To be honest that wasn't really too different from your typical Zelda game. It just had a time limit twist, but it was still very much typical Zelda gameplay.

I loved Twilight Princess too, but I can understand what people mean when they say that. Zelda is far too predictable, and it hasn't aged as well as it could have done. Yeah, Majora's Mask is a good example of shaking it up because it's nowhere near as predictable, but still close enough. Here's what I mean:

-The dungeons are ALWAYS Forest > Fire > Water, and the plot ends up as a collectathon for some mythical item, no other reason is drawing Link to each of these locations, I think this should be shaken up a little.

-The story of TP had very minimal focus on Link or Zelda, mostly Midna. She's a great character, but it made Link seem more like the silent protagonist than ever before. The events don't revolve around him, he's just a catalyst. Link did have an important role as the hero of TP, but that wasn't emphasised as much as it should have been.

-TP had next to no voice acting, probably even less than Majora's Mask (except Midna). That's great for Zelda, but like BK: Nuts & Bolts, that style hasn't aged well. They need a way to put a little decent voice acting in, without the necessity to make Link talk. It's perfectly possible to pull off.

Miyamoto had already confirmed that TP was the last Zelda of its kind, so I think it's just a matter of waiting to see what they've done with the new one. I have no doubt that it will really shake things up, which is why I want them to taketime on it.

[Solid SOAP]

$20 says it's either a port, remake, or spin-off game.

[Patticus]

What the people discussing Zelda are failing to grasp is that while Nintendo has said repeatedly that Twilight Princess would be the last Zelda using that formula, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks should have proved that they weren't kidding around.

[SuperLink]

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks should have proved that they weren't kidding around.

If those two are any indication of what the new Wii Zelda may be then I'm already disappointed =_=

[Patticus]

Obviously the games on the DS are going to be somewhat limited by its power and the storage capacity of its carts (but that didn't stop PH from having an amazing character in Linebeck, or great humour, or great ideas that can be explored in more depth in successive titles), and also obviously we aren't simply going to see a carbon copy on the Wii either as the machine's capabilities and features are vastly different to those of the DS (though they could be seen as roughly analogous, in a huge upgrade kinda way).

What I'm simply saying is, well, that Nintendo has already made good on ditching the well worn Zelda formula of generations past, the break has been made and thus far it is a clean one, now quit your whinin' and go back to talking Mario for another few days until the game is either debunked or announced.

[Jetronic]

There seems to be no Metroid love in this thread at all

Also I'm betting that it's another party game as well.

[Patticus]

There seems to be no Metroid love in this thread at all

Because it's not a Metroid thread, is it?

[Jetronic]

Because it's not a Metroid thread, is it?

Not my point.....

[SuperLink]

Obviously the games on the DS are going to be somewhat limited by its power and the storage capacity of its carts (but that didn't stop PH from having an amazing character in Linebeck, or great humour, or great ideas that can be explored in more depth in successive titles)

Linebeck was excellent, but I can honestly say he's all I liked about the otherwise soulless PH.

What I'm simply saying is, well, that Nintendo has already made good on ditching the well worn Zelda formula of generations past, the break has been made and thus far it is a clean one

I disagree, I think Minish Cap and especially the Oracle games (even though those were Capcom) are far better than Phantom Hourglass, and filled to the brim with charm. Although maybe my glasses have just been tinted by PH's frankly awful soundtrack and dull locations.

There seems to be no Metroid love in this thread at all

I'm ashamed to admit that due to my dislike for the Metroid Prime series I had momentarily forgotten that "proper" Metroid games ever existed. NEVER AGAIN. *adds to list*

[Patticus]

I disagree, I think Minish Cap and especially the Oracle games (even though those were Capcom) are far better than Phantom Hourglass, and filled to the brim with charm. Although maybe my glasses have just been tinted by PH's frankly awful soundtrack and dull locations.

I never said Phantom Hourglass was better than those games, that never came into it and I think you must have misread me. All I said was that the old formula for 3D Zelda games is dead and buried. Which it is. Whether what Nintendo is trying out now will hit the sweet spot is another matter, but I don't doubt that they'll keep on trying new ideas, or that we'll keep buying them and trying them on for size, for many years to come.

The old way was great while it lasted, but it couldn't carry on forever (each successve post-TP game using it would be increasingly panned for use of a stale routine), and ultimately it belongs in the past. It's time now to look to the future, recognise that the Handheld Zelda Team is a separate body to the Home Console Zelda Team, and hope that we might get a great new home console Zelda in the next several years or so - one a bit different to its predecessor.

Back to Mario please?

[speedfreak]

The bar is set damn high for this years E3. Far higher then the past few years anyway. After all these rumors if Nintendo doesn't deliver something BIG for "core" gamers, be it Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc., then the internet rage this year is going to make last years look like a tea party. I really hope they drop our jaws. I haven't been hyped for a Nintendo game since Brawl.

Edited May 31, 2009 by speedfreak

[SuperLink]

I'm already happy with Nintendo this year, so there is absolutely no chance it can be worse than last year. Why?

- Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are already confirmed, anything else is inferior anyway

- Even if Pikmin 3 doesn't get an E3 reveal, it's only a matter of time.

That said, I will still be disappointed if Nintendo just jump around on stage like plonkers again. Being completely honest though? I don't think there will be another Mario platformer yet, not on Wii. On DS I find perfectly believable, I hope it happens ASAP.

Edited May 31, 2009 by SuperLink

[ovarloard]

I've lost faith in Nintendo to regularly put out hardcore titles. On the off chance that is is a sequel to Mario Galaxy (or something of the sort), I may get it. If it isn't, I'll save my money for a better game ( a Wii game that isn't a party game).

[SuperLink]

Nothing wrong with a good party game though. When Mario Kart gets great, it's really great. It's just a shame Mario Kart Wii wasn't so great rather than frustrating.

Seriously, even if Nintendo revealed another Warioware on Wii I'd be very very happy with that. Although when it comes to party games Warioware is in a league of its own.

Oh, and I'd buy a Mario Tennis DS in a heartbeat if it was developed by Camelot (what the hell are those guys doing?) and a Mario Tennis Wii if it looked substantially better than Power Tennis.