Super Paper Mario and DK Bongo Blast!

[Troz1820]

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/gc/02_papermario/img/01.jpg

I'm loving the return of 2D Mario with NSMB, Yoshi's Island 2, and THIS!

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/gc/

[botticus]

The GC lives yet.

[sblymnlcrymnl]

Fuck yes. 8-)

[Reality's Fringe]

I'm surprised not many people mentioned this. LOOK AT IT!

[fillican]

im very happy... :-)

[Steggy]

thats sweet! I am about to finish TTYD now and would love to pick this up.

[Masterkyo]

Wow. 2 more GC games and both of them is HOTTI ;)

[elwood731]

It looks great, doesn't it? I wouldn't mind if Nintendo dedicated an internal studio just to doing 2D Marios spread across the platforms. Just rotating from DS to GBA to Wii and making each one unique visually and play style, which is sort of what they're doing I guess.

[Ikohn4ever]

why the hell didnt they mention this!!!!!! 2D gaming is the future!

[Survivor Charlie]

Where's the press on these two games? I can say without hyperbole I'm more excited for Super Paper Mario then for Zelda TP. I'm sorry, but in Charlieland, it doesn't get any better then a new 2D Mario Game. I want a release date. NOW!

[Mr Durand Pierre]

I'm confused by this. Is it a traditional Mario platformer done in the paper Mario style? Or a true sequel to TTYD where it's primarily a turn-based RPG with only mild platforming elements?

I'm not a fan of RPG combat, but judging from the few screens that have been released, it looks like it may be the former, which would make me very very excited.

[Scahom1]

I can say without hyperbole I'm more excited for Super Paper Mario then for Zelda TP. I'm sorry, but in Charlieland, it doesn't get any better then a new 2D Mario Game

I feel the same way.

[Survivor Charlie]

Appearntly it's a platformer with 2D *and* 3D elements, plus some very mild RPG stuff thrown in.

I would say the fact that Nintendo didn't show it at the press conference is a good sign it's not coming out in the States. God bless Lik Sang.

[botticus]

I wouldn't say I'm more excited about it than Zelda, but I certainly would like to say it. I would guess that they didn't mention it because there was little reason to talk about three systems during one conference.

[Survivor Charlie]

http://cube.ign.com/articles/706/706414p1.html

There you go. It is coming out in the 4th Quarter Stateside.

Sounds like the last, big holiday release for the Gamecube (besides Zelda, which isn't exclusive to the Cube anymore.)

[Kaijufan]

Super Paper Mario looks great.

[CoffeeEdge]

Super Paper Mario makes me wet.

[Ecofreak]

Just saw the video - very exciting!

[banpeikun]

it looks like a handheld game more than a console game

EDIT: the pic at the top does. the video is much nicer

[cochesecochese]

http://cube.ign.com/articles/706/706414p1.html

There you go. It is coming out in the 4th Quarter Stateside.

Good. Because I'm sure hyped about Wii and all, but if I wasn't going to be able to buy this I was going to murder someone. Perhaps I could have gone into the gorish details, perhaps not. Perhaps I will dole them out in increments leading up to the release.

[Apossum]

OH SHI--head explodes

OMFG, those screens are amazing!!! I can't wait to see this in motion. For lack of better words-- very trippy.

edit number 10: damn, that vid was hawt.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/gc/02_papermario/img/02.jpg

[Rusty Ghia]

I was pretty much sure that I was going to sell off my Gamecube since there is basically nothing left. But then Nintendo goes and shows Super Paper Mario.

"Aha," I says, "I guess that I will keep my Gamecube."

"What's this? A Q4 release? Bah, I will sell my Gamecube and just get Super Paper Mario and play it on the Wii."

[Strider Turbulence]

Those screens of Super Paper Mario are fucking brilliant. I'm going to be spending a ton of money on GC/Wii this fall.

[Ikohn4ever]

i just noticed they are using some old school boards in Super Paper Mario


http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5696/077qd.jpg


mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Blind the Thief]

I think it would make it easier for everyone involved if I just gave Nintendo my credit card.



Seriously, this was a total surprise, and I couldn't be happier.

[Apossum]

need more pics and vids and info and everything

[Steggy]

mmmm sidescrolling goodness!

[Masterkyo]

i loved it. I think action paper mario is much better than rpg paper mario :)

[rabbitt]

Do you guys think that Nintendo should've just had this for the Wii? The GameCube is [all but] dead, and it seems almost pointless to release anything on it.

[Apossum]

I'm happy we are getting it at all. :)

maybe it's just cheaper to develop it for the Cube though-- the graphics are so stylized that there would be no reason for the Wii's advantages and it's a straight 2d platformer, so no reason for the Wiimote. that's my best guess.

[Vinny]

Do you guys think that Nintendo should've just had this for the Wii? The GameCube is [all but] dead, and it seems almost pointless to release anything on it.

Wii or GC what's it matter... the graphics wouldn't be much better on the Wii and I'm guessing it would use traditional controls rather than anything with motion sensing. Plus, you can play this on your Wii so what's the big deal?

This game looks hot. Very hot.

[rabbitt]

It's odd that they didn't announce this sooner, during the long, long drought of good GameCube games. I'm really glad the Wii can play it, though,

[sadunclesnugglez]

I have to admit, this game looks sweet!! I'll be picking this up along with my Wii.

[RAMSTORIA]

super paper mario looks amazing, long live 2d

edit: http://media.cube.ign.com/media/827/827016/vids_1.html
link to video, makes cream in pants for free!

[Apossum]

so Super Paper Mario wasn't even at E3. shame shame.

Some guy got to play it though...

http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=515


I have to say, out of a lot of the games of E³ 2006, after Super Mario Galaxy, this game has to be one of my personal picks for highly-anticipated title. And the irony is that what with all the focus going to the Wii and new Nintendo DS titles, this game wasn’t even at the show! It just completely came out of nowhere with absolutely no warning, making it the surprise under-the-radar game that nobody in L.A. even got to play. Fortunately for me, as an associate at Nintendo, we held our own annual mini-E³ on the NOA campus and I was able to play a hands-on demo.

Super Paper Mario will probably be one of the last great hurrahs for the GameCube. If you’ve played any Paper Mario game, then you know what you’ll be in for – lots of fun, creative, paper-based gaming. The difference this time around is that it’s no longer a turn-based RPG. It’s a platformer in the vein of previous great Mario sidescrollers. But, in traditional Paper Mario style, you have that awesome paper-thin 2-D look. In addition, you also have HP for health, and a menu for storing items. No word on whether you’ll be able to collect badges for special abilities like stomping spiked enemies or regaining health. But since it isn’t really an RPG, it might not be necessary.

Like previous Paper Marios, you have a partner following you around. This time, you have what are called “Fairens”. I unfortunately have no idea about the plot; something about finding Pure Hearts and jumping from world to world through magic doors. However, these Fairens are your partners in this game as you adventure about through each level. One Fairen that looks like a butterfly works somewhat like Goombella in The Thousand-Year Door, giving you info about the level. It didn’t appear to give any enemy info though. When I tried to use the Fairen, it basically said that it couldn’t reveal anything until the final game. The other Fairen that follows you helps with special Fairy Abilities and the Fairen’s appearance changes with each one. For example, when you use Fairy Toss, the Fairen changes into a very abstract-looking hand made of circles and squares. This ability allows you to pick up enemies and throw them. Another, Fairy Hammer, allows you to use a big yellow mallet, and this is symbolized by the Fairen turning into a hammer.

One new thing for Paper Mario is the ability to change your main character, as opposed to just having Mario all the time and only changing your partner. This time around, it won’t be just Mario doing all the work. You’ll be able to switch between Mario, Princess Peach, and Bowser. Each character has their own special power that’s triggered with the R-button. The ever effervescent Princess Peach floats along on her parasol. She is also lighter and can jump the highest. Bowser can breathe fire, but is also large and sluggish. The most significant one is Mario’s power to turn the entire area into 3-D by turning the sidescrolling 2-D level ninety degrees so you can see in front of Mario. This reveals almost a whole new world as you move forward. Impassable pipes and other obstacles can be sidestepped around, sort of like in SMB3 where you went behind the white block to find the Warp Whistle. Ladders unseen from its paper thinness are now revealed. Uncrossable gaps are no challenge once it’s revealed that the background hill was really a bridge all along the edge of the pitfall. All these new perspectives are just ripe for challenging puzzles and fun twists as long as you remember to think three-dimensionally.

Paper Mario games, at their core, have paid great homages to previous Mario games. This one is no different. One level I played had a section that literally was a recreation of World 1-2 from the original Super Mario Bros. game, right down to the secret warp zone near the end of the level. But alas, it did not take you to other worlds, but rather other parts of the current level. It was quite a treat to play through it though, revisiting the area with Bowser and Peach and seeing everything in a different point of view with Mario’s 3-D power. One level I played looked like a giant 16-bit pixelized paradise, waxing nostalgic with the various traditional Mario backgrounds in giant block form. There’s also really cool square flowers and trees that really give off both a retro and yet modern abstract vibe. They even poke a bit of fun at this modern New Super Mario Bros. game that just came out in the form of a giant invincible Mario rampaging across the screen. The difference is that it’s a giant 8-bit Mario, which are drawn in blocks by invisible pencils. Even Bowser and Princess Peach and even a Koopa Troopa get into the retro 8-bit action as they turn into giant versions of their original SMB selves. This transformation is touched off by Starmen. Fire Flowers have also been tweaked a bit in that they don’t make you shoot fireballs. Instead, I found that red flowers make your character super hyper fast, whereas blue ones make you super slow. The latter seems to help more for Princess Peach as she floats on her parasol. Mushrooms now simply provide HP. There are also the old coins and 10-coin blocks to find as well.

In summary, Super Paper Mario, while slightly under the radar during E³, is really a title that should have been pushed to the forefront alongside the Wii and all its new upcoming releases. The game looks like its been in development for quite a bit, although I really couldn’t dig up much to support that. I definitely think it’ll be out before the end of the year, possibly around the fall (but don’t hold me to that). This game is simply a must-have for all Mario fans and it would be a crime to overlook it, especially with all the excitement with the Wii and all the other great Nintendo titles coming down the pipe. The ol’ GameCube still has some excitement in it left, so look out for this game to (hopefully) come out soon. Mario sidescrollers are certainly coming back in a big way. In a time when cutting-edge technology is bringing new ways to play the game, it’s nice to see that the old ways are still just as fun.

[Scobie]

Super Paper Mario is one of the most exciting things I've seen in a while (and that's saying a lot!) ... might even be enough to get me to hold off on buying a Wii till 2007.

[yukine]

Super Paper Mario is one of the most exciting things I've seen in a while (and that's saying a lot!) ... might even be enough to get me to hold off on buying a Wii till 2007.

I wouldn't go THAT far, but Super Paper Mario is looking quite fantastic.

[Apossum]

Super Paper Mario is one of the most exciting things I've seen in a while (and that's saying a lot!) ... might even be enough to get me to hold off on buying a Wii till 2007.

No reason to, cube games work on the wii!

[Scobie]

No reason to, cube games work on the wii!

Obvious, but why invest in new hardware when what you've got is still kicking out the fun? Sure, buying a Wii on launch day would be great, but a couple extra months of interest on my stash of Wii-money is appealing, too.

Being a cheap ass game is all about playing the percentages!

[FriskyTanuki]

A DK racing game using the bongos? WTF?

[Apossum]

Obvious, but why invest in new hardware when what you've got is still kicking out the fun? Sure, buying a Wii on launch day would be great, but a couple extra months of interest on my stash of Wii-money is appealing, too.

Being a cheap ass game is all about playing the percentages!

hey, if you've got that kind of "Wii-buying" interest in the bank, then by all means :)

[boyward]

A DK racing game using the bongos? WTF?

Indeed. Just as Mario has been transferred across every genre, so now it seems Donkey Kong is destined for the same fate, only he gets his own controller. Personally, I'm excited to have another use for my bongos. I just got Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat is in the mail on the way to my house right now. Bongo Blast's screenshots, specifically the placement of the items, make it look like an on-rails racing game, like Kirby Air Ride. Maybe, tap the left drum to go into the left lane, tap the right to go right, etc. It may not sound like much but it might be fun. I can't wait to get some previews and first impressions for this.

[chargeup45]

I think this is new...

http://gonintendo.com/?p=3167

oh crap. this is too awesome.

[Strell]

I think this is new...

http://gonintendo.com/?p=3167

oh crap. this is too awesome.

I was about to post this.

I swear I am buying this on launch. Son of a bitch. I haven't done that in forever (for a console game I mean).

[Apossum]

holy shiz.

[botticus]

This reminded me that I do indeed have something to switch a preorder at GameRush to. It's easy buying stuff at launch when store credit is double cash value ;)