New Super Mario Bros. Wii Attempts To Bridge Casual/Hardcore Divide [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

When Nintendo returns to its roots next month by releasing a new, 2-D, side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii, it's trying to do more than simply hop on the retro bandwagon many publishers have ridden in recent months. Speaking at a roundtable discussion in New York this week, Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto talked about how they're trying to satisfy fans of the series who want challenging gameplay in addition to attracting new or casual players just looking for an entertaining platformer. Quoting: "... you can play the story mode single-player all the way through from beginning to end, and at any point along the way, you can add players from the world map and have up to four players cooperate to complete the levels. And beyond that, there are two dedicated multiplayer modes, one of which is free-for-all, which lets you select the stages from story mode ... so you can easily find the stage you like. And then there’s also a coin battle mode which is a competitive multiplayer mode, in which you’re actually competing for points and you’re getting ranked based on how many points you’ve collected. The free-for-all mode has kind of a similar feel to something like Mario Kart where you just happen to have four people over and you want to sit down and play a quick match in your favorite level."http://games.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=09/10/17/0416201 (http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/10/17/0416201/emNew-Super-Mario-Bros-Wiiem-Attempts-To-Bridge-CasualHardcore-Divide?from=rss)
Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/10/17/0416201/emNew-Super-Mario-Bros-Wiiem-Attempts-To-Bridge-CasualHardcore-Divide?from=rss) at Slashdot.
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VG-MtPQ_Tl2wPgcEPJIqHi7yJvM/0/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VG-MtPQ_Tl2wPgcEPJIqHi7yJvM/0/da)
http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VG-MtPQ_Tl2wPgcEPJIqHi7yJvM/1/di</img> (http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/VG-MtPQ_Tl2wPgcEPJIqHi7yJvM/1/da)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~4/h6MVoqt_XW0

More... (http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~3/h6MVoqt_XW0/emNew-Super-Mario-Bros-Wiiem-Attempts-To-Bridge-CasualHardcore-Divide)

[kedawa]

Why is there a &rsquo; wherever an apostrophe should be?

[InsaneDavid]

Why is there a &rsquo; wherever an apostrophe should be?

That's its professional name.

[heybtbm]

Why is there a &rsquo; wherever an apostrophe should be?

Do not taunt DP ServBot.

[BetaWolf47]

So it's going to be playable by casual &amp; hardcore players?

[Zap!]

Not sure whether to post this here or in this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138205&highlight=mario) or this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139454&highlight=mario) thread. Mods, feel free to combine threads or move this to the proper one.

Anyway, I just looked at the sales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games) and after not even two months on the market, it has already reached an amazing 9.2 million copies sold. That is already more than Super Mario Galaxy has sold (8.02 million), despite having a two year head start. With sales like this, could 2-D gaming be making a huge comeback?

Super Mario Bros. 3 still owns the record for most copies sold for a non pack-in game that doesn't come with any accessories with 18 million, but it's looking like it can be dethroned very soon.

[swlovinist]

A side scrolling multiple player Mario game. Imagine that, it is selling well! I hope they make more and allow co-op internet next time. Great game, this is what the Wii has needed for awhile now. I would love for Nintendo to make other remakes like this!

[chrisbid]

Not sure whether to post this here or in this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138205&highlight=mario) or this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139454&highlight=mario) thread. Mods, feel free to combine threads or move this to the proper one.

Anyway, I just looked at the sales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games) and after not even two months on the market, it has already reached an amazing 9.2 million copies sold. That is already more than Super Mario Galaxy has sold (8.02 million), despite having a two year head start. With sales like this, could 2-D gaming be making a huge comeback?

Super Mario Bros. 3 still owns the record for most copies sold for a non pack-in game that doesn't come with any accessories with 18 million, but it's looking like it can be dethroned very soon.


i hope sega reads these same sales numbers

[Icarus Moonsight]

Why is there a &rsquo; wherever an apostrophe should be?

Here's your sign... "%20 For Rent"

[swlovinist]

i hope sega reads these same sales numbers

Agree. Sega needs to stop whoring out Sonic and make a "good" remake.

[Press_Start]

Title should read "25 year old game sells 9 mill in two months" cause whoever said 2d gaming was dead are proven wrong.

This news helps two notions I've had on my mind 1) the "casual" crowd aren't some offset of the gamer circle but newbies that appreciate a good game like every child of the 80's and 90's and the so-called "hardcore" that started their interest in video games.

2) Nintendo's way to motivate the *cough* lazy *cough* whining *cough*....excuse me...third parties by proving the old-school has as much life as it did when these companies started in video games way back.

[Garry Silljo]

Super Mario Bros. 3 still owns the record for most copies sold for a non pack-in game that doesn't come with any accessories with 18 million, but it's looking like it can be dethroned very soon.

Super Mario Bros. 3 was a pack in game.

[Zap!]

Super Mario Bros. 3 was a pack in game.

It was released in 1990 as a stand alone game.

[Leo_A]

Mario Kart Wii has sold 20 million units. And I assure you, none of those 20 million purchases were made because people just wanted the plastic wheel bundled with it, so it makes no sense to disqualify it.

What happens when a game without an accessory or one that hasn't been bundled in beats it? Are we going to then proclaim that Super Mario Bros. 3 maintains the top spot for a game that wasn't sold in a plastic case?

Super Mario Bros. 3 was a pack in title with the NES Challenge Set. So not all of those 18 million units sold were a result of people purchasing standalone copies of the game itself since that bundle did quite well and accounts for a significant proportion of those sales.

It's been surpassed.

[Garry Silljo]

It was released in 1990 as a stand alone game.

and was also a pack in game.

Sonic on the genesis was released as a stand alone game. Are you going to tell me that wasn't packed into systems too?

[Zap!]

and was also a pack in game.

Sonic on the genesis was released as a stand alone game. Are you going to tell me that wasn't packed into systems too?

Nope, but the vast majority of SMB3's sales were as a stand alone. Moot point however, since NSMBW will surpass is.

[Rob2600]

Wii Fit surpassed SMB3 (23+ million) and it costs $90.

[EColeman24]

Not sure whether to post this here or in this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138205&highlight=mario) or this (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139454&highlight=mario) thread. Mods, feel free to combine threads or move this to the proper one.

Anyway, I just looked at the sales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_video_games) and after not even two months on the market, it has already reached an amazing 9.2 million copies sold. That is already more than Super Mario Galaxy has sold (8.02 million), despite having a two year head start. With sales like this, could 2-D gaming be making a huge comeback?

Super Mario Bros. 3 still owns the record for most copies sold for a non pack-in game that doesn't come with any accessories with 18 million, but it's looking like it can be dethroned very soon.

Wow thanks for the info share. But even if Super Mario 3 is dethroned I still have to give it props for raking in that kind of dough in the year it was released. (love you for sharing the amounts btw)

[vandy160890]

I am eagerly waiting for New Super Mario Bros. to play on my Wii.
What will be the features improved in the new version?

[Zap!]

I am eagerly waiting for New Super Mario Bros. to play on my Wii.
What will be the features improved in the new version?

It's been out since November, you sound like you're talking about a game that hasn't been released yet. :)

[skaar]

New SMB Wii felt like an updated multiplayer Mario 3 to me. Anyone else?

[Baloo]

New SMB Wii felt like an updated multiplayer Mario 3 to me. Anyone else?

For me it felt like SMB3 + SMW, but without the charm. For me, the games just don't feel the same in that 2.5D, and without the original Mario overworld and underwater themes.

[TheDomesticInstitution]

It's been out since November, you sound like you're talking about a game that hasn't been released yet. :)

There's something off about this person. If you look at all their posts, they're all similarly bot-y sounding.

[Zap!]

For me it felt like SMB3 + SMW, but without the charm. For me, the games just don't feel the same in that 2.5D, and without the original Mario overworld and underwater themes.

I agree that it reminded me of SMB3 and SMW, but to me it had charm. My only gripe? No animations of each castle after you defeat a boss. Minor complaint though, I enjoyed the game.

[jb143]

There's something off about this person. If you look at all their posts, they're all similarly bot-y sounding.

I was thinking the same thing. A lot of forums are commenting on how bots are getting smarter and able to form complete statements on the current topic at hand...while at the same time seeming a bit...off. Good chance it's an SEO thing.

As far as New Super Mario Bros. goes, I really want to play it, especially after reading Flacks review the other day. It looks really fun in the traditional Mario way. New game pricing is a big turn off for me though so I'll probally either wait 5 or so years untill it drops in price or rent it some weekend.

[Zap!]

I was thinking the same thing. A lot of forums are commenting on how bots are getting smarter and able to form complete statements on the current topic at hand...while at the same time seeming a bit...off. Good chance it's an SEO thing.

I just got two users on my forums who fit that description to the tee.