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EB Games lists Super Paper Mario for the Xbox 360 - HA HA LOLZ!
Similar to the Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam for Sony Wii typo a few weeks ago, the front page of EB Games lists Super Paper Mario as an Xbox 360 game. Quick! Everyone run into the streets screaming "NINTENDO WAS BOUGHHT BAI MICRO$OFT HAHALOL!!!!1!!1"! Not only is the system listed incorrectly, but the price tag is a rather steep $89.99. Looks like the database went cross-eyed and displayed the neighboring Guitar Hero II information for both entries. Oopsies. Clicking through to the Super Paper Mario product page shows all is well behind-the-scenes.[Via digg]
Super Paper Mario ... on paper!
YouTube user twistednerd has given us an excuse to talk about how awesome Super Paper Mario looks, and we're indebted to him for it. Check out his drawing of Mario as he appears in the new game. The Paper Mario art style is so clean and nice. We wish it would become the default character model for the Mario characters. Not that we have anything against the 3D models they use for all the other Mario games, but the PM look is perfect.The video of twistednerd sketching out Mario onto paper is embedded after the post break. Play it in reverse so it looks like he's sucking the lines back up into his pencil![Thanks, Nikki!]
New videos at Super Paper Mario's Japanese site
Nintendo of Japan has put up a teaser page for its next big Wii release, Super Paper Mario. Considering that the US release date (4/09) is a week and a half earlier than Japan's, we're not sure which to blame for why their official site came up before North America's -- our laziness or their industriousness.Along with the standard story and cast previews, there are three gameplay videos, with nine more promised. The movie clip showing what happens when Mario gets a star is definitely worth a watch. We've really grown fond of seeing the giant plumber kick aside warp pipes ever since he picked up the habit in New Super Mario Bros.Keep an eye on the site as there are still two unrevealed sections. With the game's release being only a few weeks away, they won't be able to hold onto those last bits of hidden info for too long!
Wii Warm Up: Reusing assets
The unreleased Gamecube Kirby looked to be running on the Super Smash Bros. Melee engine. Most of the character art in Super Paper Mario Iooks a whole lot like that of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and we don't think that's just consistency in style. Nintendo seems to be reusing art and code from previous games. The advantages of such a practice are obvious: reduced cost, quicker development cycles, and less need for debugging.But does it bother you to have a new game that isn't entirely new? Should Intelligent Systems have redrawn Mario for their new game? Or is there no reason to redo perfectly good work? What do you all think about the reuse of assets in new games?
GDC 07: Super Paper Mario impressions
Super Paper Mario might've been the happiest game at the Nintendo booth at GDC. This 2D/3D platformer features a lot of character and charm, something the Paper Mario series has been known for. This ex-Gamecube title gathered the largest crowds and lines at Nintendo's booth, and it's clear why: it's simply a lot of fun.You hold the Wii Remote sideways, in classic NES form. Because the game plays homage to the early 2D Mario platformers, the Wii Remote may actually be superior than the Gamecube controller for this game. The D-Pad obviously moves the character, while 1 and 2 allow you to do the basics, like Jump. The game's unique feature, dimension changing, comes through the use of the A button. By simply hitting A, the game world rotates, revealing depth to Mario's once flat world.Even without the dimension-shifting mechanic, Super Paper Mario would've been a fun and imaginative game. There are tons of environmental effects that take Mario to new, surprising places. Also, you'll finally be able to play as multiple characters, such as Peach. With her parasol in hand, you'll be able to go far distances, a la Super Mario Bros. 2. Also, although the game doesn't feature any significant Wii enhancements, it's nice to see the game running in widescreen and in 480p. The game might not feature any truly spectacular graphics, but the playful paper art style still looks great. Definitely keep an eye out for this one when it comes out in April.
Super Paper Mario GDC '07 impressions
If you only saw screenshots like the one above, you'd be forgiven for mistaking Super Paper Mario for an All-stars-style update of the original Super Mario Bros. When you see the 95 percent complete build on the GDC show floor, though, it's easy to see that the game is a true continuation of the Paper Mario series, with a few significant changes thrown in.Everything you remember from Intelligent Systems' two Paper Mario games is here -- the irreverent writing style, the smoothly animated flat characters set in a detailed polygonal world and the items and leveling structure will all be familiar to Paper Mario fans. The now-familiar Paper Mario sidekicks also return in the form of Pixls -- little hovering companions that can perform specialized functions like turning into bombs or grabbing nearby enemies.What's changed is how you interact with the enemies -- through platform-style jumps instead of turn-based battles. It's amazing how the lack of jarring, momentum-stealing battles every 30 seconds transforms the game into a more fluid and much more enjoyable experience.The other major change, as has already been shown in countless online videos, is the ability to switch between a 2D side-view and a 3D over the shoulder view with a tap of the A button. It's interesting to see the familiar 2D environments converted into sometimes-complex, layered 3D environments, though the puzzles that used this mechanic in the demo seemed pretty facile.The Wii's motion-sensitive controls allow for some occasional aerial acrobatics, but for the most part, the game brings back the simple run and jump control scheme of the NES Mario games with little embellishment. Which is just fine by us. Just because the Wii allows for motion-sensitive controls doesn't mean they should be shoehorned in when other, simpler controls work just as well or better.
Nintendo spills the beans on Super Paper Mario release date
We just received a press release from Nintendo, containing some interesting news. This news, which reveals the proposed release date for Super Paper Mario on the Wii, was delivered in the form of a mock wedding invitation. The wedding we were "invited" to? Why, none other than the union between Peach and Bowser, of course.This is undoubtedly part of the game's story, so we'll just thank Nintendo for its cute way to reveal to us the news of when Super Paper Mario releases. Oh, you want to know, as well? Sure, sure, we'll tell you ...Oh, we didn't? Must've slipped our mind ...There we go again, forgetting to tell you ... ... it's April 9th 2007[Via press release]
Wii to get Super Paper Mario, lose DVD playback? [update 1]
IGN's Matt Casamassina is reporting that Super Paper Mario, currently planned for the GameCube, will come out for the Wii instead. The comment came in response to a question on the IGN Wii mailbag, along with a rather cryptic hint about "reading between the lines" of the rather direct statement that "Paper Mario will be headed to Wii and not GameCube."Super Paper Mario was one of the bright spots for GameCube owners in a largely 'Cube-free E3 for Nintendo. Since the game's announcement, there has been next to no additional information released, save a couple of leaked videos from Japan's World Hobby Fair. With that game's official release date of Oct. 9 quickly approaching and no Japanese release or additional information from Nintendo forthcoming, many sites have updated their projections for the game's release to Q4 '06 or even Q1 '07.In the same mailbag, Casamassina also points to a blog post where he speculates that the Wii will not ship with previously-announced DVD-playback. The feature is not mentioned on Nintendo's official spec sheet for the system, and the Nintendo big wigs refused to answer Casamassina's questions about the issue.We've put in a call to Nintendo for an official comment on these rumors, and we'll be sure to update once we hear back.[Update: A spokesperson for Nintendo has given the stock reply that they do not comment on rumors or speculation. However, Casamassina has reiterated to Joystiq that his statement was not pure speculation and was based on information he's heard from insider sources.]
