You may have heard that Super Mario Galaxy 2 will feature 90% new content, but it won't have 90% new storyline, according to a Wired interview with Mario creator, and SMG2 producer Shigeru Miyamoto. Even though the original Super Mario Galaxy included a comparatively richer plot than most Mario titles, Miyamoto explained that he'd "like to go with as little story as possible [...] I’ve always felt that the Mario games themselves aren’t particularly suited to having a very heavy story.”
Miyamoto continues:
I just feel that the Mario games are something that should be a much more bright and active experience. [...] With the Mario games, you don’t need to have such a complicated setting where you have these particular characters with complicated backstories that can weigh down the bright and fun feel of the game.
I feel that even if all that you have is that the villain is just simply a villain and you fight them, and you throw them down, and you find out, well, that wasn’t such a bad villain after all, that’s enough story for ultimately what is just about a very fun experience.
However, it seems that Miyamoto's stripped down philosophy has caused some friction with other designers during his career at Nintendo. Director Yoshiaki Koizumi prefers his games with a little more narrative meat, according to Miyamoto: "Mr. Koizumi is the type of person who, whenever we’re working on a new Mario game, he always wants to bring more story elements into it, as he did with Super Mario Galaxy."
Perhaps the funniest excerpt from the interview was Miyamoto trying to explain how and why Princess Peach keeps getting kidnapped:
“They always want to have these dramatic scenes where Princess Peach gets kidnapped, but I always tell them, no, it’s fine — Princess Peach likes cake, so you can just have them use cake as bait to kidnap Princess Peach, and that’s enough,” he laughed.
“Glutton” was the word in Japanese he used to describe Princess Peach.
“I was thinking they could have these big ships come in, and they’ve got these big chains all over them, and they drop a plate down with cake on it,” he said.
The lack of story or plot in Mario games has never really bothered me, and I've never really noticed before now, but maybe I've just been hoodwinked by Miyamoto and my Nintendo nostalgia. What do you guys think -- does Mario need a story or not?
[Via Wired]
Contest:
8:00 PM on 06.14.2009
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How long did it take for them to copy Mario Galaxy 1's engine and add Yoshi to this game? 2 months?
As for stoyr, who cares. Rescure the Princess and I'm good to go.
I would like to see SMG2 distance itself from its forbear a bit though. I'd like to see this jump be less like SMB->SMB 2 (aka the Lost Levels, not SMB 2 USA) and more like SMB->SMB 3.
I'll be at my friend's house day one, beating this game. I'm just a sad panda is all :-(
You know what I wanted the day I finished Mario Galaxy? Yoshi's Island Wii. When I was at the extended E3 Nintendo conference, I teared up when i saw Yoshi, then was absolutely pissed off when it started showing the planets, and ended up being Mario Galaxy 2. Yoshi's Island, revived! How amazing would that be?! Sadly, I think Nintendo's new strategy will be sequel; sequel; new direction in favor of saturation.
Also, calling Peach a "glutton" made me giggle.
The main story of galaxy was cookie-cutter Mario. I'm not asking for the story to be too pervasive. But a little mention now and again couldn't hurt. If the producers have some ideas and it wouldn't hold back the quality of the game then I say let them go for it.
I think that they shouldn't go to the "kidnapped Peach" well anymore. It's unnecessary anyway. Bowser is trying to take over the universe. That's motive enough without having to add a girl to the plot. Does Miyamoto think that the only way to make us care is to add a Damsel-In-Distress? Because that whole "villain planning to take over the universe" thing seems a little more important.
The Rosalina story is pure genius and one of the most mature video game stories of the decade, and it is in Mario game. I like it because it's a simple and well told Fairy-Tale. It's a story about a little girl who becomes mother to a race of star babies to deal with the loss of her own mother. It's handled beautifully with the cute drawings, beautiful lullaby music, and gripping build-up all capping off in a great ending.
Best thing is that even though the girl is obviously Rosalina they never mention it. You as the player are left to care a little more about this character because know you know who she is and why she does this and they don't need to force you to feel this by outright telling you.
Seriously, imagine that Galaxy hadn't existed and the tale of Rosalina was just a recently released children's story. I guarantee it would be an instant classic.
The game is going to be great. If Miyamoto thinks a story would hold it back then he needs to give his designers and players more credit. If they want to tell a story let them. We are all mature enough to handle it.
I will take back most of what I've said about Miyamoto in the past two years if Bowser sends his in fully-armed fleet with a cake.
Seriously? You wanted a narrative out of a Mario game? I hope to god you're just trolling.
And I don't mind, Mario isn't about the story anyway.
as long as we dont get emo sonic like story lines.
keep things to minimum for platform games :)
In other words, the Mario story shoudl remain the same.
Go through pipes, collect the stars, beat the asshole and save the cunt.
Maybe they'll like Galaxy 2. We'll see.
If it went beyond that, I'd go ballistic.
You took the words right outta my mouth.
It must've been while you were kissing me...
Also spoiler alert for SMG2.....Mario saves Peach :o
Yeah, fuck the story.
Also, the Princess is a cock-teasing glutton.
And, to jump on the bandwagon, Sonic games were more fun when the story was "Dr. Robotnik is an asshole who turns animals into robots. Fuck him up." And that was only if you read the manual. If not, it was just "beat up the fat guy!"
Bowser kidnaps Peach (the reason doesn't matter, it's a video game that doesn't take itself seriously anyway) and Mario goes off to rescue her.
I agree with Miyamoto. However, it doesn't hurt to add some refreshing story elements every now and then. New and refreshing story elements presented in epic/dramtic events is what made Super Mario Gaalxy's story awesome in the first place. Well, that and Bowser's return to his old bad self which is something Mario Sunshine skipped out on and was quite frankly, a disappointment.
We really do't need anything deep with a Mario game. Not that extra storyfleshing it out isn't welcome, it just isn't needed to make me a happy Mario gamer. I can see Miyamoto's point, with regards to this series at least.
it's the same deal as with the new 007 movies, if they would've just said 'alright, we're revamping absolutely EVERYTHING. in fact this bond is so new, it's not even bond anymore! say hello to 008!' i would have gotten much more enjoyment out of those movies.
although i'm admittedly a massive sci fi dork and will likely buy this right away like a total douchebag, i think it would be much more refreshing if they'd just make a true 'back to basics' mario game (still with 3d and building upon the platforming in galaxy) and advertised it simply as that.
There is a tiny bit of disappointment in that Galaxy's story was very sweet and incredibly well done. I love the storybook aspects and the watercolor art throughout. But it definitely works for that particular game and that story is over, so i'm okay with moving on from there.
New Super Mario Brothers on DS pretty much took the no story approach. Mario walks toward the castle, one of the Koopa kids hits a plunger detonator blowing it up, and runs off with the princess. Mario chases. When i first played that, I was like, "really?" And then I just went with it and played on. I don't need a story from a Mario game. And it they add one and knock it out of the park, such as Galaxy, that's all just icing.
I mean:
"Dear Mario,
"Please come to the castle. I've baked you a cake.
"-Peach"
That's a fine opening to me.
@Jon B
Exactly! If your game doesn't want or need a story don't give it one! Why can't Sonic just save the forest and why can't Eggman just try to build crap? It would make the whole game so much easier but no they give us BEASTIALITY instead...
Hilts: I gotta agree on the return of Bowser. If they want to make fun of him in the RPG's that's fine but he should be a serious threat in the main games (not saying he can't be fun, just that he should matter).
Those guys who mentioned recent Sonic Games: There is no way I would want that. I doubt anybody at Nintendo has this planned either. I'm just saying that a little more couldn't hurt.
Everybody else: I'm not asking for a complete change. The story can remain simple. Just if they have some good ideas let them run with it. As long as it doesn't affect the gameplay then I'm willing to give the designers some leeway. Who knows? It could be great (was anybody expecting the greatness of Rosalina? Also, the main story, Peach aside, was well handled).
However, if we keep SMG2's nartive to Cutsence of something happening, Mario landing in HUD somewhat way, [game],[optional story about Mario World Cosmology], Bowser vs Mario Finale I think I can acept that.
I think I might even be happy to see so little story in Galaxy 2. Galaxy 1 felt a little too dramatic at points, even though the story didn't amount to anything more than the same old "Bowser kidnaps Peach".
Because of the story I can remember the names of pretty much every new character in SMG. Can I say the same about other characters introduced since the SNES era? HELL NO!
Why? No Story, no background, no nothing. You get a name, and a stupid voice. That might be fine for Miyamoto, but the newer characters aren't as endearing because they weren't there from the beginning: they haven't had a chance to grow on us before they're tossed aside as being "unpopular".