When Satoru Iwata unveiled Wii's controller at last year's TGS, a flurry of excitement and curiosity erupted across Nintendo-related message boards everywhere. Some fans were positive about the controller design, while others were wondering how on earth games on the system might work. Obviously, Nintendo will create new games that specifically utilize the controller's design, but how will existing Nintendo franchises operate on Wii?
In this article, I'm going to discuss my own ideas about how an existing franchise could function on Wii. But I'm also opening the floor for readers and editors to submit their own ideas, whether they relate to existing franchises or entirely new ones.
My all-time favorite Nintendo franchise would have to be the Mario series. Although I enjoy many of the spin-off titles, nothing excites me more than hearing about an all-new Super Mario Bros. release. It's partly nostalgia, but it's also largely due to the fact that true Mario games are a rarity; there tends to be decent gaps between each new release and usually, each new Mario release is a very big deal. Mario has historically been on the cutting-edge of games, so it's no wonder why fans tend to have very high expectations for new Mario releases.
The most recent Mario title was Super Mario Sunshine. Although the game received overwhelmingly positive ratings - and although it was truly a fantastic platformer - many complained that it didn't "feel" like a true Mario game. This was largely due to the game's setting; it did not take place within the Mushroom Kingdom and that gave it a very different feeling. As different as it was in a visual sense, it was also familiar in terms of gameplay. While Mario had been given FLUDD, which significantly altered his abilities, the general structure of the game was pretty much lifted directly from Super Mario 64. Mario had to drop into a level from a central hub and collect Shines. Certain objectives were fresh and different, while others (such as the red coin-related objectives), seemed recycled and uninteresting. Given the astronomical expectations for each new Mario title, it was understandable that Super Mario Sunshine didn't seem to have the same impact as previous games in the series. And obviously, Super Mario 64 was a hard act to follow in any case; it was, afterall, the game that truly defined the 3D generation for years to come.
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that Nintendo are already working on a new Mario title for Wii. Like Super Mario 64, we know that the new Mario title has been in the experimental stages for quite a while now. Before Nintendo began developing Super Mario 64 in earnest, they had spent several years developing various experimental concepts as they hunted for the components that would form the core of the new game. And just as Super Mario 64 was designed around the Nintendo 64 controller, it's safe to assume that the next Mario title will be designed around the Revolution's controller. We have already seen a small glimpse of that, from Nintendo's Wii controller video. In the video, we see a young woman flipping the end of the controller upwards in order to make Mario jump.
When I began thinking about how a Mario game might work on Wii, it occurred to me that there are two fundamental aspects to consider. First of all, this game should make strong use of the Freestyle controller. While some design ideas may also use the Nunchuku attachment, the Freestyle controller itself needs to be a central component in the game design. In addition, the game should have one or two key concepts at its core, which are apparent throughout the game's design. So, rather than simply taking Super Mario 64 and adding further complexity, the idea would be to consider what kind of movements and actions would be fun with the Freestyle controller and then build a game around those elements. All previous Mario games have been designed in this manner: simple movement concepts with game design built around them.
My first idea is probably the most simple one. Although this idea may work for a new 2D Mario game, it may also possibly work very well with existing 2D Mario games (ie: Virtual Console games). In 2D Mario games, we are used to moving Mario left and right with the D-Pad and using the face buttons to make him jump and run. How could Wii's controller provide a totally new feeling for those basic actions?
As we know, Wii can not only detect the controller's position relative to the screen, but it can also detect rotation. If you are holding the Freestyle controller level, Mario would simply stand still. If you gently begin to rotate the controller to the right, Mario would tip-toe. Tilt it a little more and he jogs; tilt a little further and he breaks into a sprint. Due to the controller's sensitivity, it would not be necessary to tilt the controller very far in order to get Mario to run, so in that sense, you could sit comfortably with the controller resting against your thigh while you play. This also means that you do not need to point the controller at the screen itself, so you can sit anywhere relative to the television and still maintain precise control over Mario. If you were running in one direction and you wanted to quickly run in the other direction, you could simply tilt the controller to the left; Mario would skid slightly and begin sprinting in the opposite direction.
So, in a 2D environment, Mario's left-and-right movement could be controlled entirely with the Freestyle controller with true analog movement. Jumping - perhaps the central component to any Mario game - would be controlled with the large A button on the controller's face. The B trigger, on the controller's underside, could be context-sensitive. So in one instance it might activate a switch that Mario is near. In another, it may allow Mario to throw fireballs or utilize on-hand items. This way, it would be possible to have Mario running, leaping over a large gap in the ground and throwing fireballs/using items with only one hand. It may take a moment for players to get used to making Mario run via physical rotation, but due to the controller's sensitivity and lightness, I believe that the learning curve would be relatively minor. This design would also eliminate the fears that some people have about arms becoming tired due to extended play; the player would not need to hold the controller in mid-air, as it could easily be rested in the lap while still maintaining precise control over Mario.
Super Mario Sunshine introduced an idea that was utilized reasonably well throughout the game; it was based around using FLUDD to spray water at paint, causing the paint to respond in a fairly realistic and precise manner. This was not just a cosmetic effect, though; spraying away paint would often trigger changes in the game environment, or would reveal certain features that were previously hidden. Spraying water at a particular spot might make stairs grow out of the ground, or it might cause trees to pop up out of nowhere. Some of these revelations were more about novelty than anything else, while others actually allowed Mario to progress through a level. This idea of interacting with the enviornment isn't new to a Mario game, as one of the central ideas in Super Mario 64 was Mario's ability to lift up objects and throw them around, as well as his ability to cling on to objects and climb up them. While Super Mario Sunshine took this aspect slightly further, a new Super Mario Bros. on Wii could establish new standards when it comes to a game character interacting with the world around them.
Rather than using FLUDD, Mario may instead use a variety of special gloves that grant him certain powers. All of these powers would be controlled by the Freestyle controller (and so all of them would be gesture-based). One of the gloves might be a simple Fire Flower glove, giving Mario the ability to throw fireballs at enemies (although fireballs could possibly be used to melt ice or to damage objects, for example). Another glove might be a kind of "Gravity Glove", which could allow Mario to "push and pull" objects from a distance (similar o the Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2). In this example, Mario's actual movement might be controlled by the analog stick on the Nunchuku controller. The Freestyle controller would control his glove abilities. So, if you were flinging fireballs at enemies, you'd flick the Freestyle controller in the direction of the enemy - the Freestyle controller's angle would dictate the direction of the fireball, while the force of the flick might dictate the distance and/or force of the fireball itself. The faster you flick the controller, the faster Mario throws fireballs. A similar principle could be applied to the idea of the "Gravity Glove". You might be wanting to cross a large chasm, which Mario cannot jump across on his own. But in the distance you see a floating platform; you could move an on-screen indicator over the platform (by moving your Freestyle controller toward the screen) and then you could "pull" that platform over to Mario (by moving the controller back toward yourself). The B button underneath the controller could be used to "grip" objects, while the A button might be used to make Mario jump. So, you could independently move Mario around while also grabbing and manipulating objects within the world.
This kind of system could also be used in other ways. If you look at New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DS, you can see areas where Mario and Luigi are jumping on elastic-like ropes, which launch them into the air. The "Gravity Glove" idea could also be used in these situations, where you might need to grab a rope and pull it tight, then let it go to launch Mario into the air or across a large gap. This idea could also relate to pressing buttons or moving tiles around to create a safe path for Mario. In the end, such a system would rely on the precision of the Freestyle controller, as well as the development of intuitive worlds that invite the player to experiment with Mario's powers.
This idea also relates to a 3D environment, so camera issues could become a problem. There are several ways that the camera could be controlled in addition to Mario's freestyle movements. One example might be the use of the Z1 and Z2 buttons on the Nunchuku controller; these buttons could rotate the camera left and right. Perhaps the player could hold both buttons together to move the camera around with the Freestyle controller (this would also allow users to pull the camera away with ease). Another alternative might be to use the D-Pad on the Freestyle controller to rotate the camera and move it in and out, so that the camera can be moved while Mario's powers are also being utilized. But even with manual camera options, gamers are still going to require an intelligent and thoughtfully-designed auto-camera. Super Mario Sunshine provided complete manual control over the camera and although some gamers enjoyed having total control, others were frustrated by the need to constantly intervene and re-position the camera. Ultimately - and particularly for casual or non-gamers - Nintendo would need to focus on building a better auto-camera, so that players could focus most of their time on moving Mario around, rather than constantly hunting for the best view of the action.
I hope you've enjoyed reading a few of my ideas for Mario on Wii, but this article is only just scratching the surface. Once E3 has passed, we'll all know a great deal more about exactly how games are going to play on Wii and we're sure that these revelations will spark further ideas among Nintendo fans. All readers are encouraged to submit their own ideas for Wii games for the next iteration of this article, which will be published post-E3. Please email James if you wish to have your game idea published in the next article.
In this article, I'm going to discuss my own ideas about how an existing franchise could function on Wii. But I'm also opening the floor for readers and editors to submit their own ideas, whether they relate to existing franchises or entirely new ones.
Super Mario Bros.
My all-time favorite Nintendo franchise would have to be the Mario series. Although I enjoy many of the spin-off titles, nothing excites me more than hearing about an all-new Super Mario Bros. release. It's partly nostalgia, but it's also largely due to the fact that true Mario games are a rarity; there tends to be decent gaps between each new release and usually, each new Mario release is a very big deal. Mario has historically been on the cutting-edge of games, so it's no wonder why fans tend to have very high expectations for new Mario releases.
The most recent Mario title was Super Mario Sunshine. Although the game received overwhelmingly positive ratings - and although it was truly a fantastic platformer - many complained that it didn't "feel" like a true Mario game. This was largely due to the game's setting; it did not take place within the Mushroom Kingdom and that gave it a very different feeling. As different as it was in a visual sense, it was also familiar in terms of gameplay. While Mario had been given FLUDD, which significantly altered his abilities, the general structure of the game was pretty much lifted directly from Super Mario 64. Mario had to drop into a level from a central hub and collect Shines. Certain objectives were fresh and different, while others (such as the red coin-related objectives), seemed recycled and uninteresting. Given the astronomical expectations for each new Mario title, it was understandable that Super Mario Sunshine didn't seem to have the same impact as previous games in the series. And obviously, Super Mario 64 was a hard act to follow in any case; it was, afterall, the game that truly defined the 3D generation for years to come.
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that Nintendo are already working on a new Mario title for Wii. Like Super Mario 64, we know that the new Mario title has been in the experimental stages for quite a while now. Before Nintendo began developing Super Mario 64 in earnest, they had spent several years developing various experimental concepts as they hunted for the components that would form the core of the new game. And just as Super Mario 64 was designed around the Nintendo 64 controller, it's safe to assume that the next Mario title will be designed around the Revolution's controller. We have already seen a small glimpse of that, from Nintendo's Wii controller video. In the video, we see a young woman flipping the end of the controller upwards in order to make Mario jump.
When I began thinking about how a Mario game might work on Wii, it occurred to me that there are two fundamental aspects to consider. First of all, this game should make strong use of the Freestyle controller. While some design ideas may also use the Nunchuku attachment, the Freestyle controller itself needs to be a central component in the game design. In addition, the game should have one or two key concepts at its core, which are apparent throughout the game's design. So, rather than simply taking Super Mario 64 and adding further complexity, the idea would be to consider what kind of movements and actions would be fun with the Freestyle controller and then build a game around those elements. All previous Mario games have been designed in this manner: simple movement concepts with game design built around them.
Rotate 'n' Run
My first idea is probably the most simple one. Although this idea may work for a new 2D Mario game, it may also possibly work very well with existing 2D Mario games (ie: Virtual Console games). In 2D Mario games, we are used to moving Mario left and right with the D-Pad and using the face buttons to make him jump and run. How could Wii's controller provide a totally new feeling for those basic actions?
As we know, Wii can not only detect the controller's position relative to the screen, but it can also detect rotation. If you are holding the Freestyle controller level, Mario would simply stand still. If you gently begin to rotate the controller to the right, Mario would tip-toe. Tilt it a little more and he jogs; tilt a little further and he breaks into a sprint. Due to the controller's sensitivity, it would not be necessary to tilt the controller very far in order to get Mario to run, so in that sense, you could sit comfortably with the controller resting against your thigh while you play. This also means that you do not need to point the controller at the screen itself, so you can sit anywhere relative to the television and still maintain precise control over Mario. If you were running in one direction and you wanted to quickly run in the other direction, you could simply tilt the controller to the left; Mario would skid slightly and begin sprinting in the opposite direction.
So, in a 2D environment, Mario's left-and-right movement could be controlled entirely with the Freestyle controller with true analog movement. Jumping - perhaps the central component to any Mario game - would be controlled with the large A button on the controller's face. The B trigger, on the controller's underside, could be context-sensitive. So in one instance it might activate a switch that Mario is near. In another, it may allow Mario to throw fireballs or utilize on-hand items. This way, it would be possible to have Mario running, leaping over a large gap in the ground and throwing fireballs/using items with only one hand. It may take a moment for players to get used to making Mario run via physical rotation, but due to the controller's sensitivity and lightness, I believe that the learning curve would be relatively minor. This design would also eliminate the fears that some people have about arms becoming tired due to extended play; the player would not need to hold the controller in mid-air, as it could easily be rested in the lap while still maintaining precise control over Mario.
Mushroom Manipulation
Super Mario Sunshine introduced an idea that was utilized reasonably well throughout the game; it was based around using FLUDD to spray water at paint, causing the paint to respond in a fairly realistic and precise manner. This was not just a cosmetic effect, though; spraying away paint would often trigger changes in the game environment, or would reveal certain features that were previously hidden. Spraying water at a particular spot might make stairs grow out of the ground, or it might cause trees to pop up out of nowhere. Some of these revelations were more about novelty than anything else, while others actually allowed Mario to progress through a level. This idea of interacting with the enviornment isn't new to a Mario game, as one of the central ideas in Super Mario 64 was Mario's ability to lift up objects and throw them around, as well as his ability to cling on to objects and climb up them. While Super Mario Sunshine took this aspect slightly further, a new Super Mario Bros. on Wii could establish new standards when it comes to a game character interacting with the world around them.
Rather than using FLUDD, Mario may instead use a variety of special gloves that grant him certain powers. All of these powers would be controlled by the Freestyle controller (and so all of them would be gesture-based). One of the gloves might be a simple Fire Flower glove, giving Mario the ability to throw fireballs at enemies (although fireballs could possibly be used to melt ice or to damage objects, for example). Another glove might be a kind of "Gravity Glove", which could allow Mario to "push and pull" objects from a distance (similar o the Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2). In this example, Mario's actual movement might be controlled by the analog stick on the Nunchuku controller. The Freestyle controller would control his glove abilities. So, if you were flinging fireballs at enemies, you'd flick the Freestyle controller in the direction of the enemy - the Freestyle controller's angle would dictate the direction of the fireball, while the force of the flick might dictate the distance and/or force of the fireball itself. The faster you flick the controller, the faster Mario throws fireballs. A similar principle could be applied to the idea of the "Gravity Glove". You might be wanting to cross a large chasm, which Mario cannot jump across on his own. But in the distance you see a floating platform; you could move an on-screen indicator over the platform (by moving your Freestyle controller toward the screen) and then you could "pull" that platform over to Mario (by moving the controller back toward yourself). The B button underneath the controller could be used to "grip" objects, while the A button might be used to make Mario jump. So, you could independently move Mario around while also grabbing and manipulating objects within the world.
This kind of system could also be used in other ways. If you look at New Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo DS, you can see areas where Mario and Luigi are jumping on elastic-like ropes, which launch them into the air. The "Gravity Glove" idea could also be used in these situations, where you might need to grab a rope and pull it tight, then let it go to launch Mario into the air or across a large gap. This idea could also relate to pressing buttons or moving tiles around to create a safe path for Mario. In the end, such a system would rely on the precision of the Freestyle controller, as well as the development of intuitive worlds that invite the player to experiment with Mario's powers.
This idea also relates to a 3D environment, so camera issues could become a problem. There are several ways that the camera could be controlled in addition to Mario's freestyle movements. One example might be the use of the Z1 and Z2 buttons on the Nunchuku controller; these buttons could rotate the camera left and right. Perhaps the player could hold both buttons together to move the camera around with the Freestyle controller (this would also allow users to pull the camera away with ease). Another alternative might be to use the D-Pad on the Freestyle controller to rotate the camera and move it in and out, so that the camera can be moved while Mario's powers are also being utilized. But even with manual camera options, gamers are still going to require an intelligent and thoughtfully-designed auto-camera. Super Mario Sunshine provided complete manual control over the camera and although some gamers enjoyed having total control, others were frustrated by the need to constantly intervene and re-position the camera. Ultimately - and particularly for casual or non-gamers - Nintendo would need to focus on building a better auto-camera, so that players could focus most of their time on moving Mario around, rather than constantly hunting for the best view of the action.
I hope you've enjoyed reading a few of my ideas for Mario on Wii, but this article is only just scratching the surface. Once E3 has passed, we'll all know a great deal more about exactly how games are going to play on Wii and we're sure that these revelations will spark further ideas among Nintendo fans. All readers are encouraged to submit their own ideas for Wii games for the next iteration of this article, which will be published post-E3. Please email James if you wish to have your game idea published in the next article.