At age 57, you might think Shigeru Miyamoto would be taking it easy -- maybe plunking a few coins into his 401k, or taking to the garden to plant a few Fire Flowers. But not Shiggy, who tells gamesTM that retirement isn't an option quite yet. While Nintendo "has to retire me some time," he says, "I look around and see how aged cartoonists continue to work on their manga and how movie directors create new movies all the time, I understand that they would never retire. And by the same token, I guess I will still be making games somehow."
Miyamoto also mentions Super Mario Galaxy 2, and says that the first numbered sequel in years was supposed to be version 1.5, but "we noticed that there were too many new experiences for it to be merely an incremental update." He gracefully refuses to comment on others' work, but affirms that Nintendo goal is "to provide fun and surprise" in video games, not merely to see "who can come up with the most violent depictions." Miyamoto says that the motion control mania going on with other consoles proves that Wii is "the de facto standard of the industry's control mechanisms," and new innovations, like the upcoming Vitality Sensor, are announced "only after being able to confirm internally that it is something that the general public will be able to appreciate." First we need to see just what the heck it does before we can start talking appreciation!
And while almost every game developer out there has been influenced by Shigeru Miyamoto, who's impressed him? "Mr. Will Wright," he admits, "is a very unique person and someone very special." Maybe Miyamoto's taking notes on Wright's retirement, too: He's still having Stupid Fun after leaving the corporate life.
We’re hearing the first details of how Cloud Mario might work, and it’s not what I had in mind. When I saw the art earlier today, I expected that the player would wiggle the Wiimote, and a cloud would appear below them. Then you could jump out into open space and have a [...]
No, this new power-up won't give Mario spiky blond hair and a giant sword. Instead, the Cloud power-up from Super Mario Galaxy 2 appears to give Mario the magical ability to walk on clouds. Judging by this image from the Official Nintendo Magazine, these are the happiest clouds ever. They love being stepped on!
It's clear that Mario's return trip to the stars will have no shortage of new (and returning) gameplay gimmicks. In addition to floating in the sky, it seems Mario can also turn into a boulder, ride dinosaurs, and drill through planets. The only thing he can't seem to do is his job. What happened to that plumbing gig you had, huh? This leaky pipe isn't going to fix itself, you know.
#nintendo
The latest new power-up reveled for Super Mario Galaxy 2 shows how light on his feet everyone's favorite plumber can be as he takes on the powers of Cloud Mario. More »
Famitsuhas released some new information on Super Mario Galaxy 2, dealing with the game's gripping story. As translated by NeoGAF, the story sees Peach once again inviting Mario to enjoy watching stardust fall from the sky, which only happens once every 100 years. Of course, that means the game would have to take place at least 100 years after the original Super Mario Galaxy, but it's probably best not to think about it. Anyway, on his way to the castle, Mario happens upon a lost baby star named "Baby Chico," who journeys to the castle with Mario. And then something happens -- we're going to guess Bowser.
In other spacefaring plumber news, the Japanese website for Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been updated with some new information about the game, including its two-player mode. It seems the second player will control a Luma (Baby Chico, as it turns out). Hopefully it will amount to more than just collecting Star Bits this time around.
Be sure to check out the Japanese site for some new video and images.
[Via GoNintendo]
Source -- Nintendo Japan -- Super Mario Galaxy 2 Source -- NeoGAF
We have been hearing that you’ll be able to control a Luma for some 2-player action in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and now this official site update confirms it. We don’t have all the details, but it’s very clear that a second player is going to be able to help you out through some [...]
The latest Super Mario Galaxy 2 pics came from Famitsu, and those pages featured both a note from Peach to Mario, as well as a story summary. Now we have those tidbits translated.
Peach’s Invite:
Dear Mario,
Do you fancy watching the shooting stars, whilst eating cake?
I’ll be waiting at the castle.
Peach.
—–
Story summary
‘This is one more stardust [...]
Looks like Nintendo is going to pump out old screenshots on their Twitter before they get to new ones. That’s kind of a bummer! Thanks to 8-Bit Jay for the heads up.
0.13: Our first proper look at Galaxy 2’s ‘hub’, if you can call it that. It appears that this giant Mario head acts as some kind of ship in which Mario traverses the galaxy. The original’s freeform structure has been replaced by a linear world map progression, as seen in the New Super Mario Bros. [...]
#mario
To go along with the new trailer released earlier today, Nintendo also let loose some new screenshots and character art for one of 2010's most eagerly-anticipated Wii games. More »
Hey everyone… cort dropping in to share a new trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2 in glorious HD. It coincides with a play session I had yesterday at Nintendo’s office and shows off some new power-ups like Rock Mario and Light Yoshi, plus footage of some new levels that I got to play through. Look [...]
I noticed the levels look more like the ones in 64. Where you could walk around the world a little more instead of having a pretty narrow path to each star.
#wii
What new flavor of mushroom does Super Mario Galaxy 2 offer? The delectable rock 'shroom, which gives Mario the ability to turn himself into a boulder and bowl over Bowser's minions. That just one of many power-ups highlighted in this new trailer. More »
- each level/galaxy has at least one star
- use your starship to travel from galaxy to galaxy, using the world map
- your starship also houses Toads, Lumas and other goodies
- Boulder Bowl Galaxy
- Rock Mario: Shake Wiimote to turn into a boulder
- Haunty Halls Galaxy: bulb fruit’s appearance
- Puzzle Plank Galaxy: sawblades chop apart the [...]
- Rollodillo, an armored, rolling boss who’s only weak point is on his exposed backside
- Puzzle Plank Galaxy: butt-stomp panels to arrange them into a picture
- Bumble Beginnings, a stage in the Honeybloom galaxy, features 2.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 drops the hub world from the first game for a much simpler map interface; even simpler than New Super Mario Bros.' map. Speaking to Game Informer, Shigeru Miyamoto explained the change. "We want players to focus on the joy of the action instead of getting to each game course," he said. "We wanted to make it as accessible as possible and as easy as possible for the players." That's not to say the game is being made easier in general. It's just now easier to get to the levels.
"Also, because we're going to incorporate a number of different stars, and conquering all the stars is going to be one of the most challenging missions for the player," Miyamoto added, "we want [players] to understand as easy as possible where they should go next and which places they should go back to in order to get access to the remaining stars." In addition, the new starship mechanic necessitates a streamlined navigation interface.
Game Informer also managed to ask Miyamoto about 3D right before the announcement of the 3DS, so the discussion was all about 3D televisions (and not entirely transferable to 3DS). "We're at the stage right now where it's very difficult to tell whether 3D televisions are going to cater to our needs to make better 3D experiences," he said. "For one thing, our video games are made for as many people as possible, and the number of people who can play those types of games, who can afford to buy the 3D televisions at home, aren't going to be very good." A hint of where Nintendo might be going with 3D followed: "It is also true that certain types of three-dimensional games utilize 3D televisions might help people navigate more freely. Right now we're at the stage where it's very hard for us to determine whether it's very good or bad."
Click to see full cover art
In just under two months, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be on shelves. Today, Nintendo released the final North American box art so you can print it out, stick it in an empty Wii game case and pretend you have the plumber's latest platformer right now. Okay, so that's probably not what the Big N had in mind, but really, who doesn't do that?
Not you? Well then, you can at least use the art to help you spot the game at the store. Although, now that we look at it side-by-side with the original Super Mario Galaxy's box art, they appear strikingly similar. We've placed both after the break so you can study the subtle differences and not end up with the wrong game on May 23.
We're slated to play the latest build of SMG2 next week, so we'll have updated hands-on impressions of Nintendo's next big platformer soon.
#screengrab
We've seen all of the elements of the upcoming Wii blockbuster before, but never combined and with the official "this is the box art" seal from Nintendo. More »
* Maps of all the planets and areas that Mario can explore!
* Locations for every Star in the game!
* With Prima’s guide you’ll be able to find all the Comet Metals to unlock new levels.
* Every new move and ability revealed, including all the Egg locations so you can find Yoshi!
* Hardcover edition with extra [...]
Not to be outdone by the brick-and-mortar antics of Wal-Mart, Amazon is offering a $20 credit toward future game purchases for pre-ordering Super Mario Galaxy 2. It's like your saving money on video games from the future. The news follows the discovery that Wal-Mart is offering the same deal for both Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Halo: Reach. As we reported earlier this morning, Amazon has also countered the Reach offer. With Mario being discounted as well, it's pretty clear that Amazon doesn't want to be undercut on either potential blockbuster.
#nintendo
Nintendo lightens up the logo for Super Mario Galaxy 2 with the addition of an adorable representative of the Luma race, the transforming stars of Super Mario Galaxy. More »
If you're planning to buy either Halo: Reach or Super Mario Galaxy 2 -- and it seems statistically likely that you'll want at least one of those -- then Walmart has a deal you may consider interesting. Right now, you can pre-order Halo or Galaxy and receive $20 in credit from the retailer. And, of course, since it's Walmart, the prices end in .96, saving you an additional three cents.
We don't even know when Halo: Reach will be released beyond "fall," but we already have a pretty good idea of what the best deal for it will be. Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be available May 23.
[Via GoNintendo]
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