SUPER MARIO MAKER Review

It doesn't take much to notice that the Mario series has been relatively quiet lately. The previous big game, 3D WORLD, came out two years ago. If that wasn't sad enough, 2014 broke the chain of an important game coming out yearly. Yes, we got Mario Kart 8 and...Captain Toad(?) but it was the first year in quite awhile not to feature the next 2D or 3D adventure. 2015 went vacant to the point I was starting to question if Nintendo was starting to run out of ideas or even go the Capcom or SEGA route...which is cease and desist for their mascot. Enter SUPER MARIO MAKER. This announcement was a complete surprise. At first the concept was just a little intriguing. "Create your own levels? That could be fun." was the mindset for many. As the months went on the hype level went extremely high as Nintendo really marketed it as the next big thing. By the time release day hit, it was one of the most hyped games of the year. Mario Maker is an amazing game, and really something we never knew how much we wanted. As a 30th anniversary celebrator, it's perfect.

One of the early criticisms was that everyone would have to wait 9 days to fully unlock all the features, backgrounds, etc. (Some have been able to bypass that, but for the review we'll talk about how it's meant to go down.) I too thought it was at first silly to have to wait, but as I went through the days I actually started to appreciate this. Mario Maker's stage building ability is not complex like Little Big Planet's, but you'll want to experiment slowly to fully appreciate each individual feature. For example, we don't have access to pipe sub-worlds until the final day, which might sound tedious on paper. But during those eight days the player would have mastered all the other features and they could prepare for the pipes because they know it's coming.

Once you have everything, the sky is almost the limit on what one can do. There are over 1,000,000 levels uploaded online. Some are fun, some are excruciating, and some are both. It's amazing what can be done because one can literally almost create their own game with these tools. Of course, while creating levels represents 50% of the draw, the other half is of course playing other creators' levels. A person can literally sit for hours just going through other creations. Plus, for a more standard way to do it we have the 100 Mario challenge. It's a great feature to play other levels in a systematic way. Expert mode is actually extremely difficult and I would say even more challenging than The Lost Levels!

The usage of Amiibos in this game might just be the most innovative. If you for example put a Pac-Man Amiibo the Gamepad, you can summon the chomper himself. You put him as a Mystery Mushroom and when you or someone grabs it, they instantly transform into Pac. It's a really neat gimmick since there are lots of characters whom can appear. (Even those without a 2D sprite, such as Olimar!) It's also fantastic how Nintendo added the little touches and didn't just make the Amiibos palette swaps of Mario. For example, when running as Sonic he does Spin-Dash, and with Pac he goes into his classic arcade self. It's a shame these only work in the 8-bit gameplay, but it's understandable.

One of the most interesting things about Mario Maker is its ability to play with backgrounds not seen in respective games. For example, Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the airship level. So, if you were to switch to 8-bit mode, we would get a retro version of the airship. It's the same with Super Mario World's ghost house. The possibilities will always be endless. One will be spending a lot of time in the Course World (online) part. There's a great level of satisfaction every time one uploads a new level. The problem is that everybody is limited to 10 at first. This wouldn't be a problem if say every month we're able to upload more. But that isn't the system. The system is that you're only able to upload more once a bunch of people star your levels. Here's the thing: there are over a million levels, so there's a good chance yours will get lost in the shuffle. I've had the game since about opening day and still stuck at 10 levels. It's a disappointing system because the player becomes less motivated to make new stages since it forces them to delete old ones.

While making levels is absolutely glorious, there are still some interesting loopholes one comes to notice as they make more and more. For one thing, boss fights are basically non-existent. Sure, we can have Bowser at the end with the axe as usual. But how about those Bowser Jr. battles in NSMBU where you have to beat him to proceed? In Mario Maker there's no real way to make a set boss battle where it requires the player to beat it. In the 10 Mario challenge for a primary example Nintendo obviously wants you to beat Bowser Jr., but why bother when you can just bypass him and hop in the pipe? Another thing is that while 1-Ups are always nice, there's technically no real use for them since each level is self contained. If there was a checkpoint system, then the 1-Ups could be utilized. In fact, it's strange that there's no checkpoints since Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U both have a checkpoint system.

Still, despite those loopholes, make no mistake: the level making is a true achievement in the history of gaming.

Overall, Super Mario Maker is a special  game, and fitting for the franchise's 30th anniversary. It's extremely fun creating stages, for there are almost limitless things one can do. Amiibos are put to fantastic use. It's disappointing that one can only upload 10 levels at first, since there's a good chance the player will be stuck at that for awhile. Still, don't that deter you from picking this game up. Trust me, there's nothing like it on the market.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Review

There are very few fighting game series as more critically acclaimed than Super Smash Bros. The 3DS version released a few months ago. While it was definitely awesome to be able to play Smash on the go, the Wii U version is the one fans truly awaited for; the small console was just a holdover. (Indeed, now that the Wii U version has been out virtually no one is talking about the 3DS.) Perfect gameplay makes the latest installment perhaps the best yet. I say perhaps because there are quite a few things Brawl and Melee did better. No Adventure Mode and poor number of new stages hurt this game. The multi-player mode however is by far the most fun anyone can have. If you have at least two other people to play with, and with items on, it's endless amount of hours of fantastic fun.

The core thing about Super Smash is the frantic, on-the-go strategy, item-grabbing gameplay. The Wii U version is pretty much perfect in this category. The gameplay isn't quite as fast as Melee, but definitely slightly quicker than Brawl, finding a nice balance between the two. The items are at their best; from whacking people with the Ore Club to trying desperately to gain another life with the Rally-X Flag, playing with items and with friends will create unforgettable battles and laughs. What the game does not shine in is its questionable new modes...

In the 3DS version of the game, there's "Smash Run" which is pretty mediocre after you've played it a couple of times. Thankfully, that was a 3DS exclusive. Sadly, the Wii U's mode is even worse in the form of "Smash Tour." After playing it once you will never want to play it again. The goal was to make this installment in the franchise more party-like and happy I suppose, but that aspect failed miserably. "The Subspace Emissary" from Brawl was an excellent change of pace for fighting games because they usually don't offer cutscene-driven story modes. It upped the bar, and few games since have raised it. Unfortunately, this game is one of them. Adding to the disappointment is the inclusion of a couple of new modes: "Master Orders" and "Crazy Orders." These modes, like Smash Tour, don't serve much of a purpose once you play them at least once. "Boring" would be the word to describe these new inclusions.

The Wii U version has the same characters as the 3DS one, so same positives and negatives apply. New additions like Pac-Man and Rosalina are excellent, but with however questionable decisions like adding Dark Pit (could have been a palette swap of Pit, same with Marth and Lucina) and not another Metroid character. (Interesting how we get Dark Pit but not Dark Samus who has been the antagonist of two games.) The stage selection is a pretty disappointing factor. There's nothing wrong with the new ones, most of them are quite excellent. (Except Mario Galaxy, which is immensely disappointing.) The problem is that there's almost as much old ones as new ones. Some have called this game "Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2.0," and that title is definitely justifiable in this category.

While the game has a lot less lag issues online, it's still present, which is a great shame. We shouldn't be seeing this on a modern console in 2014. Perhaps the greatest and also most disappointing aspect of the game is the challenges. Like Brawl, Challenge Mode will challenge even the most seasoned of veteran players. The disappointing part is the reward: it's just in-game cash. By the time you actually complete all challenges, there isn't much else to buy! It should have rewarded the player with a new character or at least a stage, but no all it gives you is pretty much useless $. Knowing that ahead of time destroys all motivation to complete them all.

Do not let the past few paragraphs deceive you; Super Smash Bros. is one awesome game. The gameplay is pretty much perfect. Playing with friends and items will result in some of the most unforgettable gaming times. Online for the most part is also great and the player will spend many hours over the course of the year on it. It is however disappointing that the game adds more party-like features while eliminating Adventure Mode. I don't think there's any Smash player who would rather have all these new mediocre modes over it. The stage selection is almost half old ones, which is a big disappointment. But overall the latest installment in Super Smash Bros. is another incredibly fun game that delivers a basically flawless gameplay experience.

4/5

NES Remix Review

NES Remix came out of nowhere. It was announced at Nintendo Direct and hit the eShop soon after. This $15 game has a really cool concept that surprisingly hasn't been tapped into in the past. You have all the classic Nintendo games. Instead of releasing them in a bundle pack, it grabbed select levels and warped them. Some of this is stuff you'd probably see in a mod or hack. The Wii U right now lacks an extensive library of quality games, so this was welcome. If you have the system, it's definitely worth a download. You get a lot of content for a good price.

NES Remix contains 16 games with a varying amount of levels. It has a solid selection, from 'greats' such as Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda, to the more obscure ones such as Clu Clu Land and Wrecking Crew. However, I have to question why Metroid wasn't included. You have things like Urban Champion and generic Baseball, but no Metroid? It's almost a crime. It's almost as if Nintendo truly wants to distance itself from Samus Aran. At this rate she'll join the ranks of Fox and Captain Falcon, being only in Super Smash Bros. So while a solid selection, the lack of Metroid is pretty disturbing. Hopefully if they do 'SNES Remix,' we'll get Super Metroid. (And where is Kid Icarus?)

The levels range from incredibly easy to pretty difficult. Some of the best ones are in Remix I and II. Here is where the craziness is, such as one in Mario Bros. where the screen keeps fading away and one where you have to battle a giant-sized Bowser in Super Mario Bros. How about one in Donkey Kong where you control Link instead of Mario? You're going to realize how much using the jumping ability is useful then. Still, a lot of it feels 'tame' and 'safe.' I view it as a testing ground and hope in a sequel they truly go all out.

I wish they had found a way to incorporate multiplayer. But at $15 with a lot to do, it's hard to complain about that. Another thing is that the game should have given you something for completing all levels with gold. It's an accomplishment in itself, but once you get through the absolutely insane 48-part final level in 'Bonus,' a reward would have been nice. But overall despite a few complaints, NES Remix is easily worth a download. It's nostalgic for older players and a fun time for newer ones. It has a lot of content, so give it a download if you haven't.

4/5

Super Mario 3D World Review

Super Mario 3D World could be called the first big 'all-star' for the Wii U. Sure, there was New Super Mario Bros. U, but the console was going to need a bigger punch and reason for people to want to spend the $300. This game is one of those reasons. It's the first Mario platformer since 3D Land. (And the first home theater console one since Galaxy 2.) These have always been 'my games.' One of my fondest gaming memories was playing through Super Mario Sunshine, a rather underrated game today. Then in 2007 Galaxy changed the playing field and delivered arguably the greatest Mario experience of all time. Somehow after the company exceeded their efforts with the Galaxy sequel, delivering a perfect gaming time. It wouldn't be until a year later when the small console, the 3DS, saw 3D Land, a very fun and perhaps the best game for the system. So how does 3D World compare to these greats? Well, it does fall into some of the pits the New Super Mario Bros. U fell in, and that's on rehashing too many things from the previous game. It's still however a very fun play and a must-have for any Wii U owner.

The story follows Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad as they journey to rescue the Sprixie Princesses from Bowser's clutches. That's pretty much it. After a brief opening cutscene explaining the motivation behind all of this, we're thrown into the World Map. Mario has never been known for its deep and complex stories, but this is definitely disappointing. Here we have an opportunity to explore a new race within the Mushroom Kingdom world, but the story doesn't bother to use any writing. In fact, Bowser is given no lines whatsoever, he's just a roaring beast. It's extremely disappointing when you think about it, the first Galaxy had great writing and even some darkness to the story. Not here. Nintendo shouldn't be afraid to add actual writing and danger to the series. Galaxy took a step in the right direction in this regard, but everything afterward has gone backward.

The gameplay doesn't disappoint and even adds something new to the table: 4 player co-op. We've seen this in the New Super Mario Bros. series, but this is the first time in a 3D game. One of the biggest things in this game is the new power-up, 'Cat-form.' It's a bit strange in principle. I mean cats? Where did that come from? As much as I despise Mario being reduced to a cutesy thing saying "meow," in game the power is really cool and useful to use. Beyond that, gameplay remains relatively the same as 3D Land, which isn't a bad thing. The graphics look quite colorful and very impressive, some of the worlds looked absolutely fantastic. I was in awe when going down a raft and seeing glorious HD water splash around. If this is any indication, the Wii U has a promising future when it comes to graphics.

Sadly some of the soundtrack is lifted from 3D Land, which is very disappointing. Each and every Mario game should have its own full original soundtrack, not rehash themes from each other. The exclusive themes are definitely decent and what you'd expect from a Mario platformer. It's not as memorable as the Galaxies, but good enough. The amount of worlds is definitely solid, not to mention there's three secret ones to go through. The replay value is astounding, you'll be collecting 380 Green Stars and 80 stamps. If you're not one to find this type of thing tedious, you'll be playing this game for a long time. The actual worlds are good and even have some uniqueness. The train levels come to mind with the very cool new Blockstepper enemies.

The boss fights are solid, though not half as memorable as the ones featured in the Galaxies. The first Bowser battle is pretty unique, since you have to fight him while he drives his car that looks suspiciously like Wario's car from Mario Kart: Double Dash. It's just disappointing though when you compare it to the opera-filled and epic Bowser fights from the Galaxies. The final battle is pretty lackluster since it's more of an escape than actual fight. Sure, it was intense, but with no real payoff. It lacks greatly in comparison to the final battle from New Super Mario Bros. U. After you beat the game, World Star becomes available which after conquering it you unlock Rosalina. (It's a shame she couldn't be in the actual story.)

Overall, 3D World is definitely another fun Mario platformer. The story sadly lacks the heart of the first Galaxy and is definitely tailored to young kids than the fans who have been playing these games since square one. The gameplay is naturally great and doesn't get old. (What does get old however is collecting the stamps.) The journey to the final castle isn't a short or overly long one, it's just right. So, while not coming close to the greatness of the Galaxies or Sunshine, it's a worthy sequel even if it rehashes too many things from 3D Land.

4/5

New Super Mario Bros. U Review

I remember getting the first New Super Mario Bros. eight years ago on my birthday. (Or Christmas, time gets hazy as the years go by.) It was a lot of fun, and very significant. It brought back the classic side-scrolling action for a new generation. It was beautifully crafted with exciting levels and good music. Then three years later Nintendo blew everyone away with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It was a great sequel, it grabbed the previous game and made it better. (With two-player co-op!) Unfortunately, the series started to show its wear with the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2. two years ago. It was a complete rehash of the previous two, it used a lot of the same music and had a virtually identical story. It wasn't a bad game, but it didn't seem like Nintendo tried to do anything new. That's why I was a bit worried for New Super Mario Bros. U. After playing through it, I can say two things. One, it's a rehash but to a much lesser extent. Two, it's time to retire the 'New' series because it has gotten old.

The story sadly is virtually a remake of the Wii game. Bowser and his kids besiege Princess Peach's Castle. They throw Mario, Luigi, and two Toads far away. So the heroes will have to journey back to the Castle. Now to be fair, as you can see the story takes a more interesting turn. Instead of us having to travel to Bowser Castle, it pulls a Mario 64 where Bowser takes control of Peach's Castle. If it wasn't for that, the story would have been almost unbearable since it would have been too similar to the Wii one. Of course, with these Mario games you can't expect a really engaging plot. (Isn't that sad?) Can the gameplay make up for it?

The 'new' thing is the Super Acorn power-up. It's pretty cool, but isn't too different from the Super Leaf. There's not much else to say about about the gameplay, it's the same as previous installments, which isn't a horrible thing. It was cool how Baby Yoshis appeared and you used their abilities to get through some obstacles. It's a shame they weren't more utilized. The stage backgrounds I gotta say are some of the most impressive in the series. I was absolutely floored at the background to Painted Swampland. They fully realize the Wii U's HD capabilities.

Once again, sadly most of the soundtrack is lifted from previous games. Yes, you'll hear the same fortress and castle theme once again over and over. And yes, you will get tired of hearing that Ghost House one. I'm sorry but every video game should have an original soundtrack. It's fine if it borrows a couple of themes, but too many are rehashed. Perhaps the best part of the game is the final level and boss, appropriately titled, 'The Final Battle.' The big Bowser fight at the end ranks as one of the finest for the franchise, easily beating the lackluster final 'battle' in 3D World. Sure, the fight becomes simple once you know what to do, but those first few minutes of Bowser roaring like a true monster shooting fire while Mario runs around will never be forgotten.

Overall, New Super Mario Bros. U is an improvement over the second DS game. It's not amazing however, since it rehashes a lot of things from previous installments. It's still fun, though it's quite easy to rack up 50 lives in under six worlds, so you'll never truly be in danger. It seems Nintendo is in a rehashing stage with Mario, hopefully this won't continue. Regardless, NSMBU is not a bad starter for the system. It has great replay value thanks to the Star Coins and bonus modes.

3.5/5

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review

The original New Super Mario Bros. came out six years ago, and is the best selling game for its system. It brought back the side-scrolling last seen in Super Mario Land 2 and proved that side-scrolling still works today. It was a simple game (but pretty challenging on its first play-through) that one can jump in and play, not to mention that it was fun and introduced many new concepts. It was only natural that a sequel would come, I was just surprised it took three years. New Super Mario Bros. Wii came out three years ago and to date is one of the best selling Wii games. It took the concept from the first one, added Yoshi, and many new power ups and concepts like the Super Guide, which would later be carried into future games in one form or another. Plus it had four-player co-op, which was fun. (Not to mention enraging for veteran players teaming up with rookies, or when one of your teammates purposely makes you fall into the lava.) Now with the 3DS, Nintendo decided to unleash the 'true' sequel to NSMB, New Super Mario Bros. 2. The thing about this one is the emphasis on coins. (Look at the pretty golden box-art.) Take out the New in the title and put in old, there is virtually nothing 'new,' it has a lot of the same everything. It's pretty much a placeholder for New Super Mario Bros. U.

This is one of the easiest Mario games I've ever played, I literally speed blasted it in three days. If you've been playing these games for a long time, this will be a walk in the park. You can literally speed blast almost every level. The challenge comes in looking for the Star Coins. Before anything else, know this, I'm not saying this is bad game, it's a really fun one. It's just that after two entries, this does nothing to change the formula. It's not a cash-in on the name, but it's close. Like almost an insult to the fans, the music is lifted from the Wii one, with very little modifications. The Ghost House theme? Check. Fortress? Check. Castle? Check. The exact sound files, they couldn't bother to do new music for this game. To even further insult the fanbase, the story is the exact same thing from the Wii game, minus the clever use of cake. That's right, if you love Bowser's bratty Koopa Kids, then you're going to love the story. (Though strangely Bower Jr. is nowhere to be seen.) They use the Clown Car and *gasp* kidnap the Princess. It's a joke because all Peach does is yell for help, yet she has enough room to fight to back, she doesn't even try to slap them. It's a joke. This is what twenty-eight years of Mario gaming have come to? I really thought Galaxy would set the tone for future games.

I just want to say that I think it's a little silly to have to 'unlock' Luigi. It New Super Mario Bros. It should be like in Mario World where you freely switch between characters. Let's talk coins. Unlike the previous games, this one puts a strong emphasis on them. Your goal is to collect a million of them, which I personally think is a cheap way for replay value. Fans of Super Mario Bros. 3 will be happy to see the Racoon Leaf back in action. It plays great here, it really should have been in the Wii one. (Guess the Propeller Mushroom took its place.) By far the most exciting power-up is the Gold Flower. Basically it's a souped up version of the Fire Flower, instead of throwing little fireballs, you throw large goldenballs, which gets you coins from the enemies and blocks it hits. The final battle isn't bad, but it should only take you two tries. It's not as good as the epic final Bowser battle in the Wii game. For the Star World, they re-use Dry Bowser. You beat him, and that's it. Nothing special happens.

The music is great but since 99% is lifted from the Wii game, can't really praise it all too much. (I do like the tweaking of the Atheltic Theme, catchy.) The part that gives the game challenge and replay value is collecting the Star Coins. This is by far where it's hardest to find them. On one level I want back over ten times cause I couldn't find one, they're smartly placed. Unlike in the previous game, the worlds are downgraded to six as opposed to eight. Yes, there are two secret worlds, but that's beside the point. This game really needed the two extra worlds for when playing through the game for the first time.

Overall, you probably think I truly disliked the game. That isn't the case, I enjoyed it. I just had to point out that this is barely New Super Mario Bros. If this is your first Mario game, or first game in the New series, then you would definitely give this a 9/10. But for the majority of the fans, people like me, who have been playing these games for years, I have to give it a bump down to an 8/10. It's a really fun Mario sidescroller, it's worth the buy, but it borrows too many things from the previous two games to stand alone as a true successor. I expect the WiiU game not to not follow the same mistakes.

8/10

Super Mario....Complaints from a Fan

You know I talk about Godzilla a lot. Also Marvel Comics and Spider-Man, but another thing I guess you can say I'm a 'fanboy' (I hate that term) of is the Super Mario franchise. Who didn't play Super Mario Bros. when they were six? (Sadly, a lot of today's generation.) I never had the SNES or N64, I originally had the Game Boy Color and the Gamecube. My first Mario game was Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color. It was.....so amazing. It was also the first time I had almost broken a system out of rage for constantly losing on the final level. (Darn you hammer throwing Bowser!) I still own the cartridge. My second experience with the franchise was Super Mario Sunshine, which I had originally proclaimed 'My favorite game ever!" when I opened it that 2004 Christmas. Ah, Shadow Mario and FLUDD. Those were the days. Mario since then has been in an untold amount of games. Sports, such as the always fun Power Tennis or the borefest that is Toadstool Tour. It wasn't until 2007 that we would get the true successor to Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy. I don't remember my first impressions, but today I realize at how phenomenal and needed that game was. Fast forward five years later, I'm now 16. I've played Galaxy 2 and 3D Land, these days I've been beginning to wonder.....has this series evolved or stayed the same?

Story

When you buy a video game, are you buying it for the story, or the gameplay? Obviously you lean toward the story aspect with games like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy, the story is the main selling point in those. For a better Nintendo-related example, the stories in the Zelda games are a high selling point. Mario on the other hand has never been about its stories. Yeah, the non-canon stuff like the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games have some pretty deep plots, but I'm not talking about those. I'm talking about the main platformers, the big ones. Super Mario Bros. came out in 1985. Amazing gameplay that defined 2D gaming for the years to come. The story, as told from the booklet, features Bowser kidnapping Princess Toadstool and using his 'dark magic' to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Simple, but effective. At that time, no one played games for their story, they played it just to have fun. The infamous Super Mario Bros. 2 soon arrived. Now that actually had a unique story.....only it doesn't count, since it's all Doki Doki Panic. Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced some new concepts, the airships and Koopalings. The Princess was eventually kidnapped. Then one of my personal favorite games ever, Super Mario World, came out. That one featured everyone's favorite dino, Yoshi. The Princess was kidnapped in the opening scene. Then we entered the 3D realm...

Super Mario 64 did for Mario what Sonic Adventure did for Sonic, it introduced the world of 3D to the title character. The blocky textures look outdated, but it introduced the core gameplay mechanics for the future platformers. Here Bowser kidnapped Peach and took over the Castle. Next up, Sunshine. I will give props since this is a pretty story-driven game for the most part. Peach was eventually kidnapped by Shadow Mario. (Who, ugh, turned out to be Bowser's bratty kid.) However, you might notice that Sunshine is the 'black sheep' of the platformers. When you hear about them, it's either 64 or Galaxy. Now that we're talking about Galaxy, it was a five year gap between it and Sunshine. This game was the 'modern Mario experience.' So yes, I will say that the Princess technically should have been kidnapped, it was a modern take on the franchise, bringing in some slight emotion and making Bowser cool again. This is where the story recap paragraph ends, on to the point...

Super Mario Galaxy 2 came out on May 23rd, 2010. I was there opening day, I was the most excited kid in America. It's the most fun game I've ever played. But do you know the interesting part? The game takes place in an alternate reality. Kind of a cop-out if you ask me, it's just an excuse to have the same exact story.  The game is basically a remake of the other one. It was about a year and a half later when Super Mario 3D Land released for the small console. In it, the Princess gets kidnapped.....again. Do you see a pattern? I know I do. The Mario franchise is the most repetitive game series of all time! The story does not change at all. Its fellow Nintendo neighbors Zelda and Metroid always have great storylines. Mario on the other hand is forced to do the exact same thing over and over again. Do you know the truly sad part? Miyamoto knows this, he's practically laughing with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, that game is pretty much a parody of the whole concept. The other Nintendo people want dramatic scenes with the Princess being kidnapped, but Miyamoto's line is "Cake works!" Mario is in a world with Zelda, Mass Effect, and even Sonic, who has evolved past the stage of just beating Dr. Robotnik. (Though with Colors and Generations, I fear it's heading back to simpler days.) Super Mario has a world full of rich backgrounds and characters, but it's never explored. Gaming has evolved past the simple idea of a story, Mario has been left behind. Kirby may be the only Nintendo property along the same side with Mario, but even then, it has a game rated E10 for action violence. I've yet to see a Mario platformer E10. If that upcoming Mario game for the Wii U has the Princess getting kidnapped by Bowser again, I may lose all faith in humanity. Now this brings me to my next point.

Character Development 

To be fair, Mario isn't the only one that suffers from this.....or maybe he is. Link, while he never talks either, you feel him him develop as you play through Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. Samus has her development thanks to Fusion and Other M. (Much to everyone's horror.) Mario is a hero that does what needs to be done, you can see it on his face in Galaxy at how he holds morality and justice at heart. Mario's not the problem, it's everyone else. Let's talk about Luigi for a second. He had his own game called Luigi's Mansion back in the day, where he undergoes fear, but fights it in the end. After that, he disappears until Galaxy, where apparently if he somehow gets on a roof, he can't get down. Or better yet, when he climbs up a tree, he can't climb back down. Yeah I get it, he's the comic relief scaredy cat. That's fine....but it never goes anywhere. It's like a really bad cartoon where the comic relief guy never gets any type of development. It's been hinted at that Luigi secretly hates being in Mario's shadow, why not go on that further? Oh yeah, it goes back to the story part....it never changes. He'll be having his own game yet again in Luigi's Mansion 2, but will that change anything? Even if it does, will it affect future games, or will everything head back to normal? Princess Peach is pretty much nothing other than the damsel in distress. What exactly is her relationship with Mario? Good friends? Boy friend and girl friend? In the past two games, she does nothing other than shout "Mario!"

Bowser is an interesting case. At first glance, it looks like he's gotten no development at all. But if you look really closely, you'll notice a few things. In all his appearances until Super Mario Sunshine, he's kidnapped the Princess in order to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. However, starting in Galaxy and even a little in Sunshine, you begin to notice a slight change. He isn't kidnapping Peach just to rule, he's kidnapping her to mess with Mario. This is further proved in 3D Land, when he boastfully waves her around as he runs away from Mario. There's development here, you just gotta look deeper. But that's the point, it shouldn't be like that. It seems these characters are trapped in a one dimensional plane of existence. The games play it too safe, they're afraid of making any kind of change with these characters.

Where We Are Today

We're still at square one. Right now we have Luigi's Mansion 2 to look forward to, it does feature the return of King Boo after all. I doubt this game will affect the Mario series in any way, but at least we'll probably see some development for Mario's green-hatted brother. We also have New Super Mario Bros. 2, which will be an extremely fun game, but I am 99.9% sure that the story is going to be as lame as the Wii one. Really, we're going to have to wait and see what happens in Mario's next platformer outing on the Wii U to see where this series goes. This article is not here to bash the franchise, for I am, and always will be, a loyal fan. It's here to express concern of how weak some aspects of the series are. We can only wait and see wat happens now, will anything change in the next five years? Time will tell.