Last week, we sat down with Nintendo mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto to discuss New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the latest adventure starring the company mascot. Much like its DS predecessor, the game marks a return to Mario's 2-D roots, as players maneuver flat characters through detailed worlds full of Goombas, Piranha Plants and Koopa Troopas. This time, however, up to four gamers can compete for gold coins at the same time, and a handy Super Guide offers strategies for beating levels in style.
Aside from those two additions (arguably minor), this Mario game has a lot in common with other entries in the series, proving yet again that Nintendo doesn't need to dramatically change the formula to attract consumers. Sooner of later, though, Mario will need to take another genre-defining leap, similar to the 3-D journey in Super Mario 64. Although Miyamoto has yet to make an official announcement, check out these fantasy scenarios to see what's next for Mario.
Super Mario Bros. Level Editor
For years, mod tools were almost 100 percent PC exclusive, as players built their own levels and shared them online. Consoles still have a long way to catch up, but at least we have Sony's LittleBigPlanet, where gamers rebuilt Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog levels on PlayStation 3. Granted, they pale in comparison to the real deal, but we can't help but applaud the effort.
Now imagine constructing your own Super Mario Bros. levels from scratch, then stringing them together to make an entire video game. Then you log on to the Wii's Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to upload your adventure for others to enjoy, while at the same time downloading theirs.
If the mere thought of designing Mario levels makes you shiver with excitement, that's a normal response. We've daydreamed about the same thing for years, and now's the perfect time for Nintendo to set that plan in motion. A Super Mario Bros. construction set would allow users to channel their inner Miyamoto as they experimented with a huge assortment of set pieces, objects and enemies. Hidden mushrooms? A level full of koopa troopas? Hey, it's your game.
Sure, you'd probably have to share friend codes to go online, but we'd gladly exchange those 12 digits for a game with infinite possibilities. Come on, Nintendo. Show those LittleBigPlanet fans how it's done.
Super Mario Bros. MMO
Super Mario 64's castle is one of the greatest hub worlds we've seen, and it would be infinitely more enjoyable if you could explore the royal grounds with a friend...or two or nine. That's why the world needs a Mario MMOG (massively-multiplayer online game). You'd log on to a server, then enter a virtual Mushroom Kingdom populated by hundreds (most likely thousands) of other Mario fans. After making some friends, you'd party up and complete different missions, nabbing coins, stomping enemies and eventually rescuing the princess.
There's no doubt that Nintendo could create such an experience. We saw a small sampling of it in Animal Crossing: City Folk, where up to four players can hang out in the same town. This would be huge, but it's probably a few years from happening. Nintendo needs to figure out how to coral this many players without endangering its younger fans.
More sports games
After years of tennis, golf, soccer and baseball games, it would seem like Nintendo exhausted every sports opportunity, but we still have football and hockey. Nintendo could easily create a pigskin game starring Mario and his friends/enemies. Naturally, the developers would take liberties with the sport, imbuing each character with special attacks while littering the gridiron with power-ups and turtle shells. Besides, every Wii owner has earned the right to score a touchdown with Wario farting his way to the end zone.
As for hockey, we'd love to hit the ice, dodge Bloopers and score some goals. Besides, Bowser would make a great goalie.
Mascot mash-up
Super Smash Bros. Brawl proves that you can group all of Nintendo's franchise characters into a no holds barred fighter. Now imagine playing a single player game where Mario and his crew somehow wind up in the world of Pokemon, most likely through some portal conjured by an evil mastermind. Hey, don't laugh, because if Nintendo was trailing Sony and Microsoft and needed to throw a proverbial Hail Mary pass, Mario and Luigi would team up with Pikachu and co. (or Kirby and Fox McCloud) to fight evil; we saw hints of this in Brawl's Subspace Emissary.
Mario and Sonic adventure
So much for the rivalry. Sega and Nintendo, once bitter enemies, buried the digital hatchet and put Mario and Sonic in not one (Super Smash Bros. Brawl), not two (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games) but three (Winter Games) titles. And with millions of copies sold, we expect to finally receive a dedicated Mario and Sonic adventure that allows players to switch off between the two and rescue their respective worlds from the ultimate evil tag team: Bowser and Eggman. Look for it on the Wii.
Another Mario Party
We don't know when it will happen, or which system it'll appear on, but you can bet your life savings that Nintendo will release a new Mario Party. That is all.
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