Super Mario 64 Finally Gets A Sequel

Earnest Cavalli

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Jun 19, 2008
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Super Mario 64 Finally Gets A Sequel


Granted, it's unofficial and constructed entirely by a dedicated fan, but it still seems to capture a lot of what made its predecessor such a classic.

Dubbed Super Mario Star Road, the game is a modification of the original Super Mario 64. A "ROMhack" if you prefer. Here's the official description from creator "Skelux:"

'Super Mario Star Road' is a complete Super Mario 64 modification which I have completed after more than a year of work.
Some of the features of this immense fan game are:

-Over 120 stars
-More than 30 nicely designed areas
-Nearly 50 catchy tunes
-Many new objects for Mario to interact with
-Well-polished gameplay
-Lots of goomba stomping
-Mario-style humor

Alright, straight up, that was kind of an underwhelming feature list. I was with him for the first two, but then it just devolved into filler and whatever "Mario-style humor" is supposed to be. That said, the trailer released just before Christmas is the real draw here. The video embedded above? Yeah, click on that.

So? Looks like classic Super Mario 64 hijinks, right? And in any case, since Nintendo never actually got around to finishing the SM64 sequel it had in the works, this will have to suffice for those who found Super Mario Sunshine a bit underwhelming.

For those of you interested in playing the game, I've got good news, bad news and then even more bad news. On the good side, Super Mario Star Road is available free of charge from various links found in that clip's YouTube description [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JBdxcnyxeQ&feature=player_embedded]. On the bad side, since this game is a modification of the original Super Mario 64 ROM, and is played by patching said ROM, you'll have to own a copy of the game to avoid violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

And then there's the really bad side: Nintendo absolutely hates stuff like this, and as soon as word spreads to Redmond, the company will likely deploy a squadron of lawyers to drown Skelux in cease and desist orders. This despite the fact that no one seems to be profiting from the modification. Nintendo is just really tenacious when it comes to its intellectual property.

So, if you meet the proper legal obligations and want to play this thing, get a move on. Those links won't stay live for long.

Source: Nintendo Everything [http://nintendoeverything.com/80460/fan-makes-super-mario-64-sequel-2/]

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RA92

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Earnest Cavalli said:
So, if you meet the proper legal obligations and want to play this thing, get a move on. Those links won't stay live for long.
I'm curious - why don't they just set up torrent links? Pretty sure Ninty won't be able to take that down. Plus I guess you lose your own hosting costs.
 

The Random One

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Well, I still own the old Mario 64 cartidge so you can't touch me. Take that, DMCA!

Also, it actually looks better than the real game. Go figure.
 

V8 Ninja

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I've seen some Mario 64 ROM-hacks before, but this is pretty extraordinary. Unfortunately I don't have a ROM of Super Mario 64, so I won't actually be able to enjoy this hack myself. =(
 

WhiteTigerShiro

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Earnest Cavalli said:
This despite the fact that no one seems to be profiting from the modification. Nintendo is just really tenacious when it comes to its intellectual property.
It isn't just about making a profit. It's also about taking profits away from Nintendo. See, here's a question that Nintendo knows is going to pop into some people's heads: Why should I go out and buy Super Mario 3D Land or Galaxy 2 when I can just download this rom hack for free? The answer to that question is why Nintendo can legally sue him, even if he isn't making a profit from this.

Edit: Same reason they shut-down a free-to-play Pokemon MMO [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99678-Nintendo-Kills-Fan-Developed-Pokemon-MMOG] about 2 years back. Because why should I buy Black/White when I can just play this free Pokemon game that has more features than Nintendo's product.
 

BehattedWanderer

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Jun 24, 2009
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Okay, I was all prepared for some snarky comments about how the Super Mario Galaxies and Sunshine were perfectly awesome spiritual sequels, but after watching that...No. That is pretty awesome. And, since I have both a physical of Super Mario 64 and a working N64, I feel no worries about this. Awesome! I'm actually all jumping for joy, despite the graphics looking...well...like they did back then. Some of those idea? Freaking awesome...
 

Earnest Cavalli

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Man... either make the sequel or let someone else do it.

It's kind of shitty of Nintendo to allow neither. I'm not saying I don't get where they're coming from, legally, I'm just saying that clearly this creation is a labor of love and maybe don't send the guy to Guantanamo over it...
 

darkszero

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It doesn't matter how many C&D Nintendo sends, this guy did the right thing: finish the project first, then suddenly appear and say "Hey guys, I made this awesome thing!".
Now the romhack is on the Internet and forever accessible.