Nintendo Needs To Reboot Mario and Luigi

[Yahtzee Croshaw]

Nintendo Needs To Reboot Mario and Luigi

Nintendo really doesn't have anything to lose by trying a reboot of its most popular (and worn-out) series.

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[Calibanbutcher]

I like the idea of doing a "real" Mario reboot, especially if they manage to implement at least some of the idead you have brought forth, but I don't think that a "grittier" mario reboot is something we'll see anytime soon, especially if the franchise continues to make truckloads of money.
Because as we all know, there is only one thing Nintendo loves more than milking a franchise until it's udder shrivels up and dies.
And that's money.

 

[cidbahamut]

Oh good. I was starting to worry that I was the only one who enjoyed that film.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

that's....impossible. Mario doesn't really HAVE a continuity, explaining stuff ABOUT Mario, Peach, and the Mushroom Kingdom would be stupid (in the same vein of trying to make elaborate backstories about Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, or Donald Duck), and an image change would be even MORE stupid. There's no reason for a reboot. Heck, the only Nintendo series I think even has a POSSIBILITY of a reboot is Metroid because that series is dependent on it being the life story of its ONE protagonist whose lifespan is finite.

 

[mjc0961]

Ignoring for a moment that Nintendo is simply planning to skip the expensive conference in favor of their own cheaper Nintendo Direct shows, that actually not a horrible idea. An open world style Mushroom Kingdom? Yes please. And the action RPG part brings to mind the usually good and funny writing of the various Mario RPG spinoffs. Do want!

Also... BOB-OMB! MONKEY!

 

[Lazy]

An open world style Mushroom Kingdom? Yes please.

You know, if they gave us something somewhat in the vein of Prince of Persia 2008 with a bunch of platforming sections spread out through an open world, I would be up for it.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

I like the idea of doing a "real" Mario reboot, especially if they manage to implement at least some of the idead you have brought forth, but I don't think that a "grittier" mario reboot is something we'll see anytime soon, especially if the franchise continues to make truckloads of money.
Because as we all know, there is only one thing Nintendo loves more than milking a franchise until it's udder shrivels up and dies.
And that's money.

I don't really see the point in making it gritty either. There's enough of that around, and I don't think irony dollars will accumulate as quickly as earnest ones.

 

[orangeapples]

One aspect they could approach is that Mario is just as worried as Luigi in there situations, but puts on a brave face because he's the older brother.

 

[Steve the Pocket]

You're forgetting something, Yahtzee. "Gamers" over the age of twenty are not the target market for Mario games. Kids are. And they always have been. The only reason adults enjoy them at all is that they're well-made games. Well-made kids' media that doesn't talk down to its audience will always have broader appeal. And when people who fail to realize this decide that they are the primary audience and that the franchise should retool itself to appeal more to them, they tend to get dumped on by people who know better. Ask me about My Little Pony fans sometime.

I think the problem is that Nintendo has reached a point where they've decided aiming their new games at kids who aren't familiar with the franchise's history and thus won't notice they're being fed a repackaged version of the same thing is just as profitable as actually being creative. You see it a lot in kids' shows; they run for 65 episodes and then, assuming their original audience has outgrown it, repackage it for syndication.

 

[MichaelMaverick]

Articles like these only serve to remind me that imagination and creativity don't run the movies/games industry and never will. Nintendo really doesn't have anything to lose here, and they still won't do any of these, or anything else that would mean re-examining the franchise and deviating from the established formula. Japan in general doesn't do it, and there's always someone in such a big company who desperately feels they need even more money, and want to play it safe.

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

And for JRPGs this has cost them their reputation because they won't reboot JRPGs as darker and grittier stories which isn't afraid put the mantle of maturity on.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I'd like to see something like that. Mario was born in an era when story was not usually considered important to gaming and narratives were simple and archetypal, if they existed at all, so Mario's formula hasn't exactly aged well. It'd be fun to expand on the narrative and the characters, give them personality and depth, maybe give Peach something to do other than just be kidnapped for no better purpose than to make sure Mario will rescue her because she's really insecure and doesn't believe anybody could ever love her because she knows she's a shallow twit with no personality . . .
Sorry, I was reading too much into it again.

On the other subject, no, I don't think the live action Mario was any good. It had interesting ideas, but the creators weren't trying to make a Mario movie, didn't want to make a Mario movie, but were forced to take an idea they already had and turn it into a Mario movie. They didn't care about the project and all the actors hated it. It shows.

And for JRPGs this has cost them their reputation because they won't reboot JRPGs as darker and grittier stories which isn't afraid put the mantle of maturity on.

Dark and gritty does not equal mature and not every concept is suitable for a dark and gritty tone. As I keep saying (apparently in vain) dark and gritty is an aesthetic choice. It is not automatically superior to every other style and tone of movie you could make and our obsessive need to make everything dark and gritty is only a sign of our own lack of maturity, because it says we need to look adult to feel secure about ourselves.

 

[jluzar20]

I would respectfully disagree, since this is kind of what Sega did to Sonic. While I know Sega and Nintendo are leagues apart (hell, it's not even the same sport at this point), I don't see this ending well.

I'd sooner say scrap the whole series and move on.

I recently started playing MB3 and Yoshi's Island and have been enjoying them thoroughly. Mario 64 is always a go to if I catch a fever, and Mario RPG has aged surprisingly well. I'm cool on Mario. I'm FINE on Mario. 86 it. I'd MUCH rather see Mario become a reference for some kind of new IP who explores a new and interesting mechanic.

I think in short it comes down to this. Mario is a ham sandwich. A really good ham sandwich. Nothing you don't need but the ingredients are good. Trying to make it like something Yahtzee mentioned in the article is like adding hot sauce or switching the lovely Swiss with blue cheese. It might be interesting, but you always go back to the classics when you get a hankering for it.

I want to see Mario with a fried egg on it.

 

[WanderingFool]

Oh good. I was starting to worry that I was the only one who enjoyed that film.

The film wasnt great, but it did have its charm.

Anyways, Im still waiting for that Mario FPS I was promised...

(and related picture)

 

[JarinArenos]

I would be all for a more serious take on the Mario mythos. might be the first Mario game in a long time that I bother to buy.

Capcha: "Move along". ... yeah, yeah, nothing to see here. Nintendo drained out their creativity tanks long ago.

 

[twm1709]

It's funny you mention the Mario Bros movie because I recently read an article explaining what a mess the making of that movie was and how much the actors DIDN'T enjoy themselves doing it.

 

[Karoshi]

This is sarcasm, right?

No, rebooting won't help this franchise. They either keep milking this cow or finally let its dried out carcass hit the ground. I vote for the second option, but on the other hand someone still enjoys these games, so who am I to object to that?

 

[The Bandit]

I cannot believe any of you are taking this seriously. Come on, guys.

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

"I'm probably the only person who thought that film was quite good"
Yeah, you probably are Yahtzee, sorry.

As for a reboots, most of the games are not even attempted at connecting in terms of plot. About the only franchise that is Mario in which the plot is connected throughout the games is the Paper Mario series.

I don't know why Mario would need a reboot when just about every game in the franchise is already a reboot. Unless what you mean is a gritty reboot. Which is a terrible idea. An explanation for the world would be fine, especially in an RPG series. But the aesthetic of Super Mario is right where it ought to be, far, far away from gritty realism.

Those of us who buy millions of copies of Mario games, do so because we don't want to buy millions of copies of Call of Duty. For a Mario game to work, it needs to be what Mario is. Not alienate us by pretending to be something else. Something we don't want.