Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 02:04:06 PM
Title: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 02:04:06 PM
People who care: Insanolord Maxi Mop it up ThePerm
I'll update this as info becomes available. For now, here is the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOlwPqHefws
Here's the line from the press release:
Quote
Mario™ Sports Mix: A collection of four amazing sports – Mario style. Players can compete with their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters in basketball, volleyball, hockey and dodgeball. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
No developer was listed. Every third-party game had a developer listed, but Nintendo's titles didn't. So I'd guess it is being developed by some Nintendo-owned company (so not Namco, Hudson, or Camelot).
We have a developer: Square Enix!
Here are some characters that were spotted in the trailer:
Likely Playable: Mario Luigi Peach Daisy Wario Waluigi Yoshi Bowser Bowser Jr. Donkey Kong Diddy Kong
Supporting roles: Red Yoshi Blue Yoshi Shy Guy Blue Shy Guy
In the crowd: Mii Koopa Troopa Pianta Birdo
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 15, 2010, 02:06:14 PM
I'm pretty interested in this, too, and a bit disappointed that I have to wait until next year.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 02:09:33 PM
Yeah, I was hoping for a Mario game released in the fourth quarter of this year. Or sooner. Or one for every month. I can't have enough Mario games!
I don't even think they announced who was developing it. If it is being done by Nintendo, it may end up being the best Mario sports game yet.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: BeautifulShy on June 15, 2010, 02:31:48 PM
I'm excited about this.Like the wackyness of the Mario Sports games.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Peachylala on June 15, 2010, 03:41:35 PM
Next Level Games...?
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 03:59:55 PM
When Reggie started going on about a new Mario sport game, I was keeping my fingers crossed for Mario Football, but this seems interesting too. I just hope that Basketball is a more expanded version of Resort's 3-on-3: it'd be worth the purchase price right there.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 04:12:15 PM
I was keeping my fingers crossed for Mario Football
If you mean American Football, that will never happen, because that sport is practically unheard of in Japan.
Yeah, I guess that's why Nintendo released a Wii football game in Japan based on the hugely POPULAR manga Eyeshield 21? Football may not be the most popular sport in Japan, but it is far from unheard of. Since Nintendo has already made a Wii football game, that is why a lot of people (myself included) want a Mario Football game.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Adrock on June 15, 2010, 05:15:16 PM
The novelty of watching Princess Peach dunk a basketball wore off once I played NBA Street Vol 3 for like 10 minutes. I could only posterize Yao Ming so many times before that got old.
And they're skating on sand... gah, trying to imagine that even in the Mushroom Kingdom is hurting my brain.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Ian Sane on June 15, 2010, 05:19:25 PM
Quote
If you mean American Football, that will never happen, because that sport is practically unheard of in Japan.
Although I understand that this is the reason we should never expect this, it's a stupid reason. This would be big in America and Canada and that market is bigger than Japan's. So NCL needs to get their head out of their ass.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 05:20:36 PM
The novelty of watching Princess Peach dunk a basketball wore off once I played NBA Street Vol 3 for like 10 minutes. I could only posterize Yao Ming so many times before that got old.
And they're skating on sand... gah, trying to imagine that even in the Mushroom Kingdom is hurting my brain.
The fact that they're in a world where a flower turns you into a walking flamethrower (complete with water-proof fire!) makes it easier for me to swallow, actually.
Did anyone catch if this game uses Motion+? Please tell me yes!!!
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 05:23:27 PM
It certainly isn't on the same level as the sports featured in this game. It could happen, but it wouldn't come from a Japanese developer (nor should it, it wouldn't follow the same rules, like 10-Yard Fight on NES). I wouldn't be surprised if it were handed to a North American developer, like how Next Level did Mario (real) Football.
Anyways, the first post has been updated with this:
Here's the line from the press release:
Quote
Mario™ Sports Mix: A collection of four amazing sports – Mario style. Players can compete with their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters in basketball, volleyball, hockey and dodgeball. The game is scheduled to launch in 2011.
No developer was listed. Every third-party game had a developer listed, but Nintendo's titles didn't. So I'd guess it is being developed by some Nintendo-owned company (so not Namco, Hudson, or Camelot).
Here are some characters that were spotted in the trailer:
Likely Playable: Mario Luigi Peach Daisy Wario Waluigi Yoshi Bowser Bowser Jr. Donkey Kong Diddy Kong
Supporting roles: Red Yoshi Blue Yoshi Shy Guy Blue Shy Guy
In the crowd: Mii Koopa Troopa Pianta Birdo
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 15, 2010, 05:24:44 PM
I hope it's Motion+; I want the basketball to be an expanded version of the 3-on-3 in Wii Sports Resort.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 05:26:04 PM
Nothing was mentioned about Motion Plus, but given what was shown and how far away the date is, it might be possible. We probably won't get any more details for a while.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 05:27:03 PM
I hope it's Motion+; I want the basketball to be an expanded version of the 3-on-3 in Wii Sports Resort.
Hi-five!
Although looking back at the footage, especially the smoothness of the dribbling, I'm a bit worried that it's not...
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 15, 2010, 05:31:01 PM
Mop it up, why wouldn't they do a real football game? It's more popular than vollyball is (when was the last time a volleyball match was watched by more than 100 million people? Or had 100,00+ fans come to see a match?). Hockey has decline in popularity and was never up to football's level. Ad dodgeball? Please, it's a recreational sport at best.
And again, Nintendo themselves (meaning internally) have already developed a football game on Wii, so I don't get why you think that is the reason a Japanese company wouldn't do it. I think they would likely have Next Level Games do it though, but just because they did a good job on Mario Strikers Charged[/j]. So I could see them doing Mario Football.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 05:41:06 PM
It's only popular in America, not Japan. And Nintendo focuses on Japan. Plus, the game of American football is a bit rough, and not very family-friendly. That kind of style certainly didn't work out for Mario Strikers Charged, as it has a dark and depressing art style, and the characters seem mean-spirited and unlike themselves. It is no surprise it is one of the worst-selling Mario games. Also, football has 11 players on the field for both teams. That's 22 Mario characters already, so there's no way to have a bunch of different teams. Mario baseball was already stretching it with 9 players per team.
It could certainly happen, but I still have my doubts. After this though, there aren't many sports left. If we do see one, it would be widely changed, more family-friendly with altered rules and less players. Which would be fine with me. It does seem weird that they created one based on that manga, but there may have been a reason for it. I wouldn't know.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 05:49:52 PM
It...wouldn't be that hard to make football family friendly. We already have the Pop Warner league, i.e. six year olds playing the game. We also have flag football, and backyard football. Backyard football in particular would be perfect for Nintendo, while still being really fun. And to be honest, I'm not swayed by the "Japan won't care" argument either, for multiple reasons.
But it's all academic, since what we think doesn't mean much to Nintendo! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a future Mario Football.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 15, 2010, 05:52:36 PM
Besides the fact that football is growing in popularity outside of North America, it's popular enough in Japan that Nintendo has already made a Wii football game, based on a popular manga where the main characters play football. As for being rough, you should know that Nintendo would soften it up or make it more cartoonish to fit in when the other Mario Sports games. As for number of characters, I don't think that is a problem since they have dozens of possible characters.
I think it's just a matter of when it happens, not if.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 05:59:22 PM
Oh don't get me wrong, I hope it happens, but I have many doubts.
It wouldn't be hard to make it family-friendly, but whether or not it is depends on the developer. If it were handed to Next Level Games, it would once again have that "too much Mountain Dew in-your-face" extremeness that Mario Strikers Charged had. And that would be a very bad thing, I do not wish to see that. It has to keep the charm of Mario characters, as well as mix up the rules. I want to see less players per team, because otherwise we'd be filling them up with colours of Yoshi. Plus, the gameplay would be more streamlined and action-packed, but also more simple and easy to understand and pick up and play.
It would take a lot of work to make it be a good game that captures the charm of Mario characters and provides a unique and interesting gameplay experience. Maybe that's why I don't think it would happen. Most companies don't put that kind of effort into Mario games, sadly.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 06:05:12 PM
That's fair. So...what's Camelot doing after Golden Sun?
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Caliban on June 15, 2010, 06:09:55 PM
If you mean American Football, that will never happen, because that sport is practically unheard of in Japan.
There's an anime, a video game of that anime, and they even have a league of some sort, so it's not like it's not unheard of. Maybe they're just not interested in the sport at the moment.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 06:10:16 PM
Ha ha. Camelot stated they have no interest in creating more Mario games. I believe they said this when they released We Love Golf for Wii, which was clearly based on the Mario Golf engine. So, no Mario football from them.
Which is sad, actually. I think Camelot could do it. Mario Tennis and Mario Golf both do a good job of capturing the fun of the Mario universe.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 15, 2010, 06:11:03 PM
Those are all characters that have been in past Mario sports games (there may be more, but I only checked a few), so I think they could do a full 11 on 11 games.
I am sure Nintendo could make it a good game. As for who would develop it, that would be a good question.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 06:13:52 PM
I'll spare the details because it is long and complicated, but it is "her."
See the feature on TMK about how Nintendo has done both, but now they try to avoid all gender-based pronouns when talking about Birdo.
I've seen it. I've seen everything. I've even created a YouTube video on the topic.
It doesn't matter what Nintendo has said in whatever region, because the simple truth is this: Birdo is a male-to-female transsexual. Therefore, it is proper and respectful to refer to her using female pronouns. North American translations respect this (for a time, not sure why they stopped using gender-specific pronouns in 2005). Japan does not respect this.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: stevey on June 15, 2010, 08:29:11 PM
Lack of Rosalina worries me....
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: D_Average on June 15, 2010, 08:49:00 PM
Terrible name, but it does look fun. Why does Nintendo hate American football so much? Its only the most successful sport in the history of civilization. Oh well.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: noname2200 on June 15, 2010, 08:49:16 PM
Birdo is a male-to-female transsexual. Therefore, it is proper and respectful to refer to her using female pronouns.
Gonna keep politics out of this (I refuse to call Chastiy/Chaz Bono "He"), but it is Japan that calls "her" Catherine afterall.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 15, 2010, 09:06:32 PM
American football doesn't require 11-on-11, that's just the way the NFL does it. Indoor football is usually played 7-on-7, and Madden on the Wii has a 5-on-5 mode that works really well. That mode always seemed to me like exactly how American football would play in Wii Sports, so it would probably be pretty similar to any Mario football game that may happen.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 15, 2010, 09:28:29 PM
5-on-5 sounds like it would work great. The problem with 11 per team is that there would be like only four different teams, so there wouldn't be very many interesting combinations. Mario Super Sluggers has a similar issue; with 9 of 42 players on a team, there aren't very many viable ones. 5 would allow for many diverse teams, especially if it had a roster the size of the baseball game.
Ah dirty floors guys, now you guys got me wanting a Mario football game!
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 16, 2010, 12:36:14 AM
We have a developer: Square Enix!
This is interesting. I was not a fan of their Mario Hoops game, I felt the controls were too creative to be functional. I sure hope this turns out better.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Peachylala on June 16, 2010, 12:38:48 AM
I'm all up for Final Fantasy characters pre-VII making cameos, but keep Kingdom Hearts out.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: D_Average on June 16, 2010, 10:56:35 AM
I agree with the five on five proposal. That'd be perfect for a good game and you'd have a total of ten Ninty characters running around. It'd be pure fun!!
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Caterkiller on June 16, 2010, 11:41:18 AM
Glad to see this instead of each sport getting its own game.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Ian Sane on June 16, 2010, 12:44:25 PM
Quote
We have a developer: Square Enix!
Oh **** me! What a waste! If Square Enix want to make a Mario game maybe they shoudl work on, I don't know, SUPER MARIO RPG!! :@
Nintendo is so clueless regarding third party support. If Sony or MS teamed up with Square Enix it would be one of their biggest titles and they would hype the **** out of it. Nintendo teams up with them and it's on such a nothing throwaway filler title that they don't even make a big deal about Square Enix being involved. If a collaboration with Square Fucking Enix is not significant enough to make a big deal about then you're doing it wrong.
Square Enix on this, Retro on Donkey Kong. Fucking Blizzard will probably be making Wii Music 2.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: broodwars on June 16, 2010, 12:54:51 PM
Oh **** me! What a waste! If Square Enix want to make a Mario game maybe they shoudl work on, I don't know, SUPER MARIO RPG!! :@
Nintendo is so clueless regarding third party support. If Sony or MS teamed up with Square Enix it would be one of their biggest titles and they would hype the **** out of it. Nintendo teams up with them and it's on such a nothing throwaway filler title that they don't even make a big deal about Square Enix being involved. If a collaboration with Square ****ing Enix is not significant enough to make a big deal about then you're doing it wrong.
Square Enix on this, Retro on Donkey Kong. ****ing Blizzard will probably be making Wii Music 2.
You'd think Nintendo would have learned from Disaster: Day of Crisis that you do not assign a 3rd person action game (in this case sports-based) to a studio that specializesin RPGs.
I don't mind this game so much (although I'm perplexed after Wii Sports Resort why this game so far doesn't seem to be supporting Motion +), but man just like Retro on DKCR this feels like such a waste of talent. It could be very good, but why a Mario sports collection on a platform that really needs RPG support?
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Dasmos on June 16, 2010, 01:08:32 PM
So what, you're saying Disaster wasn't GOTY 2008 and the best game Monolith have ever made? Surely not.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 16, 2010, 04:19:11 PM
Square Enix making this isn't all that surprising. They made Mario Hoops on the DS, and basketball is one of the sports in this.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 16, 2010, 06:52:24 PM
Negative people are not welcome in my thread.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: AV on June 18, 2010, 05:46:09 PM
if they add American Football, motion plus support and online I might seriously consider it. as of now i don't care
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Manthony Chopkins on June 19, 2010, 09:56:14 PM
Looks great, interesting choice of sports as well. I just hope that basketball in this game is not the same as basketball in Wii Sports Resort.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 19, 2010, 10:07:07 PM
Looks great, interesting choice of sports as well. I just hope that basketball in this game is not the same as basketball in Wii Sports Resort.
It's not like it is in Wii Sports Resort, which is the exact reason I don't care about this game anymore. It's Mario Baseball all over again: they had a great control scheme in place, and instead of keeping it and expanding on the gameplay they take a step backwards.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: ThePerm on June 20, 2010, 12:02:42 AM
how popular was tecmo bowl in japan?
i totally forgot about this game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpuDmX4s00Q&feature=related
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Adrock on June 20, 2010, 10:13:06 AM
You'd think Nintendo would have learned from Disaster: Day of Crisis that you do not assign a 3rd person action game (in this case sports-based) to a studio that specializesin RPGs.
I don't know. I disagree. I think good developers can design any kind of game. Masahiro Sakurai and Hal Labs never did anything like Super Smash Bros. and look how that turned out. Nintendo never should have released Disaster: Day of Crisis until Monolith Soft fixed some of its issues.
Still, a true sequel to Super Mario RPG needs to happen and I'd rather have that than Mario Sports Mix.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on June 20, 2010, 03:34:32 PM
Maybe Disaster will see it's NA release updated in 3D.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: DAaaMan64 on June 20, 2010, 04:01:24 PM
Maybe Disaster will see it's NA release updated in 3D.
EDIT: Nevermind, just don't buy it cause should should knowingly buy **** games anyway.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Stratos on June 20, 2010, 05:30:37 PM
So what does Japan call American Football considering 'soccer' uses the same name outside of North America?
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 20, 2010, 06:01:55 PM
Square attempted to create a unique control scheme in Mario Hoops on DS, and I imagine they are going to do the same thing here. Now, the DS game is barely functional, so hopefully they get it right this time. It would be better if it used Motion Plus, but I'm confident controls which work well can be created without it. If they are smart, they will incorporate the pointer in some way.
It's Mario Baseball all over again: they had a great control scheme in place, and instead of keeping it and expanding on the gameplay they take a step backwards.
Although I agree Mario Super Sluggers doesn't have an intricate control scheme like it could have, I still find it to be much more fluid and precise than the stiff and clunky control scheme of Mario Superstar Baseball.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 20, 2010, 07:14:06 PM
So what does Japan call American Football considering 'soccer' uses the same name outside of North America?
They call it American football, and all levels of the sport (middle/high school, college, and professional) are governed by the Japan American Football Association.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 20, 2010, 07:15:30 PM
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Stratos on June 20, 2010, 07:17:28 PM
I think we should rename 'American Football/Football' to Tackleball and then get rid of the name 'soccer' all together unless used to refer to mothers with mini-vans ;)
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 20, 2010, 07:39:12 PM
I disagree; i think we should keep calling it football, and make the rest of the world call their football soccer, by force if necessary.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 20, 2010, 08:33:14 PM
"Soccer" has been around longer and is more popular worldwide, so it is more deserving of the name "football."
American football is also sometimes known as "gridiron football" outside of North America.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on June 20, 2010, 09:14:07 PM
Soccer's popularity is baffling, a game where a 0-0 or 1-1 tie is common is boring. The refs are incompetent and have way too much power (like that referee who literally stole a goal from the US. He called a foul despite the fact that no foul had been committed, refused to tell the players who the foul was against or even what the foul was, then refused to speak to the media. In real football, the referees announce what the foul is and who committed it, then explain it after the game if it was a controversial call; that one MLB umpire even apologized after realizing his call was wrong and had screwed a pitcher out of a perfect game). Soccer is basically the only sport known by different names, even in countries like the UK it is not unheard of to call it soccer.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Stratos on June 20, 2010, 09:48:20 PM
I'm most interested in the Hockey mode.
I want a Mario Ultimate Frisbee game though. That is my favorite sport to play.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Louieturkey on June 22, 2010, 01:42:36 PM
Soccer's popularity is baffling, a game where a 0-0 or 1-1 tie is common is boring.
I don't see how it's baffling. Soccer is the easiest pick-up-and-play game anywhere. All you need is the ball and you can play a game of soccer. Basketball needs a hoop plus the ball; hockey needs the sticks, the puck, the ice skates or rollerblades; baseball requires the bat and ball, the pitcher, the ump to call balls and strikes (not always), the bases (can be fashioned from anything);football requires the specialized ball, at least 4 people, and a whole lot of rules. It's also the easiest to learn. Here's the ball, try to score in that goal over there and keep the other side from scoring in your goal. Those are the basics. Football has an infinite number of rules to learn if you don't know it, as does baseball.
Quote
The refs are incompetent and have way too much power (like that referee who literally stole a goal from the US. He called a foul despite the fact that no foul had been committed, refused to tell the players who the foul was against or even what the foul was, then refused to speak to the media. In real football, the referees announce what the foul is and who committed it, then explain it after the game if it was a controversial call; that one MLB umpire even apologized after realizing his call was wrong and had screwed a pitcher out of a perfect game).
Umpires rarely apologize for these types of things. Neither do refs in basketball or football. They all have too much power. It is no different than soccer in this regard. The only difference is that the soccer refs don't have to tell them what foul was committed. I don't like that but it was explained that it is to keep the players from arguing and complaining too much, which happens a ton in basketball and football and baseball.
Quote
Soccer is basically the only sport known by different names, even in countries like the UK it is not unheard of to call it soccer.
In fact, it's only called soccer in the US. It is football literally in every other country in the entire world. We are only different because our football was more popular and they were introduced to our country around the same time.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: NWR_insanolord on June 22, 2010, 01:50:07 PM
I'm pretty sure it's called soccer in Canada, too. Maybe someone should write into RFN listener mail and ask Jon Lindemann, he's from Canada. Also, Australia's team was called the Socceroos, so it seems like it's not unheard of to call it soccer there either.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on June 22, 2010, 07:08:10 PM
Yes, hockey with Mario could be very good indeed. I know there's hockey in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, but reviews say it was terribly done, with a lot of waggle controls.
Plus, it's probably as close I'll get to figure skating with Birdo.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Kytim89 on July 08, 2010, 12:30:32 AM
I would not mind seeing a Mario wrestling game. Basically the Mario series married to something like WWE. Part fighting game, part sports game. I could also imagine Mario and Luigi in a tag-team match against Wario and Waluigi, or Bowser and Bowser, jr. The Mushroom Wrestling Championship, or MWC for short.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on July 08, 2010, 05:20:22 PM
Wrestling would be too complicated to animate for Mario characters; they all vary greatly in size, shape, and ability. Each character would have to be individually animated for each of their moves, and possibly even for each individual opponent they would face. It's all too much work for a game that would have a limited appeal.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on July 08, 2010, 09:44:47 PM
Wrestling games are very successful, so I think it would have more than just limited appeal. The other issues I think could be taken care of.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 03, 2010, 04:13:31 PM
The Japanese release date has been set, November 25th. North America and Europe are still listed as "TBA 2011," which seems a bit odd. How difficult can it be to localize a game like this? I'd think they'd want it out for the holidays, but I guess they may be a bit crowded with Wii Party, Kirby Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and PokéPark. But Japan has all those too...
There's a possibility that the game has online play, but it is unconfirmed at this point. The box art shows a Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo, but this appears on all games that use Wi-Fi for any reason, so it could be something like leaderboards or another such minor feature.
The video shown at the Nintendo conference features Toad as a playable character. He's my favourite character so I'm glad to finally see he's in the game. Now all I need is a sign of my second favourite, and I'll be set.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on October 03, 2010, 04:45:15 PM
Nintendo tries not to announce dates too early, so I think they don't want to be more specific than "2011" until they know for sure what date they want.
About your list, Japan actually got PokePark Wii back in December 2009. Japan got Wii Party back in July. Donkey Kong Country Returns has no specific Japanese release date (just a generic Q4 2010). So Japan has a much thinner crowd this holiday.
Toad and Birdo have been sports games, so I have no doubt Birdo will be in Mario Sports Mix too.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 03, 2010, 04:55:15 PM
Wow, really? Those dates are pretty far back. I thought Nintendo was trying to have their release dates be closer together but I guess that's only for certain titles.
With Birdo, it's mostly the Mario and Sonic Olympic games that worry me. In the original, Birdo was planned but got cut, and the sequel has her as nothing but a mere Mii costume. So she's never a sure thing. Toad was also not playable in those games so I don't consider him a guarantee either when it comes to new Mario games in general. If this game has unlockable characters then they probably won't be shown until closer to or after release, so she could be one of them. And I guess she appeared in the DS Mario Hoops game which was developed by the same company, which might be a good sign.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: TJ Spyke on October 03, 2010, 04:59:25 PM
Since the Olympic Games were basically Sega games rather than Nintendo games (Sega developed the game and published it in every region except Japan, where Nintendo published it), I think that may have been a small factor. I am not saying Birdo is guaranteed to be in the game, but I wouldn't be surprised if he/she is.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Luigi Dude on October 03, 2010, 08:00:59 PM
The Japanese release date has been set, November 25th. North America and Europe are still listed as "TBA 2011," which seems a bit odd. How difficult can it be to localize a game like this? I'd think they'd want it out for the holidays, but I guess they may be a bit crowded with Wii Party, Kirby Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and PokéPark. But Japan has all those too...
Japan doesn't have anything for 3rd party support this fall though. In North America and Europe the Wii still has some big third party titles like Sonic Colors and Epic Mickey which will put up good numbers and help fill out the schedule. Since the Wii in Japan will have nothing from third parties that will have any big impact on the Japanese market, it's no surprise they're going to release this game in Japan so early because it's going to be Nintendo alone that will have to keep the Wii a float in Japan this fall.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Stratos on October 16, 2010, 06:42:05 AM
Looks like the rumors and suspicions are correct. The game will indeed feature online play.
Here's the big surprise from the official site. Mario Sports Mix will feature Wi-Fi Connect support. Two Wiis will be able to connect online for multiplayer matches, with up to two players playing on each Wii. The game will support the usual options: play against random players, and play against friends.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 17, 2010, 10:12:01 PM
I saw that the other day but didn't get around to posting it. It is the most basic online play that I expected.
In the characters section on the game's site, there are seven question mark slots, plus one suspicious blank space that's probably a character too, my guess is a Mii.
The site also lists the character types, which are:
Mario (all around) Luigi (all around) Peach (technique) Daisy (technique) Bowser (power) Bowser Jr. (speed) Wario (power) Waluigi (technique) Yoshi (all around) Toad (speed) Donkey Kong (power) Diddy Kong (speed)
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on October 26, 2010, 02:02:41 PM
game play demo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4eAvrjAUZ4
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Caterkiller on October 26, 2010, 02:31:49 PM
This is probably Nintendo's way to cut back on every Mario Sport getting its own individual game. Sounds good to me, I just hope the sports are all as engaging as Mario Golf and Tennis are. Seriously where are our Motion plus Mario Golf and Tennis titles?
The game does look fun!
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 26, 2010, 06:06:17 PM
This is probably Nintendo's way to cut back on every Mario Sport getting its own individual game.
I think it's more because the four sports on offer aren't popular enough to get their own game; who makes dodgeball games? Also, from a programming perspective, the four sports are somewhat similar. They all probably run on similar game engines with similar animation, so it was relatively easy to include them all in the package.
That said, my main problem with Mario spin-offs is that they are relatively light on content. This looks like it could end up being the most "complete" one yet, but we'll see.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 29, 2010, 11:08:01 AM
Oh, I dunno if they are light on content.
I think the Mario Golf and Mario Tennis franchises have been quite good. The original Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64 and Mario Tennis are easily my favorite Golf and Tennis games to date. They were almost perfect in every way.
I would love another refined experience like that...that takes away the wacky and centers around the pure sport with arcade action. I am not opposed to some cool themed gold courses though. Maybe 2 Mario themed 18 hole courses with really zany level design would be great.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 29, 2010, 05:52:35 PM
There are plenty of sports titles out there that more accurately represent that respective sport, but there's only one Mario, which takes the basic concept and runs with it. I don't want that to change. Mario Golf is actually my least favourite of the Mario sports because it is too much like the real thing, there aren't enough extra modes that provide spins on the formula or fantastical environments. Mario Tennis has this problem as well, but tennis is more enjoyable as a video game. Mario Power Tennis had the right idea with the special courts, power shots, and minigames, though it's missing a little something I can't quite nail down... It also has less characters than the Nintendo 64 game which is rather odd.
To me, that's what the perfect Mario game would provide. It would have the basic sport for those who want it with the personality of Mario characters, but it would also have a lot of modes and features that center around the concept of the sport and mix things up.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Stratos on October 30, 2010, 07:29:27 AM
The N64 and GBC Mario Tennis games were amazing. Also made my Transfer Pak investments worthwhile. I tended to be super dedicated to adopting tech from Nintendo. I bought an Expansion Pak before DK64 and ended up with two.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 30, 2010, 10:10:05 PM
I dunno. Mario Golf had a zen moment to me...where you got into the zone, and later franchises of the Mario Golf and Mario Tennis added more fantastical elements. The Portable versions were the best at this.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on October 30, 2010, 10:53:21 PM
I mostly stayed away from the GBC/A Mario Golf and Tennis games because the main characters aren't even Mario characters, which just strikes me as rather odd. I got Mario Tennis on the GBC to get the characters and courts in the Nintendo 64 game, and it was interesting how they mixed tennis with RPG elements. But it has nothing to do with Mario or its universe, so it clearly had the Mario name just to give it appeal. I assume the other games are the same, though I haven't really researched them.
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Mop it up on November 18, 2010, 01:17:25 AM
Title: Re: Mario Sports Mix
Post by: Sundoulos on December 20, 2010, 12:50:34 PM
It's kind of lame that all six unlockable characters come from Square Enix games, especially considering there are a number of characters from the Mario Universe that could have been included. Birdo, for instance, appears to be AWOL.
The Bit Block posted a video review of the Japanese version of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mxbrxSRwHk0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mxbrxSRwHk0)
Overall, the review is pretty encouraging, and it has finally made me interested in getting the game. The only thing that I'll probably find annoying is having to unlock individual characters and stages for each sport individually.
