Post by: NWR_pap64 on December 03, 2011, 06:24:41 PM
As we mourn the loss (?) of our beloved anti-Luigi, we look back at his rise and mostly downfall.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/28569
Well, it doesn't make sense to ignore the elephant in the room any longer. Mario Kart 7 is coming out and outlets have confirmed that Waluigi has been left out of the competition. In his place are the EXTREMELY beloved characters Metal Mario, Queen Bee and Wiggler. This absence has made people wonder what exactly happened to Waluigi. I thought this would be a great time to look back at the character and how he went from being universally hated to genuinely missed by gamers around the world.
Waluigi was first conceived by Camelot when developing Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. They figured that since Mario had a bizarro version in Wario, Luigi could also use a freakish clone of his own. And thus, Wario and Waluigi were introduced as partners in crime, hoping to take out Mario and Luigi for good...at tennis, at least. Mario Tennis was heavily advertised as the debut of Waluigi, who was prominently featured in the game's intro and throughout the marketing campaign, including a flash mini-game on the Mario Tennis website where you could clip Waluigi's toenails and collect the clippings in a jar. Classy marketing right there.
The most common complain people had with Waluigi is that he is a very structurally basic character. He is just Wario turned into Luigi and given a black and purple color scheme. While that may not seem like a bad thing, Wario was at least given his own personality and storyline away from Mario. Wario was originally created as a villain for Mario to defeat in Super Mario Land 2 on the Game Boy, but then Wario was so captivating that the development team decided to give him his own game. In those games, Wario was not only given a personality but his own set of powers and needs. Wario is greedy—he loves treasures —and thus goes on adventures in hopes of obtaining riches. He does so using his incredible strength, ability to take on different powers, and lots and lots of gas. This alone made him a very legit character, someone that was completely different from the character that inspired him. And that's not even taking into account that years later he was also turned into a pseudo-video game developer in his own universe, complete with other characters to interact with.
Waluigi? Well, he was never given anything to do other than being a glorified accesory to Wario. In the sports games he was Wario's partner, yes, and a well-rounded character in the other games for sure, but even the questionable storylines set throughout some of the Mario games made it look like Wario had no idea who he was and thus no real reason was given for his existence. He was designed as a rival to Luigi, but they never did anything with him to further fuel this rivalry. He was absent in both the Wario Land and WarioWare games, and ONLY made appearances in the Mario multiplayer games as a playable character. It didn't help that he too was voiced by Charles Martinet, and his performance was hardly different from Mario, Luigi and Wario.
He was similar to a Sonic the Hedgehog character in that he was created to pad out the supporting cast. But while Sega at least TRIED to convince us to give a crap about cute forest creature with an attitude #384, Nintendo just didn't bother to give Waluigi his own story. Granted, they barely give us any story behind any of their characters, but with Mario we know that he is a plucky plumber on a never ending quest to save Peach from Bowser, that Luigi is a shy, cowardly man who is unfortunately left behind his older brother's shadow, and that Wario loves money. Waluigi was just... there.
Being there, however, was apparently good enough for some players, as he gained a small cult following. Waluigi seemed to obtain nothing but universal hate for the reasons I already stated, but many players decided to give him a chance, and fell in love with his...I don't know exactly. And in the hands of some capable developers, Waluigi was given an outlandish personality that clashed heavily with the rest of the character. Such was the case with Mario Strikers Charged, a game that gave Waluigi his infamous crotch chop celebration. Camelot, the originators of the character, could also do wonders with him in terms of humor and presentation.
To put things into better perspective regarding gamers' love/hate relationship with Waluigi, he was like that one cousin you don't really know or understand but at least he was present at all the family gatherings, and you lament it when he misses one. And that is precisely what happened with Mario Kart 7. Waluigi is gone from the roster, replaced with the T-1000 version of Mario, aka Metal Mario.
The question is... why? A lot of clues seem to lead to the fact that Mario Kart 7 was a rushed game and thus the time to program him into the game was not there. Or maybe someone at *Retro hated him so much the only way they could work on the game was if he was absent from the final roster. This case becomes even more unbelievable when you realize that Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS is presented as a retro track. Whatever the case may be, we feel sad that the cheaply created purple plumber is gone from this Mario Kart effort.
Things do seem bright, however, and it isn't the end of the world it seems. Not only do we have the upcoming release of Fortune Street for Wii, Mario Party 9 will be landing next year. Those are two bonafide chances for Waluigi to shine once more.
Putting aside all the sarcasm regarding Waluigi, it just goes to show how gamers actually pay attention to these characters, regardless if they like them or not. Nintendo may not be masters at storytelling, but they definitely know how to present a character, and even if Waluigi does seem to be a little too derivative of the two characters that inspired him he did have enough of a personality that his absence in Mario Kart 7 seem more jarring than usual.
Post by: John E G on December 03, 2011, 06:49:47 PM
Post by: KDR_11k on December 03, 2011, 06:58:48 PM
Post by: Chozo Ghost on December 03, 2011, 08:03:45 PM
I'm not sure if he can really be considered part of the Nintendo canon anyway since it was Camelot and not Miyamoto or whoever who invented him.
Post by: famicomplicated on December 03, 2011, 08:15:02 PM
I'm not bothered that they took him out, remember the stupid baby characters got taken out too. (FINALLY)
But yeah, the replacement characters they chose are just stupid. Metal Mario? WHy not Cosmic Mario, at least he's a different entity altogether, not just Mario with a power up!
What's next, driving as a warp-pipe on an item-box?!
Post by: Mop it up on December 03, 2011, 08:28:15 PM
In the case of Waluigi though, I wouldn't worry about it. As this article speculates, Mario Kart 7 probably didn't get the development time it needed due to the lack of compelling software on the 3DS, so someone had to be cut for them to add new characters. Since Waluigi has yet to appear in a mainline Mario game, he is expendable. Even Daisy has the luxury of appearing in Super Mario Land.
Waluigi has appeared in every spin-off game since his debut in Mario Tennis, so after ten years he was bound to miss one game. It'll probably be another ten before he misses another. I've always felt that he would be much more accepted if he ever appears in one of Wario's games, which would be a good way to add co-op to the Wario Land series. Whether that happens or not though, he'll always be one of the Elite 8.
Post by: Thaneros on December 03, 2011, 08:47:07 PM
Post by: Mop it up on December 03, 2011, 08:53:38 PM
wasn't he in one of the Mario Rpg's? I never played it but I remember the sprite.I don't think so. The only game I know of that he appeared in with sprites is Game and Watch Gallery 4.
Post by: JasonMaivia on December 03, 2011, 09:36:37 PM
I hate the babies.
Where's Tiny Kong (all grow'd up version)?
As long as Daisy is around, I'm happy. Plus, I think that she could also star in her own adventure/action game and appear in Smash Bros., but not as a clone or palatte swap.
Post by: Chozo Ghost on December 03, 2011, 09:38:12 PM
Post by: Jonnyboy117 on December 03, 2011, 09:41:51 PM
By the way, there is a fan-made game called Psychic Waluigi that I recommend checking out. It's not just a sprite hack but a very thoughtful and well designed 2D platformer with unique mechanics.
Post by: Discostew on December 03, 2011, 09:44:36 PM
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 03, 2011, 09:46:22 PM
Post by: ThePerm on December 03, 2011, 09:53:37 PM
Post by: JasonMaivia on December 03, 2011, 10:15:16 PM
Post by: Ras on December 03, 2011, 10:55:47 PM
Post by: the asylum on December 03, 2011, 11:21:15 PM
And nothing of value was lost
Post by: ThePerm on December 03, 2011, 11:37:56 PM
Post by: Chozo Ghost on December 04, 2011, 12:04:18 AM
I'm glad for the addition of Wiggler and Honey Queen.
Aren't Wiggler and the Honey Queen way too large to ever possibly fit in a Kart? Wiggler isn't so much large as he is long, so he could drive a train I guess, but the Queen is so huge that Mario literally crawls on her belly like a flea, so she would have to drive some huge building sized Kart, and with that she could easily run over all the other karts...
Post by: JasonMaivia on December 04, 2011, 12:05:33 AM
I'm glad for the addition of Wiggler and Honey Queen.
So was Rosalina, but they still shrunk her.
Isn't the Honey Queen way too large to ever possibly fit in a Kart?
Post by: Ras on December 04, 2011, 12:45:56 AM
Just, like, 12 hours until this is mine.
Post by: Chocobo_Rider on December 04, 2011, 02:30:13 AM
Is Metal Mario a good addition? Hell no. That's should be some kind of unlockable alternate suit at best.
Is Honey Queen a good addition? No... though it does remind me of my favorite power-up, the Bee suit.
Is Wiggler a good addition? Not at all.
Will I miss Dry Bones? Hell yes. He was (one of) my boys!
Is it all worth it for Shy Guy? Well... no.... but it's close! =P
Post by: Adrock on December 04, 2011, 02:58:49 AM
Wario was created as a Mario's foil, a sort of anti-Mario, a parody. More than simply acting as Luigi's opposite, Waluigi is, in a way, a parody of Wario. If you made a bootleg version of Wario, you'd get Waluigi. He has similar facial features as Wario, but he's lanky and even smarmier. Wario can play the anti-hero, Waluigi kind of just looks like a dick because of how little thought and effort seems put into his character. Wario's existence is clever, Waluigi's is not. He looks like a cheap imitation that you throw into a spin-off sports game, instead of a character you're supposed to give a damn about.
Still, personally, I think that's what makes Waluigi interesting. I don't think Waluigi can carry his own game, but I'm intrigued enough to play a game that explored his character. Besides being a parody of a parody, Waluigi is basically a clean slate and Nintendo could have a lot of fun with a game that paired Wario and Waluigi and mocked the Mario tradition. The princess is in another castle? Oh well. Shoulder check Toad and steal his gold coins. They could do a lot with the gameplay due to how physically different they are. If Wario is oafish and overwhelms opponents with his strength, would that make Waluigi graceful and refined due to being extra frail? Super Wario Bros. could be the best and funniest platformer ever.
Post by: JasonMaivia on December 04, 2011, 03:03:06 AM
Post by: 5kytar on December 04, 2011, 07:39:22 PM
Post by: ThePerm on December 04, 2011, 08:23:26 PM
Post by: MarioKart7 on December 04, 2011, 08:43:50 PM
Post by: hck on December 05, 2011, 01:55:17 AM
Wario made more sense because you turn an M upside down and it becomes W. But there is no M in Luigi, so I never really agreed with the Waluigi name. Maybe they should have just had his name spelled backwards or something, to make him like a backwards Luigi. Have him named Igiul or something.
I'm not sure if he can really be considered part of the Nintendo canon anyway since it was Camelot and not Miyamoto or whoever who invented him.
Wario and Waluigi have the "wa" in their names because in Japanese, "warui" means bad. Thus "Wario" = "Bad Mario"
Post by: King of Twitch on December 05, 2011, 02:27:42 AM
Why did you die Waluigi! Why did you leave us in this time of Kart Racing. You were the best quirky sidekick villain ever! I will miss you in Mario 3D Kart...
He's never really dead, so long as we find a way to remember him.
Post by: Khushrenada on December 05, 2011, 02:59:25 AM
When I play with my friends, we all know Waluigi is my guy. Believe it or not, it is the voice that sells me on the character same reason I dislike Luigi. Waluigi has a dishonest sound to his voice. He reminds me of a cliche 1930's gangster - "Wahhh. The coppers got nothin' on me, see? I gave them the ring around the rosie and flatfooted it to Chicago. Waaaaah."
I love his "You Lousy" taunt in Mario Party games. So perfect to use when another player has just acquired a star and the shimmering sound effects have just ended. I love to use that brief silent to voice my displeasure at the current turn of events with a "You Lousy" being all you can here.
Camelot seems to have the most fun with him. In their opening videos for their Mario Sports games, Waluigi always has gets the best gags. The Toadstool Tour opening video where he has an easy putt and keeps missing and his reaction ("Wah, I hate this game!") is a true to life experience we can all relate to. In the Mario Party games, Hudson seemed to catch on to this and gave him some great showboating poses for when he wins his Mini-game battles. He also seems to be the most upset at losing than any other competitor. I love that competative spirit he displays.
As someone else posted, he has a smarmy quality to him. I think it's the mustache. You can easily get a bumbling Inspector Closeau vibe with him as well as that Snidely Whiplash feel of villainy. Waluigi looks like the kind of guy that would sell out his mother to save himself. The kind of guy that the Police threaten in a back alley to get info from and then, after getting the info, they throw him in the slammer anyways because they just don't like him. A small-town with much grander aspirations he cannot fill no matter how much he tries.
Plus, he was the villain for Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix's story. So, he has some legitimacy to being included regularly in with the other Mario Cast.
Post by: ThePerm on December 05, 2011, 03:59:12 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjU5KzVVUrw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoZ_Mwc7lNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygcf2mGB4Uo
Post by: NWR_pap64 on December 07, 2011, 01:44:49 PM
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/28610
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on December 10, 2011, 12:50:48 PM
(http://i43.tinypic.com/29ze74g.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btkU01oQulM)
Post by: NWR_pap64 on December 10, 2011, 12:53:17 PM
I hope everyone longing for some facetime with Waluigi is planning on picking Fortune Street.
(http://i43.tinypic.com/29ze74g.jpg) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btkU01oQulM)
He's in Mario and Sonic at the London Olympics, and I mentioned this at the end of this feature.
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on December 10, 2011, 02:29:25 PM
Post by: Mop it up on December 10, 2011, 03:51:03 PM
Post by: Wah on June 20, 2013, 10:43:28 PM
Post by: TheYoungerPlumber on June 21, 2013, 02:40:27 AM
Post by: UncleBob on June 21, 2013, 12:40:36 PM
No Waluigi hat in Animal Crossing. Wonder if that's something they can send out through DLC...
Post by: Wah on July 25, 2013, 10:29:45 PM
wow... I'm sorry you took to write such a long article about Waluigi hahaJust saying I'am a massive wario bros fan!
WHY DID THEY REPLACE HIM WITH HONEY QUEEN! :@
Post by: ShyGuy on July 25, 2013, 10:38:17 PM
Post by: pokepal148 on July 25, 2013, 11:43:02 PM
because womens rights :Dwow... I'm sorry you took to write such a long article about Waluigi hahaJust saying I'am a massive wario bros fan!
WHY DID THEY REPLACE HIM WITH HONEY QUEEN! :@
besides the honey queen actually shows up in a mainline mario game(twice)
Post by: nickmitch on July 25, 2013, 11:50:39 PM
