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Originally posted by: cubist
the use of the pointer along with the Mario is bad ass
Actually, it wasn't. The worst part about the Super Mario Galaxy demo at E3 was the pointer. We only started to see it used well by the end of the demo: one of the paths led to these blobs of putty that you could pull back with the pointer, then release. Picking up shards with it was pointless.
The pointer in general raises a question that was discussed at E3 by the PGC staffers: who are you controlling in this game? With the joystick and A button, it seems like you're controlling Mario, but with the Wii Remote it feels like some observer (the player) is interfering. You are half-Mario, half-notMario, which makes for a very odd Mario feeling. I am not personally against this, and truthfully I think it's rather revolutionary, (we can start to see a dichotomy of perspectives and personas that the player must inhabit; see also Contact for the DS), but I'd rather see it in a new IP than in a Mario game. If they have a premise that makes this control scheme work in the Mario universe, then great. Just don't make me pick up shards or click on items to use them - no one wants to control Mario with a mouse.
From PGC's interview with Takashi Tezuka:
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This was a show floor build. It was made condensing a bunch of little stuff to make it very easy for people to see what's incorporated in parts of the game. So rather than a specific hub—again, it's a show floor version of the game.
Also:
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PGC: We've seen in the background of the game what looks like a very, very large planet way in the distance that it looks like maybe all of the smaller moons and planets are orbiting. Does that large planet play into the game at all?
TT: Please, I hope you look forward to finding that answer out.
The impression that our interviewers (Mike Sklens and Michael "TYP" Cole) got was that though the game will predominantly take place in space (not outer space, notice the planet very nearby) there is more to it than what we saw. Judging by the gameplay, Super Mario Galaxy doesn't look all that revolutionary. I felt like Sunshine was a lot like Super Mario 64, I had just about as much fun playing one as the other. This game will be a lot like both, with a new gravity twist.
Until we see more of the meat of the game, including the full premise, setting, and story, we won't know how "innovative" Nintendo is intending to be. The Mario games of the 3-D era, (as well as certain 2-D Marios), have been only half-revolutionary. Mario 64 is a landmine of revolution in one regard, but it was also instantly recognizable and classic. Mario Sunshine, I feel, did the same thing (in more gameplay specific ways) and Mario Galaxy will probably be similar. Some new, some old. Let's love that.
Topic: Is Galaxy the "real" new Mario? (Read 15807 times)
