Topic: Mario Galaxy

[NWR_pap64]

Going back to the Wii bias discussion this is VERY similar to what happened to the DS way back in 2005. Everyone kept dissing it, saying it was a gimmick that wouldn't last long, especially with the PSP on the horizon. It wasn't till it became a MASSIVE success that everyone pretty much shut up and moved on.

In fact, even though the Wii/DS comparison has already been made, it grows stronger everyday. Think about it...

DS: Many of its first year titles were GBA ports with tacked on touch controls
Wii: Many of its first year titles are PS2/GC ports with tacked on motion controls

DS: Many of its titles were mini game collections
Wii: Many of its titles are mini game collections

DS: Is very underpowered when compared to the PSP
Wii: Its very underpowered when compared to the 360 and PS3

Time will tell if the Wii becomes a massive success...

[Mashiro]

Quote
Well the bad news is it's still one of those stupid Wii would like to play commercials that doesn't really tell the average person anything about the game.

Why all the "Wii would like to play" hate? I think it shows plenty to the average person.

1) It shows it's a Mario game.
2) It shows it's a Mario game in space.
3) It shows a second person can assist while the main person is playing.

=)

[mantidor]

The Sunshine commercial was hilarious, it still amazes me people didn't realize it was a satire.

This new ad is another horrible one, what makes it worst is how the music is completely forgotten and replaced but that annoying "asian" theme, specially because this game has awesome music that should be listen by everyone, argh!

[Ceric]

Quote
Originally posted by: Luigi Dude
Well here's the American Mario Galaxy commercial

Well the bad news is it's still one of those stupid Wii would like to play commercials that doesn't really tell the average person anything about the game.  

But the good news is it's not a complete abomination like the Mario Sunshine commercial.

I like th Wii would like to play commercials because compared to all the other manafactures commercials you at least get to see some actual gameplay.

[Bill Aurion]

Clearly these "awful" commercials aren't all that awful when they have done an excellent job of what they are meant to do: sell a product...

[IceCold]

The "Wii would like to play" ones are amazing... for selling the console. They always have been. I'd like to see some Galaxy-specific ones though.

[Luigi Dude]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mashiro


Why all the "Wii would like to play" hate? I think it shows plenty to the average person.

1) It shows it's a Mario game.
2) It shows it's a Mario game in space.
3) It shows a second person can assist while the main person is playing.

=)

My problem is the commercials are crap compared to the Japanese commercials.  In Japan, Nintendo released 6 different commercials, each make up of all gameplay footage except for the 4th and 5th.

Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 1
Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 2
Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 3
Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 4
Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 5
Japanese Mario Galaxy Commercial 6

Now this is how ALL videogame commercials should be.  

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
Clearly these "awful" commercials aren't all that awful when they have done an excellent job of what they are meant to do: sell a product...

Bill is right, I personally think they are good commercials because they sell people on what you can do with the Wii controller and they are targeted towards the Wii's major user base, which is made up of MANY casual gamers.

[Adrock]

Quote
I personally think they are good commercials because they sell people on what you can do with the Wii controller and they are targeted towards the Wii's major user base, which is made up of MANY casual gamers.

...which also has the downside of potentially driving away the hardcore audience. I don't think the Wii commercials are awful. They're very good at what they're trying to get across (i.e. casual gaming fun with friends and family along with the controller). Rather, Nintendo could stand to produce more commercials that really show off that Wii is also a gamer's console though I guess they could stand to have more of those types of games.

[Ceric]

Look in the end this is NOA we are talking about.  They are good at being average but not very good at the whole above and beyond when it comes to promotion and advertisement.  Once they set there mind on something they tend to stubbornly stick to it.  Just thank god that the "Wii would like to Play" promotion is flexible and fairly good.  Much better then when they went with the whole people in costumes thing.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Adrock

Quote
I personally think they are good commercials because they sell people on what you can do with the Wii controller and they are targeted towards the Wii's major user base, which is made up of MANY casual gamers.

...which also has the downside of potentially driving away the hardcore audience. I don't think the Wii commercials are awful. They're very good at what they're trying to get across (i.e. casual gaming fun with friends and family along with the controller). Rather, Nintendo could stand to produce more commercials that really show off that Wii is also a gamer's console though I guess they could stand to have more of those types of games.

I really don't think "Hardcore" gamers are going to be drove away from something like Mario Galaxy from the commercials, most are more than likely going to buy it regardless.

[Bill Aurion]

Let's just put it this way..."Hardcore" commercials didn't save the Gamecube, so I don't see why they'd help the Wii any more than the commercials Ninty is using now...

[NWR_insanolord]

If someone needs to see a commercial to know or care about a game they aren't hardcore.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Personally I think TV ads are a dieing breed, especially considering that more and more people are owning DVRs. Heck I doubt even now they make that big of an impact. I know if I was head of advertising I would choose mediums like radio to advertise considering you have a trapped audience!

[NWR_insanolord]

Quote
Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
Personally I think TV ads are a dieing breed, especially considering that more and more people are owning DVRs. Heck I doubt even now they make that big of an impact. I know if I was head of advertising I would choose mediums like radio to advertise considering you have a trapped audience!

All ads are either blocked, skipped, or ignored. But don't tell the advertisers about that, if they stopped advertising we'd lose a lot of free stuff.

[mantidor]

The huge downside of these commercials is that for the casual looker it shows like if all the games were the same, they use the same exact words, the same music, and the remote motions seem always the same, waggle, twist, pull and push in rare ocasions. The japanese ads didn't had to get rid of the people playing it, but showing the father/son or girl/guy interaction was a million times better, they showed the game, what it does, and how its not the same as the games before them.

[Mashiro]

Quote
My problem is the commercials are crap compared to the Japanese commercials. In Japan, Nintendo released 6 different commercials, each make up of all gameplay footage except for the 4th and 5th.

Well I wouldn't call the american one crap compared to the Japanese one, but the Japanese commercials do show off a lot of great gameplay footage.

Let's all be honest here for a second though, Japan and America are two different regions with completely different marketing strategy.

"Wii would like to play" continually hits on this one fact: Anyone of any age/gender can pick up *insert game here* and play. It shows the game footage and people having fun playing the game. It's a commercial with all aspects of marketing they want to convey with the Wii (ease of use, fun to play, fun for all ages/genders) and it does it's job.

Just showing Mario on screen like the Japanese commercials wouldn't be as effective to the American Wii audience IMHO.

Edit:

Quote
The huge downside of these commercials is that for the casual looker it shows like if all the games were the same, they use the same exact words, the same music, and the remote motions seem always the same, waggle, twist, pull and push in rare ocasions. The japanese ads didn't had to get rid of the people playing it, but showing the father/son or girl/guy interaction was a million times better, they showed the game, what it does, and how its not the same as the games before them.

Sorry but I disagree completely. The fact that it conveys this is a huge UPSIDE.

What do you think will get more "non-gamers" to buy Mario? An advertisement that makes them think this game is hard to play or an advertisement that makes them think "hey this looks like Wii sports did and I loved that this looks like it will be more of the same, great!".  

[Shift Key]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mashiro
Let's all be honest here for a second though, Japan and America are two different regions with completely different marketing strategy.

Until these regions start showing Wii Sports ads again, their marketing campaigns will be second to the awesomeness of Nintendo Australia.</sarcasm>

[Luigi Dude]

Time for another review, Eurogamer gives Mario Galaxy a 10

[NWR_pap64]

I know some people believed that Nintendo would release Super Mario Bros. 3 on the VC just in time for the release of Galaxy. Well...IT'S TRUE!

"Mario" himself confirms it!

[IceCold]

MEGAT0N!!

But seriously, Nintendo covets Super Mario Bros 3 in a way that I have rarely seen from them. Probably because not only is it the top-selling non-bundled game of all time, but you could say that, from a technical perspective, it's the most flawless game ever made.

Even when Nintendo was going crazy with their Mario rehashes/re-releases/remakes, SMB3 was protected like a sacred cow. On the GBA, for the Classic NES Series, nearly every major Nintendo NES game was ported, the original SMB, SMB2, Zelda I and II, Metroid, etc. Yet Super Mario Bros 3 was never released for the series - it was too precious to Nintendo.

Then, for the Mario Advance games, first they remade SMB2. Then SMW. Then Yoshi's Island. But SMB3 was saved for a year more until it was remade as Super Mario Advance 4 in October 2003.

And finally, the Virtual Console. By now, nearly every top Nintendo game has been released, except Super Mario 3. Nintendo was either saving it for the worst drought the Wii will ever face, to use it as a crutch, or for the release of Galaxy. That's how highly they regard it.

Anyway, I'm glad it's coming.

[NWR_pap64]

Yeah, Mario Bros. 3 is so perfect that is made the movie "The Wizard" a cult classic...No seriously, the main reason people saw that movie was because it was the first time SMB 3. was shown to the public!

[Adrock]

Quote
Golden Phoenix wrote:
I really don't think "Hardcore" gamers are going to be drove away from something like Mario Galaxy from the commercials, most are more than likely going to buy it regardless.

I meant the "Wii would like to play" commercials in general. Having only those kinds of commercials for their own games makes Wii look like a casual-only console. That's the real downside.

Quote
Bill Aurion wrote:
Let's just put it this way..."Hardcore" commercials didn't save the Gamecube, so I don't see why they'd help the Wii any more than the commercials Ninty is using now...

Wii isn't dead last like Gamecube. In fact, it's everything Gamecube wasn't. That's why "hardcore" commercials would help  Wii. Nintendo is doing a good job at expanding the market, but they're lagging when it comes to appealing to gamers.

3rd parties are groaning that Nintendo is focusing too much on casual and non-gamers and for the most part, they're right. Now I don't think that's reason enough for publishers to shy away from putting "hardcore" games on Wii since not everyone who owns Wii and/or DS fits the casual demographic. Rather, I think Nintendo is contributing to the mindset these companies have of Wii and that's no good either. Who's to blame? They're both to blame. Get some "hardcore" games on Wii, dammit!

[GoldenPhoenix]

Mario 3 tomorrow?!?! Woohoo.

[Mashiro]

So . . . Mario Galaxy is supposed to have hardcore commercials to help promote hardcore gamers to the Wii?

Just . . . just think about that for a second lol. I'm sure a hardcore Mario commercial will get all those Halo people over to Wii. That'll do it

Nintendo was never ever ever about the hardcore market so why should it be Nintendo's responsibility to spread this "hardcore" image for the Wii? The closest Nintendo will ever come to being hardcore is Metroid Prime 3. Why? because appealing to the hardcore goes against their philosophy at the moment. The philosophy is to make games everyone can enjoy. That's Nintendo's goal. Not to make the next Halo on Wii or something for a "hardcore" experience.

At the end of the day people wanting a hardcore gaming experience will pick up a 360 or PS3 that's just how it is going to be.