New Super Paper Mario Wii screens (in our favorite ratio)
by Jonti Davies 
{ Feb 21st 2007 at 6:00AM }
Since its announcement at E3 2006, Super Paper Mario has made a format shift and still managed to keep a suspiciously low profile. It's a game that has been developed in the shadows, with only occasional flashes to give the poor gaming press anything to write about. At last, though, Super Paper Mario is coming out into the open. Nintendo today confirmed an April 19 release for Japan, which means that Super Paper Mario (like the Wii itself) is going to debut in North America. The new 16:9 screens here show how beautiful the game has become and, although Wii Remote functions are yet to be properly explained, Famitsu reports that Peach's umbrella can be used to access secret areas. (Here come the Super Mario Bros. 2 flashbacks.) We're intrigued to see how Super Paper Mario can flit from 2D to 3D at the press of a button and retain some sort of consistency. America can discover on April 9 whether Intelligent Systems' ambitious project has succeeded -- and more importantly, find out whether Bowser ends up marrying Peach. The horror.
Gallery: Super Paper Mario (Wii)
[Image credit: Famitsu]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Gavin @ Feb 21st 2007 7:26AM
Yay, it is a game that should be for the DS and cost $30 at the most, yet people are going to celebrate it for being $50 and for the $250 Wii. Nintendo sure makes some fine Kool-aid, don't they?
Koopaknight29 @ Feb 21st 2007 7:33AM
@Gavin
Please don't troll the comments section. And call me when they put Resistance:FOM on the PSP for $35, k?
On topic, yay for more Super Paper Mario! This is a game that I have been following closely for a while and was sad to see it fall off the radar suddenly. Hope it'll be another sleeper hit like the previous games.
Rymix @ Feb 21st 2007 8:22AM
/me loves Paper Mario :)
el moco @ Feb 21st 2007 7:38AM
is it coming out the 9 or the 19th??
you're making me crazy!!
Gavin @ Feb 21st 2007 8:04AM
Koopaknight29, sorry but I don't care about any one system or company. I just call out ripoffs when I see them. There is no way in hell that you can convince me that this game is worth paying premium prices for. It isn't just last gen....it is pretty much an N64 game. I am sick of paying top dollar for this kind of stuff.
Baby21 @ Feb 21st 2007 8:05AM
I am wondering if there will be gamecube version coming out?
Might buy it
Gavin @ Feb 21st 2007 8:09AM
Exactly, Baby21. This should be a $20 GC game at MOST. The slap Wii controls on it, screw over GC owners, and charge fifty bucks for it. Hooray for Nintendo fans!!!! What a joke this is becoming.
shivr @ Feb 21st 2007 8:18AM
april 9th or 19th? american or japanese release??!! I must know!
The last 2 paper mario games were pretty much awesome, and I can't wait for this one :3 Paper mario DS... is an excellent idea, but the handhelds have the mario & luigi sagas, so I guess nintendo thinks portables are covered for 1st party rpgs.
byelaw @ Feb 21st 2007 8:19AM
Gavin, your going to burn in hell you for that post you hater :)
pseudometa @ Feb 21st 2007 8:20AM
Goodness me.
It's tragic (and somewhat amusing) to see how worked-up the proletariat are over the success of Nintendo's strategy of fun-before-shiny.
See? We told you underclass-pseudogamer-types that gameplay was what mattered, but you wouldn't listen.
Still, we were right, and you're still scum. So that's fine.
shivr @ Feb 21st 2007 8:21AM
lol @ gavin
trolling aside, what 1st party nintendo game releases for 20 dollars on -any- console, let alone GC? They still have trouble bringing down the prices of new GC games to under 50, even months after release.
Neal @ Feb 21st 2007 8:28AM
Gavin, if you don't like the game, don't play it. If you couldn't already tell, Wii is a simple stystem and nintendo is focusing on fun simple gameplay, they're not getting crazy about graphics. Just because a game doesn't have good graphics doesn't make it bad. Every Megaman games since it went 3d has sucked royally, and yet, they have better graphics than the games before them. Personally, I am 'super' excited about games for the Wii being simple, and basic.
Charles @ Feb 21st 2007 8:30AM
"Peach's umbrella can be used to access secret areas. (Here come the Super Mario Bros. 2 flashbacks.)"
I'm confused by this statement. Peach had her parasol in SMB2? I knew she could float in that game (which is also tremendously useful in Melee, BTW) but I didn't think she had a parsol back then.
TechRat @ Feb 21st 2007 8:31AM
The 2D-to-3D mechanics of this game remind me a lot of that PSP game Crush, especially with these new SPM images that show Mario crossing a large gap by shifting to 3D mode where a hidden path is available. It's interesting how this concept has never really been explored before, and now suddenly two games are making use of it. I think it's great. The industry needs fresh ideas.
bm @ Feb 21st 2007 8:33AM
Yeah this game has extremely bad graphics because you can't see the pores on mario's face amirite?
Gavin, you fucktard.
Intentless @ Feb 21st 2007 8:35AM
13 I don't think they are speaking directly to a parasol because she didn't but they are talking about peach floating.
Deathwing @ Feb 21st 2007 8:37AM
Gavin: Keep practicing, your trolling technique could use some work.
And on a better note, seeing these screenshots makes me very happy that I will have a widescreen HDTV ready to go when I finally find a Wii in one of the local stores.
Jonti @ Feb 21st 2007 8:42AM
Not very clear, sorry, Charles. Just the thought of controlling Peach again (oo-er) took me back to SMB2.
Jonti
Slaziman @ Feb 21st 2007 8:45AM
Gavin just wants to mess with people, 20$ and on the Gamecube, hahahaha even Cars and Ice Age 2 don't release at those prices.
Neal @ Feb 21st 2007 8:46AM
BTW, those confused about the release date, I could be wrong, but I believe the US release is the 9th, and the Japanese release is the 19th. They said Nintendo of Japan confirmed a domestic release of the 19th, so, it would be a 19th release in Japan I believe...
Intentless @ Feb 21st 2007 8:50AM
Read the article!.... "America can discover on April 9 whether Intelligent Systems' ambitious project has succeeded" I believe by America they are refering to the United States of America AKA the US..... And damn I don't have the money for another game...
Thordis @ Feb 21st 2007 9:01AM
funny, because of the 16 games I ever bought for gamecube... paper mario thousand year door was the ONLY ONE actually worth $50 (I rented wind waker so I can't count that)
No offense Gavin... but it's pretty shallow and immature to say a game isn't worth anything because it doesn't have enough buzzwords like 'pixel shaders' or 'volumetric clouds'... who's drinking kool-aid again?
WexusNexus @ Feb 21st 2007 9:02AM
TechRat: Exactly! And that's why I have to agree with some of the other posters here... this feels like a handheld game and should be priced and positioned accordingly... And while I don't own a PSP yet, Crush just may be the game that gets me to buy one... I really like the 3D/2D idea but from what I've read and seen it seems that Crush does it better and with more conviction than Paper Mario, and on a more convenient platform (though price TBD I guess)
Brian @ Feb 21st 2007 9:03AM
"I am sick of paying top dollar for this kind of stuff"
Well then don't buy it, problem solved. As for me, I'll buy a Wii just for this game.
jay @ Feb 21st 2007 9:06AM
I can't wait for the UK release. I'm limiting myself to only the best games this gen though time constraints. This is a definite. I can see this being a very fun game to play.
Alex K. @ Feb 21st 2007 9:14AM
This game looks like a ton of fun. I think the switching from 2D to 3D thing that they put into this really throws the 2D style mario games into the future.
daddycool @ Feb 21st 2007 9:20AM
This is the first Wii game that I'm actually interested in. (Well, because Red Steel apparently sucks.) Now that's two games I can get when I get my Revolution. I wonder will it make it to five before the price drops.
Neal @ Feb 21st 2007 9:26AM
50 dollars is a fair price for this game. Keep in mind development time, people used, materials, yadda yadda, Im sure a lot went into this game. Its for the Wii, so its automatically going to be 50 dollars. Be happy they're not $60 like 360 and PS3.
Nintendo can get 50 dollars for this game, and they will because everyone loves Mario games, and everyone will continue to buy them.
BWT, unless you're a 6th grader, 50 bucks isn't that much, go shovel some snow or cut some grass and make a few bucks, or get a job. 50 Dollars has always been the standard for video game costs, for as long as I remember. They're taking long and longer to develop, and they stay the same price, be grateful they're not 100 bucks.
Myke @ Feb 21st 2007 9:31AM
Gavin, how does it feel to know that regardless of what you think, this game will still go on to pull in more money than you will ever see in your entire lifetime? Just wondering...
JodyAnthony @ Feb 21st 2007 9:33AM
I've got it pre-ordered. Been craving this game since the like 5 second video clip released to no fanfare last E3.
Side note: I can't tell if its funny or sad that people actually get so up in arms about what video games others enjoy. I'm going to go with sad.
FSK405K @ Feb 21st 2007 9:36AM
RPG? No. Some folks have implied that this was an RPG, as the previous Paper Marios were. But this ignores the video from last year that this is an action game. Unless it's changed back?
Luigi193 @ Feb 21st 2007 9:56AM
2. @Gavin
Please don't troll the comments section. And call me when they put Resistance:FOM on the PSP for $35, k?
LOL
Come on! We can either buy it on Gamecube for 50$ without 16x9 pro and without wiimote controls or 50$ ON wii with 16x9 pro and wiimote controls...I don't get what people are whining about. I would have boughten it in a HEARTBEAT on gc but its a bonus its on the wii! I don't care if its last gen, i want a fun game, regardless of the graphics, thats what this game is (if its anything like the previous titles) FUN!
SO gavin, go play your 60$ resistance and what other fun ps3 title there is (none) while i go play my 50$ last gen ported on wii game. JUST STOP TROLLING HERE!
Super Paper Mario last gen, 2d graphics F.T.W!!!!!!!!
Neal @ Feb 21st 2007 10:06AM
For the record...
I would buy a game like Chrono Trigger if it came out today, in a heartbeat.
2D or not, that game is sweet, and worth every penny. If they released another SNES games that was equally as good as Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana, I'd spend 50 bucks on it without thinking.
I spent 600 bucks on a PS3 for what? I beat Resistance in a few days, and there are no good games out for it. What am I waiting for, 6-7 months for MGS4 to come out?
Wii FTW.
Todd @ Feb 21st 2007 10:11AM
People, just ignore Gavin, he's some little kid who happens to be a Sony fanboy.
I'm sure he's completely basing his observations that this is a GameCube port on the look and feel of the game. Maybe he expects every game to come out now to be a fully fleshed 3D experience.
Honestly, I still enjoy the platform and side scroller games. There's an inherit beauty and simplistic approach to them that is lost with a 3D environment.
Hellsing @ Feb 21st 2007 10:21AM
For everyone who is confused about what kind of game this actually is. The Paper Mario series has usually been an RPG with platforming elements incorporated. Super Paper Mario is now a platformer with RPG elements incorporated into it. Clear?
PoorFish @ Feb 21st 2007 10:24AM
The 3D-ish pic of mario crossing that land gap reminds me less of Crush and a whole lot more like Bug! from the Sega Saturn.
vidGuy @ Feb 21st 2007 10:23AM
This game looks great. The graphics are fun, the gameplay is smart, it's full of humor...
I just wonder how using the remote as a NES controller is going to go over, and if you switch your hold when you go into 3D.
Yes, US gets it on April 9 and Japan on April 19. And, IMO, this looks more worth $50 than RFOM, Tony Hawk 75, or RIIIDDGEE RACCEEERR are worth $60.
NintendoFanbot @ Feb 21st 2007 10:29AM
"The Paper Mario series has usually been an RPG with platforming elements incorporated. Super Paper Mario is now a platformer with RPG elements incorporated into it."
LOL when it's put that way Super Paper Mario sounds suspiciously a lot like Zelda II. And I loved Zelda II. :)
Myke @ Feb 21st 2007 10:29AM
Actually, the whole 2D to 3D element reminds me ALOT of an un-released game for the Virtual Boy which was to be the next Super Mario Land, it would go along with 2D platform most of the time, and you could swith to 3D to explore areas of the background, and there were even rooms where it had an overhead view, ALA Zelda. Perhaps the re-incarnation???
Myke @ Feb 21st 2007 10:34AM
Pics for reference to my above post:
http://www.virtual-boy.org/images/Image24.jpg
http://www.virtual-boy.org/images/Image26.jpg
http://www.virtual-boy.org/images/marioadv10.jpg
http://www.virtual-boy.org/images/Mario%20Adv5.jpg
Chris @ Feb 21st 2007 11:20AM
I know it's been stated a million times by now but Gavin is basically the entire problem with the industry. He is the posterboy for everything wrong with videogames.
Jason @ Feb 21st 2007 11:16AM
oh...wow....another mario game...
didn't see that one coming....
....who was it that said the 360 and ps3 lack originality, and the wii had it in spades?
ShaleX @ Feb 21st 2007 11:22AM
I love it when Nintendites argue about how a game has "great gameplay over shiney graphics" espically when we don't even know how the game plays. It's paper mario... but it's not like the other paper marios.... so.. uhm, if the gameplay is so golden.. how the hell does it play? Have you guys played it already? Ooooorrr are you baseing your purchase off of the Name and the graphics.... whups.. theres that 'g' word again.
Personally i don't care.. i don't know how this game will play, so i can't be excited for it.. and much like too many of NIntendo's games, it's so retro-tastic it hurts. Not that i have a problem with retro... when it's clever... (See Super Mario RPG)... but this blatant, make me feel manipulated. (Hey, remember we were cool in the 80s, right? BUY OUR GAME! GIVE US MONEY!)
kenneth @ Feb 21st 2007 11:23AM
I think anyone who has trouble understanding the appeal of said game should check out the trailer at IGN.
http://media.wii.ign.com/media/853/853822/vids_1.html
Doesn't that look fun?
Hater @ Feb 21st 2007 11:31AM
Koopaknight29,
The big problem is that the PSP couldn't ever handle the superb graphics of the PS3, while the DS could easily render anything that the Wii could ever offer.
Myke @ Feb 21st 2007 11:34AM
Hater - The sheer obsurdity of that statement blew my mind. Thats EXACTLY like saying the PSP could handle Resistance, I can't come up with a better analogy than that. The PSP couldnt handle Resistance to the extent the PS3 can, sure they could make a half-assed port with half the features/graphics whatever. The same can be said for this game on the DS, you'd have to be either insane, or you have NEVER played either of the systems to think that is feasible.
Hater @ Feb 21st 2007 11:39AM
"Just because a game doesn't have good graphics doesn't make it bad."
Interesting that every Nintendo fanboy apologist always says this party-line bullshit. When the 64 came out it was the opposite. Every Nintendo fanboy back then had nothing but praise for the leap in graphical capability of that system over the Super NES. Keep deluding yourself. Basically, if any of you cheap ass SOBs could afford a 360 or find/afford a PS3 you'd buy one.
Erik S @ Feb 21st 2007 11:41AM
Hey Myke,
Do yourself a favor and learn how to read. Your pitiful interpretation of my post indicates that you could use a refresher.
Hater @ Feb 21st 2007 11:43AM
Well, looks like my double life is outed...
Duscrom @ Feb 21st 2007 11:50AM
"42. I know it's been stated a million times by now but Gavin is basically the entire problem with the industry. He is the posterboy for everything wrong with videogames."
Jeez, fanboy claws in. you're a better posterboy of what's wrong with the game industry. If one has to drop $50 why shouldn't they expect a complete experince? For a man working minimum wage, that's a full days wages. We're looking at screenshots, not holding controllers. It's natural to judge visuals.
That said, this talk of absolutes is always maddening. So are you saying that graphics should never have progressed further then the N64? Why can't we desire both gameplay and shiney graphics? I think Zelda looks pretty damn good.. and they had to spend alot of time and energy to push the gamecube to such heights. What about Mario 64 and Resident Evil 4.. all extremely advanced games graphically. Final Fantasy 6 and chrono Trigger are up there too... Many man hours spent to push the technology to higher abilities.
Reason why you are whats wrong with the game industry, is that you're so into Nintendo's brainwashing hype to explain cutting costs and overcharging for the Wii, that you don't respect another person's personal opinion. Just remember, before you spout your "Graphics over gameplay" speech again.. for every Katamari, there is an Ocerina of Time.