Wii Warm Up: Reusing assets

Intelligent Systems has done a great job making Paper Mario NEW again, at least from what I've seen from little videos of SPM. I'm not bothered in the least that the Mario "sprite" is the same.

Now, for a game like Metroid Prime 3, I'm going to expect Samus and friends to look a little cleaner and crisper for the Wii outings than they were in the GC days.

For me, it all depends on the style of the game. The Mario from Mario 64 wouldn't fit in Super Mario Galaxy, but the Mario from Thousand Year fits fine in SPM. Reusing assets works if the style is meant to be the same and if there's no jarring jump in graphical quality.

If it aien't broke, don't fix it. Of course overdoing it like in fighting games will get you booted off the charts.
I reuse art in my comic but try to improve with every new one.

http://madiart.blogspot.com/

There's enough new and AWESOME stuff in the new Paper Mario so it isn't a problem to me!

#2's thinking the same thing I am. :)

While I don't see a problem with it as long as it's integrated well, it can be rather bothersome when it gets rather outdated (see Morrigan's sprite in Capcom vs. SNK series). I figure, as long as it fits in with the rest of the game, then it's fine. Also, if the gameplay and controls are spot-on and the game depth is deeper thanks to more development time for them, then of course, I'm all for it.

Nintendo Fanboys (and fangirls) were always raised upon beliefs that graphics come second to gameplay, anyways. :)

I actually wish Nintendo did more of this. Maybe then we could get more than one Super Mario game per console. It worked on the N64 with Zelda, we got two games that were graphically identical but completely different styles of game play. If it means more A-list titles, then why not reuse it?

More good games, same graphics. Im ok with it. Whatever the big N needs to do to get games out for the Wii is fine by me. Their is already a drought of good games and if this helps then fine. Is it just me, or are the only two really good games for the Wii are wii sports and Zelda??? whats up with that?

If they redrew everything in super paper mario, it'd end up looking the same anyway, i really don't see much room for improvement, he's made of paper... i wasn't at all bothered by the reuse of character models in zelda OoT and MM because they were completely different games and they're great characters to look at. As for kirby, i think he controls best in smash bros anyway, so just use that!

#5 brings up an interesting point wih Zelda, because this question applies to franchises in which people have certain expectations.

Not only was Majora's Mask similar to Ocarina of Time, but Wind Waker was initially criticized for changing the beloved look of the games. When they returned to it with Twilight Princess, some reviewers were critical that it was too much like the old ones (I don't think they reused specific sprites, but they did seem to reuse some sounds).

And on the topic of Super Mario, we had 3 great ones with NES, which is more than any system since, but those looked completely different from each other, so reusing assets was not the reason for their quicker development.

I guess, then, that it depends not only on the game, but on the system's development cycles and the (often irrational) expectations of the fanbase.

I think that reusing artwork creates better consistency. I can understand redoing a piece of art to make it higher resolution or something, but not really for any other reason.

If Twilight Princess had been a direct sequel to Wind Waker, starring the same Link, then I'd have preferred the same cel-shaded art. Since, however, it stars a different Link, it only seems reasonable to use new art, to help differentiate the two.

As for reusing engines, sometimes it's the logical thing to do. Kirby already controlled almost perfectly in Smash Melee, so it was reasonable to use the same engine; all he'd need is some minor button-mapping changes so as not to be able to use moves such as his sword move without actually having the powerup. I would object, however, to using that engine for a 2D Mario sidescroller because it wouldn't feel right without some very heavy modifications.

Something to remember is that Ocarina of Time used a modified version of the Super Mario 64 engine, and nobody complained then.

Basically, sometimes it's okay to reuse materials, and sometimes it's not. As long as the developers use their best judgment about it, it's not really a problem.

It all depends on the game. The Melee engine is great for the fighting and the adventure. They should use it again instead of letting it go.

Is that a butterfly or is Mario being chased by the Decepticons?

I don't see why this would be a problem at all

Especially considering that if a modern game uses the same engine as Unreal Tournament 3, its somehow considered to be "good"

In the modern world, it's basically expected

It doesn't bother me if it is on the same system. Super Paper Mario was supposed to be a Gamecube game. So, SPM could be considered kind of a sequel to 1000 year door. The Wii not really being a new system. Kind of a Gamecube 1.5 with new controller. It is understandable why they use assests from an older game.

Honestly, it would be foolish NOT to reuse assets like this. For example, I bet MP3's graphics engine will power the next Zelda with some minor changes, etc. It's a natural and smart part of the development cycle.

I thought the OoT engine was a modified Star Fox 64 engine (which explains why there was an Arwing hidden in the game code)? But then, I think SF64 was a modified Super Mario 64 engine...

And Twilight Princess used a modified Wind Waker engine (which was a modified OoT/MM engine?)... Hmm...

While MM did use many graphical assets from OoT, I think the graphical quality was upped a bit (see how he has a belt in MM to hold up his sheath, instead of the "Hyrulean Velcro" used in OoT).

@BPM OoT used the Mario 64 engine. The Arwings were just added in by the developers for fun when they were testing enemy AI.

@CubeGuy
No, it wasn't. It was developed using an original engine as Mario 64 tests proved to be limiting for the game.

lol @ Cambot

http://www.qwantz.com/ - 'Nuf said

Just look at the sequel to Baten Kaitos. Not a lot of original content and reused locations. It was more like Baten Kaitos 1.5

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't BOTH of those titles being developed as GameCube games anyway? (I know for a fact SPM was, not sure about Kirby)

**ack, it says GameCube Kirby in the post. My bad >_

I think Super Paper Mario looks really good, so if they are reusing assets, all the power to them. As long as it really is an all new game (not reusing level assets), I don't mind.

http://mostly-harmless1.blogspot.com/

@ mark

i had no idea how that relates to the topic, but thanks, it made me lol.

Joe, you must not be looking hard enough at the Wii library. There are some other good games in the Wii library. Yes, I mean games that are out now. At least, in America. Can't say for sure if the situation is the same in Australia and Europe (don't know exactly what their Wii catalogs are like).

Good games are good games .