Super Mario 128

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Super Mario 128 was a name given to perhaps a series of development projects to create a supposedly "true" sequel to Super Mario 64, in the years 1997 to 2005. There has been considerable debate as to which game is the result of these development efforts. Super Mario Galaxy has been suggested as the true Mario 128, given the most recent comments from Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto when the name was given to him.

Contents

1 Origins
2 2002–2003: Chasing Mario 128
3 2004: Still Waiting
4 2005: Set for Wii?
5 2006: Super Mario Galaxy – A New Hope
6 Trivia
7 External link

Origins

The name Super Mario 128 was first coined by Miyamoto during an interview for Nintendo Power as early as January 1997, as a possible name for a Super Mario 64 sequel.

NP: Why did you make Star Fox 64 for Nintendo 64, a remake of the original Star Fox?

MIYAMOTO: We wanted to produce an interesting game design, rather than a new story. Sometimes I ask myself if we should continue this approach. For example, should we keep trying to put all the new technologies into each new Mario game. What comes next? Super Mario 128? Actually, that's what I want to do. [link]

However, no further regular Mario games were released on the Nintendo 64. Focus moved to a next-generation Mario title with the announcement of Project Dolphin in 1999 as the codename for their next console, which eventually became the Nintendo GameCube. In another interview with Nintendo Power (in January 2000), Miyamoto spoke about the next-gen Mario game:

MIYAMOTO: I'd like people to think that the new Mario for Dolphin is something that they've never seen before. That's what I'm thinking about right now. I think I can make an entirely new game experience, and if I can't do it, some other game designer will. I'd like to make a new Mario game that appeals to everyone, full of interesting new ideas. If it turns out that Mario doesn't really fit into the type of game I want, I wouldn't mind using Zelda as the basis of the new game. [link]

The game apparently appeared at the SpaceWorld event in August 2000, with a demo called Mario 128 being shown. In the demo, a large 2D Mario split off into 128 smaller Marios across a kind of circular Monopoly board. This game, as Miyamoto stated, was "something they've never seen before" in the Mario series. It is now widely thought that technology used in this demo was put into Pikmin, using large numbers of characters at once on screen.

In the end this game merely turned out to be just a tech demo. One year later at SpaceWorld 2001, Super Mario Sunshine was fully unveiled as the next Mario game; it was released in July 2002 in Japan, and a month later in North America. It was very similar to Super Mario 64, and not the "different" game Miyamoto had spoken of before. Many people believed Mario 128 turned out to be Mario Sunshine, and the name quietly sank into oblivion.

2002–2003: Chasing Mario 128

On December 10, 2002, IGN reported that according to an interview in Japan's Weekly Playboy magazine Miyamoto had mentioned—and confirmed—the continuing development of Mario 128:

In the interview, when asked about what's next from the company, producer Shigeru Miyamoto comments, "Pikmin 2 and the Mario 128 game that was shown at the [GameCube] unveiling are both in development." Miyamoto elaborates a bit about the latter title, stating: "I believe that with this game you'll be able to feel the 'newness' that was missing from Mario Sunshine. [link]

Miyamoto mentioned the game a couple of times before E³ 2003, but it failed to appear at the expo. Instead, Miyamoto demonstrated Pac-Man Vs. and concentrated on connectivity and its relation to Nintendo products. Mario 128 was not mentioned. In an interview after E³ with Computer and Video Games, Miyamoto confirmed that Mario 128 and Mario Sunshine had been separate games.

MIYAMOTO: In the case of Mario, obviously we were doing work on the Mario 128 demo that we were showing at SpaceWorld, and separately we were doing work on experiments that we made into Mario Sunshine. [link]

Rumors later surfaced that Nintendo did not show Mario 128 at E³ 2003 because the game was very innovative, and Nintendo did not want other developers stealing the ideas from the game. As reported by IGN:

The latest issue of Japan's Nintendo Dream magazine is apparently home to good news for Mario fanatics who were a bit disappointed with Mario Sunshine. According to the magazine, Nintendo's upcoming Mario 128 title is being built around a new idea that's never before been seen in a game. Apparently, Nintendo refrained from putting the title on display at E³ in order to prevent it from being stolen. [link]

Miyamoto later confirmed this in an interview with Nintendo Official Magazine UK, stating when asked what was happening with Mario: "I can't say anything concrete yet—sorry. We're making it, of course, and as far as Mario games go, I want to make this a different—but still Mario-esque—game." [link]. Later in the year, there was a disappointing message from Nintendo's George Harrison where, in an interview with CNN Money, he stated that Mario 128 may not appear on GameCube at all:

George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing for Nintendo of America, told me Tuesday that while a new Mario game for the GameCube is still a possibility, it's definitely not certain. Nintendo game master Shigeru Miyamoto teased a crowd with footage of what he called Mario 128 when the GameCube was unveiled in 2000, but has said little else since. Harrison said the title is still under development, but he stopped short of saying it would be a GameCube game. [link]

2004: Still Waiting

It was then thought that Nintendo would reveal all at E³ 2004, as the GameCube approached the golden age of its life cycle. Miyamoto once again confirmed the existence of Mario 128 in another interview during February 2004, but the game failed to surface. Some believed this was due the announcements of and the Nintendo DS, both revealed at the 2004 show. GameSpy asked Miyamoto about the game after E³:

GAMESPY: What is going on with Mario 128?

MIYAMOTO: It's moving along secretly like a submarine under the water. When developing, we often look at the different hardware and run different experiments on it and try out different ideas. There have been a number of different experiment ideas that we have been running on the GameCube. There are some that we have run on DS, and there are other ideas, too. At this point I just don't know if we will see that game on one system or another. It is still hard for me to make that decision. I am the only director on that game right now. I have the programmers making different experiments, and when I see the results, we will make the final decision. [link].

IGN later in the year got a similar response:

Mario 128's status is a bit more questionable, and although mentioned by Miyamoto in the interview, we're still not sure if the game's a go on the GameCube. Says Miyamoto with a laugh: "We're currently in development with Mario 128, which people throughout the world have been wondering about." The state of the game is in question, though, as Miyamoto continues with: "We're now at the state of conducting various experiments with Mario, so until a release has been set, we cannot make [the game] public." The term Mario 128, by the way, is just a tentative name based on the game's theme. [link]

2005: Set for Wii?

At the GDC 2005, Nintendo's VP of Marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime, stated that Mario 128 would be shown at E³ 2005. This was the point where most people thought that the game would finally surface.

IGNCUBE: So we can expect to see something on Mario 128 at E³?

REGGIE: Yes. In terms of how we're going to show Mario 128, though, it's likely that we'll show it in video form more than playable. We have so many great games in playable form already. [link]

However, for the third year in a row, the game once again failed to surface during E³. During a GameSpot video interview at E³, Reggie Fils-Aime stated: "I can only show what Mr. Miyamoto gives me to show." When a reporter asked if it exists, he responded: "I've seen bits and pieces."

Furthermore, during an interview with IGN Cube at E³ 2005, Mr. Miyamoto was asked about the elusive title. He provided the following information [link]:

IGNCUBE: Can you give us an update on Mario 128?

MIYAMOTO: I'm just really sorry. I think I've given people the wrong impression with Mario 128. With all the questions I'm getting about this, I really feel like I've done people a disservice. In regard to Mario 128, we're currently doing a lot of Mario experiments back in Kyoto. We are definitely going to have a new Mario for Revolution. Whether or not that's 128 or not, I can't really say. It might be a new Sunshine. We're not sure. We're doing a lot of Mario tests right now for the Revolution.

In the September 2005 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Miyamoto confirmed that Mario 128 would be targeted at Wii.

EGM: You mentioned Mario 128 two years ago when we talked. You said if you didn't show Mario 128 in that next year, you would consider yourself a failure. And now here we are.

MIYAMOTO: I'm sorry. Yeah, I got side-tracked with things like and some other titles, and they took some of my energy away from the project. We have been continually working on different projects, different experiments with the Mario 128 engine. The name Mario 128 came from Mario 64 [for the Nintendo 64 and now DS]. With that name, we wanted to say, "Hey, we're creating something brand-new." So what we do on the Revolution, whether or not that's going to be [called Mario 128]...it's going to be a new Mario.

EGM: Since Mario 128 started as a GameCube project and has now been moved to the Revolution, has the game design changed as well?

MIYAMOTO: Well, [when we] create a Mario game, there are [initially several] experiments. A lot of fundamental things have to be in place. And really, Mario 128 really never got past that stage. So rather than having an actual game design for it, it was more of a concept, like the types of things we want Mario to do. So we're obviously using a lot of that material, but as far as the game design [is concerned], we're swapping ideas and different concepts with the Mario Sunshine team and trying to see what we can come up with, trying to find the most interesting direction to take.

2006: Super Mario Galaxy – A New Hope

In September 2005, Shigeru Miyamoto gave his least-vague comments regarding Super Mario 128. Questioned as to the status of the game by a Japanese radio station, he revealed that Mario would have a new character by his side and reiterated that the game would appear on the Wii with a different name. Interestingly, he also mentioned that Super Mario 128 played a large role in the conception of the Wii as did Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64. He went as far to say that the Wii was based around "this new type of game":

MIYAMOTO: Mario is and always has been a concept title from his birth. We are always looking for new ways of playing with him, manipulating him, to create something new and unique. We're in the midst of preparing something special for his future, something never before seen. You'll understand when you see it that we can't quite release it right away. The new Mario game will surprise many people. Give us the benefit of the doubt. I think we'll present you with a new way to have fun. There's even a new character by his side.

Q: Mario 128 will be released for Revolution, then?

MIYAMOTO: Yes, of course! It's no surprise, but, of course, we will rename it. That won't be the only surprise of next year, though. We based the Revolution around this new type of game. Mario 128 played a large role in the Revolution's conception, much like Mario 64 in its time. But we won't just be focusing on Mario. We're working on some very impressive games which push interactivity to the max—games of a new era.[link]

A video demo was shown of a Mario game at Nintendo's conference at E3 2006 called Super Mario Galaxy, which some believe may be the long-awaited Super Mario 128. This belief is supported by the game's sphere-based planets which mirror the spherical playground of the Mario 128 tech demo almost exactly. During the Pre E3 2006 Nintendo conference people were informed that because of the flexibility of the Wii controller, Mario will be given new moves never before seen in Mario games.

In the July 2006 issue of GamesMaster, a short interview with Miyamoto at E3 2006 reveals that Super Mario Galaxy is not necessarily Super Mario 128.

GAMESMASTER: What inspired Super Mario Galaxy and what does it mean for Mario 128?

MIYAMOTO: Well, Mario 128 was a collection of different experiments. Super Mario Galaxy takes a lot of the experiments from Mario 128 and implements them in the game. Because of that it's partly 128 but there are also elements that existed in Mario 128. I don't know when we'll be able to bring those out.

What Miyamoto says here seems to explain that Mario 128 is not a game as such, but more like a project with which Miyamoto developed new innovations which Mario could use in his later games. This appears to leave us with the conclusion that we may never see Super Mario 128 in its finished form, but instead see Mario games in the future containing the concepts which were developed within the project, the first of these apparently being Galaxy.

Trivia

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Event Match #22 is titled "Super Mario 128." In the event match, the player must defeat 128 tiny Marios.

In "Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door", one of the Super Luigi books is sold for 128 coins.

External link

[Six Super Mario 128 movies] – video of the tech demo shown at SpaceWorld 2000, broken into six QuickTime files

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