Is Mario simply Nintendo's new "Seal of Approval"

[SteveZim1017]

He really doesnt have a personality and most of his games have no real plot. People trust that almost any game with the plumber will be polished and perfected and worthy of purchase.

Placing Mario in a game seems to be simply Nintando's way of saying "this is a game we stand behind."

 

[Optimus Hagrid]

No real plot? You played any of the RPGs lately? (although it's likely you have, looking at your avatar) They're full of awesome, lovable characters. And who gives a damn about plot anyway, most of the games are about racing karts or jumping about intricate platforms and baddies, you play them for fun.

I do think they should branch out into the other franchises a litter better though, preferably into the F-Zero, Starfox and Mother series, rather than just slapping Mario on everything.

 

[yellowhead]

If Mario games were supposed to have a large emphasis on narrative then it's fair enough to criticize, but the focus is the gameplay. So just play the game, have fun, end of.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

*cough cough* Super Mario RPG!!! *Cough*

but does it really matter? Mario's games are all about fun and the having it. If you need a deep driven story plot just to have fun then something is wrong with you.

Edit: i think you're contradicting yourself having a picture of Bowser in your avatar.

 

[Cabisco]

i'd disagree, the Mario Character is used more as a means to sell a game rather than a seal of approval, I mean their has been alot of bad games that included him so i'd see him just as a cash cow. That said however the best games on the Wii (imo) do seem to include Mario, so I can see your point. I think a better way to look at it is that Mario will just be on nearly all Nintendo games, to show it's a nintendo game and appeal to Mario fans/people who remember good Mario games (they have alot of them to remember).

Their is always the case that Nintendo are just lazy, I think their is enough evidence to suggest this and their serial use of Mario would support that claim. I'd like to see them come up with a new mascot, would be interesting to watch.

 

[thiosk]

One can generally count on mario for compelling gameplay, unlike the vast majority of sleeper console garbage that has been out there over the past decade.

Discounting, of course, the silly mario games, like the olympics.

 

[Gigaguy64]

No, quality gameplay with ideas that work is Nintendo's seal of approval.

Yes there is Shovelware, what system doesn't have it?

But almost all of the Mario games have been great, and if you want story then the Mario RPGs are what you should play.

 

[Drakmeire]

Any game with Link in it also sells like wildfire. in the end any game made directly by Nintendo is usually pretty good so you can trust that.

 

[NiceGurl_14]

Well, Mario has been around for 30 yrs and he's been in over 200 games. They use him because he is a recognizable figure in the gaming community and like some of the others have said, his games are more about the fun than about the shiny graphics.

 

[Aura Guardian]

No, quality gameplay with ideas that work is Nintendo's seal of approval.

Yes there is Shovelware, what system doesn't have it?

But almost all of the Mario games have been great, and if you want story then the Mario RPGs are what you should play.

That was Nintendo's mantra in 1985. I believe they've changed it to "Wii make money!", as of November 2006.

And yes all systems have shovelware, but what system has it in the overwhelming percentage that Wii boasts? Besides the Atari 2600.

The PS2 has a ton of shovelware too.

"He's the gaming world's answer to Ronald McDonald."
And what do you mean by that?

 

[Gigaguy64]

No, quality gameplay with ideas that work is Nintendo's seal of approval.

Yes there is Shovelware, what system doesn't have it?

But almost all of the Mario games have been great, and if you want story then the Mario RPGs are what you should play.

That was Nintendo's mantra in 1985. I believe they've changed it to "Wii make money!", as of November 2006.

And yes all systems have shovelware, but what system has it in the overwhelming percentage that Wii boasts? Besides the Atari 2600.

The Playstation 2.

From what i have seen it STILL has more Shovelware than the Wii.
Im hoping the Ps3 doesn't start to go down that path as well.

And if Nintendo keeps making games like Muramasa:The Demon Blade, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Tatsunoko VS Capcom, SSBB, No More Heroes 2, Red Steel 2, and Monster Hunter Tri then im fine with them making money of Shovelware as well.

 

[SteveZim1017]

I want to point out I said MOST mario games don't have plots. I Love the mario RPG and paper mario's myself (thousand year door being one of my favorite of all time). but between the Super Marios and spin offs they are in the minority

 

[Cherry Cola]

No, quality gameplay with ideas that work is Nintendo's seal of approval.

Yes there is Shovelware, what system doesn't have it?

But almost all of the Mario games have been great, and if you want story then the Mario RPGs are what you should play.

That was Nintendo's mantra in 1985. I believe they've changed it to "Wii make money!", as of November 2006.

And yes all systems have shovelware, but what system has it in the overwhelming percentage that Wii boasts? Besides the Atari 2600.

The PS2 has a ton of shovelware too.

Has there actually been a game released for the PS2 since the PS3 that wasn't either shovelware, a movie licensed game, or an inferior version compared to the PS3?

I can't recall one...

 

[Gigaguy64]

I want to point out I said MOST mario games don't have plots. I Love the mario RPG and paper mario's myself (thousand year door being one of my favorite of all time). but between the Super Marios and spin offs they are in the minority

But the games like Super Mario World were so fun and played so well they didn't need a story.

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

Their is always the case that Nintendo are just lazy, I think their is enough evidence to suggest this and their serial use of Mario would support that claim. I'd like to see them come up with a new mascot, would be interesting to watch.

This annoys and enrages me, Nintendo have designed, developed and invested over 20 years in Mario, why should they throw that away, it's alright for Microsoft and Sony because they don't actually own or design anything worth representing them, all Nintendo's biggest games worthy of being mascots are all Nintendo (with the exception of Rare's work), Sony could possibly claim the monkeys from Ape Escape but that's it and Microsoft have done nothing. Crash, Snake, Lara, Masterchef....Blinx? None of these are mascots for their company but mascots for a console. Mario is a classic character, Nintendo changing him is the same as the KFC colonel being shown the door and being replaced by the KFC fish

 

[SteveZim1017]

*cough cough* Super Mario RPG!!! *Cough*

but does it really matter? Mario's games are all about fun and the having it. If you need a deep driven story plot just to have fun then something is wrong with you.

Edit: i think you're contradicting yourself having a picture of Bowser in your avatar.

I want to make sure there is no mistake. I LOVE the plumber, I probably qualify as a Mario fanboy. I don't think Mario NEEDS a plot for his game other than the standard rescue of Peach.

This actually came from reading comments on a Mario Galaxy 2 review and seeing all the "oh its mario, the same game for 20 years..."

I want to smack those people and tell them that the only thing similar between all the mario games is that they are fun. that having him on the box means a good time, thus the "seal of approval"

I meant it as a good thing not a bad one (mario forgive me!!)