How do you solve a problem like Mario?

Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Strikers, Mario Hoops, Mario RPG, Mario Paint� is there anything that the titular plumber can't do? According to Nintendo, there are no limits to his talents. But isn't it about time he gave someone else a chance to take a starring role?

Think about it �no other Nintendo character is farmed out to as many games as our portly plumber, and virtually every game he features in will have some kind of Mushroom Kingdom theme to it, the self-same theme that has dominated previous titles and turned them into almost identikit clones. Now, do not mistake this for an accusation that Mario games are bland and uninteresting- far from it. In fact, I have never laughed quite as much at a game as I did when I first played Paper Mario 2, or indeed Mario and Luigi on the DS,

Mario is both a positive and a negative for Nintendo � he is both the millstone around their neck and the one saving grace of the company. Gamers may deride Mario for the childish edge that he lends to Nintendo games, but the truth of the matter is that everyone secretly yearns for the next game to feature Mario, as his presence in a game is an unofficial 'Seal of Quality' for the title. The company will not allow the 'Mario Brand' to be devalued, so you can be assured that even if the game he features in is not the greatest of its type, it will at least not be a real stinker.

Conversely, Mario's presence in so many games leads to a kind of mental fatigue within the player: you know there will be the same tired-old soundbites, special moves and power-ups that featured in the last five games that he starred in. However � and I keep coming back to this point as most people don't 'get' it, if the games with Mario in sell, there will be more Mario games. As soon as Mario Party stops selling (perish the thought), the company will be made to re-evaluate its strategy and maybe focus on other franchises and characters to reinforce its brand image.

In the same manner, Nintendo are almost forced to keep adding Mario to games and churning out starring roles for the character: he has become the embodiment of success through stagnation. When the Wii was first announced, the biggest buzz surrounding the console was generated in speculating about what the new Mario game would be like, what new innovations it would feature and how it would change the way we play games. These are extremely difficult expectations for any company to meet, and though Nintendo is slowly reasserting its position as an industry giant, one cannot help but feel a small pang of guilt in the way that they are always expected to exceed our wildest dreams. To satisfy gamers and drive sales, Mario must remain at the forefront of the company plan in order to guarantee a minimum amount of success, and this is such a shame as it is done at the expense of really pushing the envelope.

Just like Pokemon, there are only so many times that you can tell the same story and complete the same missions before things become tiresome. This is why I have always felt that Super Mario Sunshine was unfairly criticised: it brought something new to the franchise that had not been seen in years. The sections without the "FLUDD" backpack truly recalled the heydays of gaming where even the slightest mistake was brutally punished and only through daring, skill and limitless patience could the ultimate prize be yours.

Also symptomatic of the problem facing Mario and Nintendo are any and all comparisons with Mario 64, which was the first real 3D platform game and came at a time when gameplay was beginning to die out as a means of encouraging enjoyment. It was a real breath of fresh air that breathed new life into a genre that was threatening to die out. But here is some news for you: It really was not that great. The controls were clunky, the graphics were at very best basic, the camera was awkward and the limited "mission" structure felt like more of a hindrance than a fun way of playing the game. However, as we are all content to wear rose tinted spectacles when it comes to this game, such criticisms can only be met with a hostility born from nostalgia and ignorance.

So what is next for Mario? Well, no doubt a string of sports titles related to the franchise, a new Kart game, another Paper Mario and a Mario Party game featuring a new way to play with the Wiimote. None of these are necessarily bad, but they will none of them be hugely innovative in terms of gameplay and how they redefine their respective genres. Instead all our hopes will be pinned upon Mario Galaxy, and that is why it will fail.

Well, it will sell well and be rated as one of the best games of this generation, but it will still be unfavourably compared to its illustrious predecessors, no doubt illuminated with such wonderful quotes as "Does not have that same 'new' feel as Mario 64" and "Does not quite capture the same spirit as Mario 64". Exactly the same thing happened when Twilight Princess was released, and it will always happen while we allow the past to so heavily cloud our judgements. All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.

Iun Hockley
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