Super Mario Run for iPhone coming Dec. 15, unlocked for $9.99
More details for Nintendo's 'Super Mario Run' for iOS have been announced, with the game being released on Dec. 15 with a single $9.99 in-app purchase opening up the entire game for users.
"Super Mario Run" is an endless runner title with the same graphical style used for Mario for decades, playing similar to long-term iOS titles "Canabalt" or "Jungle Run." Users tap on the screen to make Mario jump to avoid obstacles, strike objects, and clear gaps.
The longer a user taps, the higher Mario jumps. On-screen items or tiles can reverse Mario's direction, or stop forward progress to allow for precise timing of a jump.
The title also includes a new battle mode called "Toad Rally," where victory is determined by the number of coins you collect, with the "ghost" of your competition visible as you run, and by the number of Toad characters you impress. Progress across all modes is tracked by the number of coins the player has collected, as well as with persistent scorekeeping.
The initial download will be free, and will feature three game modes with limited progress available. The entire title will unlock for $9.99.
"Super Mario Run" was debuted at Apple's September iPhone 7 release event by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the franchise. A set of stickers for the iOS 10 version of iMessage was made available shortly after the event.
"Super Mario Run" is an endless runner title with the same graphical style used for Mario for decades, playing similar to long-term iOS titles "Canabalt" or "Jungle Run." Users tap on the screen to make Mario jump to avoid obstacles, strike objects, and clear gaps.
The longer a user taps, the higher Mario jumps. On-screen items or tiles can reverse Mario's direction, or stop forward progress to allow for precise timing of a jump.
The title also includes a new battle mode called "Toad Rally," where victory is determined by the number of coins you collect, with the "ghost" of your competition visible as you run, and by the number of Toad characters you impress. Progress across all modes is tracked by the number of coins the player has collected, as well as with persistent scorekeeping.
The initial download will be free, and will feature three game modes with limited progress available. The entire title will unlock for $9.99.
"Super Mario Run" was debuted at Apple's September iPhone 7 release event by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the franchise. A set of stickers for the iOS 10 version of iMessage was made available shortly after the event.
Comments
There are stages, yes. There are jumps, yes. But Mario runs automatically and does not stop. The game is called Super Mario Run. It is an endless runner.
On top of that, we don't actually know the valuation of Nintendo's classics as an exclusivity deal. Nintendo's classics are regularly sold in their 3DS eshop, their Wii U eshop and are now bundled into hardware like the NES Mini that is sold out everywhere. What kind of revenue stream those classics provide, and the value of keeping them exclusive to Nintendo systems is unknown.
It's a reality fans have to accept. If you want Nintendo's best, you buy their hardware. Besides the Switch looks pretty cool.
This perceived failure of Cook to make this deal is just misguided & misplaced. Nintendo wouldn't even let this conversation start. Read their interviews over the last few years. Their stance has been crystal clear.
Nintendo makes a point of not porting their games to platforms that they would be poor experience on. Take for example the Shantae games by Wayforward, the games work pretty good on platforms with a controller, but playing it on a tablet is excrutiating fustrating because "on screen buttons" are not a replacement for an actual controller.
Most of Nintendo's games require at the minimum of a two button controller, if not a 4-button controller. The 3D games (eg Super Paper Mario, Super Mario 3D World/Land, and so forth) aren't going to be very good experiences. The 2D games might be playable if a requirement that a controller be present, but I don't see Nintendo ever bringing iOS, let alone Android ports of Mario games. They just can not be played.
There is one exception. The Paper Mario games (Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Paper Mario 1000 year door) have turn-based mechanics that could be touch adapted, and like Final Fantasy 3/4/5/6 for iOS/Android/PC it IS possible to make turn-based RPG's work if you bend a few rules. For the Paper Mario games (and mario+luigi games,) there is a "press the button again for double damage" mechanic that would be harder to pull off because touch is not accurate.
As I already said, the platformer style games are not going to be viable. Nintendo is on the right track with this, and the next logical games to adapt would be the Mario&Donkey Kong Games (which entirely use the touch screen to play.) Another game that could probably be adapted is the Captain Toad Treasure Tracker game, as it the same idea.
It's not really an endless runner there's parts where you could actually stop and wait. I hope Apple lets them use the home button to tap. that would clear the screen for all visuals.
I've had several Nintendo consoles in the past. After I got an iPad 3 and then the iPad Air, I was playing games only on the iPad and really enjoyed it. Real Racing 2 hooked me.
But then I bought a Wii U, and despite it's faults it was an infinitely better gaming experience than the iPad—the controls and especially the game quality. I had forgotten what I left behind when switching to the iPad.
Maybe console gaming is not for everyone and that's fine, and I think Nintendo is making a good move with this Mario game, but moving Nintendo's game library to iOS would be like Apple porting iOS 10 apps to Samsung feature phones.
Nobody should want Nintendo to stop making hardware simply to stay in business. Rather, we should get our entitled lazy butts in gear and start appreciating the great quality of Nintendo's console games by buying their consoles.