Poll: What Did You Think Of The Super Mario Bros. Wonder Direct Showcase?

The game looks interesting indeed, but I won't purchase it at release.
I got plenty other games to keep me busy till the rest of the year.

I was certainly impressed after all. It's a "wonder" I'd even pre-ordered it after awhile too.

I rarely, if ever, pre-order Mario games.

Bowser merging with the castle gave me serious The Fly vibes. Jeff Goldblum as the new voice of Mario confirmed?

It's just me, but in my book these modern 2D Mario games lack magic. They are solid, but boring platforming games. The only outstanding thing about them is the Mario universe.

This game encapsulates what I think a 2D Mario should be:
Colourful, creative and full of secrets!

Reading the interview with Takashi Tezuka about the game not having a deadline receiving thousands of ideas from developers really makes it feel like Wonder was a game crafted out of love and passion for the classic Mario side-scrollers!
#ElephantsFTW #Wowiezowie

Really looking forward to it, I’m finished with the wonderful Pikmin4, so I’ll get Quake 2 next and really Super Mario Bros. Wonder is not very far away. It’s gonna be great, 100% guaranteed.

@beartown 100% agreed with this statement when it concerns the NSMB series. Solid platformers, but boring.

Wonder however does look a little bit more special and more akin to what everyone loved about the original classics. Hopefully we'll know if this turns out to be the case next month.

It looks much more lively and vibrant than the 'New' series. Don't get me wrong, the 'New' series was great and a suitable follow on from Super Mario World, but this looks like it has more Nintendo charm (I'm sure there is some hindsight speaking there after seeing Wonder!). The badges are a great addition. And the new power-ups really scratch my 80's arcade itch. Loved the Bubble Bobble and Bionic Commando abilities.

As for voices. Well, it looks like Nintendo are underplaying the voice acting. To be fair, I didn't find out who Charles Martinet was until years after Mario 64. I mean, the voice was great (and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who initially thought "is that what he really sounds like?") but pretty low down on the pecking order of what I consider makes a great game. So, if Nintendo aren't making a big deal about the new voice, then neither am I. It sounds like Mario to me and that's not trying to take anything away from the man who came up with the voice

2D Mario looks like it is back! Let's hope 2D Sonic is too

Looks great to me..I was worried at first it seemed like a chap mobile game, but after seeing more I think it looks good! I was hoping for amiibo though haha. my beloved Bowser Jr amiibo will one day be mine! I am sure there will be many surprises too (Rosalina maybe?!)

@Sonicka I hope to be positively surprised too. Let's wait and see.

Still can’t wait for Wonder to be released! Great presentation and use of time to show off the game. As for the Direct Showcase itself, well I would have preferred an introduction to Mario’s new VA rather than the introduction of yet another OLED variant.

Edit: Never mind. I just remembered we get to learn about the VA in the credits of the game.

I dunno, I think a lot of folk might be disappointed the Yoshmeister has become an easy mode character, but it's quite fitting for his move set. I actually like it.

I’m glad we didn’t get an amiibo. I’m running out of shelf space for them

I'll get it as it looks like a lot of effort has gone into making it genuinely different from the "New" series, but it's out the same day as Spider-Man 2 so it won't be at launch. Still got a few titles from this year I've not got around to picking up that are higher on my wish list, like Street Fighter 6 and Pikmin 4. Been enjoying ploughing through the backlog though.

I was sold the moment I knew Daisy was fully playable. But the badge system with unique passive abilities will offer even more ways to play the game and I'm excited.

Day 1.
Itsa me. Mario.
A new 2d Mario

It looks solid but seems focused on kids and general audiences. I hope there will be at least 3 bonus worlds with really crazy hard platforming for older fans and veterans of the series for people who want to push their limits and really challenge what’s possible with all the new skills/ transformations. Even Super Mario 3D World has multiple new worlds with increased difficulty but it’s still not too hard compared to Mario Maker 2 custom levels. Hope they satisfy all fans!

Ah, yes ...#ElephantsFTW

2D/2.5D Mario today vs 2D/2.5D Sonic today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ELPcBVCBo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkW4dJ5PF6c

vs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rICEZR9u6UA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTHQgiwxCE

It's interesting to see where they are both at in 2023, given they have basically been rivals since the day Sonic was first announced. In many ways I actually see a lot of similarity there between these two modern interpretations, almost like they could have both been made by the same licensed third party and/or indie developer or something. Not sure I'm entirely sold on either game here to be honest, but they're certainly interesting new takes on the classic Mario and Sonic platformers.

I wonder who you think is number one between these two great rivals in modern times.

I absolutely loved it - to me a 2D Mario game is the prototypical video game so I will always want to see where the franchise is at.

The new switch seems like a missed opportunity though - the game is so colorful and vibrant that a plain red switch seems like a let down.

@Lady_Galadhiel I honestly think your position sums up where modern 2D/2.5D Mario platformers are at (and I feel similarly about the 3D Mario platformers too).

There was a time when such a notion would have been absurd, as the Mario platformers basically represented the pinnacle of gaming for the most part and were simply not to be missed or pushed aside for any other games, at least for the vast majority of gamers. But here we are in 2023, where it's like "Looks kinda interesting, and I'll get to it eventually".

Personally, I think the game looks okay, and it's certainly got a lot of ideas thrown in there, but it doesn't even remotely come across as a genre-defining, world-class, AAA must-play game in the series along the lines of other seminal entries like Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64 for example--not to me.

Still, there's obviously plenty of people who are far more excited about it than I am.

I love the look of it and it shows a lot of promise. It has character and charm which the NSMB games sorely lacked, plus the badges feature and wonder flowers look really interesting. I have a feeling this will be the Super Mario World of modern 2D Mario games!

It was a Daisy's Playable!/10 Direct.

I wasn't wowed, it kind of just looks like New Super Mario Bros. 5, but it's been awhile since we've had one and it looks good so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not interested in 2D Mario's anymore, so I don't intend to get this. I didn't watch the Direct either.

I do miss Mario 35 though...

@RetroGames
Back in the day when I used to play Mario games on my Game boy color or SNES I used to like it and it was far more exciting than it is nowadays for me.
I used to love Yoshi's Island and I would be all up for a new Yoshi game.

I just don't see myself spending 50-60E on a game which I would play for less than 10 hours before I leave it catching dust in the corner.

Me and my 4 year old loved it! I'm so glad they included an easy mode so we could enjoy it together!

I loved it , just a tid disappointed that my favorite character is easy mode … yoshi

It genuinely put me off the game.

Like not enough for me to not purchase it, but my hype for this game went from 100 to 0 in an instant the moment they announced how Yoshi is handled in the game.

I'll still get it and play it day 1, and hopefully I'll still be able to enjoy it regardless (I probably will because the game otherwise looks great), but man.

It did look a bit more conventional than I’d previously thought, if I’m honest (that story bit about Bowser crashing some kingdom celebration? It was exactly the same intro AGAIN). But “putting me off the game” is way too harsh, I’m still going to get it day one, and looking forward a lot.

It looks fantastic, day 1 for me. It's great they added easy mode via yoshi/nabbit.

Love the idea of races and beating friends times.

10/10

It’s looks good, very fun ideas, nice art direction. That said I do thjnk it’s basically a nsmb game with new features and better art direction. I’m not as blown away as some are, but it looks like a solid 2d Mario game that I would play through maybe once or twice

Where is the controversial “Doesn’t matter, I was going to buy it anyway. It’s Mario” selection?

Refreshing. I love the moving backgrounds, where everything feels alive.

Looks great. The huge number of new baddies particularly caught my eye.

Honestly didn’t care I just want the game. It’s Mario I know it will be great

Seriously, this looks like the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World. And I remember when World came out.

It looks amazing!!! The insane amount of variety and additions (love the grapple!) totally blew me away! I haven't been this excited for a new 2d Mario since the original release of Super Mario World. That's right. I was there.

I didn't watch Super Mario Wonder Direct last time.
First time I said like this, first time I have no longer interest to watch Nintendo Direct anymore as I can watch separated trailers of the upcoming games I want to know and to play.
Also, 2D Mario games are my least important games priority so I can always get the game very very late.
Well, you will no longer see me joining in Nintendo Direct Live Chat.

I can tell it will be fun but it didn't do much for me. Character roster is cool, badge system seems like it could be interesting, although unlikely to change up exploration that much.
I like the new expressive character models but the game itself looked more like a refresh than anything revolutionary. Maybe because the world themes seemed uninspired?

I don't really know what it would take to get me excited in a new 2D Mario game to be honest but I'm glad it's doing it for other people.

think maybe I'm just getting too old for this *****.

I was skeptical about a 2D Mario getting its own Direct. How could there possibly be enough interesting info to share? It's 2D Mario and we all know what that entails.

I WAS WRONG!

This Direct showed off so many new ideas (little and big) that I was shocked. I'm excited for this one.

I wasn’t huge on the original reveal and was even considering skipping, but I thought the stuff shown off in the new direct made the game look far more appealing. I wasn’t sold on the artstyle either, but either it’s grown on me or it genuinely looked better in the new direct

Looked like there was less enemies on screen so it felt like an easier mario game for a younger age.

I was a little let down by the Direct--not because of what was shown, it looks fantastic, but rather what wasn't there. I think most of us were expecting additional playable characters, but Nabbit and Toadette instead of Wario and Waluigi or Rosalina and Pauline is a big letdown. The online functionality is bizarre and I probably won't be using it. I don't want a "subtle connection," I just want to be able to play the game online. Yoshi and Nabbit are locked into easy mode, which is unfortunate. Only 7 worlds has me a bit concerned about the length of the game.

But I mean, the levels themselves look great. Lots of diversity in the level themes. I like how even though there's only 7 worlds, they combine multiple environments into one. Luke how one world is clouds AND snow, and another is tropical islands AND caves. I really like the new enemies and power-ups and detailed animations. I'm sure I'll absolutely love this game and all its fresh, new ideas.

I just... expected something a little more from a Nintendo Direct. There was no big surprise, no "one last thing," no incredibly hype-inducing feature like I thought there'd be. Whether an awesome new character or proper online or the return of a classic power-up like the Cape Feather. So that was a bit of a bummer. I'm still very excited, don't get me wrong. But I don't know if the Direct necessarily increased my excitement from the original reveal. I don't think this Direct needed to happen.

They've got my money on this one. The older I get the more I just want video games to be fun and full of that titular word. Nintendo does a lot of weird and backwards things but they never forget what videogames should be first and foremost.

I mean it's nice but like, it ain't no Vampire Survivors...

I haven't cared for the "New" Super Mario Bros games, as they always felt like they were holding back when it came to innovation, and the art style was kinda bland. With this one they've finally given the art a nice new aesthetic and are tossing lots of creative ideas in so I've got a voucher waiting for the release!

I was more excited before.

The initial reveal in the last Direct left me psyched for lots of bizarre and unpredictable new ideas. This one almost literally starts with “here’s the whole intro sequence, now look: map screen! Ice world! Fire world! 2 types of Toad! AND Toadette!”

It was 80% “just another New SMB then, yeah?”, 10% “that’s an unnecessary distraction, disable that day 1”, 10% “ok, that looks fun”.

Disappointed by Yoshi’s new role. Yay for Daisy though! And Wonder flowers

Didn’t do anything for me.

It definitely looks fun and it’s definitely day 1 purchase. I mentioned earlier that it’s somewhat a bummer that most of the characters play identical to each other but it’s still cool you can use Daisy. Looking forward to it.

I was expecting a hook, something unique and interesting that shook up the formula that's become a bit tired with the NSMB games — aside from the refined, more expressive character models, it just looks like more of the same (albeit with disconcertingly verbose flora). Not necessarily a bad thing, but I'm not gonna be buying it on day one or anything

@Dr_Corndog lol. I just realized we said nearly the exact same thing!

I seriously don't understand the "no magic" comments above. Really???? The primary theme is the wonder changes, which literally turn the level magical. I'll be buying most likely day one.

It looks great. I love “2d” Mario. That said… would love to see a new sprite-based Mario. Maybe that’s a “pipe” dream, better saved for the Tanooki Kingdom…

<Shrug> There are some good ideas there, like the permanent power-ups you can choose from, but a 2D platformer that'll take maybe a dozen hours to beat just isn't a $60-$70 game anymore. Even $40 on sale is pushing it. Indie developers are knocking it out of the park on this front. 2D platformers aren't even my kid's jam, so I don't see myself getting it at all. My backlog is full of more innovative games.

It was better than I expected. But I'm waiting for 3D mario.

I'll be honest, the controls looked a bit squishy. I'm not getting the sense that this is a tight-controlled platformer, and that leaves me wary. It mostly felt like most other sidescroller Mario games to me. There's a couple new hooks, but I didn't walk away from it wowed tbh.

I will buy it and I am sure I will enjoy it but the graphics are just still a little too NSB for me to be really excited. My dream is a proper flat cartoony 2D Mario a bit like the most recent Rayman games.

I've just never been a fan of Mario, so I'm gonna pass on the game. But it does look very charming!

When I initially heard of this game I though the last thing we need is another Mario 2d platformer.

There do seem to be some interesting ideas but I'm still not sure if it's worth paying full price for.

I'll wait for the reviews but it will have to be very original and very special for me to buy day 1.

I really don't understand the NSMB comparisons. People don't have eyeballs.

I'm on the fence about picking it up because I usually put down sidescrollers quickly. But it's nothing if not a huge departure from those games visually.

I can't get into 2d platforming anymore. They're like silent black & white movies to me. Wonder looks good, but probably wont hold my attention.

I thought it looked fine. But this year's been so packed with real top quality games that something that just looks fine just won't cut it for me.

@beartown Which games do you mean by "these?" The Mario universe is definitely charming, but the games play incredibly well too. This one looks effortlessly creative in a way we haven't seen from a 2D Mario in ages.

I have a soul, so yes, looks amazing.

I love how this turned out. I also really like the online implementation. I can see others and help them out, without them messing up my platforming! And I'll take easy mode characters over those helper blocks that appeared in NSMB after you died a few times.

@LikelySatan I mean all Mario games with this style of graphics, so basically NSMB series.

It does look nice, and I’m naturally going to get it because every Mario game is worthwhile, but I wanted to know gameplay-wise what would differentiate Wonder from the NSMB series, and to that end I’m no clearer than I was upon the announcement. I’m glad the art style has more personality and that there are more playable characters. The “Bubble Bobble” power-up particularly tickled this old time gamer. But the wonder mechanic still seems too incidental and level specific to really claim that’s a fresh new direction for 2D Mario.

@beartown you think this style too closely resembles NSMB?

@LikelySatan nah, it's just that I assumed that the game would be as boring as these older games. I'm also not a fan of this art style. But maybe Wonder would be different.

I would've bought it for $30, but not at full price. Just isnt doing anything which really sparks my interest at all.

2d mario games are not as magical as they once were...

It is pretty much what I expected and I loved it. I do not mind, if a series stays more classic. Little changes here and there, can have a big effect.

This series is about platforming fun and it is exactly what I was shown. Day one.

#WowieZowie Nuff said! 🤣

@beartown Yeah, SMB3 and World are so much more imaginative, well thought out worlds which feels exciting to explore. They have that "kid in an imagination imbued back yard"-feeling. Even for the 100th time.

NSMB games are so bland. Gameplay is fine, but I don't feel any excitement for getting to the next leves, or finding some secret. Hope this will feel different.

If a new artstyle, the core mechanic being the element of surprise, a shift to a new setting with much larger worlds, a new system for character abilities, a wide variety of new enemies, and more varied new powerups than we've had in a while isn't doing enough for you with this game, then I just don't think you like 2D Mario much to begin with. New Super Mario Bros. 5 this is not.

I'm noticing a lot of pressure for pre orders and day 1 buys nowadays. But for me this is the perfect Christmas gift! Can't wait to play it with my boyfriend or some family members!

@garfreek here here, i actually wish Luigis Mansion 2 remaster was being released then. I just started a new playthrough of LM3 for the spooky season and have this one on my radar for holidays

@Mortenb yeah, exactly. NSMB is like an amateurish game that was given high budget. It has this kind of vibe that weak platformer games have, where every level feels like something to be done rather than an exciting adventure.

@Gofixmeaplate the last option on the poll.

@eltomo Mario 35..... why on earth did they take that game down? I don't even like online gaming but that was great

Great breakdown of the game and its features. Pretty psyched for a new 2D Mario now.

Why can't there be an option for yeah it was pretty good?

2d mario lacks innovation and this is no different. things like the elephant, flowers and worm pipes r all flashy distractions that dont really add to the gameplay much. that trend started w the megamushroom. the blandness and playing it safe lately made it so that any slight changes out of the norm would make ppl go bonkers. the series going forward is dead to me.

This is the Mario style I prefer, and it looked amazing to me.

It was exactly what I expected, but that’s a good thing because I was already super hyped for this game. Roll on October!

@beartown It's you. The game looks magical and full of charm.

@swoose They're trolling.

@Lizuka How? Please tell me how this looks like NSMB? Because in reality, it don't look like NSMB at all.

@beartown You haven’t played it and you’re already calling it boring. Okay.

@Znake Mario games have literally always been geared towards kids and general audience. That’s the whole point of the franchise.

My secret hope is that we get a badge to be able to play as Yoshi WITH damage. I mean they have this whole badge system anyway it would seem like a missed opportunity not to use it to let us use the baby mode characters as normal ones.

Other than that it looks absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to give it a go!

Not a fan. A strong miss for me. Hopefully things go back to normal.

@michellelynn0976 I mean... Like, it just does? I don't necessarily mean it as a slight, more just a general comment, but its presentation is only really slightly different and the core mechanics seem pretty much the same, way more resemblance to those than there is to... pretty much any other 2D platformer you could name, Mario or otherwise. If you called it New Super Mario Bros. 5 it wouldn't be out of place at all.

I know those games are like a bad word for some reason so people are nonsensically offended by the comparison but this does just feel like a logical extension of them rather than some crazy reinventing of the wheel.

@BAN Well, one, the entire point of a trailer is for you to form opinions on something going into it, and two, no one can possibly play every single thing before deciding whether or not they're invested in it. I think the game looks good but if someone doesn't think the same then I think that's fair.

It was a good enough Direct but unless the it had just flatout sucked, I was always going to get this game anyway. The Super Mario platformers, 2D and 3D, are my favorite series of Nintendo games after Metroid.

Game looks great. Presentation was equally excellent. Nintendo at the top of their game.

It was honestly pretty much what I was expecting, and it did not disappoint.

@Lizuka Well, no, it don't. There have been tons of videos showing the differences between them. Even if you don't mean it as a slight, you're just wrong. This one has more animation for the characters and the levels are more organic.

@BASEDSAKRI In mean we have to still play it, but it seems like a giant overhaul of every little thing, including the overworld! It's gonna be interesting to see of people can pull these levels of in Mario maker!

The criticism does seem a bit of an impossible way forward indeed. You run to the right and jump, where's the innovation?!

You turn into balls, have bubbles that act as extra platforms, dig into ceilings and walls and the whole level takes an acid trip sometimes...but you like go to the right untill it's finished!

That's like saying any game with shooter mechanics is tired because you just shoot, duck and run!

@garfreek Im just saying nintendo use to be innovators in the industry. look at smb1-yosis island and then look at nsmb-wonder. the difference is obvious. at least change the end of the level, all those earlier games had a unique finish to each, but since nsmb its been.... flagpole. the games stood unique to eachother while this still feels and looks like nsmb w a new coat of paint and some quirks thrown in. its more than just right to left. do some handrawn animations or do something shocking and bring back the pixel graphics in a cool way like odyssey. it wants to be nsmb still but doesnt want to be nsmb. one foot in the water, one foot out. Im a nintendo fan who plays those early games daily, not a fanboy who buys everything bc nintendo, so Im very passionate and critisism is me being honest.

@BASEDSAKRI Oh I really agree with the flagpoles, give it a rest already! But the rest looks so cool, I'm really hopefull. But you're right. This could still be NSMB with a new coat of paint! Fingers crossed!!