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Miyamoto: Nintendo Made A Super Mario Galaxy 1.5

Everyone's excited for the upcoming release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 on May 23 for the Wii, but it almost wasn't to be. Find out what Shigeru Miyamoto originally had in store.

Nintendo usually takes its sweet time cooking up sequels for its triple-A franchises, but only three years separate Super Mario Galaxy from its predecessor. Both games are even on the same console, a rarity for the publisher. In an exclusive interview with Game Informer, creator Shigeru Miyamoto told us what spurred the timely creation of SMG 2.

"As soon as we completed Super Mario Galaxy, we thought we weren't able to include a lot of the new ideas that we really wanted to," explained Miyamoto. "As soon as the project was over, we started making something that we might call version 1.5. We did things like moving or adding stars to levels that were already available. As we made progress with this 1.5, we realized that there were too many things to fit into a version 1.5. That made us realize we should start from scratch and make Super Mario Galaxy 2. That's how we started working on the game.... Usually we wait until the advent of new hardware, but for this time around, because there were so many ideas we were not able to include in the first volume, we thought we should make a sequel to that."

Would you have been satisfied with what sounds like a level pack for Super Mario Galaxy, or are you glad they decided to create a full sequel? And how do you think Nintendo would have distributed such a product, since they don't have much of a platform for DLC?

For more on the new things Super Mario Galaxy 2 has to offer, check out our full interview with Miyamoto later this week.

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Comments
  • I don't care what they did, more Mario is never a bad thing.
    That being said, I'm glad they did a sequel.
  • Sequel FTW!!!

  • I loved SMG, but probably won't play the sequel.

    I think the idea of Nintendo having DLC is something they need to get into, quick. This could really help people who wait for sequels to games like Zelda, Metroid, and others.

  • To promote this game I hope they bring back the live action Mario show. That show was Awesome.

  • Im glad for the sequel. I wouldn't have bought the 1.5.

  • even if its not much of what they expected,the game seems really good, SMG was good so why not SMG2?

  • I'd hate an add-on to Mario. I'd rather have a full game in all of it's red-capped Italian plumber glory.

  • yes loved this game but way to much to play this year haha

  • Wow, I've heard a lot of sequels criticized as being a ".5" better than the last one (Gran Turismo 4, Forza 3, etc.), but I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard a representative of that game just come out and say that their sequel is basically the same game as the first one, but with more content.  In which general direction would you like me to throw my $50?

    Actually, I wasn't a huge fan of the first Galaxy.  I think it's an OK game, and certainly better than the vast majority of what's offered on the Wii.  But show me a shooter or 3rd person action game from 2002 or 1996, and I can tell you how today's version of that genre have evolved.  I'm not sure what makes Galaxy notably "evolved" over Sunshine or even Super Mario 64.

  • However it happened, it is great to see Nintendo do two main Mario titles in one gen.

  • I'm a little surprised that Nintendo was even messing around with something like that, but I'm glad it didn't happen.  I'd rather have a full-on sequel even if I have to wait another generation, which fortunately I don't have to this time.

  • It probably would have been disc-based.

    I'm glad they decided to do this, as the first Mario Galaxy is the best game on the Wii, which is really hard for me to say as I greatly prefer Zelda over Mario and Twilight Princess was stellar.

    I can't wait until you put up the interview! Actually, I can wait by play Battlefield Heroes.

    Free Battlefunds for all Bad Company 2 VIP members! (I recommend buying an RPG)

  • I still need to play the first one.

  • u can never have to much mario. as long as it meets the high standards i expect from  a mario game i welcome more then 1 a console generation

  • i wouldnt have minded a level pack because Galaxy was fantastic, but i like a sequel much better. that way, its not bound by the "limitations" of the first, and there is plenty of room for new ideas. and by the sound of this, there is no shortage of new ideas! May 23 cant come soon enough!!!!!

  • You kidding? Bring on the Galaxy!

  • I feel very ashamed of never beating the original Galaxy but I plan to before this comes out.

    With that being said, this game will be awesome and I think DLC for Nintendo games would do fine, especially for games that have a long wait, or Mario Party.

  • @stormJH1

    he said that it was the same game with more content but then he also said that he realized it was too much content for a 1.5 game so they just started from scratch and made it a whole new sequel game. So its not going to be the same SMG with more levels, its a whole new game.

    And i think this is cool, more mario games like this are always going to be welcomed, and the thought of DLC for mario would just be weird. Mario is the type of game where they either make a full game or nothing at all, cause then they would just get into the habit of releasing DLC and not a full game.

  • I wouldn't mind DLC myself... there's only about 3 wii games most gamers play.... Mario, Zelda, Metroid... I'd probably use my Wii more if I had DLC between releases. Although I'm still sad I bought a console for 4 games.

  • I'm glad for the sequel for the smae console! Rare did it with Banjokazooie banjo tootie on the 64. Zelda does not count since twilight princess was a port from the gamecube

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