Video Game Idea

Welcome to my 100th post on Newman's Narratives. For my 100th post - I'm going to post a video game idea that I've had for years...but just now figured out how to make it work.

The game would be entitled Mario and Sonic. It would be an adventure platformer akin to Super Mario Galaxy in gameplay with some intermixed high speed levels. The plot is as follows -

An FMV opens with Mario and Luigi walking with Princess Peach in the Mushroom Kingdom. The Kingdom is at peace and the people are having a celebration akin to the beginning of Super Mario Galaxy. An envoy from the neighboring Robo-Kingdom has come offering a peace treaty to the Princess. The envoy is Metal Sonic and he hands the Princess a letter which, when opened, causes smoke to fill the room. Metal Sonic grabs the Princess and flees the scene at high speed while the Mario Brothers cough and wheeze in the smoke filled room.

Sonic and Tails are racing in the Green Hill Zone. The two are just zipping along frantically with Amy following the two of them yelling, "Wait up, Sonic." That's when Sonic trips over what appears to be a small, brown mushroom. The Mushroom then stands up, it's a Goomba. The Goomba whistles and a small army of Goomba's surround Sonic. He goes on the attack (similar to the intro to Sonic Unleashed), taking out a number of Goombas. All the while, a Hammer Brother sneaks from behind and grabs Amy.

We then pan to room with a large, round metallic table. Two shadowy figures enter the room and shake hands - it's then revealed to be Dr. Eggman and Bowser. Eggman then says, "This plan is foolproof and when completed, we will easily capture our respective worlds." The two then laugh as they fade to the intro screen.

The idea for the game would be that Bowser would be going after Sonic and Eggman after the Mario Brothers. Gameplay would go back and forth between Mario and Sonic levels. Starting with Mario (or Luigi allowing the player to pick from the start and freely switch), the levels would be akin to Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Galaxy levels. Sonic levels will be like Mario levels, but faster. Sonic levels will have more straightaways. Halfway through the game - the two meet up and, simultaneously, Eggman betrays Bowser - implanting him with a robotic chip which makes Bowser his drone. The remainder of the game involves Mario, Luigi, Tails, and Sonic fighting Eggman's minions, Bowser's minions (controlled by Eggman), and eventually the two of them. It would make sense to allow the player to switch freely between the four characters - and it would be awesome to allow Co-Op mode where one player is Mario and the other Luigi - or, when the point is reached - allowing one player to be Sonic and the other Mario or Luigi or Tails.

I think there's a lot that can be done in a crossover game, that could be much more exciting than the two sets of characters meeting at the Olympics. Don't get me wrong - I love Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games, but I think that a richer gaming experience could be created with a teamup game. Thoughts area always welcome.

3 Wii Games

If I knew a person who was just getting a Wii, I'd have to go out of my way and tell them to get the following games. Stat.

• Sonic and the Secret Rings - I gave a brief review of the game before, read that first. Basically, here's the deal with SSR -- it's fun, fast paced platforming action that gives you a great tutorial section to learn the ropes of the game AND has the equivalent to Mario Party with Sonic characters for a great multi-player mode. Not only that, the party mode is really easy to pick up and has proven to provide hours upon hours of fun for my 4 and 5 year old siblings...in addition to myself, my wife, and my 23 year old sister from time to time.
• Wii Play - I get it, it's not the greatest game in the world, but hear me out. First, you get a new controller. Second, you get a fun, albeit too brief, shooting gallery game. Next, it's got a great 9-ball (billiards) game. Add on an awesome little tank game and it's already worth the 10 dollars more than buying a new controller alone. I haven't played it in a while, but I don't feel like I wasted any money on this game. Worth the price.
• Super Paper Mario - Of all the games I list, not Super Mario Galaxy (which is amazing and perhaps one of the greatest games of all time) and not Super Smash Bros Brawl (which is incredibly fun, especially with groups), why did I pick Super Paper Mario? Super Paper Mario has some stuff that most other games don't -- an engrossing plot, amazing gameplay, replay value, and a ton of interesting stuff to explore. It's got exciting characters, humorous adventures, and great gameplay! It's shift from 2D to 3D and the different character powers/Pixls...including a few hidden ones, make the game awesome. I still go back to this game constantly trying to see if I can best the two Pits of 100 Trials. Why else did I include this game? It's cheaper than SMG or SMBB and is equally as much fun.

So, for the most bang for your buck -- these are the first three games I'd suggest picking up for any new Wii owner. Each one well worth the price of admission. If you want some more quick picks -- here're two that are bargain priced --

• Link's Crossbow Training -- Fun, cheap, shooting game with better than you'd expect gameplay.
  
• Balloon Pop -- Fun, puzzle game.