Iwata Explains Mario Galaxy

The British Gaming Blog has links to articles on the official UK Wii site exploring the title Mario Galaxy . The first explores the game's origins and gives us a peek behind the scenes of the game's voice acting. The second looks at Mario's essence, and the benefits of the 'planetary gameplay'. The last is all about the sound of Mario: "This time, we recorded with an orchestra of about 50 or so members. Of course, they were not very good at first because they were playing music they'd never heard before, and they are also seeing the score for the first time. But as the day went on, their performance improved dramatically, and the process of recording each track in its final form was actually a very fast one. This surprised Miyamoto-san, who was glued to the glass wall looking at them from the other side. He was saying 'So, sound is something that really changes too!'"

M.U.L.E.

[MatrixManiac]

When I first saw the title I read "Irata Explains Mario Galaxy" as in the planet where M.U.L.E. happens is talking! :-/

Voice acting?

[EveryNickIsTaken]

...and gives us a peek behind the scenes of the game's voice acting.

I so wish I could be the guy who gets to go "It'sa me, Mario!" and "Woohoo!"

Rule 34.

[Anonymous Coward]

> The second looks at Mario's essence, and the benefits of the 'planetary gameplay'.

I do not avoid princesses, but I do deny them my essence. Wait, she's on another friggin' planet? Aaw, to hell with it!

Re:Does it bother anyone...

[Pantero Blanco]

...that Mario is an offensive Italian stereotype?

"From the itsa-me dept."? Nobody finds that inappropriate?

No, because he isn't offensive in the least. The only ways he could even be considered "stereotypical" is his name and accent.

Does it bother you that CowboyNeal is an offensive American stereotype?

Re:maybe it'll be like Star Control!

[Pootworm]

Meaning maybe I can get a cameo in a Mario game, or that Mario has to build slave shields to protect the sentients from the OTHER Terrible Secret of Space?

Re:Does it bother anyone...

[CopaceticOpus]

Don't think Mario is offensive? Consider these points:

• Mario is a plumber. It's a well known fact that well over half of the homes in Italy have indoor plumbing, hence the need for many plumbers. As they say in Rome, "Hey look! It's yet another Italian plumber!"
• The castle clearly symbolizes the Vatican, and the search for the princess is the Italians' search for God. When the game declares that "the princess is in another castle," it is a kick to the nuts of the Catholic church.
  
• It is unfair to characterize all Italians as abusive to turtles, because of the deplorable actions of one Antonio Compagnoni. He left stomped, crushed turtles across the Italian countryside for five months in the summer of 1977 before police finally caught up with him.

What did I just say about racial slurs?

[shoemilk]

Actually, it was "ravioli" not "spaghetti".  Personally, I thought it was hysterical and a nice addition. The first time it happened when a friend and I were playing it, we couldn't stop laughing. I mean it's not like he says "Damn you and your deigo mustache and greasy hair." Also, you can't claim that  Mario got his start as a racial stereotype as he made his debut in Donkey Kong, which has nothing to do with plumbing (the original slightly offensive Mario Brothers game, in which Luigi comes about was a spin-off)

If this interview was a dish...

[Laxitive]

Then it was too sweet. As I was eating it, morsel by morsel, I realized that they had used too much honey, and the taste not bearable. The cooks who prepared this oversweet meal cared too much about honey, and too little about meat. Also, the tea was bad, since it was mixed with rocks from the garden of overused fucking food analogies for christ's sake STOP. I am no longer HUNGRY.

Re:Does it bother anyone...

[meringuoid]

That's not even going past the Italian thing, because most Mario games also reinforce plenty of negative gender stereotypes as well.

True enough - the stereotype that women are physically weak but can levitate temporarily has held back gender equality for decades.