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Prerelease:Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)

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This page details prerelease information and/or media for Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64).


This cactus is UNDER CONSTRUCTION
This article is a work in progress.
...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Super Mario 64 description goes here.

Development Timeline

  • 1991
  • 1992
  • 1993
  • 1994
  • 1995
    • November - The Nintendo 64 (then known as the Ultra 64) is unveiled at the first-ever Shoshinkai show, along with two prototypes, one of which was Super Mario 64.
    • December - Initial anticipated date.
  • 1996
    • April - Second anticipated release date.
    • May 16th - A playable prototype is present at E3 1996.
    • Jun, 23nd - Super Mario 64 is released in Japan.

Conception

Info to Include:

Shoshinkai '95 Demo

Information about Super Mario 64 first leaked out in November 1995, and a playable version of the game was presented days later as part of the world premiere for the Nintendo 64 (then known as the "Ultra 64") at Nintendo Space World. At this point, the basic controls had been implemented and the game was reportedly 50% finished, featuring 32 courses, although about 2% of mapping was complete.

Being the first unveiling of Super Mario 64, it contains the earliest assets available to the general public. Visually, this version of the game has little in common with the retail release.

Interface

(Note: The minimap interface was only seen at Shoshinkai '95. For this reason, no clear screenshots or scans of it exist.)

Nov. '95
Mario64 Shoshinkai1.png
GUI A minimap is present in the upper-right corner, similar to the ones later seen in Ocarina of Time. It can be toggled on or off.
Lives Mario's head is represented by a flat, stylized drawing, and is located at the upper-left corner.
Stars Like Mario's head, the Star counter is also represented by a two-dimensional drawing. Located at the center-right of the screen.
Coins Located directly below the Star counter. They're both at the center right of the screen, making room for the minimap.
Font A very standard bubble font with blue numbering, with the Xs being small and yellow.
Health Mario's health is displayed in a clock-like object. His remaining health is also shown in numerical form, similar to prerelease screenshots of Super Mario Sunshine and final release of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. At this point of development, his health regenerates automatically if he is not underwater.
Camera There is no HUD for camera options yet.

Environments

Castle Grounds

Mario64 ShoshinkaiBeta2.png

An image of a black compass is displayed above the castle entrance. Although footage quality is poor, the brick texture is noticeably simpler than it would be in later builds of the game. There's also no fencing surrounding the moat.

The clearest screenshot of this castle can be seen in a Nintendo 64 patent. The patent is dated Nov 22, 1995, which is a few days before the Shoshinkai trade show. However, one could assume this image was taken before then, as the bridge has different characteristics than the demo one.

Castle Interior

Instead of the green hills and blue sky wallpaper seen in the final, a simple blue to orange color gradient decorates the bricks. Also, the numbered doors don't have their star design yet.

The most jarring difference is the lack of stairs to the second floor area; likely intended to be a jumping tutorial of sorts.

200px 200px 100px

It should also be noted that the entrance to Lethal Lava Land is in the second door on the bottom-right, where Whomp's Fortress would be in later builds.

Cool, Cool, Mountain

The slide area seen in this demo would later be re-purposed for Tall, Tall Mountain in the retail release.

Whomp's Fortress

  • Whomp's Fortress uses a texture-less white Skybox.

File:Whompbullet.JPG

Dire Dire Docks

  • The Water Mine object that went unused in final version is used throughout in the level.
  • The framerate drops heavily in the area around Bowser's sub.

General Graphical Differences

Power Stars

An off-screen photo of the two-dimensional Power Star

Power Stars are two-dimensional sprites in this build, with a design similar to how they looked in Super Mario RPG. Mario RPG also started development in 1995, so they might have shared the same base model.

Coins

The coins also differ from the final. Instead of a star insignia, they have a rectangular indentation instead. This matches the design they had in previous games, such as the original Super Mario Bros. and World.

200px

Audio Differences

  • Mario's voice samples are different.
  • The coin sound effect is very high-pitched compared to the final version.
  • The music in Dire Dire Docks uses slightly different instruments.

First Release Delay

Miyamoto thought he could create more courses, up to 40 plus bonus levels. However, the actual number turned out much lower in the final game, as only 15 courses could fit.[20] According to Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln, Miyamoto's desire to put more into Super Mario 64 was a major factor in the decision to push the Nintendo 64's release date back from Christmas 1995 to April 1996.[28]

Second Release Delay

"On September 30th, Dinosaurs Will Fly!" was the slogan used to promote the new release date after the American launch was delayed from April 1996 to September 1996.

E3 1996 Demo

Info goes here.

Note: compare the assets of this build to the '95 demo. Compare and contrast the interface, castle interior, etc

Also, the final lifebar shape of Mario's head is based on the early life counter icon

Info to Include

Footage

Images

Info

Interviews

Patents

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