Super Mario's visual evolution

Just in case you might have forgotten what Mario looked like when you first laid your peepers on them, here is a look at what Nintendo’s most beloved character has looked like over the years. (GameCube, Nintendo, Retro, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii)

Nintendo has been around for longer than many gamers can remember. The gaming giant has some well established characters that are probably more recognizable than Mickey Mouse. Over the years Mario has graphically evolved thanks to new technology and Nintendo systems. Just in case you might have forgotten what Mario looked like when you first laid your peepers on them, here is a look at what Nintendo’s most beloved character has looked like over the years.

From the top you see their humble beginnings, Mario, who began as small colored sprites and has since then evolved into wonderfully animated 3D renderings. This images not only show how Mario has looked over the years, but it is also a reminder of where gaming started, and where it hopes to go. Ten years from now Mario could look even more realistic and what we see today could look just as barbaric as the earlier Mario sprites. Surly gaming visuals have evolved and will continue to do so.

It’s funny, instead of aging and looking crappier like everyone does with time, Mario seems to look younger and healthier. Now if I could only uncover his secret to great looking skin and youthfulness.

Equality Is Brink Developer's Greatest Concern

At QuakeCon, developer Splash Damage was able to show off their promising new shooter Brink to the masses, including the never before seen Xbox 360 version. Though such reveals are typically saved for press events rather than public ones, it was great seeing the studio reaching out to their community directly. And despite the multitude of platforms their title will make an appearance on, CEO Paul Wedgwood emphasized that no matter which version consumers purchase the controls will be absolutely spot on. (Brink, Next-Gen, PS3, Xbox 360)

At QuakeCon, developer Splash Damage was able to show off their promising new shooter Brink to the masses, including the never before seen Xbox 360 version. Though such reveals are typically saved for press events rather than public ones, it was great seeing the studio reaching out to their community directly. And despite the multitude of platforms their title will make an appearance on, CEO Paul Wedgwood emphasized that no matter which version consumers purchase the controls will be absolutely spot on.

Here’s what Wedgwood had to say regarding the fine-tuning process of Brink’s control scheme:

“So, we wanted to make a shooter to where whether you’re using a 360 controller, a PS3 controller, or a mouse and keyboard, you have the same great experience. That means you need to be able to lean, duck behind things, and shoot over the top of stuff and control your profile, using the Smart System so you can vault and slide, jump between gaps, do little wall jumps and that kind of thing.

All of that stuff is possible because we put so much effort into getting the controller right. For us, we just decided to be platform agnostic – even at the beginning when we were developing for PC we just used 360 controllers, or while at E3 we brought the PS3 version of the game. Oddly, here we are on an Intel platform but showing it with a 360 controller plugged into it. So, we’re not letting people use the mouse and keyboard because it’s nice to prove you can have that depth of control and mechanics but on a 360 controller.”
It’s great that the development team went to such great lengths to keep the controls identical across all platforms, and the game definitely looks great both graphically and stylistically. Check out the screens below, and let us know what you think!