I don't speak up here much anymore, and I never actually had anything to do with this the first time around, so I don't know how much room I have to speak.

It's been a very long time since I tried playing SMWCP, but from what I remember, I never finished it due to difficulty, and one of the things that bugged me was that Mario and Luigi actually talked. Traditionally, other than accented gibberish and assorted WAHOOs, the brothers have been silent protagonists.

I understand that some people liked the cutscenes, so I'd recommend altering the plot to have somebody go with them. I've been planning a fan-game (I plan on using an engine that somebody I've been talking to has been working on and releasing test versions for people to work with and give feedback), and figured that having a random Toad go with Mario as a sort of vocal companion would work well. It's a character that can have any sort of personality you want, so having them play the straight man to the general logic of the Mushroom Kingdom, or devising ideas that Mario/Luigi wouldn't have thought of (using assorted junk laying around to build a Bullet-Bill "Rocket-Powered" kart to get somewhere in a hurry, leading to a Minecart Madness-esque level) would work well.

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Current Projects: "Legend of Zelda: Balance of Power" (A Zelda Classic quest)

Traditionally, there are two official Mario games, not fan games, where Mario and Luigi has spoken there, though, the first one in Luigi's Mansion (Luigi gives a comment if you use the 'photo' function of the GB and if you are inside the well, where you can see the room where Mario is trapped, Mario also has a text) and in Mario vs. DK in the cutscenes Mario has spoken too (even with his voice actor!). Of course, there are only two but it's still more then none of the games broken its tradition, especial because they are official. And then, there is Paper Mario...

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Okay, my layout looks ugly.

Actually, I have another criticism regarding the cutscenes. Mainly the use of the death sprites:





Not only does it look odd if you view these cutscens when you're Fire Mario, but couldn't we make spirtes of Mario and Luigi's Super forms in these poses?

On the subject on the probability of making Mario and Luigi silent, I'd accept it if Mario should no longer talk, but Luigi still needs a speaking role. After all, there's no way to play as him in this hack (the 2-Player mode was removed), and he only appears in the cutscenes.

Here's how I think the "Silent Mario, Vocal Luigi" dynamic would work out in the opening cutscene:


One day, in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario is asleep in bed, visions of pasta engulfing his subconcious.


Suddenly, he wakes with a start. What had disturbed him from such a pleasant dream?


Mario quickly checks his calendar, and his fear is validated: tomorrow is his friend Princess Peach's birthday, and he has not finished gathering the ingredients of her cake. All he had left to get were eggs, and he needs them urgently!


On his way out of the house to get eggs, Mario meets his younger brother, Luigi, who had been reading the day's newspaper.

Luigi: Hey, bro. Take a look at this lead story. You still need eggs for that cake you want to make Princess Peach? Listen to this. Apparently, Bowser announced that he's searching for these eight "legendary" eggs better than any other eggs in the Mushroom Kingdom. He's beefed up all his troops and defenses and he's daring us, the Mario Brothers, to come and get the eggs before he can.


What luck! King Bowser of the Koopas, who had many times in the past attempted to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, had inadvertently given Mario an opportunity to get the perfect eggs for Peach's cake. However, Luigi does not share Mario's enthusiasm over the news.

Luigi: Wait! Hold on, Mario! I don't think we should just run for Bowser's castle. Bowser issuing a public dare for us to come and get the eggs before he can? Something doesn't feel right about this. What if he's trying to lure us into-


But Mario is too excited to listen to Luigi's reasoning. Willing to do anything for his beloved princess, Mario hurries out the door, embarking on his latest quest.


Sighing heavily, Luigi joins his brother in reluctance, fearing the worst that could happen...

There. Keep in mind that this is my interpretation on a potential direction of the cutscenes should they be changed in anyway.

Notice how I've altered Luigi's exposition a bit to say that Bowser is searching for eggs rather than having them in his possession. This is so that it doesn't contradict the scene near the end where Bowser explains his plan.

Speaking of which, I think there should be an extra cutscene taking place after you defeat Tap-Tap, showing that Mario and Luigi have not found the final egg, but instead a note from Bowser saying that they are too late, and that they shall fight each other for the eggs they have.





Another mistake I've noticed is that Peach suddenly has a Raccoon ear when she kisses Mario at the end.

Finally, we should change Peach and the cake in the credits to match up with how they appear beforehand.

This post is made possible by this article I've written years ago in SMWiki. Who says it's completely useless?

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Legitimately, I loved the cutscenes in the game. They were pretty funny in their own-over-the-top ridiculous, especially how much Mario was an ass and actually learned some humbleness at the end. I really think we should keep the plot in-tact. Maybe change a few things around it, like certain cutscene passages (though I will admit NES Boy you did a good job "reinterpetting" the scenes and making them silent). Maybe also have a cutscene in one of the sewer levels explaining that they are a transportation method.

- BlackMageMario