Underplayed Gems

Mario 128

Mario 128 cover
Publisher
Nintendo
Platforms
Nintendo GameCube
Genres
Platform
The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A legendary tech demo and canceled sequel concept that quietly shaped Nintendo game design for years.

experimentalcuriousdemo-likesandboxnostalgictech-showcaseplatformer

About

Super Mario 128 is a code name which was reused for two different infamously high-profile development projects at Nintendo in the 1990s and 2000s. Originally intended as a sequel to Super Mario 64, the sequel was canceled and the impetus was reused in a GameCube technology demonstration. As debuted at Nintendo's Space World trade show in 2000, the demonstrated graphics and physics concepts were gradually incorporated into various games through the 2000s. This includes the rapid object generation in Pikmin, the sphere walking technology used in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy, and the physics of Metroid Prime.

Screenshots

Mario 128 screenshot 1Mario 128 screenshot 2

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.