Mario Artist

Mario Artist
Genres Graphics suite
Developers Nintendo EAD
Nichimen Graphics
Software Creations
Publishers Nintendo
Original release
  • JP: December 11, 1999

Mario Artist is a suite of four interoperable Nintendo 64 software titles, developed as flagship software for the 64DD peripheral's unique multimedia and Internet capabilities. A bundle of the 64DD unit, software plus hardware accessories, and an Internet service subscription package was released in Japan starting in December 1999.

Development was managed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, in conjunction with two other development companies: Polygon Studio was developed by the professional 3D graphics software developer, Nichimen Graphics; and Paint Studio was developed by Software Creations of the UK.[1]

Titled Mario Paint 64 in development,[2] Paint Studio was conceived as the sequel to Mario Paint (1992) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System,[1][3][4][5][6] and IGN called Talent Studio the 64DD's "killer app".[7]

Games

Paint Studio

The Paint Studio package includes the Nintendo 64 mouse.
Screenshot from Paint Studio depicting an in-progress drawing of Pikachu.

Mario Artist: Paint Studio, released on December 11, 1999, is a Mario-themed paint program. The user has a variety of brush sizes, textures, and stamps, with which to paint, draw, spray, sketch, and animate. The stock Nintendo-themed graphics include Rare's Nintendo 64 characters and all 151 Red- and Blue-era Pokémon.[8] Previously titled Mario Paint 64 in development,[2] Paint Studio has been described as the "direct follow-up"[4][5] and "spiritual successor"[6] to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's Mario Paint, and as akin to an Adobe Photoshop for kids.[4][5]

Originally titled Creator,[1][4] then Mario Paint 64,[2] then Picture Maker,[4][5][9] and then Mario Artist & Camera,[10][11] the software was commissioned by Nintendo from UK game studio Software Creations. Starting on June 1, 1995, the original ambition of Creator was to design what the studio described as "a sequel to Mario Paint in 3D for the N64", including audio functionality which was later split out into Sound Studio (also known as Sound Maker) and then canceled. The developer described the project's goals as bearing political turmoil between Nintendo's American and Japanese headquarters, resulting in the shedding and refocusing of much functionality over time.[1][3] Ultimately bundled with the Nintendo 64 Mouse, it is one of the two 64DD launch titles on December 11, 1999.[3] Utilizing the Nintendo 64 Capture Cartridge, the user can import images and movies from any NTSC video source such as video tape or a video camera. The Japanese version of the Game Boy Camera can be utilized via the Transfer Pak. The studio features a unique four player drawing mode. Minigames include a fly swatting game reminiscent of that in Mario Paint, and a game reminiscent of Pokémon Snap.[4][5]

Talent Studio

Mario Artist: Talent Studio, released on February 23, 2000, is bundled with the Nintendo 64 Capture Cartridge, and was originally titled Talent Maker.[9][11] Its name is based upon the Japanese idea of "talent", an English loanword pronounced as "tarento", referring to a television personality icon with a background in J-pop and drama. The game presents the player's character design as being a self-made stage talent.[12] It is a simple animation production studio which lets the user insert captured images such as human faces onto 3D models which had been made with Polygon Studio, dress up the models from an assortment of hundreds of clothes and accessories, and then animate the models with sound, music, and special effects. The player can connect an analog video source such as a VCR or camcorder to the Capture Cartridge and record movies on the Nintendo 64. A photograph of a person's face from a video source via the Capture Cassette or from the Game Boy Camera via the Transfer Pak, may be mapped onto the characters created in Polygon Studio and placed into movies created with Talent Studio.[11]

IGN describes Talent Studio as the 64DD's "killer app" with a graphical interface that's "so easy to use that anyone can figure it out after a few minutes", letting the user create "fashion shows, karate demonstrations, characters waiting outside a bathroom stall, and more" which feature the user's own face.[7] The concept of a personal avatar creator app as is seen in today's Mii, is seen in Talent Studio. Those avatars can be imported into the completely separate 64DD game, SimCity 64.[8][13][14] Nintendo designer Yamashita Takayuki attributes his work on Talent Studio as having been foundational to his eventual work on the Mii.[15]:2

According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Talent Studio's direct descendent is a GameCube prototype called Stage Debut, using the Game Boy Advance camera to map self-portraits of players onto their character models. It was demonstrated with models of Miyamoto and eventual Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. With the title never having been released, its character design features were reportedly reused in other games such as Wii Tennis.[16][17]

Communication Kit

Mario Artist: Communication Kit, released on June 29, 2000,[18] allowed users to connect to the now-defunct Randnet's "Net Studio". There, it was possible to share creations made with Paint Studio, Talent Studio, or Polygon Studio, with other Randnet members. Other features included contests, and printing services available by online mail order for making custom 3D papercraft and postcards. The Randnet network service was launched and discontinued alongside the 64DD, running from December 1999 to February 28, 2001.

The disk has content that may be unlocked and used in Paint Studio.

Polygon Studio

Mario Artist: Polygon Studio, released on August 29, 2000, is a 3D computer graphics editor that lets the user design and render 3D polygon images with a simple level of detail. It was originally announced as Polygon Maker at Nintendo Space World '96[9] and renamed to Polygon Studio at Space World '99.[11] The game was scheduled to be the final title in the original Starter Kit's mail order delivery of 64DD games, but it didn't arrive on time,[19] leading IGN to assume it was canceled until it was later released.[20] The Expansion Pak and the Nintendo 64 Mouse[21] are supported peripherals.

The idea of minigames was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's fifth generation of video game consoles, and some early minigames appear in Polygon Studio in the style that would later be used in the WarioWare series of games. Certain minigames originated in Polygon Studio, as explained by Goro Abe of Nintendo R&D1's so-called Wario Ware All-Star Team:

In Polygon Studio you could create 3D models and animate them in the game, but there was also a side game included inside. In this game you would have to play short games that came one after another. This is where the idea for Wario Ware came from.[8][22]:2

The art form of papercraft was implemented by way of modeling the characters in Polygon Studio and then utilizing Communication Kit to upload the data to Randnet's online printing service. The user then cuts, folds, and pastes the resulting colored paper into a fully figured 3D figure.[8]

Unreleased

Reception

The Nintendo 64 with 64DD attached.

Nintendo World Report described the Mario Artist series as a "spiritual successor to Mario Paint".[6] IGN collectively describes the Mario Artist suite as a layperson's analog to professional quality graphics development software. They state that the combination of the 64DD's mass writability and the Nintendo 64's 3D graphics allows Nintendo to "leave CD systems behind", by offering "something that couldn't be done on any other gaming console on the market" to people "who want to unleash their creative talents and perhaps learn a little bit about graphics design on the side".[12] The designer of Paint Studio, Software Creations, roughly estimates that 7,500 copies of that game may have been sold.[3]

Rating it at 8.2 ("Great") out of 10, IGN calls Talent Studio the 64DD's "killer app" with a graphical interface that's "so easy to use that anyone can figure it out after a few minutes",[7] and featuring "breathtaking motion-captured animation".[12]

IGN rated Paint Studio at 7.0 ("Good") out of 10. Peer Schneider described it as a powerful, affordable, and easy-to-use 2D and 3D content creation tool unmatched by other video game consoles although minimally comparable to personal computer applications. He likens it to an edutainment version of Adobe Photoshop for children, and a good neophyte introduction to the Internet. He considers Paint Studio to embody Nintendo's originally highly ambitious plans for 64DD, and to thus suffer greatly due to the cancellation of most Paint Studio-integrated disk games and the application's incompatibility with cartridge-based games.[4][5]

Legacy

Polygon Studio contains some mini games, which appear in WarioWare games of future console generations.[22]

Talent Studio gave rise to an unreleased GameCube prototype called Stage Debut, which in turn yielded character design features which were later reportedly reused in other games like Wii Tennis.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Career timeline". Zee 3. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Miyamoto, Shigeru (July 29, 1997). "Miyamoto Reveals Secrets: Fire Emblem, Mario Paint 64" (Interview). Interview with IGN staff. Archived from the original on April 17, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mario Artist: Paint Studio / Sound Studio". Zee-3 Digital Publishing. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schneider, Peer (August 22, 2000). "Mario Artist: Paint Studio (Import)". ign64. Archived from the original on March 30, 2001. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mario Artist: Paint Studio Review". IGN. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Bivens, Danny (October 29, 2011). "Nintendo's Expansion Ports: Nintendo 64 Disk Drive". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Mario Artist: Talent Studio Review". IGN. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Fletcher, JC (Aug 28, 2008). "Virtually Overlooked: Mario Artist". Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 IGN Staff (January 29, 1998). "64DD: The Games". Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  10. ↑ "64DD Makes an Appearance". IGN. May 13, 1999. Archived from the original on August 3, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Schneider, Peer (August 27, 1999). "Mario Artist: Talent Studio (Import)". IGN. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Schneider, Peer (November 21, 1997). "Mario Artist Series Leaves CD Systems Behind". IGN. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  13. ↑ "64DD English (Engrish) user document". 64DD Institute. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  14. ↑ Mii Prototype Development History [From NES to Wii GCD 2007] on YouTube
  15. ↑ Eguchi, Katsuya; Ota, Keizo; Yamashita, Yoshikazu; Shimamura, Takayuki. "Wii Sports" (Interview). Interview with Satoru Iwata. Nintendo. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Stage Debut". IGN. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Gantayat, Anoop (August 21, 2006). "Miyamoto Opens the Vault". IGN. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Mario Artist: Communication Kit". GameFAQs. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  19. ↑ Schneider, Peer (February 9, 2001). "Everything About the 64DD". IGN. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Polygon Studio Lives". IGN. June 26, 2000. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Nintendo Mouse". IGN. May 12, 1998. Archived from the original on April 23, 1999. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  22. 1 2 Sakamoto, Yoshio; Nakada, Ryuichi; Takeuchi, Ko; Abe, Goro; Sugioka, Taku; Mori, Naoko (April 7, 2006). "Nintendo R&D1 Interview" (Interview). Video Games Daily. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  23. 1 2 3 "64DD Lineup Exposed". IGN. August 26, 1999. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Get Creative: Nintendo wants 64DD owners to create their own games". IGN. August 26, 1999. Archived from the original on August 22, 2001. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  25. ↑ Shigeru Miyamoto (January 29, 1999). "Sensei Speaks" (Interview). Interview with Peer Schneider; Matt Casamassina; translation by Minagawa-san. IGN. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
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