E3 06: Super Mario Galaxy First Look

LOS ANGELES--Nintendo didn't take long in its annual pre-Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference to reveal a number of new games for its forthcoming console. One of these was Super Mario Galaxy, which will be the first Mario game in the series proper since Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube. The game's colorful visual style was unmistakably Mario, though the quality of the graphics on display was clearly superior to those we've seen on the GameCube. However, Nintendo is quick to note that the Wii is not just about graphics, and to that end, the game should take advantage of the Wii remote and nunchaku attachment to allow Mario to perform some surprising new moves. The footage of the game shown was fairly brief but left us anxious to see more of Nintendo's mascot character on his new home.

The title of the game is a reference to the fact that, apparently, Super Mario Galaxy will take the series into space. Some of Mario's new abilities will have him literally swimming through space to his next destination. We caught brief glimpses of this, and although it seemed unusual, it captured the whimsical spirit of the series. We also saw glimpses of Mario getting bombarded by angry Bullet Bills and taking on a large, fiery octopus boss. Nintendo stated that players would be able to make Mario bat away objects by using the Wii remote. What's more, the game looks like it's going to play with the player's sense of direction, not just by making the rotund plumber travel through space, but also by running around the surface of curved planetoids and more.

Development of Super Mario Galaxy is reportedly being supervised by legendary series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. While Nintendo admitted that the company will need more than just its classic franchises to make the Wii a success, it was great to see Mario back in action. We'll bring you more on Super Mario Galaxy soon.