MarioWiki:Chronology: Difference between revisions

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(This policy is now in effect. Just try to keep it in mind when editing articles. This policy can be referenced to settle disputes about the order of games in a biography.)
(Rewritten. Much more condenced and clear, IMO. Removed some sections that belong on canonicity - chronology should only be about order of events, not which ones are "true.")
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Although each game in the Mario series and various sub-series has its own unique adventure and story, the Super Mario Wiki believes a greater story is being told by Nintendo.  The various games have weaved an intricate and complex web of stories to form one great fictional history.
'''MarioWiki:Chronology''' is a editor guideline that aims to help contributors place the events of video games, television shows, comics, etc. in the same order throughout the Wiki.  Nintendo has not published an official chronology for the ''[[Mario (series)|Suepr Mario]]'' series.  Thus, the Super Mario Wiki is forced to speculate as to the order in which the games take place.  The list is unofficial and should not be taken as fact.


==Creating a Chronology – Use the Original Release Date==
The chronology below is based off of several concepts.  The first is the release date concept: when no indication of when the events of a title took place in relation to other titles, the Super Mario Wiki assumes that titles that were released first occurred first, and those that were released later occurred later.  For titles released in multiple regions, such as Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia, the earliest release date is used.  For example, there is no specific indication that ''[[Super Princess Peach]]'' occurred after ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''.  However, because ''Super Mario Sunshine'' was first released on July 19, 2002 (in Japan) while ''Super Princess Peach'' was first released on October 5, 2005 (also in Japan), we ASSUME that ''Super Mario Sunshine'' occurred first.  The reason for this assumption is that many other titles reference earlier released titles. For example, in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', [[Mario]] is shocked when a [[Pianta]] janitor suggests that they suck up the [[Boo]]s with a vacuum cleaner, a reference to the events of ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'', originally released September 14, 2001 (in Japan).  Finally, in the early days of the ''Super Mario'' series, each title used to be a direct sequel to the previously released installment, starting with ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' and continuing until ''[[Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'' ended the chain by taking place in the past, when Mario was still [[Baby Mario]].
Newer games constantly make references to the old, reinforcing the point that the stories told in these games are making up an entire history, and the games are not isolated events.  Therefore, when one is attempting to write the history of a character, species, or place, one can basically place the fictional historical events depicted in the game in order of the game’s original release date, regardless of region.  However, not every game needs to be listed in a history or biography.  Some games, such as Mario Party games, Mario sports games, Game & Watch Gallery games, Super Smash Bros. games, Japanese-only games (it is unknown how the rest of the world is supposed to interpret the events of these games, as official localization has not been done), and unlicensed Mario games may seem trivial compared to the rest of the character’s biography ("Mario defeated the evil King Bowser, then played a round of golf with him during his next adventure").  Games as just described can be placed in an "Other Events" or "Minor Events" section below the main "History" or "Biography" section.  That way, we can keep major events in the main body of the article, while minor events, which are still canonical but not important historically, can be noted without interrupting the flow of the article.  Sometimes characters have minor appearances, such as cameos or hosting a mini-game apart from the game’s main storyline.  Once again, the events depicted are canonical, but should probably be placed in a "Minor Appearances" section as opposed to an "Other Events" or main "Biography" section. Cameo appearances in other Nintendo franchises and video games should simply be listed as cameos in a "Cameos" section.


==What’s the Deal with Remakes? – Both are True and Occur at the Same Time==
The second concept used is the age of characters.  We ASSUME that any title featuring Baby Mario without his older self occurred in the past because of the precedent set by ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island''.  Since then, this concept has expanded: if a character appears to have obviously aged between two appearances, that aging is used to justify placing the appearance in which the character is older at a later point in the chronology than the appearance in which the character is younger.  For example, we assume that “[[Family Album: “The Early Years”]],” a [[Nintendo Comic System]] comic featuring Baby Mario and [[Baby Luigi]], occurred earlier in the chronology than the previous comic in the Nintendo Comic System story featuring adult Mario and [[Luigi]].  With the exception of the baby forms of central ''Super Mario'' characters, this concept usually goes hand-in-hand with the release date concept.  For example, ''[[Mario Golf (GBC)|Mario Golf]]'' for the [[Game Boy Color]] released on September 10, 1999, featured [[Kid]] as a boy.  ''[[Mario Golf: Advanced Tour]]'' released on April 22, 2004, featured Kid as a young man.
Often a remake has update graphics and minor changes and additions, which makes our lives a lot easier.  But sometimes remakes have major changes, even an overhaul to the whole storyline.  We appear to have two conflicting histories.  Some are easy to reconcile – Donkey Kong ’94 for the Game Boy is simply expanding the story of the original Donkey Kong for the arcade.  However, games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS (which is an enhanced remake) are difficult to reconcile.  These two games should be noted as retellings of the same event.  They should be placed in the same time frame as the original event in the fictional history, but be stated as differing accounts.  For example, one may write that "Yoshi appeared in Super Mario 64, rewarding Mario after the plumber defeated Bowser.  Alternatively, in Super Mario 64 DS, the games’s remake, Mario was captured by Bowser, and Yoshi was forced to save the plumber."  Both accounts are canonical – the remake takes place in the same order of events in the greater history as the original story.  The remake is simply an alternative version of the original events depicted, and both should be mentioned with equal importance.


==Explicit Prequels and Direct Sequels - Ignore the Rules of Release Date==
The Super Mario Wiki chronology policy also account for direct sequels.  Titles such as ''[[Super Mario Land]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins]]'' may be released years apart, yet the storyline of the second title chronologically makes it clear that the second story happened soon or immediately after the first.  In the above example, ''Super Mario Land 2'' revealed that when Mario came home from saving [[Sarasaland]] in ''Super Mario Land'', he found that [[Wario]] had taken over his [[Mario's Castle|castle]].  Therefore, the Super Mario Wiki places ''SML2'' immediately after ''SML''.
However, not all games make sense if they are placed in order of release date.  If a game explicitly occurs earlier or later in the timeline, it should be placed there.  For example, while ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'' was released after Super Mario World and is the game’s sequel, ''Super Mario World 2'' takes place when Mario is a baby, not a grown man like in ''Super Mario World''.  Therefore, ''Super Mario World 2'' would come before any game that features Mario as a man (effectively making SMW2 the first game in the chronology).  However, the rules once again switch to default game release order even during the games that depict early events.  For example, SMW2 would be followed by ''Yoshi’s Story'' and then ''Yoshi’s Island DS''.  Both are sequels to SMW2, but ''Yoshi’s Island DS'' does not state it takes place directly after Super World 2, and thus we revert to the order of release, and ''Yoshi’s Story'' was released before ''Yoshi’s Island DS''.  Remember, this can also work the other way.  ''Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' was released many many years after ''Super Mario Land'', and many Mario games were released during this time.  However, the story of the game is explicitly stated to take place directly after ''Super Mario Land'', as Mario returns from his adventure to find his castle taken over by Wario.  Additionally, ''Super Mario World'' is the direct sequel of ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', as ''SMW'' is stated to take place directly after ''SMB3'', as the heroes were in need of a vacation following their adventures in the Mushroom World.  Remember, this does not mean all sequels take place directly after the original game.  For example, ''Super Mario Bros. 2'' can take place any amount of time after ''Super Mario Bros.'', as the game does not state that immediately after Mario saved Peach, he fell asleep and had a dream about Subcon.  Any games released between SMB and SMB2 would occur in the timeline in the order of their release.  Just as in SMW2 and ''Yoshi’s Island DS'', any games that take place in the same era as SMW2 but were released before would take place before ''Yoshi’s Island DS''.  Although the games states it takes place after SMW2, that does not mean it takes place directly after.  Of course this is all very tricky.  Not everything can be placed easily.  For example, ''Yoshi Touch & Go'' appears to be a retelling of the original ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'', and should be noted as such.


Okay, that was confusing.  Simply put, here’s how these games should be listed in a history:
Unfortunately, the relation between originals and remakes is one area where Nintendo has left no known precedents.  Because of this, the Super Mario Wiki makes an un-backed assumption that remakes occur at the same time, and thus should all be mentioned alongside one another in the articles.  If one has information that proves this assumption false, the Super Mario Wiki would appreciate it if a user would present this information.  Certain remakes, such as ''[[Donkey Kong (Game Boy)|Donkey Kong]]'' for the Game Boy Color, expand upon and/or continue the events of the original, and thus both titles are considered to chronologically happen at the same time.


==Example Chronology==
#''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'' (occurs when Mario is still a baby; the remake is ''Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3'', which should also be noted in case of changes or conflict between the two) '''and''' ''Yoshi Touch & Go'' (a retelling of ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'', so it occurs at the same time as SMW2)
#''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'' (occurs when Mario is still a baby; the remake is ''Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3'', which should also be noted in case of changes or conflict between the two) '''and''' ''Yoshi Touch & Go'' (a retelling of ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island'', so it occurs at the same time as SMW2)
#''Yoshi’s Story'' (the sequel to SMW2, Baby Bowser makes reference to Baby Mario, thus placing the game after SMW2; however, it was released before Yoshi’s Island DS, so it occurs before that game – this does not mess up any continuity)
#''Yoshi’s Story'' (the sequel to SMW2, Baby Bowser makes reference to Baby Mario, thus placing the game after SMW2; however, it was released before Yoshi’s Island DS, so it occurs before that game – this does not mess up any continuity)
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The Yoshi games about the past, ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', ''Super Mario World'', and the ''Super Mario Land'' games are the only games we know that must be placed in the chronology without using the original release date rule.  ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'' also breaks this rule, as some events occur in the past, while others in the present (the present events follow the release date rule).  Every other game in the series should be placed in release date order, as none explicitly state they occur immediately before or after another game.  Note that ''Luigi’s Mansion'' is not the last game in the series, as references are made to this game in later released games (such as the updated Poltergust models).
The Yoshi games about the past, ''Super Mario Bros. 3'', ''Super Mario World'', and the ''Super Mario Land'' games are the only games we know that must be placed in the chronology without using the original release date rule.  ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'' also breaks this rule, as some events occur in the past, while others in the present (the present events follow the release date rule).  Every other game in the series should be placed in release date order, as none explicitly state they occur immediately before or after another game.  Note that ''Luigi’s Mansion'' is not the last game in the series, as references are made to this game in later released games (such as the updated Poltergust models).
==Questionable Canonicity - Use Discretion==
Games of questionable canonicity in Mario’s world, such as Super Smash Bros. or unlicensed Mario games, should be treated with discretion and most likely be placed in an "Other Events" section.  As these games are not regulated by the same rules as other Mario games, they should not be considered the definitive account of a character’s history.
==Breaking the Fourth Wall – A Fictional Universe in a Real Video Game==
Remember, characters at times seem aware that they are in a video game, as well as being a part of a fictional universe.  As such, one can freely alternate between writing about fictional stories and game elements.  For example, we write phrases like "Mario saved the Mushroom Kingdom during the events of the game Super Mario Bros.", "The player had to press the A and B buttons at the same time to increase Luigi’s attack power, etc."  In these sentences, we have combined fictional stories with gaming reality.  This should not be seen as an error, as sometimes we can only make the fictional clear by stating the game an event happened in, or what the player must do to perform an action if it isn’t already obvious.  Note that characters in video games do the same, and as such we can do the same as well.
== Final Notes ==
Remember, the Super Mario Wiki is not an official source of information, but instead tries to translate as much official information into accurate articles on the various subjects of Mario’s world.  Nintendo is the only official source for anything related to Mario.  We are just doing our best to weave the packets of information they send into a complete fictional universe.  Only Nintendo can provide an official history, but we must do our best to write these articles in the best format possible, given the limited information we have.


[[Category:Writer Guidelines]]
[[Category:Writer Guidelines]]

Revision as of 18:27, August 7, 2008

MarioWiki:Chronology is a editor guideline that aims to help contributors place the events of video games, television shows, comics, etc. in the same order throughout the Wiki. Nintendo has not published an official chronology for the Suepr Mario series. Thus, the Super Mario Wiki is forced to speculate as to the order in which the games take place. The list is unofficial and should not be taken as fact.

The chronology below is based off of several concepts. The first is the release date concept: when no indication of when the events of a title took place in relation to other titles, the Super Mario Wiki assumes that titles that were released first occurred first, and those that were released later occurred later. For titles released in multiple regions, such as Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia, the earliest release date is used. For example, there is no specific indication that Super Princess Peach occurred after Super Mario Sunshine. However, because Super Mario Sunshine was first released on July 19, 2002 (in Japan) while Super Princess Peach was first released on October 5, 2005 (also in Japan), we ASSUME that Super Mario Sunshine occurred first. The reason for this assumption is that many other titles reference earlier released titles. For example, in Super Mario Sunshine, Mario is shocked when a Pianta janitor suggests that they suck up the Boos with a vacuum cleaner, a reference to the events of Luigi's Mansion, originally released September 14, 2001 (in Japan). Finally, in the early days of the Super Mario series, each title used to be a direct sequel to the previously released installment, starting with Super Mario Bros. and continuing until Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island ended the chain by taking place in the past, when Mario was still Baby Mario.

The second concept used is the age of characters. We ASSUME that any title featuring Baby Mario without his older self occurred in the past because of the precedent set by Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Since then, this concept has expanded: if a character appears to have obviously aged between two appearances, that aging is used to justify placing the appearance in which the character is older at a later point in the chronology than the appearance in which the character is younger. For example, we assume that “Family Album: “The Early Years”,” a Nintendo Comic System comic featuring Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, occurred earlier in the chronology than the previous comic in the Nintendo Comic System story featuring adult Mario and Luigi. With the exception of the baby forms of central Super Mario characters, this concept usually goes hand-in-hand with the release date concept. For example, Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color released on September 10, 1999, featured Kid as a boy. Mario Golf: Advanced Tour released on April 22, 2004, featured Kid as a young man.

The Super Mario Wiki chronology policy also account for direct sequels. Titles such as Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins may be released years apart, yet the storyline of the second title chronologically makes it clear that the second story happened soon or immediately after the first. In the above example, Super Mario Land 2 revealed that when Mario came home from saving Sarasaland in Super Mario Land, he found that Wario had taken over his castle. Therefore, the Super Mario Wiki places SML2 immediately after SML.

Unfortunately, the relation between originals and remakes is one area where Nintendo has left no known precedents. Because of this, the Super Mario Wiki makes an un-backed assumption that remakes occur at the same time, and thus should all be mentioned alongside one another in the articles. If one has information that proves this assumption false, the Super Mario Wiki would appreciate it if a user would present this information. Certain remakes, such as Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Color, expand upon and/or continue the events of the original, and thus both titles are considered to chronologically happen at the same time.

Example Chronology

  1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (occurs when Mario is still a baby; the remake is Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, which should also be noted in case of changes or conflict between the two) and Yoshi Touch & Go (a retelling of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, so it occurs at the same time as SMW2)
  2. Yoshi’s Story (the sequel to SMW2, Baby Bowser makes reference to Baby Mario, thus placing the game after SMW2; however, it was released before Yoshi’s Island DS, so it occurs before that game – this does not mess up any continuity)
  3. Yoshi’s Island DS (another sequel to SMW2, it is not a direct sequel as it does not take place immediately after Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, some time has passed)
  4. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (Mario is a toddler is “Past” timeline)
  5. Donkey Kong
  6. Donkey Kong Jr.
  7. (etc. etc.)
  8. Super Mario Bros. 3
  9. Super Mario World (although released later then Super Mario Land, the game takes place directly after Super Mario Bros. 3, as stated by the story)
  10. Super Mario Land
  11. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (although released much later, SML2 is the direct sequel to Super Mario Land, as stated by the story)
  12. Dr. Mario (normal rules of release date now apply)
  13. (etc., etc.)

The Yoshi games about the past, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the Super Mario Land games are the only games we know that must be placed in the chronology without using the original release date rule. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time also breaks this rule, as some events occur in the past, while others in the present (the present events follow the release date rule). Every other game in the series should be placed in release date order, as none explicitly state they occur immediately before or after another game. Note that Luigi’s Mansion is not the last game in the series, as references are made to this game in later released games (such as the updated Poltergust models).

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