E3: Mario Galaxy 2 is "90 per cent new"
Perhaps up to 99 per cent, says Miyamoto.
Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that "about 90 per cent" of the content in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is new - adding that the figure could be as high as 99 per cent.
Miyamoto was speaking during a behind-closed-doors presentation at E3. He said that when the first SMG game was completed, the development team was left with "tons of ideas" they hadn't been able to squeeze in.
"There was so much more gameplay we weren't able to use, and we were a little disappointed," Miyamoto continued.
"So we thought what the heck, let's make Super Mario Galaxy 1.5. But once we got started, the team got so excited and started making all of this new stuff."
They decided to develop a fully-fledged sequel instead, one that will feature plenty of unfamiliar content. "More than 90 per cent of what you see in Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be brand new," said Miyamoto. "Maybe closer to 95 or 99 per cent."
New features will include the drill you can use to open up stages, and the ability to muck about with Yoshi. But while you can expect new stuff, don't expect more of it - "This game contains pretty much roughly the same amount of content as Super Mario Galaxy did."
Miyamoto concluded by confirming Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released next year. "As long as there is none of my traditional overturning-of-the-tea-table, we should be on schedule," he added.