is an interoperable suite of three games and one Internet application for

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...

: ''Paint Studio'', ''Talent Studio'', ''Polygon Studio'', and ''Communication Kit''. These flagship disks for the

64DD The is a magnetic floppy disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was released in Japan on December 13, 1999. The "6 ...

peripheral were developed to turn the game console into an Internet multimedia workstation. A bundle of the 64DD unit, software disks, hardware accessories, and the Randnet online service subscription package was released in Japan starting in December 1999. Development was managed by

Nintendo EAD commonly abbreviated as Nintendo EAD and formerly known as Nintendo Research & Development No.4 Department (abbreviated as Nintendo R&D4), was the largest software development division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. It was pr ...

and

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing cards. ...

, in conjunction with two other independent development companies: '' Polygon Studio'' was developed by the professional 3D graphics software developer, Nichimen Graphics; and '' Paint Studio'' was developed by

Software Creations Acclaim Studios Manchester (formerly Software Creations) was a British video game developer based in Manchester, England. The company was established in 1985 by Richard Kay. They were primarily known for their video games based on movie and co ...

of the UK. Titled ''Mario Paint 64'' in development, ''Paint Studio'' was conceived as the sequel to ''

Mario Paint is a video game developed by Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsm ...

'' (1992) for the

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...

. IGN called '' Talent Studio'' the 64DD's "

killer app In marketing terminology, a killer application (commonly shortened to killer app) is any computer program or software that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as computer hardware, a video game ...

Suite

''Paint Studio''

''Mario Artist: Paint Studio'', released on December 11, 1999, is a Mario-themed

paint program A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to create and edit images interactively on the computer screen and save them in one of many raster graphics file formats (also known as bitmap images) such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF ...

. 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 all 151 ''Red''- and ''Blue''-era Pokémon, ''

Banjo-Kazooie ''Banjo-Kazooie'' is a series of video games developed by Rare (company), Rare. The games feature a male bear named Banjo & Kazooie, Banjo and his friend, a large female red bird named Banjo & Kazooie, Kazooie, who are both controlled by the p ...

'', and ''

Diddy Kong Racing ''Diddy Kong Racing'' is a 1997 racing video game developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The game is set on Timber's Island and revolves around Diddy Kong and his friends' attempt to defeat the intergalactic antagonist, a wizardi ...

'' characters. Previously titled ''Mario Paint 64'' in development, ''Paint Studio'' has been described as the "direct follow-up" and "spiritual successor" to the

SNES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...

's ''

'', and as akin to an

Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Microsoft Windows, Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas Knoll, Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the indu ...

for kids. On June 1, 1995, Nintendo of America commissioned the independent UK game studio

, soliciting a single design concept for "a sequel to ''Mario Paint'' in 3D for the N64". John Pickford initially pitched a 3D "living playground", where the user edits the attributes of premade models such as dinosaursplaying with sizes, behaviors, aggression, speed, and texture design. The project's working title was ''Creator'', then ''Mario Paint 64'', then ''Picture Maker'' as demonstrated at Nintendo's Space World 1997 trade show in November 1997, and then ''Mario Artist & Camera''. Software Creations reflected on political infighting between Nintendo's two sites: "eventually the Japanese took control and rejected many of the ideas which had been accepted enthusiastically by the Americans, steering the project in a different direction after John left Software Creations to form Zed Two, and throwing away loads of work." The audio functionality was split out into ''Sound Studio'', also known as ''Sound Maker'' at Nintendo Space World 1997, where it was mentioned but not shown. By 2000, development reportedly included music producer

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

. It was canceled. Published as a bundle with the Nintendo 64

Mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, it is one of the two 64DD launch games on December 11, 1999 along with ''

Doshin the Giant ''Doshin the Giant'' is a god simulation game developed by Param and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. It was originally released in Japan on December 1, 1999, as a launch game disk for the 64DD peripheral for Nintendo 64. ...

''. Utilizing the

Capture Cassette cartridge (released later in a bundle with ''Talent Studio''), the user can import images and movies from any

NTSC The first American standard for analog television broadcast was developed by National Television System Committee (NTSC)National Television System Committee (1951–1953), Report and Reports of Panel No. 11, 11-A, 12–19, with Some supplement ...

video source such as

video tape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette ...

or a video camera. The Japanese version of the

Game Boy Camera The Game Boy Camera (GBC), released as in Japan, is a Nintendo accessory for the handheld Game Boy game console. It was released on February 21, 1998, in Japan, and manufacturing was ceased in late 2002. As a toy for user-generated content, it ...

can import grayscale photographs via the

Transfer Pak The Transfer Pak is a removable accessory for the Nintendo 64 controller that fits into its expansion port. When connected, it allows for the transfer of data between supported Nintendo 64 (N64) games and Game Boy or Game Boy Color (GBC) games. By ...

. The studio features a unique four player drawing mode.

Minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

s include a fly swatting game reminiscent of that in ''Mario Paint'', and a game reminiscent of ''

Pokémon Snap is a 1999 first-person photography game with rail shooter style gameplay mechanics developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan in March 1999 and was later released in July 1999 in N ...

''.

''Talent Studio''

''Mario Artist: Talent Studio'', released on February 23, 2000, is bundled with the Nintendo 64 Capture Cartridge. Its working title was ''Talent Maker'' as demonstrated at Nintendo's Space World 1997 trade show in November 1997. It was described by designer

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...

as "a newly reborn ''Mario Paint''" upon a brief demonstration at the

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

in March 1999 as his example of a fresh game concept. The game presents the player's character design as being a self-made television stage talent or celebrity. It is a simple

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

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 A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recording. ...

camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-swa ...

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

, may be mapped onto the characters created in ''Polygon Studio'' and placed into movies created with ''Talent Studio''. 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. Paintings can be imported into the completely separate 64DD game, ''

SimCity 64 is a city-building video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64DD. The game and its peripheral were released only in Japan. Gameplay ''SimCity 64'' may have been intended as a sequel to Nintendo's Super ...

''. Nintendo designer Yamashita Takayuki attributes his work on ''Talent Studio'' as having been foundational to his eventual work on the Mii. According to

, ''Talent Studio''s direct descendant is a GameCube prototype called ''Stage Debut'', using the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

's GameEye camera peripheral and linking to the

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

via a cable, to map self-portraits of players onto their character models. It was publicly demonstrated with models of Miyamoto and eventual Nintendo president

Satoru Iwata was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer, video game designer, and producer. He was the fourth President (corporate title), president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo from 2002 until his death in 2015. He was a major contr ...

. Never having been released, its character design features became the

Mii A Mii ( ) is a customizable avatar used on several Nintendo video game consoles and mobile apps. Miis were first introduced on the Wii console in 2006 and later appeared on the 3DS, Wii U, the Switch, and various apps for smart devices. Miis c ...

, the

Mii Channel The Wii Menu is the graphical shell of the Wii and Wii U game console, as part of the Wii system software. It has four pages, each with a 4:3 grid, and each displaying the current time and date. Available applications, known as "channels", are ...

, and features of games such as ''

Wii Tennis ''Wii Sports'' is a 2006 sports game, sports simulation game, simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The 1.0 (pre-release) version of the game was released in North America along with the Wii on ...

''.

''Communication Kit''

''Mario Artist: Communication Kit'', released on June 29, 2000, is a utility application which allowed users to connect to the Net Studio of the now-defunct

Randnet The is a magnetic floppy disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was released in Japan on December 13, 1999. The "6 ...

dialup service and online community for 64DD users. In Net Studio, 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 Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...

services available by online mail order for making custom 3D

papercraft Paper models, also called card models or papercraft, are Physical model, models constructed mainly from sheets of heavy paper, paperboard, card stock, or foam. Details This may be considered a broad category that contains origami and card mo ...

and postcards. The Randnet network service was launched and discontinued alongside the

, running from December 1, 1999 to February 28, 2001. The disk has content that may be unlocked and used in other games in theseries.

''Polygon Studio''

''Mario Artist: Polygon Studio'', released on August 29, 2000, is a

3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...

editor that lets the user design and render 3D polygon images with a simple level of detail. It has been described as a consumer version of the professional 3D graphics suite

N-World N-World is a 3D graphics package developed by Nichimen Graphics in the 1990s, for Silicon Graphics and Windows NT workstations. Intended primarily for video game content creation, it has polygon modeling tools, 2D and 3D paint, scripting, color re ...

, also by Nichimen Graphics. It was originally announced as ''Polygon Maker'' at Nintendo's Space World '96 trade show, demonstrated at Space World 1997 in November 1997, and renamed to ''Polygon Studio'' at Space World '99. It was scheduled as the final game in the original Starter Kit's mail order delivery of 64DD games, but it didn't arrive on time, leading IGN to assume it was canceled until it was later released. The

Expansion Pak Nintendo 64 accessories are first-party Nintendo hardwareand third-party hardware, licensed and unlicensed. Nintendo's first-party accessories are mainly transformative system expansions: the 64DD Internet multimedia platform, with a floppy drive ...

and the Nintendo 64 Mouse are supported peripherals. The idea of

minigame A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...

s was popularized generally during the Nintendo 64's

fifth generation of video game consoles The fifth-generation era (also known as the 32-bit era, the 64-bit era, or the 3D era) refers to computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming consoles dating from approximately October 4, 1993 to March 23, 2006. For home ...

, and some early minigames appear in ''Polygon Studio'' in the style that would later be used in the ''

WarioWare is a video game series, a Spin-off (media), spin-off of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise. It comprises various video games created by Nintendo, starring the character Wario. The series began with ''Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3'', th ...

'' series of games. Certain minigames originated in ''Polygon Studio'', as explained by Goro Abe of

Nintendo R&D1 commonly abbreviated as Nintendo R&D1, was Nintendo's oldest video game development team. It was known as before splitting in 1978. Its creation coincided with Nintendo's entry into the video game industry, and the original R&D1 was headed by ...

'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." The art form of

was implemented by modeling the characters in ''Polygon Studio'' and then utilizing ''Communication Kit'' to upload the data to Randnet's online printing service. The user finally cuts, folds, and pastes the resulting colored paper into a 3D physical figure.

Unreleased

* ''Mario Artist: Game Maker'' * ''Mario Artist: Graphical Message Maker'' * ''Mario Artist: Sound Maker'' * ''Mario Artist: Video Jockey Maker''

Reception

Nintendo World Report described the ''Mario Artist'' series as a "spiritual successor to ''Mario Paint''". 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". The designer of ''Paint Studio'', Software Creations, roughly estimates that 7,500 copies of that game may have been sold. IGN rated ''Paint Studio'' at 7.0 ("Good") out of 10.

Peer Schneider ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

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

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. 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", and featuring "breathtaking motion-captured animation".

Legacy

''Polygon Studio'' contains some mini games, which inspired the creation of, and appear in, ''

'' games of future console generations. ''Talent Studio'' gave rise to an unreleased

prototype called ''Stage Debut'', which in turn yielded character design features which became the

, the

, and features of other games such as ''

''.

Notes

References

{{Portal bar, Video games, 1990s, 2000s 1999 video games 2000 video games 3D graphics software 64DD games Cancelled 64DD games Drawing video games Games with Transfer Pak support Japan-exclusive video games

Artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

Nintendo franchises Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development games Raster graphics editors Video game franchises introduced in 1999 Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Kazumi Totaka Video games scored by Toru Minegishi