Nintendo: 'We're not milking Mario franchise' - Iwata

Mario has starred in so many games that it's hard to keep track of them all, and with two core Mario games currently on Nintendo's slate, the company's president Satoru Iwata has reminded gamers that both titles are different and that Mario still offers something you can't find elsewhere.

The rebuttal comes after New Super Mario Bros. 2 launched at the weekend, and as New Super Mario Bros. Wii U gears up for launch at a later, undetermined date.

Speaking with Kotaku, Iwata explained, "Sidescrolling Mario has a special existence in that it really is part of the fundamental DNA of gamers."

On the issue of producing too many Mario games in such a small space of time, Iwata explained, "We only create a New Super Mario Bros. title one per platform. I think we'll probably go ahead and continue at that pace. That being said, that's probably Miyamoto's choice, so I can't give you a 100% guarantee that that's the pace we'll continue at."

But Mario isn't being milked, Iwata continued, as both titles are very different, "They do share a name and there are some components that are similar. That being said, these are two very unique and separate titles."

"We have a Mario you can play in the palm of your hand and a Mario you can play seated in front of your TV. I believe the two titles are unique enough that I wouldn't say that I'm super-worried that people are going to be confused", Iwata concluded.

What do you think about the volume and frequency of Mario games. Too much, or can you never get enough?