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It's-a Mario World: In the Batter's Box
In case you are a newcomer to the unchecked exuberance characteristic of It's-a Mario World, you should know that we are obsessed with the thematic nuances of the Mushroom Kingdom. From the trivial to the crucial, we like to keep up on what's happening in the Mario universe, particularly since much if its mythology is further developed with each new release. That said, we should no doubt acknowledge the most recent entry into the Mario canon, Mario Super Sluggers.Because we are incapable of making any objective evaluations of Mario-related content in this feature, this is not our review for Sluggers. Instead, think of this as unwrapping the cellophane. Well, tearing it off. Then rolling around in it just shouting, "Let's-a play ball, woo-hoo!!!" If you're not into that kind of thing, or prefer reading a critical analysis, refer to our official game review (I'm assured it will be up on the site on Monday). Otherwise, spread out your capes and fly to our new gallery, in which we highlight nine characters who make one hell of a batting lineup. *Note that this gallery features some unlockable content, and therefore possible spoilers. Now, go read it anyway. It's-a Mario World is a weekly feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated: We'll incessantly ruminate about mustache wax, debate the curious whereabouts of the princess and covet the luminous power stars strewn about the galaxy. Check back here every Friday to find out what strange and wonderful thing has got us tipping our caps. Is your rabid lust for Mario yet to be satiated? Check out this week's new Virtually Overlooked for more Mario goodness.
Mario Kart motorcycles and other quick newsbits from the Nintendo press conference
Nintendo's press conference came as somewhat of a surprise. Even for IGN, who did not know of it and instead translated the live blog of Japanese site Ge-maga. The big news of the event, of course, was Sonic's unveiling as a Smash Bros. Brawl character. Here's what else came out of the event: Mario Kart coming Spring 2008, with motorcycles! Super Mario Stadium Baseball was unceremoniously revealed in a collection of clips for previously-announced games. Nintendo will soon "begin a service similar to the DS Station retail service. You'll be able to download demos from your home." Virtual Console has reached 7.8 million downloads. Even if all those sales were NES titles (and we know they're not), that's at least US $39 million in almost pure profit. "Nintendo will put more emphasis on the Wii Vote channel in the future. You'll be able to put rankings for games that you've played and search for games that fit your liking." The rest of the news: Pokemon Farm, Crystal Chronicles game revealed for Wii Ware Wii Fit coming Dec. 1 in Japan for 8,800 yen Monster Hunter 3 heading to Wii
