super-mario-25th-anniversary
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Super Mario (Converse) All-Stars coming to Japan
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo released a retread of Super Mario All-Stars. Now, working with Nintendo, Converse is releasing some Mario-themed goods to aid in your treading. This July, Converse will offer special edition Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes in two styles, with tiled Mario sprites against either a white or black canvas. Even the star on the All-Star logo gets a Mario makeover. Unfortunately, these kicks have only been announced for Japan, so it may be difficult for you to look this cool.
Nintendo confirms 'final shipment' of Super Mario All-Stars
Nintendo has apparently concluded its exploration of the option to reprint Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition, deciding that a "final shipment" (i.e., a reprint) of the anniversary collection is in order. It's unknown just how many copies will be repinted, but the Big N says that you'll be able to begin the scramble to get your own on March 13 for the original $30 price. Of course, you could simply "Buy It Now" on eBay for 70 big ones or so, but then where's the thrill of the hunt? Soon the game shall be afoot!
Iwata Asks the Mario team about the series
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., and the release of Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition, Satoru Iwata has gathered up more members of the Mario team for another round of questioning. The developers probed include Katsuya Eguchi, who joined the team in 1986, and Super Mario Galaxy director Yoshiaki Koizumi, who didn't join until 1991. As always, Iwata proves an expert interrogator, drawing neat information out of his employees. For example, New Super Mario Bros. on DS was originally conceived as a fifth game in the GBA's Super Mario Advance series. "After we released Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3," says Hiroyuki Kimura, "people were asking if a '5' in the series would be released. That's right when the Nintendo DS system came out, which was perfect timing, so I thought if we're gonna make it, it should be a new title." Additionally, Koizumi describes the experience of working with Miyamoto on Super Mario 64, which Miyamoto directed himself. While Koizumi expected written instructions, instead he got, well ... "it was just Miyamoto-san and me in the office, and he starts showing me how Mario is supposed to swim while saying, 'It's not really a breast stroke, and not a crawl, but something like this maybe...?' And he was completely sprawled out on the desk doing these swimming motions." This is the part where you laugh, perhaps nervously.
Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary book out in Japan next week
For those Mario lovers who want more commemorative book than is included with the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition, Enterbrain is publishing its own brand of "Super Mario 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book" in Japan on December 9. The 144-page page-turner includes a retrospective interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, a collection of Mario manga, stickers and a poster, and a CD of orchestrated Mario music from the Press Start Symphony of Games concert series. If you don't mind a little (okay, probably a lot) of Japanese text along with your Mario ephemera, you can pre-order a copy from Amazon Japan for ¥840 -- that's about $10.
Super Mario World is Miyamoto's favorite Mario game
Speaking to Game Hunters during Mario's 25th-anniversary celebration at the Nintendo World Store, Mario maestro Shigeru Miyamoto revealed some interesting tidbits about everyone's favorite plumber. When asked what fans don't know about Mario, Miyamoto revealed that the development team on Super Mario Bros had considered using the NES D-pad to make Mario jump instead of the A button. We know, madness. Another revealing bit of trivia: Miyamoto admitted that his favorite Mario game is Super Mario World. Miyamoto liked that the game combined the traditional action of the series with new map features, making players "think about where they were going and what they were going to do next." He added that many of the Super Mario World staff went on to become producers and directors. Strangely, Miyamoto neglected to mention the SNES game's standout feature: namely, that the cape is awesome.
Melbourne residents ride 25th Anniversary Mario trains
As a celebration of the franchise's newfound ability to rent an automobile, Nintendo recently sprang for a somewhat unfitting present in the city of Melbourne, Australia: A Super Mario-themed train. Certain public trams recently received a bright red paint job, and now detail the timeline of the plumber's major console appearances over the past 25 years. Note the use of the word "major" in that last sentence -- we sincerely doubt Hotel Mario made it on board. Upon further examination of the image above, the front of the train actually kind of looks like Mario's face, which is ... upsetting. Like, Mario's supposed to be short and squat -- seeing him stretched long and thin, like delicious, mustachioed taffy, is a truly haunting sight. [Thanks, Dhiram]
Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary hits Europe on Dec. 3
Europe will be able to play Super Mario All-Stars on the Wii -- and, perhaps more importantly, collect some new Mario stuff -- on December 3. Nintendo of Europe announced plans today to release Super Mario All-Stars: 25th Anniversary in the region, in a deluxe package similar to the Super Mario Collection Special Pack coming out in Japan this month. The new Wii package includes Super Mario All-Stars (SNES versions of Super Mario Bros. 1-3 and The Lost Levels), a history booklet, and a CD with selections from throughout the series, through Super Mario Galaxy 2. With all the special edition items in Japan and this in Europe, we in North America feel left out of the festivities. We're checking with Nintendo of America about potential release plans for the collection here. Update: Nintendo UK posted an image and a press release here.
Nintendo reveals Super Mario 25th Anniversary DSi XL [update: now pictured!]
At it' press conference in Japan this afternoon (well, in Japan it's the afternoon), Nintendo announced plans to release a Super Mario 25th Anniversary Edition DSi LL (DSi XL, as it's known in the West) to the Japanese public on October 28. Andriasang's liveblog of the goings-on also give it an ¥18000 ($215) price point. Unfortunately, like all other things regarding Super Mario's big two five, this is likely to stay grounded in Japan. Update: here it is, straight from Nintendo's site.
