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A copy of ‘Super Mario Bros. 3’ sold for $156,000
It's the most expensive game ever sold at auction.
Super Mario AI learns how to kill goombas, heralds Skynet
Who knew the end of the world would be prophesied by a weird mixture of Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World sprites? Researchers at Germany's University of Tuebingen are the naive harbingers of doom, and the Super Mario artificial intelligence they developed is their omen. As shown in the video below the break, the researchers' Mario AI can understand a wide array of voice commands, learn a similarly substantial amount of data from instructions, and autonomously adapt to his environment. Tell him you can kill goombas by jumping on them, and he'll respond, "If I jump on goomba, then it certainly dies," albeit in a robotic voice. Or you can tell him to kill a goomba, and he'll start learning how to on his own (Danger! Danger!).
Recall past stages, enemies with these Mario prints
If we tried to roll our Mario memories into a neatly-compacted ball, the result would look much more crude then artist Christopher Lee's efforts. Each 16x20" piece in Lee's Mario Madness set of prints recalls the environments and enemies from one game from the Mario Bros.' NES trilogy, Super Mario World or Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. The 190-piece sets were made using offset printing and come with an embossed, gold foil replica of Nintendo's Seal of Quality. Lee is also including his take on each game's box art with orders of the related pieces, but it's not just prints that are up for grabs here - Lee is including "a bunch of loose stickers and a single unopened pack" of Merlin brand stickers from 1989 in each order. He's also throwing vintage enamel pins into random orders, so make sure to practice whichever luck ritual you follow before clicking the order button. Both the stickers and pins are available while supplies last, so if you order late and don't recieve stickers, everyone else beat you to it. Grabbing your favorite piece from the Mario Madness series will cost $25, or you can cave and get one of each series for $100. Update: Lee has reached out to explain the relation of the Merlin brand to the stickers he's including in orders while supplies last. The post has been updated accordingly. [Image: Christopher Lee]
Nintendo unveils April's GBA Virtual Console games [update: NA, EU, Japan all announced]
Following yesterday's reveal of Advance Wars, we now know the other Game Boy Advance games coming to the Wii U Virtual Console in North America and Europe next month, as well as Japan. They each cost $8 with the exceptions of WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity which are all tagged at $7. We've got the full line-up of games and release dates for North America and Europe after the break, but for starters, Advance Wars is joined by Metroid Fusion and Mario & Luigi: Superstar's Saga next week on April 3. Also, praise the Golden Sun! Camelot's revered JRPG is due on April 17. As for Japan, there are a bumper six games due on April 3 including Super Mario Advance 2, the GBA version of Super Mario World, and the Japan-only compilation of Advance Wars 1 and 2. Japan also has a special offer on the GBA games, where if you buy one you can get another at 30 percent off. Update: Nintendo of America announced its line-up and it matches Europe's exactly, with the same games arriving on the same dates. We've updated the post to reflect that. Also, Super Mario Bros. 3 is coming to the Wii U and 3DS on April 17, priced $5. [Image: Nintendo]
Europeans, whistle for Super Mario Bros. 3 on eShop next week
Super Mario Bros. 3 warps onto the eShop in Europe in a week's time, and you won't need a Power Glove (so bad) to pick it up - just a 3DS or Wii U. Both systems receive the classic NES platformer on Boxing Day, and there's a "week-long special offer" to look out for, according to Nintendo of Europe. There's no word on a price just yet. There's also no word from Nintendo of America on an arrival across the coast, so Super Mario Bros. 3 could join The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in the transatlantic waiting room. That said, back in August, the big N announced it was due sometime this year. One thing we have confirmed with a Nintendo UK representative is the game features multiplayer on both Wii U and 3DS. The Wii U version supports local multiplayer, while the 3DS version uses download play, meaning only one player has to purchase the game for two people to play across two systems. Neither version supports online multiplayer. On the subject of classic Marios, NoE is running a Nintendo Network promo that can score you a free copy of Game Boy Color remake Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. If you link a Nintendo Network ID before January 31 - which you can now do thanks to the recent system update - you'll receive the free game code sometime in the second half of February.
3DS Virtual Console queues up Donkey Kong, Wario Land 3, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl
Nintendo has announced a batch of new old games are coming to the 3DS Virtual Console. First is the NES port of Donkey Kong, due on August 15, followed by the NES port of Tecmo Bowl sometime next month. Super Mario Bros. 3 is also on its way later this year, to both the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Finally, Nintendo assures lauded Game Boy Color platformer Wario Land 3 is "coming soon" to the 3DS. Both the Wii U and 3DS Virtual Consoles have been busy lately: Capcom just recently completed the Mega Man hexalogy on the 3DS, with more of the blue bomber arriving in the coming months. And, late last month on the Wii U Virtual Console, Nintendo finally re-released Earthbound.
Super Mario Bros. 3 bounds onto Japan's 3DS Virtual Console Jan. 1
Super Mario Bros. 3 will be available for ¥500 on Japan's 3DS Virtual Console next Tuesday, January 1, Nintendo has announced. No announcement has been made regarding whether the port will ever see the light of day on North American and/or European shores, but the fact that it exists at all is a good sign.New Years is a big deal in Japan, so it's not surprising that Nintendo would digitally re-release one of the most beloved games in its back catalogue to celebrate. As cool of a gesture as that is, though, we feel it lacks the flair and panache displayed by the game's original unveiling, as seen above.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 gets free SMB and SMB3 levels, available now
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is revisiting old Super Mario Bros. through free Coin Rush content, now available for download. To celebrate a massive 300 billion coins collected in NSMB2 worldwide, Nintendo released the free-for-now Gold Classics Pack based on iconic levels from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.The first of the pack's three courses looks to be based on 1-1 and 1-2 from the first Super Mario Bros. As for the second course, that looks like a mixture of offerings from SMB3, including the always-vicious arcade minigame. Finally, the third course invites players back to Bowser's castle, as per SMB1. As shown by the above Nintendo Direct, the pack offers NSMB2-themed twists on the two NES classics, including multiple routes.The nostalgia-stuffed DLC is free until January 31, 2013, after which it costs $2.50
Old Nintendo picture book highlights young Miyamoto, other Mario vets
When Chris Covell went to a "local library" recently -- local for him being "in Japan" -- he didn't grab just any book. Instead, he grabbed a picture book made for children named "The Stars of Famicom Games: How Video Games Are Made," wherein legendary Japanese developers like Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo, and Takashi Tezuka are caught in revealing images, behind the scenes of Super Mario Bros. 3's development. Beyond all the devs looking many, many years younger (the images were taken in summer 1989), the photos depict an all-star development team crafting one of the most beloved gaming experiences of all time. If your morning has been sadly devoid of EPROMs and late '80s Japanese haircuts, this conveniently translated feature is perfect for you. [Image credit: Chris Covell]
Play video games with your muscles
Sure, you use your muscles during a 12-hour Skyrim marathon and we're sure your phalanges are extremely trim, but that's not the same as using your muscles to play a game. Biomedical company Advancer Technologies has created the USB Biofeedback Game Controller, a device that reads the electromyographic output of unique muscles to move (in the above demo video) Mario through level one of Super Mario Bros. 3. In the demo, this man's bulging right forearm controls the classic A button to jump, his right bicep moves Mario right, up and down, and his left bicep moves him left. Advancer sees applications for the USB Biofeedback Game Controller in treating patients with neuromuscular disease or injury, but we see it as a welcome break from those old-school, non-muscle-stimulating controls you've been using for so long. Don't ask how we know the type of controller you use -- we just know. Advancer has provided instructions to build your own USB Biofeedback Game Controller, so there's really no excuse not to.
Yes, of course Shigeru Miyamoto is involved in Super Mario 3D Land
Like with previous Mario titles, the little plumber's creator is once again involved in Nintendo's next project, Super Mario 3D Land. In a recent Famitsu interview (translated by 1UP), Shigeru Miyamoto explains his role as "general producer" on the title, saying that he was uninvolved until about halfway through the project. "I kept my distance from the project at first, but became more deeply involved midway -- I don't think it'd be satisfying as a Mario game to everyone unless I made myself known on the little details," he says. Miyamoto further details his work on the project, specifically citing his work as helping to "fine-tune the numbers" behind things like Mario's iconic jump or run speed. He also points out that Mario's upcoming 3DS game draws from the world of Super Mario Bros. 3, while the "New" Super Mario Bros. titles drew from Super Mario World's foundation. Neat! "The New Mario series was an effort to get back to the core of it," he adds. "And this game is kind of an in-between -- it's 3D, but it's a Mario that lots of people can play." To that end, Super Mario 3D Land will feature a hint system akin to other recent Nintendo first-party titles, which Miyamoto teases briefly. But you wouldn't need such a thing, right?
New Super Mario Bros. 3 fan remake gets updated
Do you remember that crazy Super Mario Bros. 3 fan remake we posted about late last year? Well, creator SKJmin has finished a sizeable update to his ambitious remake, one you'll be able to download on June 16. If you plan on doing so, we'd suggest making sure you actually own New Super Mario Bros. DS -- you know, for legal reasons. The update adds enhanced graphics to each level, including new block sets and backgrounds, plus 84 bonus rooms, a new final castle and over 30 different cameos. For now, we must be content with 14 minutes of footage, which we've gone and tucked just past the break.
Super Mario Bros. tricks explained with animated GIFs
With the launch of the 25th Anniversary edition of Super Mario All-Stars for Wii drawing near (this Sunday!), you may be seriously tempted to buy all those classic Mario games again for, like -- what? The fourth time? Think again! Not only is the "Limited Edition" Wii game a veritable ROM dump of the SNES All-Stars (which features graphically and musically enhanced versions of the NES games, by 16-bit standards), it's also missing a lot of the great "glitches" from the original games. TASVideos has assembled a comprehensive guide to the elite tricks and tactics from the original Super Mario Bros. games -- with pictures! Animated pictures. It serves as a stark reminder to us purists why there's really no substitute for the originals, even when said substitute comes in a nifty box.
Super Mario Bros. 3 fan remake is finished, mental
If you're anything like us, you've got a serious affinity for the third Super Mario Bros. NES game. However, there's no way you have the same amount of love that GBATemp.net forum user SKJmin does for the decades old game. SKJmin tirelessly remade Super Mario Bros. 3 in the New Super Mario Bros. (DS) engine. Just yesterday, the final, totally bonkers trailer for the patch went up, which we've dropped after the break. As both properties are wholly owned by Nintendo, the mod is offered for free and the creator doesn't pack the NSMB ROM with the download. Additionally, repeated warnings are given to would-be thieves, such as "Please remember, don't download this if you don't have the original game from Nintendo! You have been warned!!" As of right now, the patch isn't available, but is said to be coming at some point tomorrow, just in time to make your weekend way, way more awesome.
Scan this footage of Super Mario Advance 4's e-Reader content
Why would anyone put their money into a GBA e-Reader and a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3, a game that everyone on Earth already has? The video after the break makes a pretty good case for why people did so, and for why you'll be headed to eBay momentarily.
Nintendo selling downloadable games on online store
Nintendo's online store is a great place to get a Game Boy Micro battery door or a copy of Wii Sports, and now you can get a Virtual Console game and a WiiWare game there too. That's right -- one each. For some reason, Nintendo put Pokemon Rumble and Super Mario Bros. 3 up for download through its browser-based online store, for $15 and $5, respectively. Purchasing either will give you a download ticket that you can enter in the Wii Shop to download the game. But why? And why just two games? (Although that's one more game than is available from Amazon's Wii download section.) We're checking with Nintendo about the offering now, and will report back if we hear anything. [Via GoNintendo]
NES harmonicas hit eBay, three lucky gamers cheer
Remember the HarmoNESica? A brief refresher, then: it's what happens when you've got a copy of Super Tecmo Bowl, a Pocket Pal harmonica, and the desire to create a unique musical instrument. But if you don't have any of the aforementioned ingredients and just want the end result, eBay's got you covered as usual -- three HarmoNESicas have been gathering bids at the online auction house this week. Whether your pleasure be Dick Tracy, Super Mario Bros. 3 or The Legend of Zelda, there's a harmonica to match; and if (for some reason) you want to actually play one of the games, you'll find the ROM guts tastefully included. But before you make your bid, remember: there's more than one way to skin an NES cartridge.
Stop-motion Super Mario Bros. 3 is almost as fun as the real thing
It's awfully hard to find a way to cram more charm into the Super Mario Bros. experience -- believe us, we've tried. Well, we're happy to report that GameVideos user smartkid82504 may have done just that, re-imagining the classic platforming action of Super Mario Bros. 3 through some scraps of paper, crayons, a stop-motion camera, and a bit of good, old-fashioned moxie. Head past the break to check it out.
Drumming to Super Mario Bros. 3
He's back at it again. Following up his incredible display centered around Super Mario Bros. 2, drummer extraordinaire Andrea Vadrucci has put together another video of himself. This time, he's banging out some key tunes in Super Mario Bros. 3. As one would expect, his execution is near flawless and, well, it's just a great video to watch. Check it out already.[Via Kotaku]
Top 5: Games for your Day Off
Gaming is a hobby, but sometimes it can feel like a job. As developers try to boost replayability, your gaming commitments can become anxiety-inducing. Just ask anyone who dared to attempt achieving 100% of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. At first, it's a fun and wonderful romp through a vivid world that's just oozing with life and character. By the end, you wish you'd never left Vice City. Did anyone here complete all of Super Smash Bros Brawl? I'm talking Classic Mode with every character, all of the Event matches, the target smashes, and every trophy and sticker available. At a certain point, some games can become an obligation rather than a means to entertainment. Today being Labor Day in the US, let's take a break from completing every mission, collecting every star, and unlocking all bonus content. Sometime between your 11 AM rise from bed and your evening consumption of copious amounts of hot dogs at your family barbeque, take some time to truly enjoy gaming. Here's our Top 5 recommendations. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
