super mario bros
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Super fan-made paper Mario and Luigi
It's our sincere hope that if the Super Mario Bros. ever actually did show up in our world, they wouldn't look anything like Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo -- instead, we'd really prefer they look something like what you see above: Two papercraft statues put together by DeviantArt-ist TouchFuzzyGetDizzy. Definitely click the Source link below to see these guys as big as possible. The actual statues are 40 and 50 centimeters tall, and with the detail on them, you're probably looking at quite a bit of paper. If you want to try cutting, folding, and pasting them together yourself, you're welcome to -- the creator has uploaded patterns of each, though he warns that there are no instructions to go along with them yet. Elsewhere in his gallery, you can see more angles of Luigi, as well as models of Aryll and Salvatore from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Very cool. The best thing we ever made with paper? The football from ... er ... Tecmo Bowl.
Mario graffiti speedrun video made possible by 'black magic'
Don't worry about how Vimeo user Surfap filmed a Super Mario Bros. speedrun done entirely in graffiti. The description says it was "black magic" and that's good enough for us. As Tiny Cartridge points out, a computer was probably involved, but where's the fun in that? Just enjoy the show.
Nintendo passes on iOS gaming
Quite a few traditional gaming companies have made their way on to the App Store -- even companies like Sega, who've been around the block with its own consoles, have sold some games on Apple's platform. Heck, even Microsoft has created an app for the iPhone. But one holdout so far is Nintendo, and according to company president Satoru Iwata, that's not going to change anytime soon. During a recent investor Q&A, he answered the question of whether the company might ever sell software on another company's hardware by saying that other hardware just isn't good enough. "Other companies don't share Nintendo's values or traditions when it comes to creating devices," he said. "We are absolutely not thinking of doing that." He was speaking in the abstract of course (the actual question of the App Store wasn't brought up), but it does seem very clear that Nintendo isn't interested in releasing software on anyone else's platform. Until that changes, that means no Super Mario Bros., no Zelda, and no other Nintendo properties on the iPhone. Of course, there's no shortage of games on the platform, and if you want quality platformers or arcade-style dungeon crawlers, you've probably already got them. But it's too bad that Nintendo is standing so firm -- if you want to play official Nintendo titles, it'll have to be on the DS, not the iPhone. [via Kotaku]
Super Mario Bros. X trailer takes us to a special place
Hey Nintendo, pay attention: If you really want to find a direct line into the nostalgia centers of our brain, you could learn a few lessons from Super Mario Bros. X. The recently updated game borrows elements from the entire Super Mario franchise (not to mention a few other Nintendo properties), allows for co-op play, has some kind of time distortion gameplay mechanic, includes a level editor and occasionally lets the player navigate the Mushroom Kingdom using the eraser from Mario Paint. It is all kinds of crazy. You can download the game here, or check out a 10-minute gameplay trailer posted after the jump. [Thanks, EvoHelix]
Metareview: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Everyone expects a Mario game to be good -- and it's even easier to expect quality when the new game is a direct follow-up to a game as universally adored as Super Mario Galaxy. However, even given the high expectations, the reception Super Mario Galaxy 2's getting is startling. There are, as of right now, eight scores equivalent to 100 percent on the game's Metacritic page, a range befitting the title our own Randy Nelson called "the best Mario game ever." We've only quoted one of the 100-percenters below, in the interest of variety. Edge (10): "This is a game that refuses to bore you, that can take you to the 60-star mark before asking you to do the same thing twice. It reuses assets, but almost never recycles ideas; you'll never see another title so thrifty, or so gratuitous." Game Informer (93/100): "Sure, it's not the total reinvention of the genre we've come to expect from a new Mario title, but as a platformer fan I'm happy to get more Mario to tide me over. This game is a testament to the enduring appeal of the genre, as well as Nintendo's ability to create fresh new gameplay out of a decades-old formula." Game|Life (9/10): "Super Mario Galaxy 2 is thus simultaneously more and less than its predecessor. It expands and elaborates on the gameplay in unpredictable ways, but the last one felt like a bigger, more complete adventure. That said, better core gameplay with less window dressing is infinitely preferable to the reverse." %Gallery-64834%
Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best Mario game ever. There, I said it. What Nintendo's EAD Tokyo team has managed to pull off in this game is astounding, especially when you consider just how good the original Super Mario Galaxy was. Like expert craftsmen, they've improved upon an already excellent product and delivered a seemingly endless volley of fresh ideas -- be they in level design or game mechanics -- that are every bit as polished as those in the first game and, most importantly, just pure fun. Since the sequel was first announced and up until, well, now, there's been a lingering question: Is it just Super Mario Galaxy 1.5? Despite what the original plans for the sequel may have entailed, one thing is clear: SMG2 is its own game. It shares the basic mechanics of its predecessor yet brings so many new experiences to the playing field that it stands alone. Even more, it features enough challenges to keep the most hardcore Mario player engaged for weeks. %Gallery-64834%
'Koopa Hell' may change our Super Mario Bros. strategy forever
We were pretty sure that, after 25 years of practice, our tried-and-true strategy for the original Super Mario Bros. would be fairly set in stone. Little did we know that CollegeHumor (of all websites!) would be the one to show us the cruelty of one of our most basic in-game maneuvers: the Koopa Bounce Pipe Trap. What happens to that poor creature after you've left him bouncing between two pipes? Thanks to the Mushroom Kingdom's lack of inertial dissipation, he stays that way for all eternity. Watch the video after the break to see how your thoughtless actions might have sent countless Koopas spiraling into a nightmarish realm of Lovecraftian horrors. You monster.
Dexterous feat: Super Mario Bros. beaten using DDR pad
Nick Hagman knows how to use his feet for a most unconventional purpose: completing games using a Dance Dance Revolution pad. He's done it before with Castlevania, and now he's used his talent to finish another classic, the original Super Mario Bros. It took Hagman 14 attempts and plenty of practice to complete the classic. The 11-minute video documenting the feat can be found after the break, with certain sections sped up for sanity's sake. Now Hagman wants to know which game he should finish with his feet next: DuckTales or Mega Man 2? [Via GiantBomb]
Europeans get tutorial DVD with Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo really wants to make sure you know how to play Super Mario Galaxy 2, so in addition to the Cosmic Guide feature of the game (which will play for you past the hard parts, if you so choose), it'll also be releasing a bonus DVD in Europe with video tutorials of how to pull off some of the game's toughest tricks. We'll skip right over the irony of Nintendo releasing a bonus disc that can't be played on the Wii (since it's just a standard DVD), and tell you that we've contacted Nintendo of America to see if those of us in the States will have this same option. In the meantime, you might want to grab a copy of the first Galaxy and start practicing, because with all of this extra help that Nintendo is offering, SMG2 must be really, really hard.
Super Mario Crossover would have killed us in 1989
Sometimes, we wonder what it would be like if versions of ourselves from the past could be magically transported to today and have their minds blown by all the technological advances in video gaming technology. We have a feeling that they'd be disinterested in our "movement controllers" and "big definition graphicals," and would instead become entranced by a new Flash game by Exploding Rabbit that's sweeping the nation at terrifying velocities: Super Mario Crossover. The premise of the game is simple: It is the original Super Mario Bros., only your choice of playable characters isn't just limited to squat, Italian plumbers. You can also wreck Goombas while playing as Link, Mega Man, Samus, Simon Belmont or Bill (you know, from Contra). You could also just be Mario, but why would you do that, when you could be Bill from Contra? Stop being so silly. [Thanks, Eric]
Hands-on: Super Mario Galaxy 2 co-op & cloud power-up
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/21/super-mario-galaxy-2-co-op-and-cloud-power-up-preview/'; Just over a month from today, Super Mario Galaxy 2 will somersault onto store shelves. We thought we'd seen just about everything the final game would have to offer but, as Nintendo showed me earlier this week at its Northern California offices, there are still plenty of surprises to be found in this sequel. While my last hands-on had me controlling the portly platforming plumber exclusively, this one started me out with a Luma in the game's revamped, expanded co-op mode. When I did play as Mario, I got a chance to try out the latest addition to his growing wardrobe of specialized suits, transforming into the extra-floaty (and fluffy) Cloud Mario. Then came the unexpected: A galaxy based on Super Mario Sunshine (sorry, folks -- no FLUDD). %Gallery-91299%
Nintendo turns down constant pleas for Hollywood adaptations
Imagine, if you will, a story about a downtrodden Italian plumber name Mario, recently emigrated from his Mediterranean country to a land of opportunity and promise: a place called the Mushroom Kingdom. Along with his (curiously thinner and taller) twin brother, Luigi, Mario arrives and soon finds the love of his life, Peach. She's got identity issues and seems to be a magnet for trouble. Even though she's royalty, her family is suspiciously out of the picture, so the two spend loads of time together and hit it off. They get into 'shrooms and get mixed up in those pipes -- before they know it, they're in with all the wrong people and Peach pawns everything but the pink dress off her back just to get a fix. Seriously, who wouldn't watch that movie? [Via CVG]
Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)
There are 2,073,600 pixels in a 1080p TV, yet Carnegie Mellon student Chloe Fan has blown our minds by showing that you only need 64 of them to have a little fun with Super Mario Bros. She wired an Arduino to an 8 x 8 LED matrix through a breadboard, then scaled the first level of the game down to a resolution that makes the 160 x 144 resolution Game Boy look positively high def. The controls are similarly simplified: one button to move Mario (the slightly more orange dot) right, and a second to jump. She also wired up a separate board to play the game's theme song, as you can see in the embed below, but be aware: the video ends before the theme song does, meaning you'll be humming it to yourself all day long.
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.
Miyamoto recognized with prestigious BAFTA Fellowship
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that it'll be awarding Shigeru Miyamoto with the storied BAFTA Fellowship award, which is "the highest accolade the Academy can bestow on an individual for their creative work." Miyamoto will receive the award in a ceremony next month. It's a pretty high honor for his work in film and television, which includes this Mega64 video and this old kids' television series. Oh wait, no -- it's actually part of the British Academy's Video Games Awards, and it is honoring him as the creator of Donkey Kong, Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. That makes much more sense. Nobody should be giving anyone awards for the Super Mario Bros. movie.
Virtual worlds for kids an ever-growing market
Kids -- particularly tweens -- are big business today, with an ever-larger percentage of the family budget being used for and influenced by this age group. Smart businesses everywhere are hurrying to get in on the gold mine, and MMO gaming is no exception. MMOs and virtual worlds like Free Realms and Club Penguin are enjoying growing success, and there is still plenty of room on the bandwagon. More and more MMO companies are turning an eye to console development, and that road runs both ways: The Escapist took a look at the possibility of upcoming virtual worlds for the 8-12 year old market. The focus was on franchises that have traditionally been known to be console only, particularly those coming from Nintendo. Nintendo enjoys a nearly unshakable hold on the young casual console gamer market, thanks mostly to the Mario franchise. A virtual world filled with Mario and all of his friends? Why not? Take a look at what The Escapist has to say on the matter.
This piranha plant keepsake box is ironic
Honestly, we're not sure how anyone could come up with the idea of a piranha plant keepsake box. A keepsake box, ideally, is designed to keep your precious items in a safe place so you'll always know where they are. Piranha plants, on the other hand, are about as far away from safe as you can get. They're man-eating plants, some varieties of which can breathe fire. Still, despite all that, this keepsake box -- designed by Etsy user lostmitten -- still manages to be kind of cute. As of this writing, there is a single one available for purchase at $60. We suppose you could pick it up and store your old high school love notes in there. Just watch your fingers when you open it up.
A step towards peace: Master Mario Chief tattoo
The Console Wars™ have been raging since before some of us were even born. For a majority of gamers, this is all they know, but thankfully one man is stepping up to try and bring an end to this eternal conflict. In combining Halo's Master Chief and Nintendo's iconic mascot, Mario, he's created one super tattoo and blueprint for the future prosperity of all gaming peoples. This Master Mario Chief is able to squash Goombas at alarming speed and save not only the Mushroom Kingdom from despair, but all of humanity in the year 2553 -- he's a figure every console owner can love. Frankly, we applaud this man's courage and dedication to acknowledge that there are good things on all consoles via this permanent tattoo. Instead of blindly trashing the opposition as inferior, he celebrates each console's merits. Except for anything on Sony platforms, though, because Sony totally sucks. [Via Hawty McBloggy]
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.
Mario plus Tetris equals one fun game
And here we thought Tetris DS was the best blend of the Russian puzzler and Nintendo's classic platforming game Super Mario Bros., but Tuper Tario Tros. is a quite imaginative combination of the two. In fact, we haven't seen Tetris go so well with something since we were introduced to the conflict resolution capabilities of Tresling. Already the culprit behind a sharp downturn in Joystiq productivity today, we now offer it to you. Just, uh, don't play it as much as we did. We can get away with it since, y'know, it's kinda our job. [Via digg]
