super mario
Latest
Mario question cube girls let off
Remember those five teenage girls from Ravenna, Ohio, who on the eve of April first placed seventeen Mario Bros. inspired question cubes around town? Well, after HAZMAT, the Fire Dept. and the five-O were called in and the dust settled it looked like those little ladies were in for some serious trouble. Though it turns out the town of 12,000's dropping the case against them, the case prosecutor stating of the squeaky-clean teens he does "not believe that they had any bad or malicious intentions." Gee, ya think? Sure, we can understand a little why some people who didn't ever play Mario (unlike Engadget or our readers) might have gotten concerned at the sight of these boxes, but we're just glad that a slight case of Midwest terrorist hysteria didn't ultimately result in some crazed teenage witch hunt.[Via Joystiq]
New Super Mario undelayed, out May 15th
The official website for the upcoming DS title, New Super Mario Bros., has been updated again. No more delays this time, instead Nintendo has managed to drop the brothers Mario on us a week earlier! Seeing as how the DS Lite is "due in May" in North America, we used simple logic, some grade school arithmetic, our intimate knowledge of the Gregorian calendar, and more than a little speculation, to arrive at the possibility that the DS Lite might accompany NSMB May 15th, just days after E3! Oh shiny DS Lite / Mario combo attack, you make us weak in the knees.[Thanks, Princess Zelda]
DS Lite in May says EGM
An EGM scan pretty much confirms what we've all been thinking: The DS Lite looks set to launch on 21 May, the same day New Super Mario Bros. bounces into stores. Don't worry--the game will still work on the old DS![Via Joystiq]
New Super Mario Bros. only compatible with DS Lite
In a statement issued today, Nintendo have confirmed that Mario's triumphant return to smashing bricks with his head and chasing after mushrooms in New Super Mario Bros. is poised to help usher in the North American launch of the DS Lite, perhaps to a degree that few gamers were expecting. New Super Mario Bros. will only be compatible with the DS Lite and will not work with the original machine. Nintendo's name-taking, posterior-assaulting marketing guru, Reggie Fills-Aimes, explained that players would be able to see why this decision was made."Players won't be able to see. On the original DS, I mean. The screens on the old system are simply much too dark, making the new Mushroom Kingdom almost impossible to navigate. We had always planned to make New Super Mario Bros. a premier title for the Lite and its superior screens, and what better way to make it exclusive to that system?"This lends more weight to the earlier murmurings of a Mario DS Lite bundle hitting US shores, though Reggie was quick to point out that the recent shortages in Japan may cause the system to launch a bit later than the game itself."New Super Mario Bros. should be out for a little while before the DS Lite, which is a great way of starting the marketing train rolling. The actual system won't take long to catch up though--two months at most."The Lite-only New Super Mario Bros. is currently slated for release on 21 March.[Update: Just in case you're reading this late, this story was an evil, bogus April Fool's trick. Shame on me.]
Super Mario DS Lite bundle pack spotted
According to potentially delusional listings on the EB Games and Gamestop websites, the DS Lite is set to barge into American homes with a startled Mario and Co. in tow. The online retailer seems to think that New Super Mario Bros. (at least we assume it's the New variant) will be forming part of a bundle deal with Nintendo's infinitely desirable DS redesign. Since we predicted this very event last week, we're naturally predisposed to put our worn stamp of approval on this bit of news.However, we find ourselves perturbed by some of the details on the pages that seem...less plausible. As wonderful as it would be to have this DS Lite bundle launch on the first day of May (about two weeks before the included game is meant to come out) for a mere $9.99, something tells us that this won't come to pass. Placeholder data? Maybe. Desirable product? Definitely.[Thanks yoshi!][Update: Some of our sharp readers have figured out these listings and pointed out out that the item in question is actually a Lite variant of a popular accessory pack. Still, our question about whether or not a DS Lite Mario bundle is something you'd want remains. Keep those comments coming!]
Top 10 most memorable villains
IGN has posted a list that is sure to generate some grumbling. But that's what's to be expected anytime you try to cram the baddest evildoers into a list of ten. Here goes: #10 - Bowser (Super Mario) #9 - Dr. Robotnik (Sonic) #8 - Dracula (Castlevania) #7 - Evil Otto (Berzerk) #6 - Psycho Mantis (MGS) #5 - Kerrigan (Starcraft) #4 - SHODAN (System Shock) #3 - Wesker (Resident Evil) #2 - Sephiroth (FFVII) #1 - The Nazis ("too many games to count") What?! No Ganondorf? Blasphemy. So how does your list compare?
Super Mario 64 DS: just a tired port?
What better way to launch the DS than with a Mario title? Heck, what better way to launch the DS than with a proven Mario title? Alright, let's be fair, instead of a port, we'll call it a "remake". And truth be told, Super Mario 64 DS is a remake, featuring its own unique additions and downfalls. So let's just get right to the question we've all been asking: How do you play Mario 64 without an analogue stick? Nintendo's answer to the dilemma, the "thumb strap" (Touch Mode) is more satisfying than the D-pad default setting, but this virtual analogue control will definitely merit some smash-DS-on-ground-and-stomp urges. But begin to master the technique, and you'll find a worthy "killer app", likely the best of the dozen or so DS titles out there. What Super Mario 64 DS does well is show-off some of the capabilities of Nintendo's coveted handheld. Specifically, that this remake outdoes its predecessor in terms of technical achievement-yes, the DS is more powerful than the N64. There's also a lite, but entertaining 4-player wireless mini-game thrown in for good measure; and you'll only need one copy of the game to play. And of course, there's the addition of four playable characters in single-player, will specific goals throughout-Nintendo has added, seamlessly, 30 new stars to collect. It's a great game, granted one that many of us have experienced before, but the new-and-improved DS model is a great way to reassure ourselves that the DS is the next level of handheld evolution rather than a step backwards. Letsago!!!
Super Mario 64 DS, a launch title?
Recently, GameStop sparked a bit of controversy when they displayed box art for the upcoming DS remake of Super Mario 64-the design has since been removed from the retailer's website. Initially, the appearance of the graphic ignited speculation that the Mario game would launch with the DS on November 21. Even though the box art has now be removed, it's still more than likely that the Mario title will launch with the handheld, and how could it not? A Nintendo release without their flagship mascot has bad omen written all over it. The classic remake now features four playable characters (Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, & Wario) and promises a 4-player wireless mode. Itsame, MARIO!
