Great Giana Sisters! Infamous Super Mario Bros. clone cloned for DS

by Randy Nelson { Dec 10th 2008 at 1:00AM }

Released in 1987 for the era's gaming-focused personal computers – Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad, Atari ST – The Great Giana Sisters was a solid platformer, which isn't surprising. It was, by and large, a staggering Super Mario Bros. rip-off. Nintendo's lawyers had the sisters promptly locked away, but they've somehow escaped.

Now, of all things, the game is being remade for a June 2009 release on Nintendo DS. German publisher dtp entertainment is working with Spellbound Entertainment and Bitfield on the title, which will – in addition to updated graphics – support the DS touchscreen and microphone, although exactly how has not been disclosed. In fact, we're not entirely certain that Nintendo knows about the game's existence. Check out the original game's (potentially NSFW) box art after the break.

Gallery: The Great Giana Sisters (DS)

Tags: amiga, dtp-entertainment, giana-sisters, mario, super-mario-bros, the-great-giana-sisters

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

hesham8 @ Dec 10th 2008 1:06AM

This is NSFW?
I don't like being treated like I'm still in high school...

Brian @ Dec 10th 2008 1:09AM

Then you should stop crying like a baby.

Markez @ Dec 10th 2008 1:10AM

What if you work at a non-profit that was organized to battle against rampant perky boob depictions in video game box art? EH? WHAT THEN FOR GODSSAKES?

Lee @ Dec 10th 2008 9:35AM

"potentially NSFW"...

What on earth! What kind of ultra conservative country is the writer from?

Foetoid @ Dec 10th 2008 9:53AM

The USA?

Lee @ Dec 10th 2008 9:56AM

OH SNAP

Sam @ Dec 10th 2008 10:05AM

oh you were WANTING NSFW? dirty, dirty, man!

Markez @ Dec 10th 2008 1:08AM

Holy box art. Game looks like they should probably put a 'z' somewhere in the title before releasing it on the DS. Some of those spaceships really look like goombas.

Also, Randy, nice job on the title. Made me think of this:

Lucky Day: Reading telegram: "Three Amigos, Hollywood, California. You are very great. 100,000 pesos. Come to Santa Poco put on show, stop. The In-famous El Guapo."
Dusty Bottoms: What does that mean, in-famous?
Ned Nederlander: Oh, Dusty. In-famous is when you're MORE than famous. This man El Guapo, he's not just famous, he's IN-famous.
Lucky Day: 100,000 pesos to perform with this El Guapo, who's probably the biggest actor to come out of Mexico!
Dusty Bottoms: Wow, in-famous? In-famous?

Super G-Man @ Dec 10th 2008 9:53AM

Ah, The 3 Amigos. Awesome film!

'Would you like to kiss me on the veranda?'
'No, on the lips would be fine.'

Alexander @ Dec 10th 2008 1:15AM

Holy shit! I remember playing this game as a kid on my old Commodore!

Graham Wellington (formerly tyrone washington, or marsha goldberg) @ Dec 10th 2008 1:19AM

you can tell its cold on the gamebox because of the snow on the mountains and by the uhh...yeah snow on the mountains.

Mister Servo @ Dec 10th 2008 1:40AM

Yes, those peaks look quite frozen.

F1 @ Dec 10th 2008 9:22AM

BOOBS!!!

DCBlack @ Dec 10th 2008 10:52AM

Pretty stupid to be wearing a skirt then, don't ya think?

Geist @ Dec 10th 2008 8:26PM

Yeah, and her nipples are pretty perky too.

Insidious @ Dec 10th 2008 1:26AM

This is excellent news! I always loved The Great Giana Sisters. There is a fan-game sequel being made called Giana's Return, I hope that this announcement doesn't hurt the fan game's release.

rTwelve xbl:Chilblane @ Dec 10th 2008 1:34AM

I think I need a drug test.

Jeff @ Dec 10th 2008 1:57AM

I didn't know Markie Post had her own video game.

Markez @ Dec 10th 2008 3:04AM

Wow you really just dated yourself. And so did I :(

But oh how I loved Night Court...

Cox Attack @ Dec 10th 2008 10:59AM

As you did I. Also, I have your avatar tattooed on me haha.

Tez @ Dec 10th 2008 2:00AM

Nice.

Zak Canard @ Dec 10th 2008 2:30AM

If this is true I wonder whether Nintendo's also mellowed enough to allow the C64 original on the Virtual Console.

wise_old_bird @ Dec 10th 2008 2:49AM

There is a Youtube video of this I saw earlier today. Looks cool in graphics & sound, and looks more fun to play than NSMB for that matter as well.

I'd rather them make a HD port as I rarely play my DS, but I'll check this one out anyways.

Blank-Mage @ Dec 10th 2008 5:27AM

I totally see "Time Wars" and a Dalek. And anyone who corrects me is wrong. Preemptively.

James @ Dec 10th 2008 8:11AM

It says time warp. :P

Blank-Mage @ Dec 11th 2008 12:05AM

What did I JUST say?!

Abscissa @ Dec 10th 2008 7:10AM

Everything about this sounds great *except* for the microphone support. The last thing the DS needs is yet another "blow into the microhone" *ahem* "feature".

Ibere @ Dec 10th 2008 7:39AM

Insidious, Giana's Return was already launched several years ago (maybe 4). I have it for the Dreamcast, it`s a great game.

Lee @ Dec 10th 2008 8:06AM

You see I don't play games for the impact they're supposed to make. I play them for how good they are, and whilst people here are happily circle jerking to the concept of a new GGS game be it known - they played like shit. The level design was as cheap as a Kirby game but lacked the charm and length of a Kirby title. The enemies, nay, everything was so uninspired.

It served one purpose... To bring a "Mario" to microcomputers even though individually, all the parts of the game was so terrible. Nintendo did a good thing stopping the original title. Looking back now would it have been a good thing to stop Superman 64 before it could be launched, would you go back in time and kill Hitler?

Lee Swain @ Dec 10th 2008 10:12AM

Here's the video for the DS version!

Looks awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxsVV9a5J9I

Lee @ Dec 10th 2008 12:18PM

Are you blind, sir? That looks terrible, the palette is flat and, just as the original game, has completely uninspired enemies or locations.

Enjoy a mediocre platform game. Now lets hope Nintendo bring us a New Mario Bros 2 that will surely just urinate all over this dull looking game.
Fixed camera distance? Oh dear.

Lee Swain @ Dec 10th 2008 12:49PM

So you don't have any nostalgia for the original. No need to be a miserable git!

New SMB was awesome. And I enjoy a good Mario rip off, and this looks like a great update of a great Mario rip-off.

Like I care if the camera is fixed or not! And I think the flat almost cell shaded artwork looks great. Especially the animations. Hope it has a two player mode and better bosses than the original game.

And you act like enjoying one 2d platformer prevents me from enjoying another. I'm done with NSMB so roll on GGS!

Lee @ Dec 15th 2008 10:54AM

Pardon? What cel shaded graphics? LOL!

No don't get me wrong I love a good 2D platform game but GGS was tripe. Anyone who actually played the original on an original microcomputer will say the same.

Looking at everything they have presented I can say it looks like too dull for words. In the meantime I'll go back to Castlevania Order or whatsitcalled or the PSP ones whilst waiting for the next good platform game to come along.

Dante G @ Dec 10th 2008 10:30AM

What's that in her left hand?

BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Dec 10th 2008 1:35PM

A diamond. That's what they collect instead of coins.

Dante G @ Dec 10th 2008 1:39PM

That makes sense. They're girls after all.

ManekiNeko @ Dec 11th 2008 3:45AM

Wow, that actually looks pretty good. Much better than the original game looked on the Commodore 64 or even the Amiga. I just hope that it's as entertaining as it looks... Great Giana Sisters was kind of lame, despite what Commodore fans might tell you.