Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Rare DS signed by Nintendo vets being auctioned for Japan disaster relief]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/rare-ds-signed-by-nintendo-vets-being-auctioned-for-japan-disast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/rare-ds-signed-by-nintendo-vets-being-auctioned-for-japan-disast/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/14/rare-ds-signed-by-nintendo-vets-being-auctioned-for-japan-disast/#comments Kept in a glass case for more than four years, an original model Nintendo DS bearing the autographs of some of Nintendo's key players (and two literal key players) is being auctioned off by its owner to raise money for the Red Cross disaster relief effort in Japan.

The red Mario Kart DS promotional system is signed by Mario's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, along with composer Koji Kondo, Zelda series chief Eiji Aonuma, voice of Mario Charles Martinet and Martin Leung, a pianist who performs with Video Games Live and rose to fame thanks to a YouTube video of him playing the Mario theme blindfolded.

Its current owner has vowed to donate 100 percent of their profit from the auction to the Red Cross and provide proof of the donation to the winning bidder. As of this writing, there are six days left to not only get your hands on a rare gaming collectible, but do something good for your fellow man in the process. Visit redcross.org for information on donating directly to the relief effort.

JoystiqRare DS signed by Nintendo vets being auctioned for Japan disaster relief originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auctioncharitycharles-martinetcollectibledsEiji-Aonumajapankoji-kondomartin-leungnintendoshigeru-miyamotoMon, 14 Mar 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mario Sports Mix 'press conference' reveals Mario's dreams and aspirations]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/mario-sports-mix-press-conference-reveals-marios-dreams-and-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/mario-sports-mix-press-conference-reveals-marios-dreams-and-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/07/mario-sports-mix-press-conference-reveals-marios-dreams-and-a/#comments Mario can be quite the stoic character. So, this 10 minute interview with the Italian plumber to promote Mario Sports Mix is a bit ... jarring. In fact, the iconic Nintendo mascot sometimes comes across as a jerk.

Continue reading Mario Sports Mix 'press conference' reveals Mario's dreams and aspirations

JoystiqMario Sports Mix 'press conference' reveals Mario's dreams and aspirations originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charles-martinetinterviewmariomario-sports-mixnintendowiiMon, 07 Feb 2011 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Charles Martinet explains the evolution of Mario's voice]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/12/charles-martinet-explains-the-evolution-of-marios-voice/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/12/charles-martinet-explains-the-evolution-of-marios-voice/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/12/charles-martinet-explains-the-evolution-of-marios-voice/#comments Charles Martinet may have the happiest job in the world: being the voice of Nintendo icon Mario. How did the actor find his voice, though? Asylum chatted with Martinet and discovered the surprisingly gruff origins behind the voice.

Continue reading Charles Martinet explains the evolution of Mario's voice

JoystiqCharles Martinet explains the evolution of Mario's voice originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charles-martinetdsmarionintendowiiSat, 12 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Shock! Nintendo developing another 'new Mario game' says Martinet [update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/shock-nintendo-developing-another-new-mario-game-says-martine/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/shock-nintendo-developing-another-new-mario-game-says-martine/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/18/shock-nintendo-developing-another-new-mario-game-says-martine/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ahh, the world of social networking services, where everyone from Joystiq to Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario and many other Nintendo characters) can coyly hint at things of interest to the world. Why just yesterday morning, Martinet dropped hints at an "Awesome new Mario game." Normally such a statement would provide us little in the way of excitement, except it came paired with "And it's not NSMB [New Super Mario Bros.] Wii, and it's not Galaxy 2," as well as assuring us "it's going to be crazy fun!"

Considering the recent release of Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and the two he mentioned in his Tweet, we're fairly sure Mr. "It's a me, Mario!" is dropping his dulcet tones into an unannounced "new Mario game." We've shot Nintendo a note for some clarification and will update this post as soon as we know more.

Update: Unfortunately, The Big N hasn't offered us much in the way of information, saying, "We're always working on new games and experiences, but we have nothing to announce at this time."

[Via GamingTarget]

JoystiqShock! Nintendo developing another 'new Mario game' says Martinet [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charles-martinetmarioNew-Super-Mario-Bros-Wiisuper-mario-galaxy-2twitterSun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Seen@E3: Martinet works hard for the Mario voice money]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/seen-e3-martinet-works-hard-for-the-mario-voice-money/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/seen-e3-martinet-works-hard-for-the-mario-voice-money/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/03/seen-e3-martinet-works-hard-for-the-mario-voice-money/#comments
The man who gives voice to Mario, Sir Charles Martinet (not actually knighted - nor a sir), was on the E3 show floor early yesterday and doing his thing. Speaking of his thing, we wanted to know if after bringing the unmistakable sound to Mario's virtual cords for the last decade if he still gets work at the Big N.

Martinet told us he just recently did voice work for five games (not Super Mario Galaxy 2, yet) and flew out to Kyoto for three and two in Tokyo. He enthusiastically expressed that although the publisher sometimes reuses some of the voice, "most of the time it's usually a new recording." We asked if he has to do different voices for Mario in a tennis game compared to something like Galaxy. He told us, "It's always the same. It's always just right in there. They show me some actions and I go, 'OK.'"

He tells us that most of the time he goes to Nintendo's headquarters in Redmond to do his recordings and sometimes he does it from his studio at home. All in all, over the last decade plus, he's only gone between four and six months without recording the latest "Woo-hooooo" or "It's a me." Check out Martinet's name badge after the break.

Continue reading Seen@E3: Martinet works hard for the Mario voice money

JoystiqSeen@E3: Martinet works hard for the Mario voice money originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>charles-martinete3-2009mariomartinetnintendoWiiWed, 03 Jun 2009 10:35:00 EST<![CDATA[E308: WiiSpeak with Mario]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/e308-wiispeak-with-mario/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/e308-wiispeak-with-mario/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/e308-wiispeak-with-mario/#commentsFiled under:


Nintendo's WiiSpeak demo was one of the freakiest things that happened during E3. Basically, Nintendo had an Animal Crossing demo running in their conference room, with a WiiSpeak mic connected. In an undisclosed location somewhere else in the convention center, Charles Martinet was also playing City Folk, with a Mario-style avatar, and riffing in the Mario voice with whoever happened to wander by.

Mostly, this entailed yelling at other players for messing with his flowers, and complaining about the lack of bugs nearby. I tried to interact with Mr. Martinet, but the WiiSpeak couldn't pick up my normal speaking voice (which is admittedly mousy and whisper-quiet). As I was walking away, Mario started smacking the other players with his axe.

JoystiqE308: WiiSpeak with Mario originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>animal-crossingcharles-martinetcity-lifee3-2008e308joystiqfeatureswiispeakFri, 18 Jul 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Voice of Mario to write autobiography]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/voice-of-mario-to-write-autobiography/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/voice-of-mario-to-write-autobiography/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/29/voice-of-mario-to-write-autobiography/#commentsFiled under:

Charles Martinet, whom you may know as the voice of Mario, has decided to write an autobiography that he hopes to finish sometime next year. The book will go into detail about what it's like to be the voice of an icon and work for Nintendo.

Martinet has been working for Nintendo since 1990, so he probably has quite a bit of insight when it comes to the video games industry. We're sure the book will also be filled with some profound points regarding violence in video games, like when he states, "It's up to parents and family members to know what their children are doing and how much time they spend doing it and the impact those things have on them. People playing Mario games don't make them like pasta any more."

While we agree with the sentiment, using pasta as his comparison point probably hurts the argument more than it helps it. Either way, gems like that may make this book an interesting read.

JoystiqVoice of Mario to write autobiography originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autobiographyCharles-MartinetMariovoice-actorvoice-of-marioThu, 29 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Super Mario Bros. 3, Alien Soldier, and some other game to appear on VC tomorrow]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/super-mario-bros-3-alien-soldier-and-some-other-game-to-appea/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/super-mario-bros-3-alien-soldier-and-some-other-game-to-appea/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/04/super-mario-bros-3-alien-soldier-and-some-other-game-to-appea/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Heralding the release of Super Mario Galaxy this November 12th, Nintendo plans to deliver Super Mario Bros. 3, a title which many feel to be the NES's finest product, with this week's Virtual Console update. We've already pulled 500 Wii points out of our wallet, just waiting to hand the cash over to anyone who'll give us the game in return. We'll sleep tonight with the bills gripped tightly in our fists, smiling as we dream about spending the entirety of tomorrow ensconced in a giant green boot.

Treasure's classic run-and-gun boss-travaganza for the Sega Genesis, Alien Soldier, will also be available for download tomorrow, having previously appeared in North America only through the ill-fated Sega Channel. Hardcore gamers won't regret spending 900 Wii points on this one. And if they do, that speaks more to their character than Alien Soldier's qualities.

On the TurboGrafx-16 side, we'll have the option of buying Power Golf for 600 Wii points. Unfortunately for Power Golf, we've already resigned ourselves to only purchasing games which feature either a Tanooki Suit or a Seven Force robot this week. Sucks to be Power Golf.

JoystiqSuper Mario Bros. 3, Alien Soldier, and some other game to appear on VC tomorrow originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alien-soldiercharles-martinetplatformerpower-golfsmb3super-mario-bros-3treasureSun, 04 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST