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New Super Mario Bros. Wii coming down the pipe Nov. 15

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 23rd 2009 at 10:30PM }

Though the recent Nintendo press release announcing the Wii's new $199 price point was, for the most part, completely devoid of surprises, one new nugget of info was embedded in the stuff we already knew -- the release date for New Super Mario Bros. Wii has transformed from the ever-ambiguous "holiday 2009" to a decidedly more rigid "November 15." We can think of one mustachioed plumber who's not afraid of a little Modern competition. Bold, sir. Rather bold.

Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Fan makes Mushroom Kingdom in Left 4 Dead

by Justin McElroy { Sep 15th 2009 at 11:11AM }

We'd love to have a psychiatrist take a shot at this one. What kinda dude says, "You know, the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario 64 is all very nice and whimsical, but what I'd really like to do is murder hordes of the undead in it. Oh, and I'd call it 'Mushroom Massacre'"?

We're feigning being troubled by it, but, whatever the diagnosis, we're supremely glad people like DoritoClock, who made this particularly colorful Left 4 Dead map, exist.

[Via GoNintendo]

Mad Catz making Wii, DS peripherals with licensed characters

by Xav de Matos { Aug 20th 2009 at 8:45PM }

Third-party accessory developer Mad Catz has announced a non-exclusive agreement with Nintendo to create and market licensed accessories for the Wii, DS and DSi which include the "select use of Nintendo's intellectual property." According to a press release, the new Mad Catz line will include cameos from Nintendo's beloved stable of characters, such as Donkey Kong, Zelda, Link, Mario, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, Princess Peach and Metroid's Samus Aran. No further details on the upcoming products are available, but we're currently preparing a petition for a Philips takeover of Mad Catz and a CD-i revival. We're kidding; that would signify the end of times.

Mario and Sonic in a new trailer, at the Olympic Winter Games

by JC Fletcher { Aug 20th 2009 at 11:50AM }

We thought we had been cured of all vestiges of Sonic fandom -- the last several years having made caring about Sonic games unbearably painful. But then a speed-skating Metal Sonic showed up in this Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games trailer, and we were, however briefly, thrilled.

Other items of interest in this trailer: superfluous Sonic character Silver the Hedgehog getting really into curling, a Bowser/Bowser Jr. team (which confused us a lot when we initially thought it was a paradoxical Bowser/Baby Bowser team), and snowboarding! Which seems to be awfully close to the concept of Sonic Riders. And in the gallery, a few pictures of snowball fights! Is snowball fighting an Olympic sport now? If so, we'll actually pay attention to the TV broadcasts.

Gallery: Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics (GamesCom 2009)

Inglourious Plummers trailer finally combines Mario and Tarantino

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 15th 2009 at 2:00PM }

We always thought the Leguizamo-infused Super Mario Bros. film had the propensity to be amazing, if only a more visionary director had grasped the reins of the adaptation. The video we've posted after the jump gives a look into a parallel universe of what could have been -- a universe where Quentin Tarantino had control of the plumber's first silver screen excursion.

The video was produced by the folks over at GamerVision. You might want to brush up on the trailer for Tarantino's upcoming film Inglourious Basterds before you check it out -- their video is a shot-by-shot remake of said trailer, only it takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom instead of Nazi Germany. We never thought about it before watching the video, but the similarities between these two regions are actually rather striking.

[Via DumbDrum]

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Computer script plays Super Mario World by itself

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 13th 2009 at 2:00AM }

As you might have guessed, we're really busy guys. As such, we can't be expected to actually play the video games we write about. We dish out thousands of dollars every year to get local work release program participants to handle the grunt work for us -- but if a recent entry in the Mario AI Competition is any indication, we may soon be able to keep that cash in our wallets, opting for computer-assisted gaming instead.

Posted after the break is a video demo of the entry in question -- designed by artificial intelligence programmer Robin Baumgarten, this computer script effortlessly pushes the plump plumber through the hazardous environments of Super Mario World. It handles the game's challenges much better than our prisoner assistants -- and best of all, it definitely won't try to stab us in our sleep.

[Via Make: Online]

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First 4 Figures to sell Mario-themed Chess

by David Hinkle { Aug 10th 2009 at 11:15AM }

While not as classy as some of the other First 4 Figures offerings, the Super Mario Collector's Edition Chess Set is still kind of neat and, unlike the company's previous works, actually affordable for most human beings. Manufactured by USAopoly, this chess set will set you back $45 when it releases near the end of this year and is, uh, pretty much just chess with characters from the Mushroom Kingdom.

Kind of odd choice making Luigi the Queen, right? That might explain why he never found himself a nice lady like his brother did.

[Via Go Nintendo]

Mario used in original Punch-Out without Miyamoto's permission

by Griffin McElroy { Aug 9th 2009 at 4:30PM }

For fans of the NES' flagship pugilism sim Punch-Out!!!, the latest edition of Iwata Asks is chock-full of tidbits about the game that you probably didn't know. For instance, Nintendo Entertainment and Analysis Division's Makoto Wada reveals a long-hidden secret that makes fights against Bald Bull go much easier. Also, Glass Joe? He's got osteoporosis. Yeah, you should feel bad. Poor guy.

However, the most entertaining unearthed secret is the fact that Shigeru Miyamoto never signed off on the use of Mario as the game's mustachioed referree. In Miyamoto's own words, "we didn't have an approval system when using Mario images back then and it went right past my check." The interview transcript adds that he laughed after saying this, but we imagine at least one stink-eye was shot across the table.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Finally, Mario Sunshine's FLUDD jet pack a reality

by Justin McElroy { Aug 6th 2009 at 10:28AM }

Just because Super Mario Sunshine is the most underwhelming game in the main Mario series (fact, not opinion), doesn't mean we don't want a water-based jet pack for our own. In fact, we'd be happy with a something-based jet pack of any sort ... unless it's a murder-based jet pack, of course.

Jet Levitation is out there using good old American ingenuity (curious, for a Canadian company) to make our dreams come true with the JetLev, a pack limited by a 30-foot range and powered by a jet ski motor. If you'd like to see for yourself, we've got a video after the break.

[Thanks, Benjamin]

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New Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story trailer from the inside, out

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 31st 2009 at 8:15PM }

We're just about as excited as we could be for the next iteration in the long-running Mario & Luigi RPG series, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. It's been so long since we last got to try our hand at timing-centric, turn-based combat in the Mushroom Kingdom and, well, we really enjoyed our time with the game at E3. The newest trailer shows off a good deal of what we described from E3, with the ill-fated plumbers working with Bowser from the inside to solve problems in the outside world. Now all we need is a bit more of a solid release date than "this fall" -- how about it, Nintendo?

Gallery: Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)

Nintendo reveals American Club Nintendo bonuses [update]

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 14th 2009 at 8:05AM }

Nintendo loyalists that have been diligently registering their games can now pick up a reward through the Club Nintendo loyalty program. Those who have earned 300 or more Coins (equivalent to 6 Wii game purchases) are granted Gold status, while those who have earned 600 or more Coins are granted Platinum status. These members are now entitled to an exclusive members-only bonus.

Platinum members have the choice of two prizes:

Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! -- this downloadable WiiWare game is available exclusively to Club Nintendo Platinum members. In this special download, you'll be able to fight one-on-one against your coach, Doc Louis. Update: Screenshots now added.
Mario Hat -- a "true-to-life" replica of Mario's signature headpiece. Nintendo notes that the hat "may be big for small children."

Gold members will receive a special 2010 calendar. See more images after the break.

Gallery: Doc Louis' Punch-Out!!

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Madmen completing every Mario game for charity

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 12th 2009 at 12:00PM }

We love Mario. We mean, we're somewhat contractually obligated to, being huge nerds and all. Still, there's certain stages in the core Mario games that are simply excruciating to play -- we usually skip them during our nostalgic romps. That's why we can't help but admire the efforts of three men who are playing through every Super Mario title -- collecting every star, completing every level and Shining every Get! (Err -- getting every Shine.)

They're not doing this for fun, of course -- for the second year in a row, they're running through this "Mario Marathon," collecting donations for Child's Play. They've already been at it for two days -- but with the team yet to totally complete Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine, then Super Mario Galaxy again (as that totally secret character), there's a lot of ballgame left to be played.

Top brands of 2008 owned by Nintendo, EA, Activision, and not Sony

by JC Fletcher { Jun 30th 2009 at 9:00PM }

Wedbush Morgan Securities' 2009 industry report includes a list of the top thirty brands of 2008. The report notes that of the companies whose brands appear on the list, Nintendo, EA, and Activision were the only three with more than one brand to generate over $100 million at retail in the US last year.

And boy, did they. The top brand of the year, Guitar Hero -- perhaps you've heard of it -- was responsible for $992 million in US sales in 2008. The next two brands, Mario Bros. and Rock Band, generated $761 million and $662 million, respectively.

One company is notably absent from the top brands list: "Most strikingly," the report reads, "Sony had no top 30 brands for the third year in a row." Microsoft had two brands on the list (Gears of War and Fable) and Nintendo had four (Mario Bros., Wii Fit, Wii Play, and Pokémon). See the list of brands after the break.

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Mario, meet Sonic (at the Winter Olympics)

by Mike Schramm { Jun 4th 2009 at 11:30PM }

Listen -- not every game at E3 is a winner. The Joystiq heavyweights get to go play all the big games and interview all of the developer hotshots, and that's the stuff you love reading about. But some of us are down in the trenches, doing all of the demos that no one else wants to do, checking out all the games whose names are read around the schedule planning table, and answered only with the silence of bloggers who have better games to play.

That's not to say that Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics is a bad game -- its audience will probably enjoy it. Just like the previous Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, it offers multiple Olympic sports-based minigames featuring popular Nintendo and Sega characters, controlled by various Wii and DS motions. People who like buying that kind of thing (parents wandering a videogame store looking for wholesome family entertainment) will probably enjoy it. But even though most of the Joystiq staff passed on this demo (and your faithful blogger bravely attended it), it was one of the more surreal things we've seen this week. Our strange experiences, let us show you them.

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New look at New Super Mario Bros. Wii

by JC Fletcher { Jun 3rd 2009 at 12:50PM }

New Super Mario Bros. Wii seems like such a simple thing -- more Mario platforming, with some multiplayer this time, but the simple fact of more Mario platforming is almost intolerably wonderful. Maybe it's because we're super-tired from E3, but just look at the footage. Look at the adorable propeller suit. Look at that cloud enemy. The giant, friendly air manta rays. There's all kinds of crazy new Mario stuff happening, even without the multiplayer.

The trailer shows the game's casual mix of coop and competitive gameplay -- sure, you can jump on each other's heads and stuff, but Luigi is also seen carrying Mario around on some moving platforms.