Mario News (Page 10)
News Nintendo Seeks a Trademark for Mario Coin Sound
Going for gold
It's one of gaming's most iconic sounds, immediately recognisable to millions around the world. When Mario picks up a coin or bashes one out of a block there's a classic two-note jingle. You know the one. It's used very widely, but not just by Nintendo. It appears in pop culture in videos, podcasts and music, including our own...
Soapbox It's too Early to Judge Paper Mario: Color Splash
Is there a colour for disappointment?
Paper Mario: Color Splash has been grossly panned by many disappointed fans, and considering how mixed the response was to its predecessor Sticker Star, it's understandable that any hallmarks of that game would illicit this response. Nevertheless, this video maker feels it's far too early to be passing such...
Feature Nintendo Life's Favourite Mario Spin-Offs
The mascot's about more than platforming
This past week brought us Mario Day, or 'Mar10 Day' as Nintendo of America promotes it. Goofy campaign it may be, but it's nevertheless an excuse to celebrate the mascot and his many, many games. Having already extensively covered the series for its 30th Anniversary and having considered our favourites out...
Poll Which Is The Best Mario Spin-Off Series or Game?
There are so many...
Nintendo of America is keen for today to be 'Mar10 Day', a charming little spin on date conventions which doesn't have the same ring to it elsewhere - it's 10Mar day in the UK, for example, which isn't anywhere near as catchy. With a cute video to celebrate and some social media shenanigans afoot, it is at least an opportunity...
Video Today Is Officially Mar10 Day
Mario goes marching on
Today is Nintendo's equivalent to Star Wars' May 4th, in that March 10th marks the official day for its mascot, dubbed "Mar10 Day" (get it?!). Nintendo has acknowledged this by producing a video on its YouTube channel, so have a watch and let us know if you were charmed by it like this writer was. How will you spend Mar10...
Video Take a Tour of Super Mario Maker's Key Update and All its New Features
The pun train keeps rolling
Super Mario Maker version 1.6 has arrived on all our Wii U systems, and what a delightful update it is. We decided it was so lovely that it was worth showcasing everything that's new this time around and what better way to do it than an unscripted video where the host stumbles over his words every nine seconds? Check out...
News Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Gets a Summer Release Date for Wii U
Nintendo shows off Sevens rugby, too
Mario and Sonic used to be arch enemies, but now they settle their differences in sporting competitions. Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is the next in this sports-crossover series, and will be hitting the Wii U on 24th June, following the closer arrival of the 3DS version. Footage showed off two...
Video Learning How Mario Teaches Us the Basics
PBS Game/Show continues its series
Last week we shared the first episode of a neat mini-series from the PBS Game/Show YouTube channel, which aims to break down and explain the secrets to the great design in Super Mario games. Episode 1 looked at 'hidden language', while episode two looks at the manga-inspired structure in these games. Those that...
Video Check Out This Amazing Blindfolded Completion of Super Mario Bros.
Three months of practice, cleared in less than 15 minutes
We've seen some hugely impressive speedruns and game clearance feats in recent times, whether it's beating games with unconventional controllers, clearing multiple games at once or setting record times. Blindfolded runs are also fantastic to watch, and Japanese YouTuber...
News Did You Know Gaming Explores Mario & Religion
As you might expect, it gets a bit out there
Did You Know Gaming has provided us with insight into a wide variety of topics throughout the Nintendo universe. Did we ever expect them to be juxtaposing Super Paper Mario with artistic depictions of ancient demons? No, but we suppose there's a first time for everything. This latest installment of the...
Video Watch as New Super Mario Bros. Wii Gets Pitted Side-by-Side with its Wii U Successor
HD-licious
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has joined its younger sibling New Super Mario Bros. U on the Wii U eShop in Europe. Many people jump to compare the two and believe them to be achingly similar, so in order to put this to the test once and for all we've put both games side-by-side in the video below. We chose to showcase levels that bore a...
Live Enjoy Nearly 12 Hours of Classic Mario and Legend of Zelda Gaming from Awesome Games Done Quick
Super Mario Bros.! Ocarina of Time! Super Mario Galaxy! More!
We're coming towards the end of Awesome Games Done Quick, which is a shame, but it's gearing up for a wonderful finale. The final 24 hours feature plenty of goodies, a number of which are Nintendo classics. This time around we have nearly 12 hours of classic Mario and Zelda gaming; this...
Live Jump Into the Donkey Kong and 2D Mario Block of Awesome Games Done Quick
Wahoo!
Awesome Games Done Quick is picking up momentum, with all of its participants, attendees and viewers now well into a solid week of gaming. We're been hosting some blocks from the broadcast that feature familiar and fondly regarded games on Nintendo hardware, just in case you're not on top of the schedule. This time around we have the Donkey...
News New Super Mario Bros. Wii Looks Set to Hit Europe on 7th January
Wahoo!
Though the Wii U Virtual Console is missing a few obvious platforms and release - ahem, GameCube - it has brought some goodies. One of the welcome additions has been Wii downloads; a number of excellent games have arrived, including some that are relatively hard to find or expensive in physical form. It's certainly had its successes in terms...
Talking Point Each Super Mario Maker Update Promises Much for the Future of the Franchise
Flying levels, helmets being vital to gameplay - the game has changed
The latest major Super Mario Maker update is live, being the second of its kind (outside of minor Mystery Costume additions) at the time of writing. The first notable update was, in some ways, focused on fixing perceived shortcomings of the launch code - it included stacked...
Nintendo Life Weekly The Last Smash Bros. DLC Fighters, Super Mario Galaxy on Wii U eShop and More
Week & feeble
The final Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct caused a stir amongst the fans, but just in case you're not as hot on these things as you'd like we've once more produced a compendium of the biggest news of the past week coupled with all the releases and reviews you'd expect from Nintendo Life Weekly. This week we look at the last Smash...
Video Check Out the Super Mario Bros. 3 Port That Never Was
What could've been...
For those of you that have been playing video games for several decades, you probably remember the glory days of id Software. Beginning its work on the PC, the studio is arguably responsible for the modern shooter genre, with games such as Quake, Wolfenstein, and Doom all being products to emerge from the studio. While shooters...
Review Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (3DS)
This Mario mashup is a real jam
Though it came as a bit of a surprise, quietly tucked away into Nintendo's Digital Event during E3 earlier this year, fans of RPG silliness have been anticipating the crossover of a lifetime since the announcement of AlphaDream's latest adventure. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (known simply as Mario & Luigi: Paper...
Video Take a Look at This Super Mario Mod for Sonic Generations
Looks surprisingly polished
For those of you that aren't part of the PC gaming world, you may not be too familiar with mods. Basically free, fan-created DLC, mods can put an interesting spin and add significant value to the base game that they're made for. It's gotten to the extent that certain mods have become more popular than the game they've...
News Dry Bowser and Bowser Jr. will be in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
Now we just have to wait for Pink Gold Peach...
It's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will be gracing the consoles of Wii U owners in the West. It'll certainly be interesting to see how this one performs both critically and commercially, as many see it as a consolation prize that's trying to fill the gap...
News Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Launches on 4th December in Europe
Two worlds collide
Mario has had an interesting journey in the RPG genre. After an initial start in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES, Mario went on to star in the Paper Mario franchise, which was something of a spiritual successor. Then, a little before the release of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, the Mario & Luigi...
News Takashi Tezuka on Mario's Success and His Hopes for the Future of the Character
"I think it all started with how the gameplay resonated with players."
It's no exaggeration to say that Super Mario has become a pop culture icon. The red-hatted plumber has appeared in dozens, if not hundreds, of games and has arguably become the unofficial face of gaming itself. If nothing else, he's been the star of the best-selling video game...
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (Wii U eShop / DS)
A toy story
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is the Nintendo DS sequel to the original GBA classic and a new recruit to the ever-growing Wii U Virtual Console library. Rather than being more of the same platforming puzzle action, Nintendo chose to focus this entire game around what is but a small percentage of the previous game - the...
Review Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Wii U eShop / GBA)
Prophesizing the amiiboom
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is interesting in that it's the only game in the Mario vs DK franchise (to date) that actually allows the player to control Mario; indeed this was originally planned to be a sequel to 1994's Donkey Kong on Game Boy, so arguably those two have more in common than the other games in the series. Mario vs...
News Nintendo UK Store Serves Up Incentives for Ordering Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
A ball and a plush doubles partner
It feels like Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash has been cruising under the radar, even as real-life tennis has lately grabbed even more attention than it tends to. The Nintendo UK Store, however, is starting to hype up the 20 November release of the game in Europe with a couple fine items for those who pre-order through...
Reminder It's Super Mario's 30th Anniversary
Celebrate in your own way
It's only natural that many treated the launch day for Super Mario Maker as a 30th Anniversary celebration for the franchise. It's worth remembering, though, that 13th September 1985 is the day that Super Mario Bros. was released on the Famicom in Japan, as a result beginning its journey to changing the games industry...
Mario History Mario Kart 8 - 2014
Taking racing to a new level
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day (apart from when we miss a day), each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Despite its ups and downs the Wii U has delivered a relatively small but distinguished library of excellent...
Mario History Super Mario 3D World - 2013
A new generation of hybrid (no it's not a car)
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day (apart from when we miss a day), each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. We have a fond story we like to recall about Super Mario 3D World in Nintendo Life HQ. It was E3...
Mario History New Super Mario Bros. 2 & U - 2012
So. Much. Mario.
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day (apart from when we miss a day), each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. We're now well into the current generation with this series (which ends soon, we promise). 2012 was also a weird year for 2D Mario...
News Super Mario Maker Patch Speeds Up Tool Delivery
9-day unlock period significantly shortened
Nintendo's decision to release level design tools in Super Mario Maker over a slow, 9-day drip was apparently to guide newcomers up a learning curve. The reaction, however, has largely been negative, with many people seemingly more than eager to try pulling sick rodeo flips off that curve on Day One. It...
Mario Memories Getting Creative With Mario Paint
"And then... We clicked on the coffee mug icon..."
In this series of articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. This time we have our wannabe hipster reviewer Jose Acosta. When I think of Mario Paint the...
Weirdness The Bizarre Truth of Bowser Jr.'s Mother, According to Shigeru Miyamoto
Erm...
Earlier this week Nintendo of Europe teased a Mario myth-busting video in which Shigeru Miyamoto would tackle some of the tales and questions that revolve around the mascot. We expected some light-hearted confirmations and some nudging / winking, and that's what we got. The video was initially shared by NoE on Twitter, and though some...
Mario History Super Mario 3D Land - 2011
Literally 3D Mario
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Super Mario 3D Land wasn't the first 3D Mario to grace a Nintendo portable - that honour goes to Super Mario 64 DS - but it was the first original game of its...
News Watch Chibi-Robo! Running Around In His Mario Costume In The Latest Zip Lash Gameplay Trailer
The Chibi-House is almost ready for departure sir!
As the release of Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash for 3DS draws ever closer Nintendo has been releasing new snippets of information about the game, along with the recent gameplay trailer below. In the trailer we can see a snippet of Chibi-Robo! running around in a Mario costume, which we can only assume is...
Talking Point Nintendo's Challenge With Super Mario's 2D Future
Vocal fans prefer a retro style, while modern entries are sales leaders
With Super Mario Maker around the corner there seems to be a consensus - at least in this pre-release stage - that Nintendo has got it right with this creation tool. When you combine the excellent tool-set with a potentially endless supply of levels you arguably have - as we...
Mario History Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 2010
Some say sequel, some say level pack - we say brilliant
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. Nintendo has some rules that it follows with its games and franchises, particularly in terms of frequency. There's one...
Mario History Super Mario Galaxy - 2007
Out of this World
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario games per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. In our previous entry we highlighted how New Super Mario Bros. was the first new 2D Mario title in some time; that was due to a general focus on 3D Mario...
Mario History Super Mario 64 DS - 2004
3D Mario on the go
In this series of articles we'll write about one or more Mario game per day, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations. If you'd have said that one day it would be possible to play Super Mario 64 on a handheld console back in 1996, you'd likely have been laughed out of the room...
Video Super Mario Maker Contains Secret Fly Swatting Mini Game
Mario Paint style
Not content with being what is arguably the ultimate 2D Mario experience, Super Mario Maker is also host to some neat little features burrowed away behind walls of code. One that caught our eye as we were playing was that shifting a block can sometimes reveal three flies from underneath it. Swatting these flies takes you away from...
News McDonald's Happy Meal Boomerang Mario In UK Tabloid Scandal
"I was very concerned because it looked completely inappropriate"
We've been enjoying collecting the new range of Super Mario toys in McDonald's Happy Meals in the UK since the promotion started up again on the 12th August. We even tasked Nintendo Life's YouTube botherer Alex with doing an unboxing last week for you lovely people. Thankfully Alex's...
Mario Memories Super Mario RPG Opens Up The World (and a Boss's Big Mouth)
"Mario! Prepare yourself for the great beyond!"
In this series of 30 daily articles celebrating the upcoming 30th Anniversary of Super Mario, various members of the Nintendo Life extended family will share their memories and thoughts on the iconic franchise. Next up is reviewer and news contributor Tim Latshaw. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the...
News Super Mario Happy Meal Toys Hit The UK On 12th August
Supersize me!
Move over Minions, it's Super Mario's time to take over McDonald's Happy Meals in the UK. From 12th August anyone who buys a Happy Meal will be treated to a Super Mario toy, starting with a Mario Visor and a Yoshi toy. A reader who wishes to remain anonymous shared these photos with us. This follows a similar promotion from March...
Video This Trailer For Super Mario Maker Is Rather Nostalgic
Remember your favourite Mario moments in new ways
Since the initial reveal of Super Mario Maker, Nintendo has been hard at work promoting the Wii U title's upcoming release. We've already seen the game in action on a competitive level at this year's Nintendo World Championships, held during E3, and just recently, the Kyoto-based company announced it...
News Mattel Is Releasing Mario Themed Hot Wheels Racers
Lead the way
As of late, Nintendo has been collaborating with a wide variety of companies to help increase its brand exposure. Just last week, for example, it announced a special partnership with social media giant, Facebook, to promote the upcoming Wii U title, Super Mario Maker. This week, news has surfaced via Brazillian toy site T-Hunted, that...
Weirdness Super Mario Bros. 3 is Rather Creepy With "The Plumber's Dream" Theory
The hills have eyes
Super Mario Bros. 3 is an undoubted classic, and one of the finest platformers of all time. At times bizarre, always great to play, it's a testament to what could be achieved on the 8-bit NES. Naturally it's an enduring topic for gamers of all types, and some like to really dive into the meaning of the colourful and bonkers...
News Here's What The Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympics Arcade Game Looks Like
Arriving Spring 2016 in Japan
We recently reported on the fact that Sega is releasing an arcade variant of its forthcoming Wii U and 3DS title Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Japanese firm has now published an image of the cabinet, as well as an official site. The game is scheduled for release next Spring in Japan, and one w
Hardware Review Awesome Super Mario Inspired Watch - Sun and Moon Miyamoto
Partner in time
A while ago we reported that Mr Jones Watches had produced a limited edition wristwatch inspired by the Super Mario series. The response to the design was so positive that the watch became a permanent fixture in their lineup after a small design change to differentiate itself from the limited edition variant. We were kindly given...
News Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympics Is Getting An Arcade Release
Recently underwent location tests in Japan
Sega has confirmed that the forthcoming Wii U and 3DS release Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will also be released in arcades. The game recently underwent location tests in Japan which allowed Sega to balance things and iron out any issues. It was on test at Club SEGA Akihabara and SEGA...
Video There's Plenty to Admire in this Super Mario World Speedrun
Son of a Glitch explains how it's done
Speedrunning is a particularly neat part of gaming culture, in which extremely dedicated and skilful players push games and their coding to the limit. Often exploiting glitches and - in the case of retro games - memory limitations of the original hardware, gamers find clever way to beat classic titles in a...
Weirdness Mario, Luigi and Wario Cheer On Tour de France Riders
Ooh la la
The Tour de France is well underway, and this great cycling event wouldn't be complete without some colourful characters to cheer on the riders. It's commonplace to see spectators such as El Diablo running on the roadside alongside their heroes, even if it is potentially quite dangerous and frowned upon by the event organisers. This year...

















































