This year is Mario's 35th anniversary, and as you might have heard, there's a rumour that Nintendo is remastering most of his back-catalogue on Switch. Apart from this, LEGO is joining in on the celebration with appropriately-themed sets, and now, Hasbro will be releasing Super Mario Monopoly and Jenga.
This Super Mario Celebration Edition of monopoly has players buying, selling, and trading famous Mario locations from 1985 to the present day. There's also an electronic component (taking on the form of a Question Block with sound effects) and can "change a player's luck". This launches on 1st August, for $29.99 USD, and is available now on Amazon.
Next up is the Jenga: Super Mario. Players must race up the tower as Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad to defeat Bowser. This launches on the same date as Mario Monopoly, and will apparently be priced at $20.00 USD. Here's a bit of extra information:
"Spin the spinner to find out the next move: How many layers to climb, how many blocks to remove and stack, whether to collect coins, or whether the game will reverse directions. It's a battle to the top as players move their own pegs up and their opponents' pegs down, all while trying not to make the tower crash."
Fancy some Mario-themed Monopoly or Jenga? Do you think this could be a sign of things to come? Leave a comment below.
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[source comicbook.com]
Comments 52
The Jenga game confuses me.. how the heck does that play?
Seeing all these different eras of Mario together and no Super Mario 3D All-Stars announcement is hard.
Looks good particularly the Monopoly. Looks increasingly likely that August is when we'll see the rumoured Mario remasters, possibly 🙏🤷♂️🤷♂️
And the rumors about the possible remasters grow stronger...
This pretty much confirms direct showing remaster coming very soon, before this officially launches
Hasbro celebrating Mario’s anniversary without Nintendo... I hope they don’t forget that their mascot had over 35 years of experience stomping Goomba’s and saving a princess.
Just imagine this being the 35th Anniversary "game" and nothing else. That would be amazing.
Rumor I’m gonna start, when Nintendo announces remakes, there will also be a new skin added to Mario maker 2...
Seems strange so many Mario stories in one week, doncha think?
I have a more believable rumour: there is NO mass remastering of Mario games. 🙄
The Monopoly board is pretty cool, but I don't think I like it as much as the Nintendo one I own. The railroad spaces are replaced with the Arwing, Blue Falcon, Kirby's star, and Mario Kart. It's pretty sweet.
Hang on, does this one even have the railroad spaces?
Hasbro please make some Mario Party Board games that be so cool.
Was excited when I saw the Monopoly, until I saw it was a watered down version (only two properties for each color).
Cool seeing mario 64 and sunshine version of mario
I still have zero faith in Nintendo actually doing these remasters. For all we know, the rumours started from that Monopoly key art and it was assumed to be a video game project.
So cool!!
I hope get Monopoly!
Cute as you may be
You are not the star I came to see
@FernandoMachado I know right? Even if it's just a collection of ports. Not even remasters or 1/2 HD stuff.
@LaytonPuzzle27 It doesn't have mini-games in between turns, buuuuut:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1648413925
What kind of Kaizo Monopoly is this? Only two properties per colour group and no railroads?
Fan support from nintendo is SURE awesome, like we didn`t need that monopoly and jenga after like 3 more nintendo themed ones and not ports of one of the best games ever made, SM64...
Ah, so this is what all those rumors about some 35th anniversary Mario games were about a few months ago! Glad we got that all cleared up!
cries in lack of Nintendo news
This looks like something that was supposed to come out after the usual E3 Direct. Maybe Nintendo just said go ahead, don’t wait for us - or it’s just Hasbro doing what they need to do. The image of all the Marios does seem to add credence to the remaster rumours.
That Mario Jenga game sure looks different....
Would have made more sense to use S.M.B. 2 designs for the Jenga game, considering it also has an emphasis on verticality.
Why does every 'boardgame'version of something Always has to be bloody monopoly.. surely the most overrated board game ever.. surely we had mario chess as well, but I would love e.g. a mario inspired Katan….
The jenga looks nice though.. interested what the exact rules will be...
@romanista someone else who doesn't like Monopoly. The game where one person "wins" pretty early on and everyone else then slowly loses over an hour or two.
Even better: Let's make Mario Cluedo: Who killed Bowser? It was Toad, with the Fire flower, in New Donk City...
ideas for Nintendo IP board / table games could be a fun game in itself:
I'm unsure I've ever seen a classic game which has been somehow improved by adding a licence to it. And Monopoly is actually a fairly horrible game anyway, nostalgia aside.
If you want some fun/mad Super Mario games, these are quite fun: https://epoch.jp/ty/mario/super_mario/series/ (even if they don't always work as well in practice!)
(edit for @TJM above - some of the above games such as https://epoch.jp/ty/mario/super_mario/kuppa-castle/ and https://epoch.jp/ty/mario/super_mario/peachmeiro/ pretty much ARE Mario Screwball Scramble!)
@Enigk Yup, totally agree. I always felt cruel after i’d been winning at Monopoly and trying to persuade others to continue so I could slowly and inevitably crush them. And always felt super bored being on the other side of it - feels like a game for sadists.
@mr_benn Cool - must never show these to my kids - the shipping!!
An update to Monopoly for Nintendo Switch with a new Mario theme would be great. They already have several others.
Actually, you know a good game that wouldn't be harmed by slapping the Nintendo licence over the top? Ghost Fightin' Treasure Hunters (This one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01FLADSW0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) - it's a great co-op game, it got a Ghostbusters reskin and it didn't mess with the rules, it could totally work and would really fit the theme with a Luigi's Mansion version by going between the different rooms, zapping ghosts, and collecting jewels or portraits to win.
It'll never happen.
I used to love Monopoly as a kid and even into early adulthood, but after getting into European style board games like Catan and Puerto Rico (aka games that require at least some degree of strategic aptitude to win, and whose outcomes are not primarily driven by RNG), Monopoly is now virtually unplayable.
Although, now that I think about it, the game was always virtually unplayable. In fact, I don't think I've ever once taken part in a game that's ever properly ended. Monopoly takes hours to play and - given the fact that it's almost impossible to stage a come from behind victory - there is little incentive to play once the inevitable winner has been established. As such, rage quitting is pretty much an inevitable part of the experience.
Nevertheless, the Mario Monopoly board looks kind of okay - or at least it did on the surface. Though upon further inspection, the board looks really busy and - when compared to the standard issue board series board - the number and distribution of properties appears to be noticeably limited. Monopoly requires very little skill as is - to further limit the already fundamentally limited potential for strategic property management seems pretty asinine. So, yeah. All in all, I think that - even if I wasn't in love with pretentious Euro-strategy board games - I can't imagine myself being in any way impressed by Mario Celebration.
As for Mario Jenga. What can I say? I mean, I loved Jenga as a kid - in fact, I still do - but this version of it looks like total hell. How does one even go about setting up and playing such a monstrosity? I'm going to assume that the blocks are composed entirely cheap plastic, which - if true - is gross. Jenga without smooth, wooden blocks feels like a sacrilege. And even beyond that, it just looks aesthetically hideous.
So, yeah, I'm gonna go with a hard pass on both.
@mr_benn You are very right. My family loves that game. I wanted to buy some friends a copy but they changed it to Ghostbusters: Protect the Barrier. Smaller board, smaller crappy cards, one part of the expansion, yuck.
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/201037/ghostbusters-protect-barrier-game
Mattel is screwing that one up proper.
When it comes to themed versions of classic board games I'd prefer it just being a reskin instead of a "new" version of game mechanics, rules, surprises etc. The games are classic for a reason. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Playing any of these classic games with a theme is more of a bonus to a already classic experience. When you start screwing around with the mechanics to fit the theme it just makes me miss the classic game without any themes. Defeats the purpose. Just my take. They look cool though.
I want that jenga!
@mr_benn cheers for the link - looks fun - might have to get that. I have a 5 and an 8 year old - do you think it would be too young for 5yrs?
@TJM - I do have these so can comment!
I'd say that this one: https://epoch.jp/ty/mario/super_mario/peachmeiro/ is pretty good for all ages, you can't really 'lose', only take a bit longer or fall down a level or two when you're going up the middle blue bit. I found an ad for it that shows it off better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBVgaAPp2zQ
The other one https://epoch.jp/ty/mario/super_mario/kuppa-castle/ is arguably a little bit more temperamental and likely to result in frustration. Plastic feels a bit cheap too, though if you can get a decent price on it quite diverting for a bit. Here's an ad for that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1GVueTEyu8
Neither as good as Screwball scramble though!
Ah phooie, I was hoping they'd bring back Donkey Kong Jenga 'cause that actually looked pretty good.
I am excited to see some actual thought put in to Monopoly this time, with special currency and places to buy instead of characters. Peach used to go for $220...
How many Nintendo/Mario editions of Monopoly does this make though?
@RustedHero Hard disagree for me. I already have the classic version (sometimes several), so why waste shelf space with a themed edition if it doesn't bring something new?
I'm incredibly fond of Lord of the Rings Risk, which not only has a completely different map, but has all new elements to represent the journey of the ring. Also Risk 2210 where I can go to the moon, or blow up large parts of the map. And then there's Harry Potter Clue which keeps things chaotic with constantly shifting doorways and secret passages. I've yet to find a special/weird Monopoly I really like, though U-build and Cheater's editions had some interesting gimmicks.
That said, I personally don't think this Monopoly brings enough new ideas to the table. I'm more inclined to check out the Mario Kart edition with its weird racing mechanic. Is it good? I dunno... But it's different!
Un/fortunately, most of the special editions out there are just unadulterated reskins so you have a lot of options without mucking around with new mechanics. with over 2200 editions (https://worldofmonopoly.com/) I'm sure at least one of them is a vanilla game with a Mario facelift!
Shouldn’t the article subheading have been, “Let’s-a-pass-go”? Wasted comedic opportunity there
@SirKero You make a lot of valid points. So I guess for me then it's a case by case basis. I can definitely understand certain themes that work real well with the modified mechanics to make it a fun twist. My take on it is probably because growing up the youngest of 4 brothers we played a lot of board games (besides video games). Being only the standard versions available in that era for a lot of years it made me a purist I guess. Nowadays a lot of younger people start playing some of these classic games with those themes and new mechanics.
Ah, i've been wondering whats the deal with all these Super Mario products lately. Didn't realize it was Mario's 35th anniversary. Christ, where did 35 years go.
@RustedHero I think you're absolutely right that case by case is the way to go! A lot of these license tie-ins (or cash-ins) add new ideas that aren't well thought out or fun to play (that Mario Jenga looks like one of them). I should have said: when new mechanics are done right i much prefer it over a vanilla clone, but when it's done wrong it can really detract from the regular game.
@TJM I would love to see those happen! I could see a Metroid theme working very well in something like the Doom tabletop games. They've got exploration, equipment upgrades, ammo management, and nasty surprises around every corner.
@mr_benn GFTH looks fantastic! Even without a Luigi theme I think I'm going to have to find a copy. Thanks for cluing me in to it!
@JR150
That would be hilarious. Someone got this on their desk early, and gave it a quick look over. "I see Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and 3D World all on the same game"
"NiNtenDo Is rEmASteRiNg ClASsiCs!"
It's kind of weird that the pictures for 'go to jail' and 'free parking' are unchanged.
@Prizm At this point it’s basically confirmed though. Every reliable leaker around has said “yeah that’s definitely happening.”
Damn Amazon is currently out of stock.
Woohoooo! Here we go....
This is how mario celebrates his birthday 🤣🤣
https://youtu.be/jrRj3c4l6b8
Yay! My monopoly has arrived, and there it’ll stay preserved in plastic forever
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