mario

E3: 'Super Mario Galaxy' gameplay movie

Mario takes to the stars in Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. Control gaming's favorite plumber with the Wiimote and nunchuck as you explore planetoids, asteroids, and various other celestial -oids to collect stars. The game's round worlds will incorporate some truly funky puzzles, with gravity playing a major part in their solutions. Super Mario Galaxy hits the Wii on November 12.

'Mario Kart' coming to the Wii with online play

It's not the most surprising announcement at E3, but it certainly is one of the most anticipated by Nintendo fans. Nintendo just announced Mario Kart Wii. Nintendo's seminal arcade racer is finally bringing its shell-slinging, kart-driving action to the Wii. While Nintendo has been pretty quiet about Mario Kart Wii, it's safe to say that the game will let you play as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, or any other number of Nintendo characters across a number of Mario-themed tracks. At Nintendo's press conference today, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime cryptically said, "More racers mean more … Read more

Zelda game voted best game of all time--WRONG

In a recent poll conducted by Edge Magazine, readers were asked to pick their favorite video games of all time. And while it didn't surprise me that Nintendo games dominated the top 10, I was appalled at what I learned: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time finished first.

As an avid video game purist, I consider some of the games from my storied youth to be the best ever. And while Ocarina of Time warrants a 9.5 out of 10 on my made-up scale, I can think of at least three games that warrant a 10 rating. … Read more

Wii virtual console releases for this week

As it does every Monday, Nintendo has released three new virtual console games to download via the Wii shop channel. They are:

Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988, NES, 500 Wii points) - Revisit this 1988 classic and play as Mario, Luigi, Toad, or the Princess, through seven different worlds. Dragon Spirit (1989, TurboGrafx 16, 600 Wii points) - This classic vertically scrolling shooter (they sure don't make 'em like they used to) takes you through eight levels on your mission to save Princess Alicia. Ecco: The Tides of Time (1994, Genesis, 800 Wii points) - The Tides of Time … Read more

Ringtone roundup: Mario moves ahead

Each week, we track the most popular ringtones.

Maybe it's due to the success of the Nintendo Wii, or it could be some magic mushrooms, but Koji Kondo's "Super Mario Brothers Theme" has jumped to the third spot on Billboard's Hot Ringtone chart. The ringtone has been in the top 40 for more than two years, and gamers of all ages can't help but smile when that classic theme plays.

The mustachioed one is behind Rascal Flatt's "What Hurts the Most," and Unk's "2 Step" on the charts. … Read more

Super Paper Mario is here!

For any Nintendo fan, there are a small number of franchises which make any of their consoles a must have. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was a wildly successful launch title which brought much joy to many of the Wii's initial buyers. The new Metroid title is still in the works, but fortunately for Wii owners Super Paper Mario has recently been released to slake the thirst for Nintendo's most recognizable character. Don't be the last one on your block to own this must have title!

Another DS Lite gets stoned

We don't know if Paris Hilton had anything to do with this, but we wouldn't be surprised. Nintendo was apparently so enthralled with her Swarovski puppy design that it's decided to extend the frightful concept to other DS Lite models, tarring the image of the venerable brothers Mario among other characters. Luxurylaunches reports that each of the custom items, on display at the Nintendo World store in Manhattan, is covered with $600 of the infernal stones. The good news: They're not for sale.

Move over, lawn gnomes; here comes Giant Super Mario!

If you have $3000 burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for a hot new lawn decoration that won't need to be replaced with seasonal changes (unless you're that weirdo who keeps the inflatable Santa up all year round), man, you are going to love hearing this. Someone is making these 5-foot-tall Super Mario figures, previously only sold to retailers, available to the average consumer. (Well, the average consumer with an extra $3000 on hand.) Now, you can have a Mario of your very own.

Imagine the possibilities! They could upstage your wacky neighbor's lawn … Read more

Thanks, but I prefer actually playing Mario Kart

It always weirds me out a little bit when companies come up with "traditional" toys based on video games. You know, like that Nintendo Monopoly board game from a few months back. Now, according to Kotaku, Nintendo has officially licensed a Mario Kart race track. I suppose this is the company's way of reaching out to an audience that might be too young for video games, so that it can indoctrinate them into the Cult of Nintendo.

I suppose a parallel example would be if Apple released a toy iPod for little kids. That'd be weird, … Read more

Wii Preview: Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, and Mario Woods. Tiger! Er, Tiger Woods.

Nintendo threw a little shindig last night, and I went to sample the company's upcoming wares. The games Nintendo showed off included Super Paper Mario, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, and Mario Party 8. Frankly, all three games look darn good.

I spent the most time on Super Paper Mario, sequel to the excellent GameCube RPG Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and it's even weirder than its predecessor. Unlike the straight role-playing in previous Paper Mario games, Super Paper Mario is a puzzle-filled platform game with some loose RPG elements. The titular 2D plumber gets the power to … Read more