mario

Have a dirt bike adventure with Mario Ride

If you're a fan of Mario, there's no need to limit yourself to the games produced by Nintendo; the Mario fan community has created numerous games featuring Mario and other characters from the franchise. In Mario Ride, users must navigate through 10 levels with Mario on a dirt bike. It's not the most exciting game we've ever played, but it's fun and challenging, and it's worth checking out if you're a fan of Mario or driving games in general.

Mario Ride is a Flash-based game, and its graphics are of fairly high quality. … Read more

Low Latency No. 3: Times change, people change

Jeff: I first got the idea for a comic like this when I was in a GameStop store and saw a kid who couldn't have been older than 10 begging his mother for Modern Warfare 3. It got me thinking about the games I was desperate to have when I was that age, and I immediately remembered the 3-hour wild goose chase I sent my parents on in search of Super Mario Bros. 3. … Read more

The Nintendo 3DS finally gets Game Boy Advance games

How to get Game Boy Advance games on your Nintendo 3DS:

Travel back in time to when the Nintendo 3DS was $250. Buy one. Travel back forward in time to December 16, 2011, look in the Nintendo eShop for "settings," click "your downloads," and collect your 10 classic GBA games.

Back when Nintendo first announced a 3DS price drop, early adopters of the Nintendo 3DS were understandably frustrated. However, those early customers became "Ambassadors" entitled to 20 free downloadable games--10 NES, 10 Game Boy Advance--that Nintendo promised would be available before the end of … Read more

Mario creator Miyamoto retiring? Not a chance, Nintendo says

Gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto won't be leaving his current position at Nintendo anytime soon, the game company reassured fans and shareholders today.

"This is absolutely not true," a Nintendo spokeswoman said of a report claiming Miyamoto is retiring. "There seems to have been a misunderstanding. He has said all along that he wants to train the younger generation. He has no intention of stepping down. Please do not be concerned."

Talk of Miyamoto leaving his position as Nintendo development head arose yesterday after he told Wired in an interview that he has plans for the … Read more

By sea or by air with Mario Kart 7

The 3DS certainly seems to be on a bit of a hot streak lately with Super Mario 3D Land and now Mario Kart 7. While the franchise has been a Nintendo staple for almost two decades, we were curious to see if MK7 had enough fuel in the tank to impress us all over again.

We've taken our laps with the game and rounded up our final thoughts:

Jeff: Other than the brilliant use of 3D in Super Mario 3D Land, I'm not sure there's a better genre to show off the illusion than racing games. In Mario Kart 7 the effect is fantastic, but perhaps not as vital to the experience like it is in other games. Regardless, MK7 is the next game to buy behind 3D Land, successfully delivering the one-two combo punch the Nintendo 3DS has been so desperately seeking.… Read more

15 reasons to buy a Wii

Wait a second, you ask; why am I discussing buying a Wii in 2011? Your skepticism is justified: this holiday season, Nintendo feels like a shadow of its former self.

Still, seeing an ad for a $99 Wii this Black Friday has made me wonder: would I still recommend buying a Wii this year?

It's complicated. Check out my list of the best Wii games ever made, and see if you agree.

The recent release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has turned attention once again on the Nintendo Wii, a console that's largely felt left for … Read more

Nintendo, West Coast Customs unveil life-size Mario Kart racers

LOS ANGELES--This may be the strangest unveiling of the LA Auto Show's history...

In celebration of the first title in the Mario Kart franchise to feature 3D graphics, Nintendo commissioned West Coast Customs to truly bring the game into the third dimension by building working examples of two of the cars from Mario Kart 7.

Mario's personal race car and Luigi's Bumble V car were constructed and can be driven under their own power. However, the hang glider and underwater propeller on Mario and Luigi's rides, respectively, are not functional. Visitors will be able to view … Read more

The 404 947: Where we are the keyboard cowboys (podcast)

Apple's update to iTunes 10.5.1 brings a new scan-and-match service for music that gives users a way to stream their entire collection across multiple devices in the Apple family.

Even better, Apple will actually fill in the blanks of your files' metadata and replace your "matched" files with high-quality 256k-encoded AAC files--an audiophile's dream!

The three of us are so excited that it sounds like we're hosting an infomercial, but check out today's episode to hear more details about iTunes Match.

Also leaked from today's episode: LivingSocial gets into home food delivery with Room Service, PETA puts Mario and his Tanooki suit in its crosshairs, and more events unravel in the ongoing War Against Infographics!… Read more

PETA goes after Mario and his Tanooki suit

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently began calling the new Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS insensitive to the hunting and killing of real-life tanuki racoon dogs for fur. I guess PETA never had an issue with everyone's favorite plumber stomping on turtles and using their shells as weapons all these years.

From the "Mario Kills Tanooki" section of PETA's site: "Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur." … Read more