It seems like ever since Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo has been trying harder and harder to inject 2D Mario sensibilities into their 3D Mario games. The tentatively titled Super Mario 3D appears to be the inevitable result of those efforts: a 3D Mario game built like a 2D Mario game. So how well does it work?

(more…)

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

When the Game Boy hit North America in 1989, it brought with it a new Mario game. The first Mario game that was portable (outside of Game & Watch devices, that is).

Originally, the Game Boy was going to be sold with Super Mario Land. But as the legend goes, Henk Rogers was able to convince Nintendo that packaging the system with Tetris, which he had the license to, would give their new handheld a wider appeal and sell to a larger demographic. With the wild success of the platform, you can’t really argue that he was wrong.

Still, Super Mario Land was available at launch in both Japan and North America. Even though it was a bit of a departure for the series, it sold incredibly well.

(more…)

First I was pissed off, I was agonized. Kept thinking how much fun you were, but at 97 stars I died. But I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong, and I grew strong. I learned how to carry on. And now you’re back from outer space. I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face. I should have changed that stupid lock. I should have made you leave your key. If I’d known for just one second you’d be back here with Yoshi.

Super Mario Galaxy, and really 3D Mario in general, is one of those weird games for me. While I’ve been a big Mario fan from my scrappy youth, Super Mario 64 just didn’t gel with me. It was fun, but awkward. And for every one thing about it I came to like, there was something else that wanted to prevent me from fully enjoying the game.

Apparently, Nintendo seems to feel there are a lot of people like me out there since, with Super Mario Galaxy, they’ve strived to pull in their Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros.-loving expanded audience. They’ve done this by throwing in 2D oriented stage segments, by making spherical levels that are hard to get lost on, by making the camera better, and by making the controls simpler.

(more…)

Our friend and fellow JPAGer, Justin Russo has designed some very cool video game themed posters. He is currently trying to get them printed, but he needs your help!

If you’ve never heard of Kickstarter, it is a way to pledge money to various creative projects from people around the internet. It is sort of like a Public Broadcasting Telethon, complete with rewards at different levels of money donated.

So head on over and help him out!

A beard might tell the world “I don’t care about the opposite sex” or “I am married” or “I am really lazy”.

A goatee tells the world “I am in my 20′s” or “I wish I was”.

A soul patch says “I missed a spot”. But there is just something special about the mustache that seems to tell the world “Hello ladies”. From Tom Selleck to Burt Reynolds to Adam Morrison, to just about every Highway Patrolman, mustaches are a thing of beauty.

In the world of video games these 11 whiskers represent the pinnacle of the art of mustaching.

(more…)

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

I checked with the WingDamage gods and they agree that you cannot have an unofficial Mario day without discussing the original Super Mario Bros. It simply cannot happen.

(more…)

"The Wizard never saw it coming."

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

Today is a special themed edition of “Friday Old Games”. With our recent review of New Super Mario Bros. Wii now live, I’m taking this opportunity to talk about my favorite game in the franchise, Super Mario Bros. 3.

While the original Super Mario Bros. laid down an excellent starting point for the series, the sequel (known to us non-Japanese gamers as The Lost Levels) felt like more of an expansion than a new game. In October of 1988, Nintendo of America released their own Super Mario Bros. 2 (later to be titled Super Mario USA in Japan) at the same time that Japanese gamers were getting their hands on the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. 3.

(more…)

"It's-a us, Mario and friends!"

“Friday Old Games” is a series of articles in which we review a game from the older generations of consoles, share why we picked it, and whether or not it holds up with time.

In honor of the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I thought I would take a look back at my favorite of the 8-bit Mario games, Super Mario Bros. 2.

(more…)

"The true successor to Super Mario World."

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the follow up to the DS game entitled New Super Mario Bros. It was only a matter of time before having the word “new” in the title of a game would become terribly confusing. Despite what the poor naming choice might suggest, this is not a port of the DS game, but rather a completely new Mario game.

Like any 2D platformer in the franchise, the game will have you running and jumping on the heads of enemies through eight themed worlds before finally reaching Bowser and rescuing the princess yet again. But this time around, Mario has new powers, multiplayer, and some of the zaniest level design (in a good way) the series has ever seen.

(more…)

"Doesn't Seem So Bad These Days, Does It?"

There is a lot of talk and confusion about the impact of violence in video games. It seems like every six months some moron will commit an act of violence and people in government and in the media are quick to blame it all on video games.

They cite questionable studies that supposedly show that playing video games causes children to be more aggressive and violent. No one seems to take the time to try to accurately explain what these studies are telling us. No one ever seems to talk about the numerous other studies that show no link at all between the two.

(more…)