Video Game Character of the Month
August 2013
Mario
Mario Bros.
Mario Bros.
Overview:
Mario is one of the greatest video game characters of all time and has the title of the two best franchises of all time (Mario and Super Mario). He is one of my favourite characters and indeed was one of the first games I played properly (Super Mario 64 DS). I really enjoyed that game and have completed it twice (although not with every star). For me the older Mario platforming games were better than the new ones as they were simpler and didn't depend on power ups as much. While I say this my actual favourite Mario adventures have always been in 3D such as Galaxy and 64. Well that's enough on me I hope you enjoy the rest of the post.
A little background history:
Mario has a brother called Luigi who was created with an inverted colour pallet
He is the main protagonist of most of his games and generally fights a giant dinosaur like turtle called Bowser
He is almost always trying to rescue Princess Peach
The Creation of Mario:
He was created in 1981 by Shigeru Miyamoto for the game Donkey Kong. He was created as Miyamoto wanted a character to rival Pac–Man after previous titles such as Sheriff failed to gain the same success. Miyamoto originally wanted to use three characters from the cast of Popeye: Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl) but he couldn’t gain the license. Mario’s first game was Donkey Kong where he had to go through a maze-like platformer while dodging barrels and other enemies.
Mario’s name had a very confusing beginning. He was originally called Mr. Video as was any character Miyamoto developed. He was then called Jumpman for obvious reasons in Donkey Kong. He was eventually named after Minoru Arakawa, the old president of Nintendo, landlord, Mario Seagle. Miyamoto commented that if he had named Mario Mr. Video he would likely have “disappeared off the face of the Earth”. This is probably true, I mean would you have remembered this name or wanted to by Mr. Video’s merchandise?
His job is also confusing. In Donkey Kong, he was a carpenter due to the game being set in a construction site. In Super Mario Bros, though, he was a plumber. The reason? The games setting once again came into play. As it was set in the New Yorks sewers the plumber identity was thought to be more attributed. So why all the hard work and manual labour? The reason was to give gamers something to recognise and relate to. Did it work? Over 210 million units sold say it did.
So what about his iconic costume I hear you ask? Once again it was not Miyamoto’s first choice (I seem to be seeing a running trend going on here…). So then where did it come from? You have the graphical limitations of the 80’s to thank for that. He was put in red overalls and blue shirt to begin with (so not there yet then). This is so that his clothes contrasted against each other and the background. The cap is next. Thank god, they made the cap. Without it Mario would have been just another character in overalls and thinning hair. And anyway, where would we put the M? Anyway, back to the creation of the cap. It was made so that Miyamoto wouldn’t have to draw Mario’s hair, forehead and eyebrows. It also meant that the animation of hair falling could be ignored. Basically thank you graphical limitations and human laziness (no offense Miyamoto of course).
Now comes his face. Where would we be without the nose and the moustache? How were they created I hear all of you shout in unison? Well I’ll tell you. Although you should probably have guessed by now. That’s right (unless you were wrong of course) graphical limitations! The nose and the moustache were created to prevent facial expressions having to be created on such as small character. There is also the fact that it made him seem more human which is important as well of course. Overtime the iconic M was added to the cap and the colours of his overalls and shirts inverted to blue overalls and red shirt (we’re finally there).
And there we go the origin of Mario in a nutshell. Hope you enjoyed it, now read ahead for more. No seriously do.
The Evolution of Mario:
Mario is a character that has withstood the test of time. Unlike many characters, he has developed his character while not losing sight of his roots. Although he has now ventured into karts, space and even paper he still has the platforming greatness that made him… well, great. In the following section, you will see a list of all the games Mario has been in sorted into series.
Games:
Mario is one of the greatest video game characters of all time and has the title of the two best franchises of all time (Mario and Super Mario). He is one of my favourite characters and indeed was one of the first games I played properly (Super Mario 64 DS). I really enjoyed that game and have completed it twice (although not with every star). For me the older Mario platforming games were better than the new ones as they were simpler and didn't depend on power ups as much. While I say this my actual favourite Mario adventures have always been in 3D such as Galaxy and 64. Well that's enough on me I hope you enjoy the rest of the post.
A little background history:
Mario has a brother called Luigi who was created with an inverted colour pallet
He is the main protagonist of most of his games and generally fights a giant dinosaur like turtle called Bowser
He is almost always trying to rescue Princess Peach
The Creation of Mario:
He was created in 1981 by Shigeru Miyamoto for the game Donkey Kong. He was created as Miyamoto wanted a character to rival Pac–Man after previous titles such as Sheriff failed to gain the same success. Miyamoto originally wanted to use three characters from the cast of Popeye: Popeye, Bluto, and Olive Oyl) but he couldn’t gain the license. Mario’s first game was Donkey Kong where he had to go through a maze-like platformer while dodging barrels and other enemies.
Mario’s name had a very confusing beginning. He was originally called Mr. Video as was any character Miyamoto developed. He was then called Jumpman for obvious reasons in Donkey Kong. He was eventually named after Minoru Arakawa, the old president of Nintendo, landlord, Mario Seagle. Miyamoto commented that if he had named Mario Mr. Video he would likely have “disappeared off the face of the Earth”. This is probably true, I mean would you have remembered this name or wanted to by Mr. Video’s merchandise?
His job is also confusing. In Donkey Kong, he was a carpenter due to the game being set in a construction site. In Super Mario Bros, though, he was a plumber. The reason? The games setting once again came into play. As it was set in the New Yorks sewers the plumber identity was thought to be more attributed. So why all the hard work and manual labour? The reason was to give gamers something to recognise and relate to. Did it work? Over 210 million units sold say it did.
So what about his iconic costume I hear you ask? Once again it was not Miyamoto’s first choice (I seem to be seeing a running trend going on here…). So then where did it come from? You have the graphical limitations of the 80’s to thank for that. He was put in red overalls and blue shirt to begin with (so not there yet then). This is so that his clothes contrasted against each other and the background. The cap is next. Thank god, they made the cap. Without it Mario would have been just another character in overalls and thinning hair. And anyway, where would we put the M? Anyway, back to the creation of the cap. It was made so that Miyamoto wouldn’t have to draw Mario’s hair, forehead and eyebrows. It also meant that the animation of hair falling could be ignored. Basically thank you graphical limitations and human laziness (no offense Miyamoto of course).
Now comes his face. Where would we be without the nose and the moustache? How were they created I hear all of you shout in unison? Well I’ll tell you. Although you should probably have guessed by now. That’s right (unless you were wrong of course) graphical limitations! The nose and the moustache were created to prevent facial expressions having to be created on such as small character. There is also the fact that it made him seem more human which is important as well of course. Overtime the iconic M was added to the cap and the colours of his overalls and shirts inverted to blue overalls and red shirt (we’re finally there).
And there we go the origin of Mario in a nutshell. Hope you enjoyed it, now read ahead for more. No seriously do.
The Evolution of Mario:
Mario is a character that has withstood the test of time. Unlike many characters, he has developed his character while not losing sight of his roots. Although he has now ventured into karts, space and even paper he still has the platforming greatness that made him… well, great. In the following section, you will see a list of all the games Mario has been in sorted into series.
Games:
| Donkey Kong 1981 |
Donkey Kong 1982 |
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| Donkey Kong 1982 ColecoVision |
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| Donkey Kong 1983 |
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| Donkey Kong 1983 Commodore 64 |
Donkey Kong 1986 |
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| Donkey Kong 1986 |
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| Donkey Kong 1988 |
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| Donkey Kong 2004 |
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| Donkey Kong Jr. 1982 ColecoVision |
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| Donkey Kong Jr. 1982 |
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| Donkey Kong Jr. 1986 |
Donkey Kong II 1982 |
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| Donkey Kong 1994 |
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| Donkey Kong Circus 1984 Game &
Watch |
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| Animal Crossing 2001 Nintendo
GameCube |
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| Pinball 1984 |
Pinball 1989 |
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| Tetris |
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| Mario Bros. 1983 |
Mario Bros. 1983 |
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| Mario Bros. 1983 |
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| Mario Bros. 1983 |
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| Mario Bros. 1984 |
Punch Ball Mario Bros. 1984 NEC
PC-8801 |
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| Mario Bros. 1986 |
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| F-1 Race 1984 |
F-1 Race 1990 |
Famicom
Grand Prix: F-1 Race 1987 |
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| Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot
Rally 1988 |
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| Tennis 1989 |
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| Baseball 1989 |
Baseball 1985 |
Golf 1985 |
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| Golf 1989 |
Vs. Wrecking Crew 1985 Arcade game |
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| Wrecking Crew 1989 Famicom Disk
System |
Super Mario Bros. Special |
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| Vs. Super Mario Bros. 1986 Arcade
game |
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| All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.
1986 |
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| Super Mario Brothers 1989 Nelsonic
Game Watch |
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| Super Mario Brothers 2 1989
Nelsonic Game Watch |
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| Super Mario Brothers 4 1991
Nelsonic Game Watch |
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| Dr. Mario 1990 |
Dr. Mario 1990 |
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| Dr. Mario BS Version 1997
Satellaview |
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| Dr. Mario Express 2008 DSiWare |
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| Qix 1990 |
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| Mario the Juggler 1991 Game &
Watch |
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| Mario is Missing! 1992 Personal
computer |
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| Super Mario Kart 1992 Super
Nintendo Entertainment System |
Mario Kart: Super Circuit 2001 |
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| Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ 2003 |
Mario Kart DS 2005 |
Mario Kart Wii 2008 |
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| Mario Kart 7 2011 |
Mario Kart 8 2014 |
Mario Kart Arcade GP 2005 Arcade |
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| Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 2007 Arcade |
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX 2013 |
Super Scope 6 1992 |
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| Mario Paint 1992 |
Yoshi 1991 |
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| Yoshi's Cookie 1992 |
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| Yoshi's Safari 1993 |
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| Yoshi's Island DS 2006 Nintendo DS |
3DS
|
Yoshi Topsy Turvy 2005 Game Boy
Advance |
Yoshi Touch & Go 2005 Nintendo
DS |
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| Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
1992 |
Super Mario All-Stars 1993 Super
Nintendo Entertainment System |
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| Mario's Early Years! Fun with
Letters 1993 |
Mario's Early Years: Fun with
Numbers 1993 |
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| Mario's Playschool 1994 Personal
computer |
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| Mario's Time Machine |
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| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's
Island 1995 |
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| BS Super Mario USA Power Challenge
1995 |
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| Mario's Tennis 1995 |
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| Mario Power Tennis 2004 Nintendo
GameCube |
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| Mario Clash 1995 |
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| Super Mario 64 DS 2004 Nintendo DS |
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| Game & Watch Gallery 2 1997 |
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| Wrecking Crew '98 1998 Satellaview |
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| Mario Party 2 1999 |
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| Mario Party 5 2003 |
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| Mario Party Advance 2005 Game Boy
Advance |
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| Mario Party 9 2012 |
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| Super Smash Bros. Melee |
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| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U |
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| Mario Artist: Communication Kit
2000 |
Mario Artist: Polygon Studio |
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| Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year
Door 2004 |
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| Super Mario Advance 2001 Game Boy
Advance |
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| Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario
World 2001 Game Boy Advance |
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| Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario 2004
|
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| Mario Golf 1998 |
Mario Golf 1999 |
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| Mario Golf: Advance Tour |
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| NBA Street V3 2005 |
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| SSX on Tour 2005 |
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| Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside
Story |
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| Super Princess Peach |
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| New Super Mario Bros. 2 |
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| Super Mario 3D Land 2011 Nintendo
3DS |
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| Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2004 Game
Boy Advance |
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| Super Mario All-Stars 25th
Anniversary Edition 2010 |
Mario Strikers Charged 2007 Wii |
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| Mario no Photopi 1998 Nintendo 64 |
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| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic
Winter Games |
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| Mario & Sonic at the London
2012 Olympic Games 2012 Nintendo 3DS |
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| Super Mario Galaxy 2007 |
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| Game & Watch Collection 2 |
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| Mario's Cement Factory 1983 |
Mario Sports Mix 2010 |
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| Mario Pinball Land 2004 Game Boy
Advance |
NES Remix 2014
Wii U eShop |
NES Remix 2 2014
Wii U eShop |
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Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS: released (Japan) on September 13, 2014/ (North America/Europe) on October 3, 2014/ (Australia) on October 4, 2014 on Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: released (North America) on November 21, 2014/(Europe) on November 28, 2014/(Australia) on November 29, 2014/(Japan) on December 6, 2014 on Wii U
Ultimate NES Remix: released (Europe) on November 7, 2014/(Australia) on November 8, 2014/(North America) on December 5, 2014/(Japan) on August 27, 2015 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 10: released (Japan) on March 12, 2015/(North America/Europe) on March 20, 2015/(Australia) on March 21, 2015
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars: released (North America) on March 5, 2015/(Japan) on 19 March, 2015/(Europe) on March 20, 2015 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Puzzle & Dragons Z: Super Mario Bros. Edition: released (Japan) on April 29, 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS
Puzzle & Dragons + Puzzle & Dragons Z: Super Mario Bros. Edition: released (Europe) on May 8, 2015/(Australia) on May 9, 2015/(North America) on May 22, 2015 on the the Nintendo 3DS
Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure: released (Japan) on May 31, 2015/(North America/Europe/Australia) on June 11, 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker: released (Japan) on September 10, 2015/(Europe/North America) on September 11, 2015/(Australia) on September 12, 2015 on Wii U
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash: released (North America/Europe) on November 20, 2015/(Australia) on November 21, 2015/(Japan) on January 28, 2016 on Wii U
Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam: released (Japan) on December 3, 2015/(Europe) on December 4, 2015/(Australia) on December 10, 2015/(North America) on January 22, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: released (World Wide) in February 2016 in Arcades/(Japan) on February 18, 2016/(North America) on March 18, 2016/(Europe) on April 8, 2016/(Australia) on April 9, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS/(Japan) on June 23, 2016/(Europe/North America) on June 24, 2016/(Australia) on June 25, 2016 on Wii U
Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge: released (Japan) on January 28, 2016/(Europe/North America) on April 28, 2016/(Australia) on April 29, 2016 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Wii U Edition: released (World Wide) on December 17, 2015 on Wii U eShop/(North America) on June 17, 2016/(Japan) on June 23, 2016/(Europe) on June 30, 2016 on Wii U (Retail)
Paper Mario: Colour Splash: released (Europe/North America) on October 7, 2016/(Australia) on October 8, 2016/(Japan) October 13, 2016 on Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush: released (Europe) on October 7, 2016/(Australia) on October 8, 2016/(Japan) on October 20, 2016/(North America) on November 4, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS: released (Japan) on December 1, 2016/(Europe/North America) on December 2, 2016/(Australia) on December 3, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Run: released (World Wide) on December 15, 2016 on iOS/(World Wide) on March 22, 2017 on Android
Mario Sports Superstars: released (Europe) on March 10, 2017/(Australia) on March 11, 2017/(North America) on March 24, 2017/(Japan) on March 30, 2017 on the Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: released (World Wide) on April 28, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition: released (World Wide) on May 11, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: (World Wide) on August 29, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions: released (World Wide) on October 6, 2017 on Nintendo 3DS
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (North America)/Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights (Everywhere Else): released (World Wide) on April 30, 2015 on Wii U eShop
Anticipated:
Super Mario Odyssey
Please comment if you know if Mario was either a main character, side character or cameo appearance in any of these games and this will be added. Also, if you have any more information on Mario (or want to correct something) or who you want to appear in the Video Game Character of the Month please don't hesitate to comment.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: released (North America) on November 21, 2014/(Europe) on November 28, 2014/(Australia) on November 29, 2014/(Japan) on December 6, 2014 on Wii U
Ultimate NES Remix: released (Europe) on November 7, 2014/(Australia) on November 8, 2014/(North America) on December 5, 2014/(Japan) on August 27, 2015 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party 10: released (Japan) on March 12, 2015/(North America/Europe) on March 20, 2015/(Australia) on March 21, 2015
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars: released (North America) on March 5, 2015/(Japan) on 19 March, 2015/(Europe) on March 20, 2015 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Puzzle & Dragons Z: Super Mario Bros. Edition: released (Japan) on April 29, 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS
Puzzle & Dragons + Puzzle & Dragons Z: Super Mario Bros. Edition: released (Europe) on May 8, 2015/(Australia) on May 9, 2015/(North America) on May 22, 2015 on the the Nintendo 3DS
Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure: released (Japan) on May 31, 2015/(North America/Europe/Australia) on June 11, 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker: released (Japan) on September 10, 2015/(Europe/North America) on September 11, 2015/(Australia) on September 12, 2015 on Wii U
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash: released (North America/Europe) on November 20, 2015/(Australia) on November 21, 2015/(Japan) on January 28, 2016 on Wii U
Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam: released (Japan) on December 3, 2015/(Europe) on December 4, 2015/(Australia) on December 10, 2015/(North America) on January 22, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: released (World Wide) in February 2016 in Arcades/(Japan) on February 18, 2016/(North America) on March 18, 2016/(Europe) on April 8, 2016/(Australia) on April 9, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS/(Japan) on June 23, 2016/(Europe/North America) on June 24, 2016/(Australia) on June 25, 2016 on Wii U
Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge: released (Japan) on January 28, 2016/(Europe/North America) on April 28, 2016/(Australia) on April 29, 2016 on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS
Minecraft: Wii U Edition: released (World Wide) on December 17, 2015 on Wii U eShop/(North America) on June 17, 2016/(Japan) on June 23, 2016/(Europe) on June 30, 2016 on Wii U (Retail)
Paper Mario: Colour Splash: released (Europe/North America) on October 7, 2016/(Australia) on October 8, 2016/(Japan) October 13, 2016 on Wii U
Mario Party: Star Rush: released (Europe) on October 7, 2016/(Australia) on October 8, 2016/(Japan) on October 20, 2016/(North America) on November 4, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS: released (Japan) on December 1, 2016/(Europe/North America) on December 2, 2016/(Australia) on December 3, 2016 on the Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario Run: released (World Wide) on December 15, 2016 on iOS/(World Wide) on March 22, 2017 on Android
Mario Sports Superstars: released (Europe) on March 10, 2017/(Australia) on March 11, 2017/(North America) on March 24, 2017/(Japan) on March 30, 2017 on the Nintendo 3DS
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: released (World Wide) on April 28, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition: released (World Wide) on May 11, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: (World Wide) on August 29, 2017 on the Nintendo Switch
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions: released (World Wide) on October 6, 2017 on Nintendo 3DS
Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (North America)/Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights (Everywhere Else): released (World Wide) on April 30, 2015 on Wii U eShop
Anticipated:
Super Mario Odyssey
Please comment if you know if Mario was either a main character, side character or cameo appearance in any of these games and this will be added. Also, if you have any more information on Mario (or want to correct something) or who you want to appear in the Video Game Character of the Month please don't hesitate to comment.
Goodbye for now, Harry
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_featuring_Mario
http://www.mariowiki.com/List_of_Power-Ups
http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/games/detail/super-mario-maker-wii-u
As well as my own knowledge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_featuring_Mario
http://www.mariowiki.com/List_of_Power-Ups
http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/games/detail/super-mario-maker-wii-u
As well as my own knowledge
Wow, didn't know he was in super luigi u.
ReplyDeleteHe isn't a playable character but a 'Mario Block' appears at the start of each level which allows you to change the physics of the game back into a 'Mario' style after you have completed the game.
DeleteI know that, I thought you ment he was in it not just a mario physic block
ReplyDeleteNo sorry he isn't in the game except for the block. I have corrected the mistake and thanks for pointing it out
Delete