The Mario history thread

[Lee]

Well it wouldn't be Mario without the bad guys knocking around...so here's my top background enemies!

Blooper

White squid-like creatures that first appear in Super Mario Bros. as underwater enemies that attack by chasing the player and trying to kill them via physical contact...Bloopers seem to fly in the later Mario games.

Bob-omb

black bombs possessing legs, fuses, and sometimes arms or wind-up keys. They first appeared as enemies in the North American and European versions Super Mario Bros. 2. The main attack method of Bob-ombs is to either wander around aimlessly, eventually exploding, or actively seek out a target to detonate near. Inanimate Bob-ombs are commonly used as weapons in various spin-off games such as the Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. series.

Boo

Boos are spectral beings with beady eyes, long tongues, vampiric canine teeth, and nubs for arms; they are often portrayed laughing or smiling. The first appearance of Boos was in Super Mario Bros. 3, where they appear under the name Boo Diddly. Boos possess powers commonly associated with ghosts, such as the ability to travel through solid objects, teleport and turn invisible. Due to being intensely shy,[3] Boos cover their faces with their arms, cower, and become translucent when directly looked at.

Bullet Bill

These are large, black, missile-like enemies, commonly depicted as either having small arms or fanged frowns adorning their faces. Bullet Bills are fired by cannons known as Bill Blasters, although some games have them fired by other sources such as Snifits and generic cannons, while others simply have them coming out of nowhere. Bullet Bills commonly appear as enemies or obstacles, attacking by either flying forward after being shot or actively seeking out a target, either smashing into them and continuing on their way or exploding on contact.

 

[Lee]

Chain Chomp

dog-like creatures that are often shown to be restrained by chains. Portrayed as savage, Chain Chomps constantly strain against the chain holding them, attempting to break free (sometimes even succeeding) and bite anything that passes close by. The inspiration for Chain Chomps comes from a childhood experience of Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, where a dog tried to attack him.

Dry Bones

Skeletal Koopa Troopas reanimated by the Koopa Troopa's spirit inhabiting its bones. Dry Bones first appear in Super Mario Bros. 3 as inhabitants of fortresses and underground areas. Due to their undead nature, Dry Bones are exceptionally difficult to defeat, most attacks only knocking them apart temporarily or having no effect at all. In some games, Dry Bones have specific weaknesses, such as fire, magic, hammers, and explosions, which can permanently destroy them

Goomba

Are depicted as brown mushroom-like creatures with feet, with a bushy brow, and a pair of fangs sprouting from their lower jaw. They generally tackle, headbutt, or bite an enemy. The Goombas once lived in peace in the Mushroom Kingdom, but they betrayed their homeland to side with Bowser.

Koopa Troopa

These are a turtle-like creature, they are the most common classification of Koopa and usually thug-like. Koopa Troopas are the standard troopers of the Koopa Army who work for Bowser. As the lowest ranking members of the Koopa Army, they just patrol their assigned areas on foot. Koopa Troopas first appeared in the arcade game Mario Bros. under the name "Shellcreepers" as enemies that have to be flipped. In Super Mario Bros., they were renamed "Koopa Troopas". They can be used as projectiles after they are stomped on and retreat into their shells. They can fire hammers (as hammer bros.) and some even fly (as paratroopas)

 

[Lee]

Lakitu

Are Koopas with a green, pentagonal shell; yellow body; goggles with thick, black frames; a few hairs sprouting from its head; and a dashing smile. Lakitu are usually seen flying in a cloud bearing a smiling face. In its role as an enemy character, Lakitu typically flies about and throws Spiny Eggs at Mario, although variant types employ other attack patterns.

Pirana Plants

s a Venus fly trap-like enemy, almost always portrayed as a leafy, green stalk topped with a white-spotted red globe, almost bisected by a white lip mouth with razor-sharp teeth. Piranha Plants typically hide within pipes, periodically emerging and ensnaring unwary passersby. Others live entirely outside pipes, being either rooted in the ground or even walking about on root-like legs. They have otherwise changed little since their first appearance, but they have also appeared in various forms and sub-species such as the poisonous Putrid Piranha, the Ice Piranha, the Pale Piranha, the Glad Piranha Plant, and Dino Piranha, among others.

ShyGuys

Are small masked beings that appear in various colors. No one has seen their face, so when their masks get knocked off, they live up to their name by instantly retreating. They have a wide variety of variations that range from just walking on stilts to piloting submarines.

Thwomps

Thomps are cubical stone blocks, depicted as having angry-looking faces and clenched teeth. The physical appearance of Thwomps has varied over the years, though they are most commonly shown to be either gray or blue in color with spikes sometimes adorning their body. The first appearance of Thwomps was in Super Mario Bros. 3, in which they are found exclusively in fortresses.

Thwomps are usually depicted as guards in castle levels in games, found floating in the air and, when something ventures underneath them, slamming into the ground with extreme force, often grunting menacingly while doing so (although in Super Mario Bros. 3 Thwomps could also move left and right in addition to up and down). In spin-off games, Thwomps appear most often as obstacles, which can impede players or crush them.often as obstacles, which can impede players or crush them.

And that ends my interludes...next up will be Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

 

[Derf]

Great work. I was thinking of taking over for you last year when you were banned, but I was a newb, and I didn't think i could, and now I'm glad I didn't. I absolutly love this, and some of these games I'd never even heard of untill now! Mario is Missing? I know you said it sucked, but I wanna try it regardless!

 

[a7xoff]

When Flame got banned he said if I wanted to I could have taken over for him, but I never did cause I wouldn't be able to do it like he does. Nice Interludes I'll comment on all of em at once. Mario Is Missing I can honestly say I've never played. I've played demos of Luigi's Mansion and despised it. I mean running around with a vacuum cleaner? Then again it's better that a water cannon. The original Warioland games were great with Wario pirating pirates. Warioware I can say I've never played, but as far as the influence it has on Wario in Brawl, I'm glad I haven't cause it looks to me like a bunch of monotonous minigames and well a less mature? Wario. Super Princes Peach I have played, and though I'll always prefer Mario side scrolling, Nintendo did a pretty good job turning the hero role over to the princess. The baddies in Mario of course go without saying, but they probably are some of the best ideas for baddies that Nintendo, Sega, Sony, or even Microsoft has even come up with.

 

[Lee]

WHEN TWO TRIBES GO TO WAR​

The story

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a collection of twenty-four events based on the Olympic Games. Players can assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character while competing against the others in these events. Players use the Wii Remote to mimic actions performed in real life sports, such as swinging a paddle. The DS version utilize the stylus and button controls. Both games closely follow rules and regulations of the specific sports.

This is the first official game where old time rivals square off to really some up the spirit of the Olympic games!

The history
Wii
NA November 6, 2007
AUS / JP November 22, 2007
EU November 23, 2007
DS
JP January 17, 2008
NA January 22, 2008
EU February 8, 2008

My opinion

Well I hold that Sega do not know how to do Sonic spin off games...this one showed there was no difference in this attempt. I've played it twice, hated it twice...but it seems to do well, it was sold out over Christmas and it was awarded the "Best Wii game of 2007" at the Games Convention in Leipzig (which I do not feel was justified...that should have gone to the last game I'll cover!)

Next game

The next game I will do is Super Paper Mario and lastly Super Mario Galaxy!

 

[a7xoff]

Mario and Sonic At The Olympics for me really killed the whole rivalry between Mario and Sonic. I mean after this game came out I was like. Ok there's nothing special about Brawl as far as Mario vs Sonic is concerned. I haven't gotten a chance to actually play the Wii version of this game, and I'm happy to say I haven't. I played the DS version for all of 15 minutes and decided that I'd much rather have seen it just be Mario at the Olympics and have Bowser and the rest of the Koopas as rivals instead of the ridiculously overkilled Sonic series. Was it a good idea to have Sonic in Brawl? Yes. Was it a good idea to have him in this game? No. Will it be a good idea when he winds up in Mario Kart? No

 

[Lee]

Mario and Sonic At The Olympics for me really killed the whole rivalry between Mario and Sonic. I mean after this game came out I was like. Ok there's nothing special about Brawl as far as Mario vs Sonic is concerned. I haven't gotten a chance to actually play the Wii version of this game, and I'm happy to say I haven't. I played the DS version for all of 15 minutes and decided that I'd much rather have seen it just be Mario at the Olympics and have Bowser and the rest of the Koopas as rivals instead of the ridiculously overkilled Sonic series. Was it a good idea to have Sonic in Brawl? Yes. Was it a good idea to have him in this game? No. Will it be a good idea when he winds up in Mario Kart? No

You need to remember 4 things;

1) Sonic is crap, there has been no decent sonic game since sonic adventure. The extra characters are terrible!

2) Mario & Sonic at the olympic games was made by sega, thus it's crap...Smash bros was done by Nintendo...

3)Olympics was announced first but it was a bad idea.

4) Sonic will never EEEEEEEEEEVER be in a Mario Kart game!

 

[Lee]

The story

In light of a recent kidnapping of Princess Peach, Mario and Luigi head to King Bowser's castle to retrieve her, only to find that Bowser wasn't responsible for it. It is then revealed that the true kidnapper is Count Bleck, a sorcerer who wields an ancient, prophetical tome called the Dark Prognosticus. In addition to Princess Peach, he kidnaps Luigi and Bowser, and brainwashes Bowser's Koopa and Goomba army. The Count then employs the hypnotic powers of his right-hand woman, Nastasia, and forces the marriage of Princess Peach to Bowser in order to, as the Dark Prognosticus foretells, unleash a destructive power known as the Chaos Heart. Count Bleck uses the Chaos Heart to open an inter-dimensional rift known as "The Void", which will eventually grow large enough to engulf the entire universe.

The history
NA April 9, 2007
JP April 19, 2007
EU September 14, 2007
AUS September 20, 2007

My opinion

If you're only ever going to buy five games for the Wii, this sure as hell better be one or I will hunt you down! This is a true hidden gem of a game, a mix of RPG, platformer and comedy! Just like the other two Paper Mario games, it has that rather unique look, but this game makes it different. The ability to switch between 2D and 3D is brilliant, and Bowser not being the bad guy...? I don't care for once, this game is absolute genius *lee claps his hands in appreciation*

Next game

The last game I will be doing is...Super Mario Galaxy.

 

[a7xoff]

Much like the second Paper Mario, I have yet to play this game. Adventure games in general on the Wii have me a little iffy for some reason, but the plot line does seem rather intense and it's good to know it's keeping to some of it's RPG basis. Since I currently only own 4 Wii games perhaps this will be my 5th. Paper Mario always had some form of comedy to it. Even in the 1st one where you see Mario fall... Well like a piece of paper. I have yet to see the 2D/3D switch, but it sounds really cool. I guess I'll be picking up this game afterall

 

[Lee]

The story
Shortly after Mario is invited to the centennial Star Festival by Princess Peach to celebrate the comet that passes overhead, Bowser invades the Mushroom Kingdom with a surprise attack in a fleet of airships. Summoning a giant flying saucer, he rips Princess Peach's entire castle from its foundations and lifts it into outer space. After an unsuccessful rescue attempt, Mario is catapulted across the cosmos and awakens on a small planet. On the planet he meets a mysterious woman called Rosalina and her companion stars, the Lumas

The history
JP November 1, 2007
NA November 12, 2007
EU November 16, 2007

My opinion

Super Mario Galaxy was named Game of the Year by IGN, GameSpot, Nintendo Power, GameTrailers, Edge, and Yahoo! Games and it is not hard to understand why.

Mario magic, great controls, new bad guys, new power ups, a game that you say to yourself 'just one more level' and of course the triumphant return of Luigi! Makes this truly one of the greatest games EVER!

Next game

Well that's it guys....it's took over a year but there is the complete history of Mario (excluding some games such as Mario Hotel!).

I hope you enjoyed it =)

 

[Skullz Crack'Em]

Mario Galaxy is the first game I got for the Wii and it didn't disapoint. Sure, it has the same old storyline where you got to collect 120 stars to save Peach and the World, but this time around they've added an excellent gimmick: Gravity and Space. This was even more innovative than Sunshine's water gimmick, you would think that it would be hard to perfect such an idea, but Nintendo did it flawlessly. Along with that, they've added a Luigi playthrough, which is slightly more difficult than using Mario because Luigi slips all over the place as if you are walking on ice all the time. The Wiimote and Nunchuk are both used to their full potential, although it gets frustrating when doing the Rolling Ball missions sometimes, they were a real pain in the ass. I give Mario Galaxy a 9.5/10.

 

[Lee]

The story
Peach really shouldn't have parties, it's her birthday and she's kidnapped by Bowser Jr and the Koopalings. Making the first time all eight children of Bowser have appeared in the same game. Cracking!

The history
AUS November 12, 2009
NA November 15, 2009
EU November 20, 2009
JP December 3, 2009


My opinion

Now then, critically this game was praised with an average 88/100 score. Initially when I saw it I thought it was goign to be like the DS version. It is but it isn't. First off the controls are spot on, the music is brilliant and the penguin suit is pretty epic! It is good on first player but multiplayer is what makes it. There's nothing like a classic four player game where three are good and one guy uses all your lives. The fact the Koopalings are in it makes it brilliant too. This game is one of the best on the Wii which is a big surprise, I just guess I'll have to see what the replay value is like!

Next game

If everything goes to plan, it's Super Mario Galaxy 2 [working title] which is due out in a years time!

 

[Lee]

The story
Peach gets kidnapped IN SPACE and Mario goes to save the day...again!

The history
NA May 23, 2010
JP May 27, 2010
EU June 11, 2010
AUS July 1, 2010


My opinion

With a Metacritic score of 97% and several GOTY awards already Super Mario Galaxy 2 was something special. First I loved Galaxy 1 so to make that better seemed a bit impossible to do for me, but I underestimated Miyamoto and crew. The addition of Yoshi feels so natural, the secret stars are great, the map bring back a very welcome feel plus Luigi when you want him? Yes please. The game play is great flipping between 2 and 3D with some great mark out moments (Throwback galaxy for one!). It had the perfect blend of easy moments for newbies and annoying as hell hard moments for those of us who've been playing Mario games for 25 years.

All in all I couldn't recommend this game enough.

Next game

It will have to be a 3DS game, whether that's a paper Mario or a new Mario I dunno...but time will tell

Give the thread a read through if you have plenty of time.

 

[Arkham Noir]

The first Galaxy blew me away, but I was dissapointed when they announced a sequel. Mario adventure games were always good for avoiding sequels that were basically the same game but with "2" at the end, so I was afraid they were going to fall into the dreaded trilogy cash cow genre.

They proved my fears irational.

Holy shit was this game epic. Every world/galaxy proved to me why I give Shigeru Miyamoto all of my video game attention, all of them were gorgeous and just enjoyable as hell to play in. The controls (like every Nintendo game) were spot on and never give you any trouble. Throw in the fact that you can use my man Luigi as the protaganist, and this game goes down as one of the best video games of all-time.

Really looking forward to the 3DS and what Mario is going to deliver on it.

 

[Leeds Guy]

Sonic is crap

Sonic > Mario

there has been no decent sonic game since sonic adventure.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4

The extra characters are terrible!

I'll agree with this. It's usually the case in any series when characters are added for the fuck of it.

Mario & Sonic at the olympic games was made by sega, thus it's crap.

I found it enjoyable. Only decent game out for the DS beside SMB and Mario Kart DS.

Olympics was announced first but it was a bad idea.

It was a good idea, it just could have been executed better. For years people had been wanting Mario and Sonic to go head to head in a game. They got it here.

Sonic will never EEEEEEEEEEVER be in a Mario Kart game!

I'll agree with this. Sonic doesn't need to be in Mario Kart and Mario doesn't need Sonic in it.

 

[a0161613]

Paper Mario 3DS has been announced. I believe it goes back to the roots of the GC game with turn based battling etc. I enjoy this series and the games are typically well made to the high standard that Nintendo set themselves. I expect this game to be very good, probably wont sell that well in the West but it should be one of many must-buy games for the 3DS.

There are so many games that fall into that category that I can't wait for the machine to be released. I wanted to wait until Xmas 2011 for it but I dont know if I can.....Damn Nintendo.

 

[Lee]

Sonic The Hedgehog 4

Look at the date my original comment was made. Unleashed, 4 and colors hadn't been released...quite decent games.

Since then I have played Sonic Rush on the DS...great game.

Paper Mario 3DS has been announced. I believe it goes back to the roots of the GC game with turn based battling etc. I enjoy this series and the games are typically well made to the high standard that Nintendo set themselves. I expect this game to be very good, probably wont sell that well in the West but it should be one of many must-buy games for the 3DS.

There are so many games that fall into that category that I can't wait for the machine to be released. I wanted to wait until Xmas 2011 for it but I dont know if I can.....Damn Nintendo.

The 3DS is looking very promising. Mario wise we have Paper Mario which will be more in tune with the 64/GCN versions than the Wii version (though I preferred the Wii one...glorified platformer).

Then what do we have? Do we have a New Super Mario Bros 3DS? An actual 3D platformer ala 64/sunshine/galaxies? Will the 3DS virtual console come supplied with the original games with 3D visuals? So many possibilities. Add to that Mario Kart 3DS and we also have the Mario Sports Mix game coming out.

The future looks bright for Mario....here's to the next 25 years.