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All Articles: Super Mario Bros.
Viz Media will publish Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania compilation in Late 2020
Viz Media and Nintendo are teaming up to release the Super Mario-Kun manga series in the US for the first time.
Published in Japan’s CoroCoro Comics magazine since 1991, Super Mario-Kun will make its stateside debut as part of Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania, a 160-page compilation of “handpicked” story arcs from throughout its 30-year run:
Experience the zany world of Super Mario Bros. through manga!
Join Mario and pals in crazy adventures inspired by the hit video games! This collection of short stories showcases the fan-favorite characters of the Super Mario Bros. world in new, unconventional and hilarious ways. Handpicked from years of Mario comics in Japan, this compilation has never been available in English—until now!
Writing on Twitter, a spokesperson for Viz Media said that Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania would be available in Late 2020.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
Kosmic shaves less than half a second off his Super Mario Bros. “Any Percentage” world record… and then retires
“KosmicD12” has run his last “Any Percentage” speedrun of Super Mario Bros..
The Mario master has set multiple world records over the years, but his most recent feat of crackerjack platforming might just be unbeatable. Using a combination of Warp Zones, glitches, and his own tip-top thumbs, “KosmicD12” completed the game in an astonishing four minutes and 55.646 seconds. He then promptly walked away from any future “Any Percentage” runs:
“This is everything I have ever wanted to accomplish in this speedrun, and even a little bit more. It is still improvable but I am not interested in the ridiculous things required to beat this, so that’s history for someone else to write!”
“KosmicD12” is looking for a new challenge, but he’s still going to keep playing Super Mario Bros. The speedrunner said that he’d like to tackle some of the game’s other speedrunning categories, and you can follow along on his Twitch channel.
Congratulations from all of us at Warp Zoned!
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
An animator is making a game based on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show with his kids
Jesus Lopez is a game animator with an extensive resume of impressive titles, including DuckTales Remastered, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. But the projects he works on in his spare time (with his kids) are equally impressive, as YouTube user SwankyBox recently discovered.
In the video embedded above, SwankyBox delves into Lopez’s hobby of remaking World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. in the hand-drawn art style of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. The late 80s/early 90s cartoon was well-loved partly because of each episode’s live-action introduction from Captain Lou Albano (as Mario) and Danny Wells (as Luigi). But the weird and wild animation of the main story segments also created new corners of the Mushroom Kingdom that the games would never explore, such as the Pasta Land that Mario and friends visit in the first episode.
It’s this locale (with its “trees” made of forks and spaghetti) that Lopez is attempting to recreate, and he’s been documenting his progress sporadically over the years in a five-part video series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5). While the game hasn’t progressed beyond World 1-1 just yet, Lopez would like to create a series of original levels after he perfects the animation.
Lopez has been working on this project (again, with his kids as co-developers) for the past three years and he has no plans to release it for public consumption. But I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
Kosmic completes a nearly perfect Super Mario Bros. speedrun of 4 minutes and 55.96 seconds
The speedrunners competing to complete a “perfect” Super Mario Bros. run got a little closer earlier this week when “KosmicD12” set a new world record of four minutes and 55.96 seconds.
Thanks to pixel-perfect platforming and a series of glitches (including running through the wall to find the Warp Zone in World 1-2), this “Any Percentage” run is nearly identical to the “Tool Assisted Run” of four minutes and 55 seconds. In a “Tool Assisted Run,” a computer calculates the optimal path through the game using all known glitches, so to see an actual human person nearly match it is rather astounding.
“KosmicD12” was rather tongue-tied after his record-setting feat, but he did manage to croak out, “I don’t know what to say.” This run definitely speaks for itself, so I’m not sure anything else needs to be said.
Congratulations to “KosmicD12” from the entire Warp Zoned staff, and you can look here, here, here, here, and here to find previous record-setting Super Mario Bros. runs.
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Switch Online (and its downloadable bundle of NES games) is now available
Nintendo launched their Nintendo Switch Online service yesterday, which means that subscribers now have access to Online Play, Cloud Saves, and that downloadable bundle of 20 NES games.
Online Play was previously available for free as Nintendo has spent the last 18 months preparing for the launch of Nintendo Switch Online, but its now locked behind a subscription, though one that’s much cheaper ($3.99 for one month, $7.99 for three months, $19.99 for 12 months, or $34.99 for a “Family” membership) than Sony’s PS Plus or Microsoft’s XBL Gold.
But the real draw might be the downloadable NES bundle, which currently includes Balloon Fight, Baseball, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Dr. Mario, Excitebike, Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Gradius, Ice Climber, Ice Hockey, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Pro Wrestling, River City Ransom, Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl, Tennis, and Yoshi.
Yes, we’ve played all these games many times before, but Nintendo will regularly add to this library of games, and nine more will be available by the end of the year. NES Open Tournament Golf, Solomon’s Key, and Super Dodge Ball will be added to the service in October, with Metroid, Mighty Bomb Jack, and TwinBee to follow in November, and Adventures of Lolo, Ninja Gaiden, and Wario’s Woods in December.
Nintendo Switch Online subscribers at the 12-Month or Family levels will also receive a download code that can be exchanged for exclusive in-game Splatoon 2 gear based on the jerseys worn by GG BoyZ, the winning team at the 2018 Splatoon 2 World Championship. And all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers will be able to pre-order a pair of wireless Nintendo Entertainment System Controllers from Nintendo.com for $59.99.
More information about Nintendo Switch Online can found after the break, and a seven-day free trial is also available through the Nintendo eShop.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Splatoon 2, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3
Nintendo Switch Online service coming in September with NES Library, Cloud Saves, online play, more
Nintendo has announced the first official details for their Nintendo Switch Online service, which we now know will go live in September 2018. As expected, the service will be priced at $20 per month, though “$4 for One Month” and “$8 for Three Months” plans will also be available. A Family Membership (12 Months for $35) will include access to the Nintendo Switch Online service for up to eight Nintendo Account holders.
We already knew the basics of Nintendo’s service, and the consolemaker reconfirmed that Switch owners will need to subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online service if they wish to play online. But also revealed that the service will include an option for Save Data Cloud Backup, giving Switch owners the chance to “retrieve their data if they lose, break, or purchase an additional Nintendo Switch system.”
But I think that most Switch owners will list the NES Library as the biggest perk of the Nintendo Switch Online service. The NES Library will initially launch with access to 20 games, and more will be added on a regular basis. For now, Nintendo has announced that subscribers will be able to play Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., Soccer, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Tennis. Best of all, all games will include a Spectator Mode, as well as online competitive or co-op multiplayer (if the original game offered multiplayer options, of course). The other ten titles as part of the NES Library’s launch will be revealed at a later date.
If this sounds like a rebranded “Virtual Console,” you’re not far off. After making this announcement, Nintendo reached out to Kotaku to confirm that the “Virtual Console” branding won’t be used on the Switch. Instead, games from previous Nintendo consoles will be offered through Nintendo Switch Online, individually through the eShop (like Sega and Hamster are doing), or in packaged collections (like Capcom is doing with the Mega Man franchise):
“There are a variety of ways in which classic games from Nintendo and other publishers are made available on Nintendo Switch, such as through Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo eShop or as packaged collections,” the Nintendo spokesperson said. “Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online will provide a fun new way to experience classic NES games that will be different from the Virtual Console service, thanks to enhancements such as added online play, voice chat via the Nintendo Switch Online app and the various play modes of Nintendo Switch.”
It’s currently unknown if Nintendo will add other platforms to Nintendo Switch Online’s playable library of games, but hopefully they’ll have more to say about the service at this year’s E3 Expo.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda
Nintendo and Illumination are teaming up to create an animated Mario movie
Nintendo’s Hollywood dreams became a little closer to reality today. The consolemaker has announced they’ve teamed up with Illumination (the studio behind Despicable Me and Minions) to produce an animated movie based on characters and locales from the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
Nintendo will co-finance the untitled film with Universal Pictures, and it’ll be produced by Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri and Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto.
A release date for the new Super Mario Bros. movie wasn’t announced.
Posted in Etcetera, News
Tagged Super Mario Bros.
The Super Mario Bros. “Any Percentage” tug-of-war continues with new record of 4:56.878
Like Michael Jordan returning to the basketball court after trying his hand at baseball, “Darbian” has returned to the realm of competitive Super Mario Bros. speedrunning. On Wednesday, “Darbian” completed the game in a time of just four minutes and 56.878 seconds to set a new “Any Percentage” world record for the beloved side-scroller.
No one really knows just how low the Super Mario Bros. speedrun record can go, so it’s possible that “Darbian” won’t remain the champion for long. Especially since the previous world record, a 4:57.194 run by “Kosmic,” stood for just two days.
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.