Look, Bowser, we all know that plumber-killing and princess-snatching can take a lot out of you, but come on. If you’re going to buy a gigantic clown death machine, at least get your wife’s permission first. More »
Call him a sell-out. Call him a suit. Call him too mainstream. It doesn’t change the fact that Mario was jumping and saving imperilled females before it was cool. More »
I spent 2011 documenting the life of one of the most important people in the media world. His name is invoked when referring to the European debt crisis, Medicaid reform, soccer stars and even bioplastics. PETA protested him, coasting off his reflected fame. More »
Koji Kondo created an earworm of epic proportions when he wrote the theme music for Super Mario Brothers more than 20 years ago. The tune’s become one of the most recognisable pop culture jingles of the last 40 years, to the point where tropical birds feel the need to sing it out loud. The feathered soloist could use a little practice but this rendition should still conjure up images of mystery blocks and warp pipes in listeners’ heads. More »
The Just Dance series is the kind of red-hot gaming franchise that can pull in a guest character like Nintendo’s Super Mario. But who knew that such a combo would be so… colourful. More »
Video games as cinematic blockbusters? Sure. Video games as texts? I’ve heard that one too. Video games as holidays? That one was new to me, but that’s the concept Nintendo’s Yoshiaki Koizumi had when he was telling me (quoted above in postcard format) about his team’s approach to making a Super Mario game for a home console, as opposed to making a portable one like this month’s Super Mario 3D Land. More »
Concept artist Larry Quach made the Batcave image I used for a piece on Arkham City‘s upcoming challenge maps DLC. But that’s not the only video game-related creativity that the California resident’s whipped up. More »
If you’ve ever played a Zelda game or a Mario game, you’ve played a game made by a bunch of people in Japan. Most likely, they were far away from you. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t think about you. More »
There are millions of people who enjoy playing Super Mario games that are three dimensional, games you play from behind Mario’s back. More »
