Japan Gaming Guide

Top Five Super Mario Games

Mario has been jumping on heads, climbing down pipes and launching systems for several decades. The moustachioed plumber has been around since 1981. Beginning his career by taking on the mighty Donkey Kong, Mario soon turned his attentions to defeating the plans of the evil Bowser, but has appeared in over 200 games over the years.

We’ve sifted through the many adventures and picked out the best, our favourites in one of the top series in gaming, so here are our top five super Mario games.

Our list features the main entries in the series, maybe we’ll look at the spin offs another time.

Mario 64

As one of the Nintendo 64 console’s only two launch titles, Super Mario 64 had the double tasks of selling a new system, as well as making the platform formula work in 3D. It wasn’t the first 3D platform game, but was such a successful translation of Mario’s formula that it showed beyond any doubt how well 3D could work and was arguably the best game of its generation.

Set in Peach’s castle, the game’s setting is a puzzle in itself. Cleverly, levels are accessed by jumping into paintings on the castle walls, with stars acquired in the levels opening up new areas and giving you access to more of the game. Of course, there are secrets galore, and plenty to do after Bowser has been defeated.

The first 3D Mario game set the format for those that follow. Finishing the regular game is fairly straightforward, an easy challenge for the kids, but finding all the stars is a daunting mission that will test older players to the limit.

As well as being a great game in its own right, Mario 64 was an early benchmark that showed how well 2D games could work in 3D. N64 games had a more solid feel to their Playstation and Saturn competitors and seeing Mario’s cartoon world rendered in solid 3D felt spectacular. It’s difficult to imaging looking at it now, but this game was a technical marvel on release and had many a Playstation owner casting an envious glance at Nintendo’s new machine.

If Mario 64 hadn’t been a hit, the series may have petered  out, but Mario nailed 3D on his first try and is still going strong over twenty years later.

Format: Nintendo 64

Year: 1996

Best place to play now: A Switch remake is on the way. Until then, Super Mario Odyssey has some interesting secrets to find.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was the second Mario game on the Wii and, as its name suggests, sees you gallivanting about the stars, in a spaceship. Levels are made up of spherical planets, which you can run round and jump between, leading to some fabulously original level design and allowing Nintendo’s designers to go crazy.

We weren’t the biggest fans of the first Super Mario Galaxy, finding it meandered a bit. That might be down to playing it in Japanese before we’d learned the language, but we also found it unbalanced, with long easy stretches broken up by sudden difficulty spikes.

The second Super Mario Galaxy game was a triumphant return to form, however. Nintendo’s endless ability to innovate sees them introducing ideas faster than you’d think possible in a series with this much history, it’s designers always coming up with a new twist or way to make the game interesting.

Though finishing the game isn’t too difficult, its later secret levels include some fearsome challenges, and the final one is the hardest we’ve encountered in a Mario Game.

This game also makes use of the Wii’s motion controls, letting you fire collectable star bits at the screen. What really makes the game though is its sense of fun and ability to continually throw different things at you without feeling gimmicky or dull. It is one of the most consistent games in terms of quality, despite its variety.

Format: Wii

Year: 2010

Best place to play now: A Wii or Wii U

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is the most recent entry in the main Super Mario series, and it’s a cracker. It feels like a more modern game than its Wii predecessors, with its huge levels full of things to find and do.

It is also a return to form after the Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World, which felt enjoyable but had a by the numbers feel to it at times.

It successfully introduces online features, with Luigi’s balloon popping game, speed runs against Koopas and leaderboards for in-game challenges fitting in seamlessly with the rest of the game.

It is also a game that knows its history, with nods throughout to Mario’s former incarnations, particularly the first NES outing and Mario 64. Series veterans will find plenty to smile at, but the game is welcoming to newcomers, with its many challenges offering plenty for players of all levels to enjoy.

With its marriage of old and new it feels almost like the quintessential Mario game and the question we have to ask is where can the series go next after such a celebration of everything in its history?

We should get an answer to that soon as a rumour has it a new game is on the way, though it may not be out for a while.

Format: Switch

Year: 2017

Best place to play now: Switch

Super Mario World

Super Mario World is the first 16-bit incarnation of Mario and the shift to the Super Famicom saw a leap in graphical quality, booming bass sound, and, crucially, the ability to save your progress.

That meant the game could be bigger and more packed with secrets than ever and Mario World was the first to introduce the idea that the game was only really complete when you had discovered every level hidden on its map, a challenge achieved long after consigning Bowser to the dust.

It also developed many of Mario 3’s ideas, with a minigame to play if you collect stars at the end of each level, as well as our favourite ever power up, the cape feather, which turns you into a super hero and lets you fly to the top of the screen, where of course plenty of secrets are hidden.

There are the mysterious ghost houses, that make you think carefully about how to get through them, along with the bosses, who take advantage of the Super Famicom’s mode-7 effects, which were hugely spectacular at the time.

If you’re signed up to Nintendo’s online service for Switch, you can find Super Mario World included on the Super Famicom app, along with many other classics. The game is also included on the SNES mini, along with its sequel, Yoshi’s Island.

Format: Super Famicom / SNES

Year: 1990

Best place to play now: Switch Super Famicom app. SNES Mini.

Super Mario Land

The latest Mario games have hardly stagnated, but they all stick closely to series tropes. Going back to revisit Mario on the gameboy and it is surprising just how weird the game can be.

The Gameboy version of Mario has aged a little, but is still worth playing. It is good, but doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s one of the shortest games in the series.

Mario Land, along with Tetris really helped put games back at the heart of popular culture, after the 8-bit days. It even spawned a hip-hop track in the UK and its sound effects and music are some of the most iconic in gaming, perhaps because a generation of schoolkids grew up hearing them in the classroom whenever the teachers were out of earshot.

Format: GameBoy

Year: 1989

Best place to play now: Nintendo 3DS

Near Misses

The Mario series is unique in that it has gone on for over 30 years without ever having a bad entry. The closest thing to a low point would be Mario 2, originally a conversion of a completely different game, but even that isn’t exactly a bad game, though it hasn’t aged well. Super Mario Sunshine wasn’t particularly well received but is a good game in hindsight and took flak for not being as ground breaking as Mario 64, as well as deviating too far from people’s expectations. The 3D World entries don’t really push the series forward, but are still spectacular, shiny playthings that blow most other platform games out of the park.

The ones that narrowly missed out on the top 5 are 6 Golden Coins, a brilliant game on the tiny Gameboy, which had the same sense of adventure and strong world building that Mario 3 started off with. Yoshi’s Island 2 is a fantastically weird game, with tons of replayability across its surprisingly challenging levels. The original Super Mario Bros still holds up well today, as does Mario 3, which is many people’s favourite, though we’ve always preferred the secrets of Mario World.

In Conclusion

Those are our favorite games in one of the most consistent series out there. It was hard to pick the best, any of the top four could really have taken it, but Mario 64 is a worthy winner, and still a terrific game today.

We’re looking forward to see what happens in the next game, and how it builds on Odyssey, which has an end of an era feel to it.

That concludes our list. If you feel differently or have a favourite of your own, let us know in the comments.

We’re taking a look at Mario’s latest, greatest adventure today, in this Super Mario Odyssey review. Yes, we know. It’s been out a while, but we’ve just gotten around to playing it through. We’re very glad we did, as it is a stonking return to form for the little plumber after a couple of good, but not that good outings on Wii U.

The headline feature, of course, is the hats and the ability to body swap with various creatures. There is a surprising range of these. Right from the start you’ll be inhabiting frogs, dinosaurs and chain chomps and as the game progresses the feature is used extensively.

Soon, it will be second nature to take over your enemies and exploit their unique abilities to overcome the game’s many challenges. Seasoned players may well find themselves banging their heads against a brick wall trying to reach a hidden item, only to find it can be acquired easily by taking over the appropriate creature.

There are all sorts of hidden things scattered around as you’d expect. 2D murals of old Mario games are painted on walls and in a lovely touch you can jump into them and start playing retro style. This feature is used to climb walls and hide a few cunning secrets, too.

It does look slightly technically dated in places, with limited textures and occasional frame rate drops, even when docked. At first it gives you a sense that Nintendo aren’t quite as perfect as usual.

Artistically though, the graphics are phenomenal, and that’s what matters. Insects flit about here and there, rainbows shimmer in the spray from waterfalls. Flying from place to place in the Odyssey is a joy too. Nintendo have packed the game’s worlds with little details and added a sense of spectacle, with grand vistas and epic sights appearing regularly.

Mario’s new move set can feel a bit clunky at first, but soon starts to gel. The different play styles have been exploited in full by Nintendo and allow the designers to mix up the gameplay. Odyssey feels like more of a departure from the formula than recent entries, the quirkiest game since Mario Sunshine in some respects, though it deviates from the formula more successfully.

The gameplay of course, is second to none. There are plenty of surprises which we’d love to talk about, but feel they’re best left for the player to discover themselves. At times it recalls Sonic Adventure, Majora’s mask and Mario 2. Ideas old and new are packed side by side and cast into a huge range of challenges. Mario games are never short of things to do, but this one is more crammed than ever with hundreds of moons to collect.

There are some surprises in tone, not least of which is the presence of other human beings. Curiously, these look, well, like normal people in contrast to Mario. When you arrive at New Donk City, you’ll find it full of suited citizens going about their business. It feels unusual but is more interesting than weird and makes a nice change to the mushroom kingdom we’re so familiar with.

As well as people you’ll also travel to a level that looks like Dark Souls, a food themed area and many other weird and wonderful locations. The game feels more experimental than the last few entries in the series but the weird diversions never undermine the solidity of Mario’s universe.

The game offers a decent amount of challenge too. Recent Mario games have seen Bowser fall very easily with the challenge for older players coming from unearthing the game’s well hidden secrets. It may be old age creeping in, but we found ourselves dying a few times, even in the game’s early sections – a welcome change from the overly easy opening levels of Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World.

Post game there’s plenty to do too, but again, we’ll leave you to discover that for yourselves.

The game also has a rather nice snapshot feature, which enables you to position the camera independently of the game and apply a range of impressive filters. Cleverly, these include a few based on old Nintendo consoles, so if you want to see how the game would look using the Gameboy’s colour palette, you’re covered.

The map is presented as a travel guide, with the Dark Souls like area’s entry reading like an affectionate satire of From’s epic series.

The levels contain a number of hidden moons, which you collect to power your ship and allow it to reach the next stage. Moons are easier to come by than the stars and shines of Mario’s previous adventures, but there are more of them to collect.

There are two currencies in the game, which allow you to purchase extra health and a moon for each level, as well as a selection of clothing. Some puzzles need to be wearing the appropriate outfit so these aren’t just cosmetic. Each level contains a shop for standard coins and one for the purple collectable coins unique to each area. There are a fixed number of these, and you’ll need to find them all if you want to buy everything.

There are no lives in the game. Fall to your doom and you simply lose 10 coins. This is the first time we can remember this happening in a Mario game, but it makes more sense than lives, which end up being fairly meaningless in long form games, where you rack up dozens of them fairly early.

Adding further variety are the skill challenges, with online leaderboards. These include jump rope, speed running and others. As well as being able to see your world ranking, you can win power moons by hitting particular times.

There is also the balloon hiding minigame, which has you hiding balloons round the level for other players to find and hunting the balloons hidden by other players. Coins are awarded generously for completing these challenges, giving you added motivation to play.

If you’re playing with a friend, then the second player takes control of your hat, making you a real team. This isn’t quite as effective as the multiplayer in Super Mario 3D World and is perhaps the only area where Odyssey is weaker. It’s still good fun though, but player two can feel like a passenger at times.

Control wise, the joycons, which we tested, work well, despite the disconnection issue occasionally rearing its head. One minor frustration is that in portable mode the game’s motion control features aren’t available. These can be seriously useful, especially in the game’s tighter moments, so losing out on them can be annoying. It isn’t a game breaker though.

Portable mode also looks fantastic, with the graphics looking more or less perfect on the small screen. This is by far Mario’s most visually impressive portable incarnation yet.

Is Odyssey Mario’s finest moment? It’s certainly up there. It can never be the game changer Mario 64 was, but it certainly feels like the most different Mario in a long time and Nintendo have drawn all their experience to produce this game that combines the epic with an eye for detail that few outside Kyoto’s finest posses.

A real Odyssey then, and a must buy for Switch owners.

10/10

Mario Odyssey is available to buy and download and is currently 6458 yen on the Japanese Nintendo e-shop.

Those of you that have ever dreamed of setting foot in the mushroom kingdom will soon be getting their wish. Universal Studios Japan have commenced work on Super Nintendo World, a new themed area set to feature characters and rides from Nintendo’s most popular games. We’re expecting an official real life Mario Kart, Nintendo parades and who knows what else? There’s a while to wait as the new zone will be opening in 2020. Until then, why not take a look at the trailer:

Nintendo just revealed details of their new hybrid console and in good news for expat gamers, the system will be region free, meaning you’ll be able to buy games from wherever you like.

We got a look at several launch games, including a long trailer for the impressive looking Zelda – Breath of the Wild. A new Mario game for the system, Mario Odyssey, looked intriguing, appearing to be set in an open world city with realistic citizens walking around. Grand Theft Mario, anyone? We also saw footage of Splatoon 2, which looked good. Other confirmed games included Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Skyrim, FIFA soccer, Ultra Streetfighter 2, Steep, Minecraft, Arms – a motion controlled boxing game and several others.

Just five titles will be available at launch, Zelda, 1-2 Switch, Super Bomberman R, Skylanders Imaginators and Just Dance 2017.

Launch price will be Y29,980 which has raised a few eyebrows, but is slightly less than the Wii U Premium bundle. Peripherals do seem expensive with the pro controller going for $70 and the Joy-Con going for $50 each ($80 for a pair).

There will also be a subscription model for online play which is a shame, but it is worth pointing out that Wii U multiplayer performance is rock solid and the infrastructure for that doesn’t come cheap. There was some mention of a smartphone or device being used for online features, but we’re not yet clear on how that will work. Apparently subscribers will be entitled to play a single NES or SNES game each month, but it isn’t clear they’ll be able to keep it. Compared to the generous bundle of games offered with Playstation and XBox subscriptions this does sound somewhat Scrooge like. Overcharging for their retro content on modern system has always seemed a bit of an own goal for Nintendo but we’ll have to wait to see exactly what’s on offer before passing judgement on this.

All in all though we’re pretty pleased with this. The games look good, it’s region free and it seems to have a bit of third party support. Roll on March 3.

Mario Kart 8 has been a joyous triumph for the Wii U. Like so many of the platform’s games it feels like the quintessential entry in the series. The first of its two bundles of DLC was a big success, bringing a generous selection of new tracks and racers to the game.

The second bundle was expected to be more of the same, but it turns out Nintendo have an extra surprise in store for us. For the first time, Mario Kart will be getting a 200c mode, effectively adding a fourth difficulty level. This means that as well as the new tracks, long term players will have a reason to go back to all the old favourites, to try and master them at this new faster speed. Unlike the extra tracks, the 200c mode will be free of charge.

Additionally, the new mode and second group of new tracks will be available earlier than planned, on April 23rd, so there isn’t that long to wait.

Those of you that have always wanted to try Mario Kart in real life (I presume that’s pretty much everyone), need wait no longer.

Real life Mario Kart racing is now available around Akihabara. Drivers are able to discuss their choice of character with organizers who then try and allocate everyone someone they like. Training is given, although since they are driving on the road a proper driving license is required. The racing itself lasts over two hours though racers can always pick up a drive-through if they find themselves flagging.

Items, such as bananas and shells are provided although the precise details of their use remains a mystery. Racers go from Akihabara to Shinjuku before finishing in Shibuya. If you manage to book a place at this event expect a lot of interest from tourists.

[source: yahoo Japan]

UPDATE:
It is now possible to book tickets to this event in English and we’d appreciate it very much if you did so via our affiliate link: here

You can also book a range of other activities in Tokyo, (some of which are mildly NSFW), here.

Mario Kart 8 launched a couple of days ago, and by all accounts it’s a cracker. The game is being described as the best in the series and is getting rave reviews all over the gaming media.

Nintendo Japan are running a promotion where buyers of the game get to try out two other games for a month. These games can then be purchased at a discount. They’re offering a pretty good selection: The Wonderful 101, Zelda: Wind Waker, Nintendoland, Pikmin 3 and Game and Wario. It looks like being a good way to check out any games you might have missed recently. Here’s the link.

McDonalds Japan are giving away a range of Mario toys with Happy Sets. 6 versions of Mario are available as well as Yoshi and Princess Peach. These could well become collectors items, so if you feel like a trip to the Golden Arches, now is the time!

Full details here!

This card reader from Taito is just the thing for Mario fans who can’t bear to be without their hero long enough to copy their photos onto a PC. The reader is a little on the bulky side but who cares – you can send Mario down the pipe and listen to the authentic sound effect as many times as you like.

[Read]

Want to know what toys Japanese kinds are going to be playing with this year? Then the World Hobby Fair is your place to go. Put on by toy and game businesses, the show gives kids the chance to play with all the newest stuff and gives the companies lots of feedback about what’s hot or not.

This year was dominated by Pokemon, Gundam, and Inazuma Eleven, with all three licenses being spread over a wide variety of merchandise and crossovers. Nintendo and Sony both had a substantial presence, setting up large booths and lots of demos and tournaments. Battling toys were getting a lot of attention, it seems kids want anything that lets them pit one toy against another in a brawl. Professional Yo-yo…ers?..ists? were drawing crowds teaching tricks and hosting shows. Girl-focused games like Pretty Rhythm, Tamagotchi, and Cooking Mama were bringing in lots of players too.

Our picks for the best of the show? The Taiko no Tatsujin game being demoed inside a giant snow globe, the very unusual pairing of feudal Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga with Pokemon, and the Sony shrine featuring Playstation characters and selling good-luck charms.

Here are the pictures, scroll over for a description.