Super Fantabulous Mario News Round-Up

Woof.

There's simply so many Mario-related happenings popping up on gaming news blogs right now that I've just decided to condense it all into one post.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Clearly, everyone is reeling from the delivery of the news we all knew was coming. As I mentioned in the previous post, Nintendo has officially announced that Sonic the Hedgehog will be joining the fray for this round of Smash Bros. Now we have images and video to prove it.

I'm quite happy about this, especially since now fanboys like me will be able to settle Mario-versus-Sonic fantasies in a forum more appropriate to the mascots' roots than the sporting events found in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

In other Smashing news, an image of a character select screen has found its way online.


Note that I didn't say the character select screen. It's hard to see much here, but it looks like twelve characters up there: Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus, Fox, Pikachi, Diddy, Pit, Mea Knight, Ike, Peach, Yoshi, Sonic and Bowser. No Kirby. No Zelda. No Snake. And none of the other characters announced. I'm guessing what you see above is a preliminary select screen and not the final version. Besides, doesn't it seem more likely that Sonic would be an unlockable character?

Finally, Nintendo marked its fall press conference with a new trailer. (The Youtube version below is a bit grainy. There's a clearer one up at The Tanooki.)

There's more than a few Mario peeps making their first Brawl appearance here, including Toadette and a New Super Mario Bros.-style Super Mushroom, a green Para Troopa getting clocked by an airborne Donkey Kong, and Dixie Kong, who appears in trophy form but hopefully will also show up as a playable fighter. (I'm hoping, anyway.)

Mario Kart Wii

The big news, I suppose, would have to be the game's implementation of various bicycles into the roster of ridable vehicles. As Nintendo Wii Fanboy points out, this modification to the typical Mario Kart formula doesn't seem all that new. For example, Diddy Kong Racing had its characters zipping around on hovercrafts and airplanes years ago, and Mario Kart DS had the racers jockeying for place in all manner of non-kart-like vehicles like tanks and scooters and farm equipment.

What remains to be seen, however, is if this new set of vehicles comes complete with a new set of racing dynamics.

There's also a new trailer out, albeit a rather low-quality one. It comes courtesy of Go Nintendo.

Finally, it seems we have proof that Boo is one of the selectable racers in the game.


I can't actually remember if I new this or not. And, judging from Boo's position in tenth place, he kind of sucks. Still news is news.

Dr. Mario

The classic puzzler is set to return, this time as a downloadable Wii Ware original. The screenshots provided show Miis dressed up in doctor garb, but Dr. Mario seems to be there as well.





[ Source: Nintendo World Report ]

Super Mario Galaxy

Nothing too new from the press conference, save for some new gameplay footage worth salivating over.

A sharp-eyed reader has pointed out to Go Nintendo what looks like it could be a Luigi appearance in Super Mario Galaxy — and in a haunted stage, no less.


In the cage, next to the Boo portrait in the background.


It's something, that's for sure. Go Nintendo points out that Luigi appearing in this setting would be appropriate, since Mario needed rescuing from ghosts in Luigi's Mansion. However, the post also notes that this seeming cameo could also be a ghostly apparition.

Super Mario Stadium Baseball

Finally, Mario and crew will once again be hitting the baseball diamond. We don't know all that much about this game, other than that it's coming whether we like it or not.