As anyone who’s used the internet for a while knows, rule 34 always holds true. If something exists, there’s porn based on it. No exceptions.
And as anyone who’s a gamer might know, this also applies to any Nintendo series you can think of. Fan art on sites like Tumblr and DeviantArt featuring Mario and Zelda characters is endemic online, and just about any character you can imagine seemingly gets it.
But it seems like Nintendo might not be so happy with all that! Indeed, if people on Twitter and Tumblr are to be believed, they’re filing DMCA notices against ‘adult’ Princess Peach fan art online!
Here are some images showing what appears to be Tumblr artists get takedown notices relating to their artwork:
Basically, Nintendo are saying that the images are ‘harmful’ to their brand and might confuse people into thinking they’re sponsored by Nintendo. Which as anyone knows, is pretty ridiculous. No one in their right mind would confuse a piece of adult fan art with an official Mario picture.
But it is kind of worrying non the less. Why? Because up until now, Nintendo has been fairly hands off with the fan work community. Okay, they’ve taken down the odd film that’s charged for tickets or game that’s remade an official work. But they’ve mostly ignored fan art and fiction, and never bothered people for ‘offensive’ fan works.
If this take down is real however, it proves that Nintendo is indeed worried about ‘adult’ works based on their franchises. And this is where it gets scary.
You see, it’s not just fan art that has ‘adult’ themes. Fan fiction and fan games have them too. Like Panic in the Mushroom Kingdom 1 and 2 actually having in game hentai unlockable by beating the secret world, and castles where you swim through the blood of murdered Toads and Pikachus.
Above: I wish I was making this up
Are they going to try and take down games like that too?
How about games with ultra violent content and gimmicks, like Super Mario World Dark Horizon? Or the mods that let you go Grand Theft Auto on the citizens of Hyrule in Ocarina of Time? Neither have sexual content, but both can be heavily disturbing. What’s to stop Nintendo getting angry about that type of stuff too?
Of course, it could all be fake. People have used Nintendo lawyer names to send fake notices like file sharing sites and stuff before. Just ask Jason Allen and his fan game takedowns!
But it could also be real, and if so, represent a worrying sign that Nintendo might be cracking down on ‘offensive’ or ‘adult’ fan works using Mario characters.
What do you think about them taking down Mario related ‘porn’ content?
It’s only been three years since Super Mario 3D World, but it seems like we’re already about to see the next Mario platformer! Here’s Shigeru Miyamoto’s comment about a new Mario game, straight from a recent IGN interview:
we’re always challenging ourselves to create something new, so hopefully you’ll see a new kind of Mario in about a year or two.
Maybe next E3 we’ll be able to share something.
So what is this ‘new kind of Mario’? Well, the Nintendo fanbase has been kind of split in regards to that question.
On the one hand, some people are thinking it might be something akin to a Mario 64 style 3D platformer. You know, more open levels with multiple stars to collect in any order, except with shiny HD graphics. Which makes sense; there’s certainly demand for that sort of game now.
However, it’s not the only possibility. For example, could this mean another genre hybrid instead? Like a Mario First Person Shooter or a Mario Action Adventure akin to the Zelda series? Maybe, it’d certainly be a ‘new kind of Mario’.
It’s also quite possible that it could refer to the content or tone instead. Perhaps its an ultra violent M rated Mario title. That’d be pretty original, at least for an official Nintendo game. Or maybe it just drops most of the current characters (Peach, Bowser, traditional enemies, Toads) and introduces a whole new setting. Imagine seeing Mario get a full blown dark reboot!
Above: Or maybe like that.
Or it could just mean a few new powrups or stuff. After all, one of Miyamoto’s previous quotes about the future of Mario was:
Who knows what Mario will look like in the future? Maybe he’ll wear metallic clothes!
And lo and behold, five years later we got Metal Mario:
So anything could happen here. Anything from a full blown Mario reboot to an extra power up or two in a traditional Mario platformer.
But what do you think? What is this ‘new kind of Mario’ that Miyamoto is referring to?
Getting a bit bored of all those Super Smash Bros Amiibo? Feel your Amiibo collection needs a bit more variety in it?
Just desperately want a Wario Amiibo based on his traditional outfit instead of the biker one?
Well if so, you’re in luck! The Super Mario Amiibo series is getting new figures on November 4th! Here’s a list of the characters appearing in this lineup:
Wario
Waluig
Daisy
Rosalina
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
Boo
Above: The various new Mario series Amiibo
That’s good news for fans of Waluigi and Daisy, since them getting an Amiibo means they’ll be more likely to show up in future games. Like say, the next Mini Mario & Friends esque game, or Super Smash Bros, or what not.
For anyone who likes Wario… it means they can have a version of the character representing the Wario Land series rather than WarioWare or Super Smash Bros. Useful for the folk over at Wario Forums, don’t you think?
But the most interesting one here isn’t any of those. No, it’s Boo, who also somehow shows in the form of a glow in the dark Amiibo.
Why is this interesting?
Because Boo isn’t quite as common a playable character in the Mario series as the rest of those on the list. It does appear in some spinoffs, usually party games and sports games. But it pretty much never appears in Mario Kart or various other spinoffs, and only shows up in some of the Mario Party or Mario Golf/Tennis games in general. So why is it getting an Amiibo? Do Nintendo plan to use regular Boos as playable characters in more games than before?
Does it potentially tie in with a future Luigi’s Mansion title?
It really does raise some interesting questions about Nintendo’s future gaming plans.
Still, what do you think? Are you buying any of these new Mario series Amiibo?
Have you ever wished to play as Mario and friends in Minecraft?
Or that you could officially explore places like Princess Peach’s Castle and Isle Delfino in the Minecraft’s iconic style?
Well if so, you’re in luck! Nintendo has just announced that the ‘Super Mario Mash-Up Pack’ is coming to Minecraft: Wii U Edition on May 17th. This pack will be released for free, and feature:
Textures based on Mario games like New Super Mario Bros, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine
Tons of character skins, for everyone from Mario and Luigi to Bowser, Wario and even Diddy Kong.
Redone enemies based on the Mario series. Like Hammer Bros and Dry Bones replacing the traditional Creepers and Zombies.
And even classic Mario music based on Super Mario 64!
There’s even an included Mario World that features all this new content. Here’s a trailer showing some of it in action:
It’s a pretty clever move by Nintendo when you think about it. Minecraft is massively popular with the type of kids who don’t already play Nintendo games that much, and this sort of character pack might inspire some of them to check out Nintendo’s own series. It’s also a nice follow up to Super Mario Maker in general, since it lets Nintendo have a hand in releasing a sort of ‘3D Mario Maker’ without needing to put time and effort into providing a new engine and editor from scratch. Is it as good as an editor for Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy might be? Not really, but it does seem like something that will keep a few die hard Mario fans busy for a while.
But what do you think? Do you like the look of this new Mario themed Minecraft pack? And for that matter, should Nintendo do similar deals for Pokemon and Zelda?
It’s been a while coming, but we’ve finally put together a new list of Mario related facts and trivia! Unlike the mass media though and their obsession with the same old clichés everyone’s already heard of (Super Mario Bros 3 is a play, Birdo’s gender is variable, Super Mario Bros 2 was Doki Doki Panic, ad nauseum), these are some… more obscure factoids. The kind that even most of the Mario fanbase on sites like Mario Wiki and Reddit would likely be surprised to know, let alone the average Joe who’s knowledge of Mario comes from a bunch of games on the NES and Wii.
Hence here they are. Ten facts about the Mario series that you don’t (or at least, are very unlikely) to know…
1. Mario likes his alcohol
So let’s start this list off with an interesting question. When has alcohol appeared in the Mario series?
Well, there’s that Chuckola Cola stuff. That’s called ‘Laugh Wine’ in Japanese games, which means it’s presumably alcoholic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzIqsVRcpC0
Above: And this makes just as little sense if it’s wine as it does if it’s soda.
Okay, how about real world alcohol?
Didn’t Wario get drunk on it in the Japanese version of Wario Land 2?
Fine, okay, it’s appeared a few times then. But did you know Mario also seems to like his drink? Yes really, as can be seen in the image on this amusing trivia card:
Part of a series meant to teach kids about real world events, history and culture, the cards feature the Mario cast in all kinds of situations inspired by those same events. And the one above (about Prohibition in America) features a rather annoyed Mario chasing a Goomba who’s nicked his booze. Guess all those Mario fan art pics showing him drunk off his arse in the street had a canon basis after all!
Talking of quiz cards, they also show that…
2. He’s been involved in various religions
And talking of real world stuff in Mario games, here’s an image that’s sure to stir up a bit of controversy online:
It’s almost perfect ammo for certain moral guardians. Though that said, it’s not Islam that Mario’s been shown studying, here’s him reading the Bible (from another quiz card):
Guess real world religions aren’t as foreign to the Mario cast as we’d otherwise think!
3. Corona Mountain appeared outside of Super Mario Sunshine
On a more typical Mario related note, do you remember Corona Mountain from Super Mario Sunshine? It was a pretty unexciting final level that ended with a corny Bowser cutscene and battle, and then never got referred to ever again…
Unless you’re living in Japan and playing Mario Sports Mix that is! There, an arena called ‘Fire Mountain’ was actually named Corona Mountain in Japan, and hinted as being the same place as the Super Mario Sunshine location! Here’s a picture:
So why was it changed? Poor localisation I guess. Someone came across the name, hadn’t heard of Super Mario Sunshine or the level in said game and just translated it to the first random term that came to their head.
But it’s a returning location, none the less!
4. King Boo Has Unique Dialog For Killing Paper Mario
If you’ve played any previous Mario & Luigi games, it shouldn’t be a surprise that AlphaDream have basically prepared for every possible situation.
But in the King Boo fight where he holds poor Paper Mario hostage, did you know he has extra dialogue if his attack actually kills the guy? No really. His original dialogue (if Paper Mario is hurt normally) is:
You… you really didn’t understand? Even when I shouted? Well now this is happening.
And if he kills Paper Mario? He says this:
Did I not make myself clear? Yeesh!
It’s pretty cool. And it’s not the only example. Koopalings have special quotes if they kill the trio in battle:
Morton: Guhuhuh… I knew I could beat ya!
Lemmy: Heehee! I won!
It’s a rather neat touch, especially in a game where every possible situation seems to give you a unique quote or animation.
5. A Mario product has included swearing
No, really. This was apparently on an official record cover for a Mario music CD:
Well, that’s certainly a side of Mario that Nintendo would like to play down nowadays!
6. The Koopalings are still Bowser’s children… in Germany
Shigeru Miyamoto may have said otherwise, but it seems like someone over there on the German localisation team disagrees! Because in the German language version of Mario & Luigi Paper Jam, Morton explicitly refers to Bowser as his father, as quoted here:
Vergib uns… Vater. Ich meine naturlich… Meister Bowser!
Or in English:
Forgive us… Father. I mean of course… Master Bowser!
Above: See 9:21 in the above video.
Seems like someone on the writing team had a bit of fun with the whole retcon thing! Either way, it’s a nice touch.
7. Lemmy Koopa References his Namesake in Paper Jam
It’s not really a tribute to Motorhead band member Lemmy due to the game’s development time (it was being made long before the unfortunate news of his death was announced online), but it’s a nice shout out regardless.
Because in battle, as can be seen here, he’s playing an air guitar in the style of his namesake!
Either way, it’s a very cool thing to have in a Mario game, and a great minor tribute to someone who’s made as much of an effect on the world of music as Lemmy did.
8. There’s a Spare Enemy or Two for Expert Challenge Grinders in Neo Bowser Castle
In Mario & Luigi Paper Jam, there are two versions of Bowser’s Castle. One is the normal version, set in a lava filled volcano setting with traditional Mario enemies like Dry Bones and Boomerang Bros, and one is a floating sky castle filled with… also traditional enemies like Mechakoopas, Broozers and Chain Chomps. Obviously, since the first castle becomes the second castle, you can’t revisit the former once the latter becomes a reality.
But in this game, there are Expert Challenges you can complete for reward points. These involved dodging at least five attacks in a row from every enemy in the game.
So what do you do when an area becomes inaccessible and an enemy species is seemingly lost forever? Do you basically screw over any completionists who didn’t get everything done the first time round?
Of course not! So Nintendo added exactly two special enemies into Neo Bowser Castle. One is a Dry Bones, which fights alongside another one of its kind, one is a Boomerang Bro (which fights alongside another Boomerang Bro or two and maybe a Big Tail Goomba). And guess what? They’re all enemies from the original Bowser’s Castle! They’ve been added in so players can never miss an expert challenge, and can refight them whenever necessary to get the points for dodging their attacks.
They’re found in a row with dash pads/arrows and bridges you pull down with Trio Grab and bombs. Hope that helps!
9. WarioWare’s Cutscene Songs are Actually Full Length Tunes
Well, full length in a certain sense of the word anyway, they go on far longer than the cutscenes they’re set to. For example, this is the tune played in Ashley’s introduction and ending scenes in WarioWare Touched:
It’s not the best as far as looping goes, but quite a bit of that song is never usually heard in game. Pretty neat eh?
10. Product Placement was around in 80s Mario Games!
Finally, here’s an interesting one for historians and retro gamers. Did you know that product placement is actually not new to the Mario series?
That Nintendo’s deals with Mercedes and other companies actually weren’t the start of this somewhat deplorable trend?
No, we’re not lying. You see, back in 1988, Nintendo released a game called Kaettekita Mario Bros., or ‘Return of Mario Bros’ if it was translated into English. This game was a modified version of the original Mario Bros (the one you get with the Super Mario Advance games and Superstar Saga). But it actually had advertisements between levels!
Above: You could also register to win a copy of Super Mario Bros 3, or an exclusive trading card
Pretty blatant isn’t it? Well funny enough, that’s not the only example. Remember Doki Doki Panic, the game Super Mario Bros 2 is based on?
Well, the original heroes aren’t Nintendo’s creations. Instead, it’s part of a deal with Fuji Television network to promote an event called Yume Kojo 87 (Dream Factory 87 in English). So to some degree, the WHOLE game is technically a licensed game based off an event run by a Japanese TV network.
And let’s not forget about All Night Nippon Mario Bros, where the enemies and objects were replaced by Japanese celebrities! Gee, guess Nintendo were really ahead of the game in the 1980s, pioneering app store standbys like in app ads and product placement years before smartphones were ever even a thing!
So that wraps up another set of Mario facts and trivia. But which ones did you know? Tell us on the Gaming Reinvented forum or our official Twitter channel today!
