MegaMan52

Introduction I've bought so many gaming items over the years, that I've got various games and other items that could be considered holy grail items. In the past, I've shown a few of my rarer games or items here on VGS. But the fact that I've acquired several uncommon items (including one or two items that some collectors might be unaware of) led to the idea of creating a blog about ten items, as well as some honorable mentions, in my collection that are so uncommon they might as well be holy grail items. Now some of these might be easier to find in Taiwan or China, but are pretty hard to find in Canada. My Favorite Holy Grail Items in My Game Collection 10.Resident Evil 2 (Game Boy Advance) Originally released for PS1 and later released for N64, Dreamcast, PC, and GameCube, Resident Evil 2 was planned to be released for Game Boy Advance. The first Resident Evil, also a PS1 game, was planned and almost released for the Game Boy Color, but canceled despite being almost complete. The GBA version of Resident Evil 2 is a tech demo, and was barely started. It can literally be beaten in about two minutes. Visually, however, it is impressive. The pre-rendered screens are taken straight from the PS1 version and look almost as good. There are voice clips that play on the title and intro screens, which are compressed but sound reasonably clear for a GBA game. Most of the sound effects sound basically the same as the PS1 version. Leon is the only playable character. The menu features both a handgun and a knife, but only the gun can be used. Only the title screen has music; there's no music during gameplay. This is a reproduction cartridge that I found on eBay in 2018 or so. It didn't cost very much, but the demo it contains is scarce. I didn't know Resident Evil 2 was even planned for the GBA until I got this cartridge. Check out my video above for some footage. 9.Mega Man CES 1990 Hat A Mega Man hat that Capcom gave away during the Consumer Electronics Show in 1990. It came in orange and pink. I remember it costing around $700 Canadian. The seller I bought it from also had the pink hat. 8.Super Mario Bros. 3 Bootleg Cartridge I found out about this cartridge in the early 2000s (https://web.archive.org/web/20051201161627/http://www.nesplayer.com/pirates/smb3pirate.htm), on an NES site called NES Player (now known as Nintendo Player). It contains the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 3, which has several differences compared to the American version (like an extra pipe in World 5-1 that leads to a different goal than the one used in the American version). In 2022, one of my friends found this cartridge and decided to give it to me for free (knowing that I've been collecting imports for years). Before he gave it to me, he opened up the cartridge. The game is attached to a converter that allows it to work on an American NES, like several early copies of black box NES games such as Gyromite. 7.Wonderland Dizzy (NES) Codemasters, the company behind the Game Genie and unlicensed NES games such as Micro Machines, made several "Dizzy" games for the NES, but they had plans to release more. One such game was Wonderland Dizzy. The ROM for the game was made available for download in 2015. A physical copy playable on a real NES, shown here, was released only as part of a Kickstarter. Only 100 copies were made. I bought the game sealed for about $800, and I believe it is still the most expensive game I have ever purchased. 6.Mega Man Cartoon VHS Tape This isn't one of the officially released Mega Man cartoon VHS tapes (some of which I also have). Rather, this is a recordable VHS tape containing episodes of the American Mega Man cartoon from when they were originally shown on Fox in 1994/1995. I bought this on eBay in 2001/2002, before the series was released on DVD. For a while, this was the only way to watch other episodes that weren't officially released on VHS. In 2002 or so, I remember a Mega Man site, called the Protoman Homepage, had all but two episode available for streaming. One of the missing episodes, "Bad Day at Peril Park" from season 2, is on this VHS tape. The versions of the episodes shown on Fox were shortened somewhat. Almost every instance of Mega Man getting hit was cut. But perhaps the most interesting things about this tape are the promo screens shown during commercial breaks, as well as the credits. These weren't included on the official VHS and DVD releases (below). 5.Mega Man X Controller Probably the coolest looking Controller ever made. The Mega Man X Controller was made by NubyTech, and officially licensed by both Nintendo and Capcom. It was originally suppose to be released for both PS2 and GameCube in 2004, alongside Mega Man X: Command Mission. It was delayed, and only the GameCube version of the Controller was released in late 2005/early 2006 alongside Mega Man X Collection. The Controller was shown in the 2005 Mega Man commercial, and advertised in the Mega Man X Collection manual. 4.Nintendo Power First Issue The very first issue of Nintendo Power. I also have issues 3, 5, and 6. Just need issues 2 and 4, then I'll have the entire first year of Nintendo Power. The cover is slightly wrinkled, but the pages are very clean and in near mint shape. The poster is still attached. Somewhat of a collector's item nowadays. 3.Japanese Zelda: Twilight Princess The Japanese release of Zelda: Twilight Princess for GameCube. This was the last game Nintendo released for the GameCube, in December 2006 (there were some third-party games for the console that followed in 2007, however, some of which are shown in my video above). The GameCube version is a little uncommon, but no where near impossible to find because it got a full release in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. However, in Japan only the Wii version got a full release while the GameCube version was available online only. This makes the Japanese release of the GameCube version one of the rarest games for the console. I bought it complete for a little over $100 in 2020, but it'll likely cost a fortune someday. 2.Sealed GameCube Component Cable The GameCube's Component cable was available in the U.S. and Canada only from Nintendo's online store (in Japan, it was available at retailers). This is the American release of the cable, and is still sealed. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it was cheaper than my used GameCube Component cable. My used cable cost around $115 U.S. dollars in a buy it now eBay auction in 2012. For this sealed cable, bidding ended at around $90. No one outbid me and I won the cable. Nowadays it's worth at least a few hundred for a used one. 1.Super Mario Bros. 3 McDonald's Happy Meal Toy Display This is my favorite of the holy grail items that I have. The display that McDonald's used in 1990 when they sold Super Mario Bros. 3 toys with their Happy Meals. McDonald's had another Mario Happy Meal earlier this year, with toys for the new Super Mario Bros. movie. Honorable Mentions Mario Party 4 Event Disc I made a blog about this. I came across this disc in 2018. The only information I could find out about it at the time was the name of the disc and a picture of it. I found it sealed for a few hundred bucks and had to know what was on it. Well, it's nothing overly exciting. It contains the minigame mode only, and was apparently used (or planned to be used) for a competition in Japan. It is still interesting, as before I got it in 2018 I had no idea this even existed. Mario Smash Football Pearl White GameCube bundle A bundle released in Europe, containing a Pearl White GameCube and Super Mario Strikers. Coleco Telstar Pong Console I've seen many loose Pong Consoles over the years, but unexpectedly found this one with its box from a nearby seller. Mega Man Bootlegs Various Mega Man bootlegs for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. One of them is a Mega Man 8 bootleg. Two others, called Zook Hero Z and Rockman DX3 (a.k.a. Zook Hero 2), are games from a Taiwanese company called Vast Fame, and contain different characters and music but basically the same gameplay as the Mega Man series. Zook Hero Z and Rockman DX3 use the same sound effects as Mega Man III, IV, and V for the original Game Boy. There are multiple versions of Rockman DX3. I remember watching a video of it on YouTube in 2007/2008, and the version shown had all of the levels already completed and music recycled from Zook Hero Z. The version I have has mostly different music, a save feature, none of the levels are completed. However, collision during boss battles is broken and you can get hit even if it looked like nothing touched you. Mega Man 8 also had multiple versions, with a color version being released under the title "Rockman X4" which has nothing to do with Mega Man X4 other than the opening screens. Recently, I found out that the color version was also released under the title "Rockman 99". Thanks @fcgamer for showing pictures of that version in the "what's new in your collection" topic. Crash Bandicoot 2 Shirt A promo shirt that was included with Crash Bandicoot 2 when it was released. GameCube Kiosk Demos GameCube demo discs used at GameCube Kiosks in stores. The October 2001 demo disc was the first GameCube demo disc in the U.S. and Canada, while the Japanese disc contains Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pikmin demos as well as commercials/trailer videos. The Version 17 demo disc (top) contains a demo of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, from when it was known simply as "Paper Mario 2". Super Donkey Kong 2 (Famicom) A Donkey Kong Country 2 bootleg for the Famicom/NES. This is another bootleg that I found out about on NES Player in the early 2000s: https://web.archive.org/web/20071217193529/http://nesplayer.com/pirates/sdkc2.htm While technically it is a port of the SNES game, it is missing quite a few levels. There are only three levels, and only Diddy Kong is playable (Dixie Kong appears on the title and ending screens, but isn't playable in this version). The third level features Rattly the Rattlesnake, the only animal buddy from the SNES version that's included. The music is from the SNES version, with some music tracks being full length while others were shortened a little. The music that plays on the third level (which is based on the "Rattle Battle" level in the SNES version), is pretty catchy and is a fairly accurate rendition of the "Snakey Chanty" music from the SNES version. The graphics are also impressive for a Famicom/NES game. Many of the screens (title, map, ending, etc.) are taken directly from the SNES version, with reduced color. Official GameCube SD Card That's right, the GameCube has its own official SD Card accessory. It was shown in some issues of Nintendo Power in 2001, and released in Japan in 2003. It's intended to be used for saving pictures taken with the Japanese version of Pokémon Colosseum and Japanese e+ version of Animal Crossing, which can then be printed, used in a digital frame, used as a YouTube Channel icon (which I did about a decade ago), posted on a website, etc. But the SD Card can also be used for homebrew stuff like NES, SNES, Game Boy, and PlayStation Emulators. I use this card to play hacks and homebrews of NES games using the FCE Ultra GX Emulator, like an updated version of Mega Man 3 called "Mega Man 3 Improvement". I also used this card to play an unreleased Game Boy Advance version of Rainbow Islands using the Visual Boy Advance GX Emulator, and a beta version of Mega Man 8 using the CubeSX PlayStation Emulator. Donkey Kong Country 2 Audio Cassette I've got several DK soundtracks on CD, including a Donkey Konga soundtrack CD I imported from Europe that I thought about listing here. But, I decided to list this Donkey Kong Country 2 Audio Cassette instead. The DKC ("DK Jamz") and DKC3 soundtracks are a little uncommon, but aren't too difficult to find on eBay. The DKC2 soundtrack, however, is pretty rare (as of this writing, there's a DKC2 CD on eBay for over $1500). The Cassette, which I have here, is even rarer than the CD. I bought it new on eBay in 2002 or so. While Cassettes haven't really made a comeback like Vinyl, I'm glad I still have this DKC2 Cassette. It still works well; check out my video below and have a listen. Japanese Game Boy Tetris Tetris, of course, is one of the most common games for the original Game Boy. I'm listing this because it is an earlier Japanese copy that contains a slightly different version of the game. The "A-Type" music in this copy is a different music track known as "Minuet", instead of the more iconic "Korobeiniki" music (a.k.a., the Tetris theme). Conclusion t These are just some of the rare goodies I've collected over the years. Some other "holy grail" items I have include a reprint of the very first Ninja Turtles comic that came with pre-orders of the 2007 TMNT game at GameStop, a Battletoads costume I got during my childhood, a Mario Party 3 soundtrack CD, a Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller for GameCube, a fully complete copy of Mega Man II on Game Boy, a Michael Jordan Upper Deck card from an issue of GamePro magazine, a Mario Tennis flyer, and so on. -MegaMan52

In the Wild Difficult decision. I'll say this Coleco Telstar Pong console is one of the better items I've found in the wild. I didn't expect to find it in the wild with its box. Other top finds in the wild would be my Japanese copy of Mega Man 4, Ms. Pac-Man Plug and Play, and a Super Mario Bros. 3 poster. On eBay Again, a really tough decision as I've bought numerous items on eBay over the years. But I'll go with my Super Mario Bros. 3 McDonald's toy display. My Mega Man CES 1990 hat, sealed GameCube Component cable, and Mega Man X Controller are also contenders. For Free I didn't buy anything on NintendoAge, so I'll mention my top free pickup instead. A friend gave me his Sega Master System collection for free. Well actually, I traded him disc 1 of Tales of Symphonia (he had disc 2) and a Wavebird Controller w/Receiver. So if that doesn't count, then I guess my top free pickup would be a Super Mario Bros. 3 bootleg cartridge which the same friend decided to just give to me.

In addition to the games mentioned above, I recommend playing these games: -Animal Crossing -Burnout and Burnout 2: Point of Impact -Donkey Kong games -Fight Night: Round 2 (the GameCube version has Little Mac and the full game of Super Punch-Out!!) -F-Zero GX -James 007: Nightfire and Everything or Nothing -Mario sports games -Mega Man Network Transmission -Mega Man X: Command Mission -Metroid Prime 2: Echoes -Mortal Kombat: Deception (the GameCube version includes Goro and Shao Kahn as playable characters) -Pac-Man World 2, Pac-Man World 3, and Pac-Man World Rally -Rayman 3 -Sonic the Hedgehog games -Soul Calibur II -Star Fox Assault -Super Mario Sunshine -Super Monkey Ball 1 & 2 -TimeSplitters games -Tomb Raider Legend -Wario World -Zelda: The Wind Waker -Zelda: Twilight Princess Also, I recommend reading my GameCube blog:

The Super Mario Bros. 3 sprites were most likely completed first. Remember SMB3 was released in Japan in 1988, the same year as the American Super Mario Bros. 2. Mario and Peach's sprites in the American SMB2 appear to be newer, touched-up versions of the SMB3 sprites. Super Mario Bros. 3 Influenced the Design of Super Mario Bros. 2 — Thrilling Tales of Old Video Games Here's an interesting article about it.

I mentioned a couple months ago that I've been taking a break from collecting physical games since I've almost run out of space in my game room. I've been thinking about turning another room in my house into a game room. Not sure when I'll get around to doing that. But I did some travelling and visited a huge game store that has just about everything video game collectors would want. Retro and modern games, consoles and handhelds, new and used, Arcade games, store displays, Kiosks, merch, Japanese imports, posters, Wata graded games, and an area where customers can play games. It's all there. I already have plans to go back. Thankfully I already have 200+ games for my GameCube(s), including the majority of what I saw at this store. After looking around for almost an hour, I decided to buy Crash Bandicoot 2. It's nice to have this game again. I originally got the game in 1997, and still have the shirt that came with it. This copy appears to be in pretty good shape. Sure it's a Greatest Hits copy and not one of the earlier copies with the holgraphic cover. But the game is one of my favorite PS1 games, this copy is in excellent shape, and cost $30 Canadian, so I can't really complain. Since I didn't have to pay shipping, I think I saved $20 or $30. I bought a physical copy of Pac-Man Museum+ last summer. I read that there were some "bonus figures" that people could get if they bought the game within the first month of its release. I thought it was only available to those who downloaded it, but read that some who bought physical copies received codes. I bought the game less than a month after it was released and didn't receive any codes, so for a little while there I couldn't get these Figures. They've since been made available as paid DLC (kind of figured they would do that eventually), so I paid. Now I have a complete set. Downloaded the newest update for Sonic Frontiers. I also decided to go back to Chuck E. Cheese (it had been a few months). I got some of their Spring/Rainbow Cotton Candy. In addition to a stuffed crust pizza, I also ate some of their Rainbow Dippin' Dots Ice Cream. And I got a collector's cup (I was asked if I wanted to upgrade to one of these cups).

Would that be Rockman X4, the color version of the game?

I like that this Mega Man II/Rockman World 2 Game Boy bootleg has the "Official Game Boy Game Pak" symbol on it. They can't fool me.

Yeah I've got that one too, except the one I have has an orange label.

Yeah, like Rockman Z/Zook Hero Z:

Critics giving a video game-related movie low or mixed scores? What a surprise. I don't take their ratings and reviews of these kind of movies too seriously. While the movie obviously won't be a "masterpiece" and probably won't be "great", I doubt anyone really expected it to be. Who cares what the critics have said about it? It's not really aimed at them. It's for kids and us long-time Mario fans. The fact that the movie is full of easter eggs and references, as the trailers and posters show, proves that. I already mentioned this in a previous post, but I'll be watching the movie in Theaters and buying it on Blu-ray when it's released on that. I enjoyed watching the Sonic the Hedgehog movies in Theaters and again on Blu-ray. I suspect the new Mario movie will be reasonably good as well. I got a Mario McDonald's Happy Meal in January, and am going to see if I can buy a poster for the new Mario movie (I have a Sonic 2 movie poster). Looking forward to seeing the new movie on the big screen this month.

Introduction With a new Mario movie being released in Theaters soon and the weather warming up, I thought I'd talk about another Mario game. The game I'd like to talk about is yet another underrated game (nowadays, at least) for an underrated console: Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube. Unlike Kirby Air Ride, Super Mario Sunshine actually received positive reception from critics when it was released in the Summer of 2002. Nintendo Power gave it a 5 out of 5, though that isn't too surprising since they were the official Nintendo magazine for the U.S. and Canada. Other critics, however, called the game a "masterpiece." That might be stretching it a little, but in general the game was well-received in 2002. Charles Martinet (voice of Mario in the games) at one time considered Super Mario Sunshine his favorite Mario game (before the Super Mario Maker games were released). Things change, of course. Super Mario Sunshine is now considered the black sheep of the Mario series, similar to Zelda II: Adventure of Link for the NES. A lot of people like it, and a lot of people hate it. With the release of Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Switch, which includes Sunshine, critics weren't as nice to the game as when it was released in 2002. Some of the criticisms include F.L.U.D.D. (the water pack that Mario wears for most of the game) and sometimes awkward controls. And like Kirby Air Ride, some also criticize the game for being "different" and at times not looking or feeling like a Mario game. Like how Kirby Air Ride isn't the first game in the the Kirby series that's different, Super Mario Sunshine isn't the first game that's "different" in the Mario series. Super Mario Land takes place in "Sarasaland" rather than the Mushroom Kingdom, and doesn't even have Princess Peach (Toadstool) or Bowser. Even Super Mario World doesn't take place in the Mushroom Kingdom, and instead takes place in "Dinosaur Land." Both games are loved by nearly all Mario fans to this day. Super Mario Sunshine takes place on "Isle Delfino" and introduces F.L.U.D.D. and new characters like the Piantas and Nokis, but at least still involves Mario rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. But apparently that doesn't matter much, because the game is both loved and hated. I guess if a game that's a little different than others in a series, whether it's a spinoff or a mainline entry, is released for another system, it's fine. But if it's different and for the GameCube, it's apparently "not fine" to some. I first played Super Mario Sunshine in 2002, when I noticed it was available to play at GameCube Kiosks in Walmart and Future Shop. I remember playing one of the Interactive Multi-Game demo discs that featured a Mario Sunshine demo with a level selection screen allowing you to play some of the Super Mario Bros. style platforming stages included in the game. I finally got the game as well as a GameCube in 2003. Yes I got the Super Mario Sunshine bundle that was available in 2002 and 2003, and was happy to get a Mario game with my new console like I did with my NES. Before I talk about why I believe Super Mario Sunshine is a good game, I'd like to point a few things out. I do not like Super Mario Sunshine as much as Super Mario 64, nor do I consider it a "masterpiece" (not quite). It definitely has some issues and I agree that Super Mario 64 is the better game, though to be fair it's kind of hard to top that. Also, I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions. But a new Mario movie is being released soon and the weather has gotten warmer, so I'd like to talk about why, in my opinion, Super Mario Sunshine is still a good game even though many of the other Mario games are better. Why I Believe Super Mario Sunshine is an Awesome Game It is Not Quite as Different as Some Think At first, it seems like Super Mario Sunshine goes off in a completely different direction and strays from other mainline Mario games as much as possible. Mario, Princess Peach, and Toadsworth (one of the game's new characters) leave the Mushroom Kingdom. During their flight, they watch a commercial for an Island known as "Isle Delfino" and decide to go on vacation there. While watching the commercial Peach notices a shadow on the TV that looks like Mario, while Mario and Toadsworth are distracted by some of the Islands attractions shown in the commercial. Once they've landed on the Island, they notice some strange goop. Peach notices someone in the distance...the shadow she saw on the TV. Mario looks around Delfino Airstrip and comes across F.L.U.D.D. (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device), a pump developed by Professor Elvin Gadd (a character Luigi met in Luigi's Mansion). Armed with F.L.U.D.D., he is now able to clean up the goop and graffiti spread around the Airstrip. A Piranha Plant covered in goop appears, and this is the first instance that the game isn't quite as different from other Mario games as it appears to be. After defeating the Piranha Plant and cleaning up the Airstrip, Mario finds a shiny object called a Shine Sprite which is what this game has instead of the Stars in Super Mario 64. The Delfino Police then arrive. Mario is accused of messing up the entire Island and is sent to prison (for those who haven't played the game, I am not making this up). Isle Delfino has been spread with goop as well as graffiti by Shadow Mario, the mysterious character Peach saw earlier, who holds a magic paintbrush. Mario, still being accused of crimes he didn't commit, is released from prison the next morning and is ordered to stay on the Island and clean up Isle Delfino. He also needs to find more Shine Sprites to unlock new areas and bring back sunnier weather to the Island, which is now darker than it used to be. In addition, Peach is captured by Shadow Mario and the real Mario needs to rescue her again. Magical "M" portals are found throughout Delfino Plaza that lead to the game's main levels, similar to the paintings in Super Mario 64. Even though Mario games don't really need deep storylines to be good, I appreciate that Super Mario Sunshine has a deeper storyline than the mainline Mario games released before it. But I'm not going to talk about the entire story. My point is that while Super Mario Sunshine seems very different at the beginning, as you play it it becomes clear that it is still very much a Mario game. Mario still runs, jumps, stomps, and collects coins and mushrooms like he does in other games in the series. Super Mario Bros. style platforming levels are included throughout the game, complete with a catchy remix of the Mario theme. In addition to platforms, these levels also have enemies that can be stomped on, coins and mushrooms to collect, blocks that can be destroyed, and cubes that spin around. When you first enter these levels, Shadow Mario takes F.L.U.D.D. and you are restricted to using classic Mario moves only. Completing these levels and re-entering them allows you to play through them with F.L.U.D.D. The backgrounds also differ with many of them, with some having a background showing Mario as he appeared in the first Super Mario Bros. game. Mario fans likely remember the underground levels from other mainline Mario games. In Delfino Plaza, there are several manholes that you can enter. The game does not go to another level and the camera view does not go underground. Instead, the camera view remains above the ground and you only see Mario's shadow. There's another shadow that indicates what directions you can go. Coins and mushrooms can be found underground, and are shown as question marks. While you're exploring underground, a remix of the underground music from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 plays (the remix sounds like it's based on both versions from those games). Running underneath a manhole and jumping allows you to get back above ground. In the Ricco Harbor level, Mario can climb fences, punch enemies, and flip to the other side. This is a feature from Super Mario World. In Delfino Plaza, there are pipes leading to other levels. Enter one, and the classic Mario pipe sound effect plays. The sound effect only plays when entering the main levels, so the sound effect doesn't always play when entering pipes. But there are two pipes in Delfino Plaza that lead to two of the game's main levels, so hearing the pipe sound effect when entering those pipes is pretty nostalgic. The classic version of the Mario coin sound effect also plays when the game starts up, while the Nintendo logo is displayed. F.L.U.D.D. has Four Nozzles Some people think Super Mario Sunshine was "ruined" because of F.L.U.D.D. I don't know about that. While it does take some getting used to if you haven't played the game before (or haven't played it in a while), F.L.U.D.D. isn't that bad. In fact, it's actually kind of cool. In each of the mainline Mario games, Mario has a different way of powering up. In Super Mario Bros., there are the Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Star (sometimes called "Starman" or "Super Star") power ups. In Super Mario Bros. 3, there are the Tanooki, Hammer, and Frog suits. In Super Mario World, there's the cape. In Super Mario Land 2, there are the rabbit ears. In Super Mario 64, there are the Wing, Metal, and Vanish Caps. And Super Mario Sunshine has F.L.U.D.D., which has four Nozzles: Spray, Hover, Rocket, and Turbo. Super Mario Sunshine continues the tradition of giving Mario a new way to power up with each game. With the Hover Nozzle, Mario can fly over small gaps. With the Rocket Nozzle, Mario can reach the higher areas of a level. If you press the L button while really high in the air, Mario's ground pound becomes stronger and he's able to break through or damage certain areas. The Rocket Nozzle needs a few seconds to charge. 3...2...1...Blast off! And with the Turbo Nozzle, Mario, not surprisingly, moves much faster. He can also use the Turbo Nozzle to ride on the water like a Boat or a Jet Ski, as well as break through certain doors. F.L.U.D.D. also has a Spray Nozzle, which is the default Nozzle. It can be used to clean up goop and graffiti. It can also be used to attack certain enemies. F.L.U.D.D. can be used in creative ways In the Bianco Hills level, there's a section with water and a lily pad. If you stand on the lily pad and use F.L.U.D.D.'s Spray Nozzle, you can ride on the lily pad like a raft. In some levels, there are some flowers arranged in a circle that you can water. If you water them all really fast, you'll get some coins. To do this, it's easier to press the Y button to go into the look mode. Use the Spray Nozzle, then just hold left or right on the Control Stick to turn in a circle while spraying. While Mario can swim in this game like most other Mario games, he can also sometimes use F.L.U.D.D. while underwater. There are certain sections in the game that take place underwater. In these sections, you can use the Hover Nozzle to move around or reach higher areas. In the Pianta Village level, there are some giant swings. You can use F.L.U.D.D. to ride on the swings and reach higher sections of the level. The Game Makes Use of the GameCube's Capabilities I'm not even really talking about the graphics (though Sunshine does have some nice water effects). Even in 2002, Sunshine's graphics really didn't impress me much though they aren't really bad either. The environments are large, the water effects are nice, and the game runs at a mostly smooth framerate. But I'm talking more about the game's inclusion of full voice acting, FMV cutscenes, and lots of special effects. The GameCube was the first Nintendo console to use discs, which have far more space than the N64's cartridges. While the voice acting in this game really isn't that great (especially the Pianta's, who basically just mumble or speak gibberish except during some cutscenes), it's nice that Nintendo made use of the larger capacity of the GameCube's discs. Princess Peach, Toadsworth, the other Toads, Bowser, Bowser Jr., and even F.L.U.D.D. all talk during cutscenes. Peach already talked during the opening and ending of Super Mario 64, but that was basically what that game offered for acting during cutscenes. Like most Mario games, Mario doesn't really talk much in Super Mario Sunshine. Like Super Mario 64, he "talks" when he performs his moves or gets hit by enemies. He doesn't say much during cutscenes. However, it's worth noting that Mario does talk in one cutscene in the Japanese version. After landing in Delfino Airstrip at the beginning of the game, when Peach sees Shadow Mario (the character she see's on the TV before arriving), Mario says to Toadsworth: "Hmm, looks like-a Mario's gonna have to find a job!" Followed by Toadsworth saying: "Trying to start a new career?" For whatever reason, these two lines were removed from the American version of the game. My guess is that Nintendo of America wanted Mario to (basically) remain silent like in most other mainline Mario games. Charles Martinet voiced Mario in Super Mario Sunshine, as he did in other Mario games that have voices. The game was one of the first Mario games to have FMV cutscenes. Which is nice, and shows that Nintendo made use of the added space on the GameCube's discs. The game also has lots of special effects. On the episode selection that appears before a level starts, the screen flashes with loads of special effects when you select an episode or Shine Sprite. The special effects change depending on whether you've collected that particular Shine Sprite or not. Like Super Mario 64, Mario falls asleep if you don't press any buttons for a little while. Several "Z's" appear while he sleeps. If the camera gets stuck inside or near a wall, a circle appears and part of the screen turns blue so you can focus on Mario. If Mario's in front of a wall, the game shows his shadow/silhouette so that you can still see where he is. Super Mario Sunshine has Progressive Scan support. It also has Dolby Pro Logic II Surround Sound, in case you'd like to hook up your GameCube to a Home Theater System and listen to the game with five speakers and a sub woofer. The game's options menu allows you to test out the surround sound, like some of the console's other games (such as Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Soul Calibur II). The Game is Similar to Super Mario 64 Adding to the fact that the game is not quite as different as some people make it out to be, Super Mario Sunshine is pretty similar to Super Mario 64. Just about everyone who's played Super Mario 64 knows it is a great game. As the follow-up to the N64's flagship game, it's no surprise that Super Mario Sunshine has a lot of similarities. Mario has most of his moves from Super Mario 64, including the wall jump... t ...the ground pound... ...swimming... ...and climbing trees, among other moves. Before a level starts, an episode selection screen appears showing Shine Sprites you've collected and a small hint for each one. This, of course, is the same idea as the star selection screen that appears before a level starts in Super Mario 64. And like how some stars in Super Mario 64 require you to collect eight red coins, you have to collect eight red coins to get some of the Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine. Like some levels in Super Mario 64, Mario can occasionally lose his hat in Super Mario Sunshine. Without his hat, he takes more damage. If he loses his hat In Super Mario Sunshine, he also slowly loses energy automatically due to the fact that he's on an island and it's extremely hot. However, if you go into some water while he doesn't have his hat he won't lose energy. I like the logic. The Boss Battles Are Unique Though the bosses in Super Mario Sunshine are new characters (except for Bowser), most of them are a classic type of Mario enemy (Piranha Plant, Blooper, Boo, Wiggler, etc.). Some games have basically the same boss battles over and over. Pac-Man World 2, released the same year as Super Mario Sunshine, has a few boss battles with the ghosts that are basically the same, with the only real difference being the difficulty. Even so, Pac-Man World 2 is one of my favorite games for GameCube, and like Mario Sunshine it was one of the first games I played on the console. Maybe I'll make a blog about the Pac-Man World games someday. In Super Mario Sunshine, many of the boss battles are different and unique. Here are some of the highlights. First off, there's Petey Piranha. For this battle, you spray water in his mouth which he swallows and fills up his belly. You then run up to him, jump on his belly, and do a ground pound which not only hurts him but also causes him to spit out the water you sprayed into him. Then there's Gooper Blooper. For this battle, you have to grab onto his tentacles and pull them off. After that, you have to pull on his nose, let go, and send him flying. This is Mecha Bowser, a boss in the Pinna Park level. For this battle, you get to go on a Roller Coaster. There are water-filled missiles on the track, which you have to aim and shoot at Mecha Bowser. Aiming can sometimes be difficult, since you're constantly moving and the track has some loops. While you're cruising around, Mecha Bowser will shoot a familiar enemy at you: Bullet Bills! Simply spraying them will defeat them. There's a section of the track where you'll get very close to Mecha Bowser, who constantly shoots flames. Better get F.L.U.D.D.'s Spray Nozzle ready if you don't want Mario to get Burnt. After defeating Mecha Bowser, Shadow Mario will reveal himself to be Bowser's son, Bowser Jr. He's the one who actually spread the goop and graffiti throughout Isle Delfino, using that paintbrush he's holding. Wiggler ahoy! Full steam ahead! This battle takes place in the Gelato Beach level, and features a Wiggler enemy (Wiggler's first appeared in Super Mario World). You need to spray Dune Buds on the sand, which causes the sand to rise and flips over the Wiggler. You then jump on it and do a ground pound. An arrow points where you need to ground pound. The boss moves faster and faster as the battle progresses, and even the musics tempo speeds up. Here's King Boo, who's hiding underneath the Casino in the Sirena Beach level's Hotel. While he has the same name, he doesn't look like the King Boo from Luigi's Mansion. Unlike the one in Luigi's Mansion, this King Boo is a goofy, slobbering ghost who loves eating but can't stand spicy food. He holds a Slot Machine, which you have to spray with F.L.U.D.D. Depending on what is shown on the Slot Machine, enemies or food will appear. You have to pick up Peppers and throw them at him, which sets his tongue on fire. While his tongue is on fire, you have to pick up any of the other fruits and then throw them at him. The giant Roulette Wheel also moves. As mentioned above, the real Bowser (the one Mario has battled since the first Super Mario Bros. game) is the final boss like most mainline Mario games. The battle takes place inside Corona Mountain, the game's final level. Peach is there rooting for Mario, while Jr. roots for Bowser. This is one area where F.L.U.D.D.'s Rocket Nozzle comes in handy. As mentioned above, if you use the Rocket Nozzle and press the L button while you're in the air, Mario's ground pound becomes stronger and he's able to damage the floor...which eventually causes everyone (including Mario and Bowser) to fall from a great height back down to Isle Delfino. Don't worry, the game's ending isn't (too) tragic. The Game Fixes Some of Super Mario 64's Issues While I like Super Mario 64 more than Sunshine, it isn't perfect. Sunshine has some issues of its own, as mentioned in the intro above, but it also fixes some of Super Mario 64's problems. For example, hanging onto a gate/fenced area. In Super Mario 64, you have to hold the A button down and hope that Mario doesn't let go. I can remember how frustrated I got getting that Star in the picture above (showing an area the Hazy-Maze Cave level), because Mario would sometimes let go even if I was still holding the A button down. In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario hangs on automatically. You don't have to hold any buttons down. Just make sure you don't bump into any enemies. In Super Mario 64, Mario has one meter for both his energy and oxygen. So if he's underwater and almost out of air when he jumps out of the water, he'll also be low on energy. But as most players likely know, simply swimming up to the surface (rather than jumping out) is an easy way to refill Mario's meter. Collecting coins while underwater slightly refills the meter. In Super Mario Sunshine, there are separate meters for Mario's energy and oxygen (yellow for energy, blue for oxygen). When the meters are low, a sound effect constantly plays to warn the player that Mario's almost out of energy or oxygen. If you keep losing energy or oxygen the warning sound effect plays faster (similar to a heartbeat), increasing tension. Like in Super Mario 64, collecting coins refills Mario's energy and oxygen. He also sometimes receives a helmet in this game, which allows him to stay underwater much longer. Not everyone is going to agree with me on this, but in my opinion Super Mario Sunshine has better camera control. The N64's Controller has C buttons, meaning digital controls for the camera. I've played Super Mario 64 a lot over the years, and sometimes the camera just doesn't want to go where you want it to. It either stops moving and plays a buzzing sound (meaning it can't be moved any further in that direction), or it swivels a little too much. The GameCube's Controller doesn't have C buttons, but instead has a C-Stick. This means the camera in Super Mario Sunshine has analog controls. The camera control is more fluid, allowing you to move it at different speeds. Unless it gets stuck inside a wall, you pretty much have almost total freedom to position the camera where you want it. Aside from the more fluid controls, the camera system is similar to Super Mario 64's. You can hold down on the C-Stick to zoom out, hold up to zoom in, and hold left or right to rotate it. Like when you press C-Up in Super Mario 64, you can press the Y button in Super Mario Sunshine to look around from Mario's point of view. It's worth noting that this look mode is also improved over the look mode in Super Mario 64. In Super Mario 64's look mode, Mario doesn't turn around so you can only look up, down, left, or right (you can't see what's behind you). In Super Mario Sunshine's look mook, Mario turns around when you look left or right allowing you to look in any direction and also see what's behind you. Yoshi appears on the roof of Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64. After collecting all of the stars, you can use a Cannon to blast up to the roof. I can still remember the rumors about Super Mario 64 that spread around the Internet during the N64 era, and even after Super Mario Sunshine was released. Among other things, people wondered if it was possible to ride on Yoshi like in Super Mario World. Unfortunately, you can't ride on Yoshi in Super Mario 64. He tells a message to the player, saying that "this is the end of the game, but not the end of the fun!". He then gives Mario several 1-Ups, then leaves. After that, Mario gets a new version of the triple jump that protects him if he falls from a high ledge or platform. I suspect that Nintendo knew players wanted to ride on Yoshi in Super Mario 64, so they likely made sure early on that he would also be in Super Mario Sunshine. Yoshi appears on lots of promo images for Super Mario Sunshine, including in the manual and on the cover for an issue of Nintendo Power. In most levels and in Delfino Plaza, you can find an egg. You can see a thought bubble that shows the kind of fruit Yoshi wants. Since the game takes place on an Island, fruit can be found all over the place. If you bring Yoshi the fruit he wants, the egg will hatch and you can ride on him. In this game, Yoshi...err..."vomits" juice to attack enemies and open up some areas that are blocked off. He still sticks out his tongue, like other Mario games, if you press the B button. Just like Super Mario World, Yoshi eats fruit in this game. The Juice meter is Yoshi's energy meter, so eating fruit is necessary to give him energy. Depending on the fruit he eats, he may also change color. Also like Super Mario World, the music changes somewhat while you're riding on Yoshi. Unfortunately, the green Yoshi was removed from the game. Green Yoshi was in early versions of the game, appears on promo art, and even appears in a screenshot in the manual (likely from a prototype version of the game). The decision to remove him appears to have been last minute. However, green Yoshi is still in the game's memory and can be played by using an Action Replay (as seen in my video above). The Game is Full of Variety and Extras Like several other Mario games, Super Mario Sunshine is chock full of secrets and has a lot of variety. Since Super Mario Sunshine only has seven or eight main levels (compared to fifteen main levels in Super Mario 64), some have complained about there not being enough levels or enough variety for level themes. I suppose that's a fair complaint, since the levels are mostly beaches, a harbor, in a Hotel, etc., though it makes sense that the game would have mainly these kinds of levels since it takes place on an Island. In my opinion, the game more than makes up for that by giving players a lot to do each level. You can ride on a Blooper and go surfing in Ricco Harbor, go on a Roller Coaster ride in Pinna Park, go after Shadow Mario and spray him with water, race a character named Il Piantissimo in some levels, grab "floaty fluff" in Pianta Village to ride up to higher parts of the level, etc. There are hidden levels/areas/minigames in each level. In a sense, there are levels within the levels. As mentioned above, there are platform levels that are similar to Super Mario Bros. Even if you've completed these levels, you can come back to them and get another Shine Sprite. When you come back to these levels, a red button appears. If you pound these buttons, eight red coins appear and you're given a limited amount of time to collect them. I also mentioned above that, after you've beaten these levels once, the game allows you to play through the levels with F.L.U.D.D., making the experience a little different than the first time (classic Mario action with a twist). There are also hidden areas that take place up in the clouds. One of these areas is a "super slide", where the goal is to simply slide to the bottom to find a Shine Sprite. Another secret area has you collecting red coins, most of which are hidden inside lots of grass. One hidden area is basically a table that is based on Pachinko, a game that's popular in Japan. This is often considered to be one of the most frustrating and difficult parts of the game, because of the controls and some odd physics. Until just last year, this was one of the few areas in the game that I couldn't complete. However, I figured out that it is actually not as difficult as it seems. So basically, at the start of the table, Mario bounces up to the top of the table where there are red coins. Where you land depends on which direction you're moving the Control Stick (the stick on the left side of the Controller, not the C-Stick) or if you don't move the Control Stick at all. It's easy to get the hang of it after a few tries. You just need to remember where Mario landed before, then either move to Control Stick in that direction if you need to try again or move it in a different direction to land near another red coin. You can also use F.L.U.D.D. to hover over to some of the red coins. Some of these hidden areas require you to make use of F.L.U.D.D.'s different Nozzles. There's the waterslide, where you use the Turbo Nozzle to get enough speed to jump over gaps and reach other platforms in the distance. There's another hidden area where you collect red coins while riding on a lily pad. This is another of the areas in the game that I couldn't beat until just last year because you can't touch the water. It's also somewhat difficult to get all of the coins, due to the current pushing the lily pad. And if you miss some red coins, you have to walk on the sides and hope you can make it back to the beginning of the area without falling so you can try again (the lily pad reappears). I'll mention one more of the secret areas. There's a secret area in the Gelato Beach level where you ride on a "Sand Bird." The Sand Bird flies in a circle around a tower, and at different altitudes. Once again the goal is to collect red coins to get a Shine Sprite, but you have to do that while riding on the Sand Bird and not falling off. You can play games and complete some tasks while in Delfino Plaza. There's a minigame that requires you to destroy boxes within a time limit. Some of the Pianta's want you to work for them. They want three of a particular fruit. You can grab fruit and toss them into a basket that's either beside or above the Pianta's. You can kick Durian's like a Soccer ball. One of the tasks actually requires you to kick this fruit over some water to the other side of the Plaza, then kick them into a Pianta's basket. GOAL!!!! Once you've given the Pianta's three of the fruit they want, they'll give you a Blue Coin. A Mario Soccer game would be released for GameCube a few years later: Super Mario Strikers (a.k.a., Mario Smash Football). The game also received some sequels, including a Switch game. There's a Blooper-surfing minigame in a hidden part of Ricco Harbor. The Blooper-surfing area has a hidden background. It's the Train background used in some of the Super Mario Bros. style platforming levels. Blue Coins are another complaint some players have about this game. Blue Coins are required to get certain Shine Sprites, as there's a store in Delfino Plaza that sells some of them. Some of the Blue Coins are well-hidden, while others are in plain site but can be a little frustrating to collect. Even so, I'm glad the game has lots of Blue Coins to collect. They add to the game's replay value, and the game allows you to save your progress everytime you collect one. Super Mario Sunshine, not surprisingly, is a very bright game. In many of the levels, there are Pianta's wearing Sunglasses. If you talk to them, they'll give you some Sunglasses to wear for a little while. The screen darkens a little while Mario wears them, making it a little easier on the eyes. Once Bowser is defeated, load up your save file again. Talk to any of the Sunglasses wearing Pianta's (either in a level or in Delfino Plaza) and he'll not only give you some shades, but also a Shine Sprite shirt. You can wear these items while riding on Yoshi. In the highest section of the Sirena Beach level's Hotel, you'll come across a Pianta who mentions there are ghosts (Boos) in the Hotel and wishes someone would suck them up with a vacuum. This is an obvious reference to Luigi's Mansion, where Luigi uses a vacuum to suck up ghosts. The vacuum Luigi uses was developed by Professor Elvin Gadd (a character from Luigi's Mansion), who also made Mario's pump F.L.U.D.D. in Super Mario Sunshine. This is the same area, in the highest section of the Sirena Beach level. It is a maze, with Boos. Some of the Boos sleep, while others wander or go after Mario. A maze and ghosts makes this section a little bit like Pac-Man. Nintendo would collaborate with Namco the following year (in 2003) on Pac-Man Vs., which is included with the GameCube version of Pac-Man World 2 (Player's Choice copies only) and some copies of the GameCube version of R: Racing Evolution. It was also included with some copies of the GameCube version of I-Ninja, and sold on its own in a limited amount. I also recommend checking out my video above, which shows a Test level that's hidden in the game's memory and can be accessed with an Action Replay. Oh, and this test level actually has a Soccer ball. Speaking of beta content, there are some things left in the game that seem to relate to early versions of the game. After defeating Shadow Mario in Episode 7 of every main level, Delfino Plaza becomes flooded. This is actually a different part of the game's memory, and it has some differences compared to the normal version of Delfino Plaza. It's not just the fact that the place is flooded that's different, but some parts look different from the normal version of Delfino Plaza. The Jail Cell has a manhole. It's not there in the normal version of Delfino Plaza. Apparently, Mario originally entered this room with a manhole in early versions of the game. The Bell Tower's door is different. The normal version of Delfino Plaza has a door that Mario can break through with F.L.U.D.D.'s Turbo Nozzle, where a Shine Sprite can be found. Behind the Jail Cell. It's open in the normal version of Delfino Plaza. Once again, you can see that there's no manhole inside in the room in the normal version of Delfino Plaza. Surprisingly you can still ride on Yoshi when Delfino Plaza is flooded, even though he can't touch water in this game, Mario can still swim while he's carrying fruit (which, by the way, is almost as big as he is). If you decide to ride on Yoshi during the flood, you'll have to jump on the trees and rooftops to get around. There's a mysterious book hidden in one of the game's underwater areas (which takes place in a bottle floating in the sky). Apparently, the book had a purpose in early versions of the game. I showed this picture earlier in the blog, but I'm showing it again because it shows one of the game's easter eggs. Once again, I have to say I appreciate the special effects in Super Mario Sunshine. Look in the circled area. The Sirena Beach level is shaped like the GameCube's Controller. Also, if you look at the second pic in this blog, you'll notice that Isle Delfino is shaped like a Dolphin. Maybe some of you remember that the GameCube was known as the "Dolphin" before it was released. The Game Left its Mark in History and hasn't been forgotten While Super Mario Sunshine is considered the black sheep of the Mario series, it was both a critical and commercial success. Like how Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.3 were included with the NES and Super Mario World was included with the SNES, Super Mario Sunshine was included with the GameCube. In 2002 and 2003, a Super Mario Sunshine GameCube bundle was available at retailers that came with an indigo GameCube, one Controller, a Memory Card 59, Memory Card labels, and the Super Mario Sunshine game. Another Super Mario Sunshine bundle was released later that included a platinum GameCube, one Controller, a Player's Choice copy of the game, and a nicer-looking (Super Mario Sunshine themed) box. https://web.archive.org/web/20020829044228/http://cgi6.ebay.ca/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=nintendo_canada&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=25 In 2002, before the game was released, Nintendo of Canada sold ten copies of Super Mario Sunshine on eBay that were autographed by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. I remember seeing that auction in the Summer of 2002. Super Mario Sunshine was featured on the cover for issue 160 of Nintendo Power. Issue 159 came with a Mario Sunshine poster. Various merch was released, like shirts and hats, through Nintendo Power's "Super Power Supplies" catalog. Toys R Us gave Mario Sunshine towels away as a pre-order bonus. Mario Sunshine toys were available at Burger King. Bowser Jr., who was introduced in this game, has been in most of the mainline Mario games since Super Mario Sunshine, including New Super Mario Bros. and the "Bowser's Fury" expansion in the Switch version of Super Mario 3D World. He's also in several Mario Kart and Mario sports games, and appears in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour as Shadow Mario. Pianta's have appeared in other Mario games, like the Mario Kart games (Double Dash!! and later) and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Both Pianta's and Noki's are playable in Mario Superstar Baseball. F.L.U.D.D. has appeared in every Super Smash Bros. game since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as well as a stage/arena based on Super Mario Sunshine. The Super Smash Bros. games also include music from Super Mario Sunshine (with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate including both the original version and an updated version of the Delfino Plaza music). Shine Sprites appear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. There's also a Shine Sprite Game Boy Advance e-Reader card that works with Animal Crossing for GameCube, which can be used on clothing, Umbrellas, wallpaper, floors, signs, the Island Flag, etc. Most Mario Kart games since Double Dash!! have a Shine Thief battle game featuring Shine Sprites, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has a Super Mario Sunshine race track called Sunshine Airport. Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS has a Super Mario Sunshine reference, where the character Gulliver mentions he hasn't "met someone so willing to help since the residents of Ricco Harbor!". Super Mario Galaxy (Wii), Super Mario 3D Land (3DS), and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch) use some features or ideas from Super Mario Sunshine. Like the "Too Bad!" words that appear when you lose, jumping/bouncing on other character's heads (like Toads), and Mario's shadow being shown if he's in front of a wall so you can still see where he is. t The Switch version of Super Mario 3D World includes an expansion called "Bowser's Fury", which has several references and ideas from Super Mario Sunshine. Some examples include the "M" graffiti that appears in the intro, and the inclusion of Bowser Jr. (who assists Mario, and can be controlled by a second player). "Bowser's Fury" also has Shines, called Cat Shines. Also note that the place where you find Bowser Jr. (pic above) is a beach. Super Mario Maker 2 for Switch has a fan made level based on the Sand Bird hidden area from Super Mario Sunshine. The GameCube's logo appears right before the level starts, the Delfino Plaza music from Mario Sunshine plays, and the level uses graphics from Super Mario Bros. 3. Conclusion Of course there are better Mario games, but Super Mario Sunshine, in my opinion anyway, really isn't that bad. I had a lot of fun playing it in the GameCube era, and have continued to play it on occasion in the last decade or so. It has a lot of cool ideas and boss characters, while including some things from other games in the series and still managing to look and feel like a Mario game. The game was re-released, along with Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy, in Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Switch, where the game is largely the same but displays in HD. I like that 3D All-Stars has the option to use the GameCube's Controller (the real one) while playing Super Mario Sunshine. I've had a Super Mario Sunshine save file since first getting both the game and a GameCube in 2003. In fact, the Memory Card 59 I have now is the very same one I got with my GameCube twenty years ago, though my Mario Sunshine file has since been moved to a Memory Card 1019 (there's an option on the GameCube's menu to move files from one Memory Card to another). For many years, I had 110 Shine Sprites. While I've technically beaten the game many times before, last year I finally got the remaining ten Shine Sprites and fully completed the game. Super Mario 64 screenshots captured from a real N64. Super Mario Sunshine screenshots captured from a real GameCube, not a Wii or an Emulator. -MegaMan52

-99/10 - What is this piece of crap and how did it get such good ratings in the past?! Avoid it at all costs and play an actual masterpiece like Hotel Mario. Edit: Now that it's April 2nd, it's time for the real answer. 10/10 - Super Mario Bros. 3 is my favorite Mario game, and it is the actual best Mario game ever made.

(Possible Spoilers for those who don't want to keep watching trailer or easter egg videos) Luigi's ringtone is the GameCube's start-up sound. Guess they realize that the GameCube doesn't deserve to be left out.

Ufouria for the NES. Probably the best NES game I've ever imported. Awesome soundtrack, too. I uploaded a video on YouTube in 2009 that contains the entire soundtrack (except for one unused music track, which I included in a separate video). Adventure Island for GameCube. It's difficult (like a lot of other games in the series), but even so it is still a fun little side-scrolling platformer. I like the extra content that can be unlocked, including the Hudson Shooting Watch, commercials for the first three Adventure Island games (including the American commercial for Adventure Island 2), and an option to change the soundtrack to that of the NES version of Adventure Island. Honestly, though, the whole Hudson Selection series is good and qualify as hidden gems.

@Hammerfestus Reminds me of yet another highlight of the GameCube era... Square's return to Nintendo systems. And while we're all on the subject of Treasure being "overrated" or not... In addition to developing Wario World, Treasure also developed Ikaruga which was also released for GameCube. They deserve at least a little respect.

One of the best NES and Kirby games, along with Kirby's Dream Land 2. Also probably the first game I played in French.

I knew even in the early 2000's that the whole "GameCube is a kiddie system" thing was total crap. That was the first era Nintendo themselves released two M rated games (Eternal Darkness and Geist) and also collaborated with Konami and Silicon Knights on Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. I mentioned in my GameCube blog that it was the only console to receive fully uncensored versions of the original Resident Evil 3 and BMX XXX. Ubisoft also gave the GameCube version of Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory a collector's edition Steelbook case, like they did with the other versions.

Like Spacepup said, it depends on how you define "success." To me, the N64 and GameCube were moderately successful. It's true that they weren't as successful as the NES and SNES and didn't sell nearly as much as the PS1 and PS2. But they weren't disasters either, still managing to sell at a profit, having several successful games (Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Melee, Double Dash!!, etc.), and staying on the market for a good six years or so. The Virtual Boy was discontinued after only about a year, while the Wii U officially became Nintendo's worst-selling console, was discontinued after four years (a little before the Switch was released), and most of its better games were re-released for Switch with added content. There's also the fact that, in 2014, Iwata took a 50% pay cut and Miyamoto took a 30% pay cut thanks to Wii U. The Virtual Boy and Wii U were the real flops. https://kotaku.com/nintendo-boss-is-taking-a-huge-pay-cut-because-of-the-1511382834

The Mega Man poster was available on Capcom's site in the early 2000's. I remember it. https://web.archive.org/web/20021207213050/http://www.capcom.com/megaman.htm

The first enjoyable 3D game I played was... ...But the first GREAT 3D game I played was...

Introduction When someone asks what everyone's favorite game systems are, sometimes Handheld systems are left out and people are more interested in knowing what everyone's favorite consoles are. The original Game Boy is my favorite Handheld and my second favorite game system, largely because of its library. So, being one of my favorite systems, I figured I might as well list my ten favorite games for the Handheld along with some honorable mentions. Some of the games in the top 5 might surprise some people who think Mega Man games are always my favorite. MegaMan52's favorite Original Game Boy Games 10.Adventures of Lolo Released only in Japan and Europe, the original Game Boy got an Adventures of Lolo game. As expected, the gameplay is much like the Lolo games on the NES with puzzles that become more and more difficult as you progress. In addition to the two main characters from other Lolo games (Lolo and Lala), this game introduces another character: Lulu. The Japanese and European releases have several differences. The European release has far more levels (over one hundred), and also has Super Game Boy support (the Japanese version came out in early 1994, before the Super Game Boy was released). Also, some of the levels have been rearranged and play in a different order in the two versions. This is one of the games included in my "A Look at Imports" series on YouTube. 9.Kirby's Dream Land Kirby's debut, and one of the big Game Boy classics. Being the first game in the series, it doesn't have some of the features that most Kirby games have (like Kirby's ability to copy certain enemies' abilities, which was introduced in Kirby's Adventure). But the basic features, like Kirby inhaling enemies, spitting them out, and flying, are included and have remained staple features throughout the series. There are only five levels, but the terrain varies (grass, water, clouds, etc.) and each one has memorable music that has been reused and remixed throughout the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. games. One of my favorite things in the game is this: you can beat one of the "Blatzy" enemies. Blatzy's are the cannon enemies that appear in many of the Kirby games, and most of them are invincible. However, in this game, one of them is a boss on the third level (Float Islands) and can be beaten. The game has some extra features. The normal mode is fairly relaxed and is neither too easy or too hard. However, there is also an "Extra Game" mode that increases the game's difficulty quite a bit. The levels in the "Extra Game" mode are the same as the normal mode, but Kirby takes more damage, bosses are faster, and some of their attacks are different. The "Extra Game" mode also has a different ending. There is also a "Configuration Mode" that allows you to change Kirby's vitality (the amount of energy he starts with), and access a Sound Test that includes all of the game's music. I beat the "Extra Game" mode last year. The American and Japanese versions are almost identical, but have some minor differences. 8.Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge The first Mega Man game for the Game Boy. The game contains four bosses/robot masters from Mega Man 1: Cutman. Iceman, Fireman, and Elecman, and four bosses/robot masters from Mega Man 2: Bubbleman, Flashman, Quickman, and Heatman. It might seem like a stripped down version of the first two Mega Man games for the NES, but unlike the Mega Man Xtreme games for Game Boy Color every level in this game has different layouts than their console counterparts. The fortress stages are also completely new, and have original music. And unlike the first Mega Man game on NES, this game has Passwords like most of the other Mega Man games. A new item appears in this game. There's the Carry item, which you can place in front of you or underneath while you're in the air. It's useful for reaching items that are otherwise out of reach, and is also useful in Dr. Wily's Fortress because it can save you from landing on spikes. The game also introduces a new character: Enker. He's part of the "Mega Man Killer" series of bosses, the others of whom appear in the other Game Boy Mega Man games. He has a weapon called the Mirror Buster. He raises a Spear, which absorbs Mega Man's shots then fires them back at him. The more shots Mega Man fires, the more powerful Enker's attacks become. This is also the only way to defeat him, as Enker loses energy while his Spear absorbs Mega Man's shots. When Mega Man gets Enker's weapon, it acts like a shield, deflecting shots and sending them back at enemies (very useful during the battle against Dr. Wily). Enker returns in Mega Man V for Game Boy, is playable in Mega Man's Soccer, and appears in the Database mode in Mega Man & Bass. A solid handheld debut for Mega Man. There's an early version of Fireman's stage hidden inside the game's memory, which can be accessed with a Game Shark. There's also some unused music that plays in the level, which sounds like it was originally meant for the game's ending. 7.Wario Land II One of the last games for the original Game Boy, released in 1998. As the follow-up to Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, it is naturally a much bigger game and has more secrets to find. The big difference between this game and the first Wario Land is that in this game, there are lots of different paths to take. The first Wario Land also has some levels with multiple goals that either lead to the next level, or secret levels. This game expands on that idea. If you "beat" the game by just simply getting through the levels and defeating the final boss, a map screen appears and you may notice that there are a lot of other levels in the game that you didn't go to. And even though the map screen is basically a level select, it only allows you to go to levels you've already been to. Also, accessing other levels and paths requires you to do other things besides looking for a different goal. For example, in the first level, you see Wario on his bed sleeping (and while his Castle is being flooded and a loud alarm is playing). Normally, you'd just press a button to wake him up. But if you just let him sleep, you'll automatically "beat" the level and enter a different level than the one you'd normally go to if you went all the way through the first level. This puts you on a different path on the map, allowing you to access other levels. The other big difference in this game is that Wario is basically indestructible. If he gets hit, hit just loses coins. No matter how much damage he takes in this game, he's able to keep going. He can also get flattened, turn into a spring, and turn into a Zombie, all useful in accessing secret areas. Like the first Wario Land, there are two minigames. One is a guessing game, which can be played by finding secret doors in many of the levels. The game randomly picks a picture of an enemy, and briefly shows other pictures. You have to remember which of the other pictures is the same as the one the game picked. If you pick the correct picture, you'll get some Treasure. There are three difficulty settings, all of them requiring a different amount of coins. The difficulty determines how long the game will show you the pictures. The easy difficulty costs the most, while the hard difficulty costs the least. There's also a normal difficulty, in case you want the minigame to be somewhat difficult but not too easy either. At the end of every level, you can play another minigame if you have enough coins. The game randomly picks a number, which is covered. For 50 coins, you can draw and remove a panel from the picture making it a little easier to figure out which number the game picked. Sometimes when you play this minigame, you'll automatically lose coins and the game will keep removing panels from the picture until you decide to guess or until you run out of coins (in which the game makes you guess, whether you're ready to or not). If you guess correctly, you'll receive a picture panel. These minigames are actually kind of fun. If you collect all of the Treasure and the Picture Panels you'll unlock the final level and chapter, called "The Really Final Chapter." Wario Land II was also released for Game Boy Color, as a dual mode cartridge that works on monochrome Game Boy's as well as Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Color version has a different save feature, one for monochrome Game Boy systems and one for color Game Boy systems. If you play the game on Game Boy Color/Advance then play it on an original Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket, it won't work unless you erase your save file. Same thing happens if you save your progress on an original Game Boy or Game Boy Pocket, then play the game on a Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance. The Game Boy Color version also makes some minor changes to the game itself. Like the windows in some of the levels, which have arches in the original version but not in the color version. This change is also present when the color version is played on a monochrome Game Boy, or when a Game Boy Color, Advance, or Player is forced to play the color version in monochrome (as seen in the right picture above). Yes it is possible to force a Game Boy Player (or Game Boy Color or Advance) to play a dual mode Game Boy game in monochrome. This can be done by inserting an original Game Boy game inside a Code Breaker, slowly removing the original Game Boy game on the Code Breaker's menu, and then slowly inserting a dual mode cartridge into the Code Breaker. There's also a unique Fish enemy in one of the levels ("Escape from the Tea Cup!") in the original version that was removed and replaced with the more common Sawfish enemy in the color version for some reason. I rank Wario Land II just a little lower than the first one, partly because of the map. It looks generic compared to the map in the first Wario Land, which looks more detailed and has animations like Super Mario Land 2. The music in the first game is also a little better, IMO. In 2021, I beat every level and got every Treasure and Picture Panel in the original Game Boy version of the game. 6.Battletoads While the Game Boy did get a port of Battletoads for NES called "Battletoads in Ragnarok's World", this Battletoads game is completely different even though it has the same box art as the one for NES. All of the levels and music (except for the title screen music) are different, and you can only play as Zitz while Rash and Pimple need to be rescued (really an excuse for not giving the game a 2-Player option). However, even though the game is different, it is still very similar to the NES game. It has basically the same gameplay, and it is also extremely difficult. In fact, this game seems to be even harder than Battletoads for NES (though that might just be because I haven't played this one as much). Another similarity with this game and the NES game is that it has lots of variety, with flying levels, rope levels, racing levels, etc. The game has a different soundtrack, except for the title screen music which is the same as the NES game. I don't like the music quite as much as the NES music, but some of it is cool. The music in the first and fourth levels are probably my favorite. And since this is a Game Boy game, the music is in stereo. 5.Donkey Kong Land I like Donkey Kong Land 2 and 3 as well, but I like the first Donkey Kong Land more for one reason: it is an original game. Donkey Kong Land 2 is pretty much a Game Boy version of Donkey Kong Country 2. Donkey Kong Land 3 has completely different levels than Donkey Kong Country 3, but reuses DKC3's music and has basically the same story as DKC3. Donkey Kong Land, however, has different levels, a somewhat different story (at least according to the manual), and both reused and original music. It was the first Donkey Kong game to be released on a banana yellow cartridge, which would also be used in the sequels as well as Donkey Kong 64. It uses the same ACM (Advanced Computer Modelling) pre-rendered visual style as Donkey Kong Country, and was considered the best-looking Game Boy game of 1995. Even now, it doesn't look that bad and most of the animations are smooth. While a pretty good game and one of my favorites for the original Game Boy, it has some issues. The first issue (and I remember this well from when I was a kid) is that it can be hard to see in certain levels. DK and Diddy sometimes blend in with the backgrounds, and it can sometimes be difficult to see enemies, barrels, platforms, or other things. This is mostly an issue with the original Game Boy, though it can still occasionally be an issue with the Game Boy Pocket even though it has a better screen. It's fine on the Super Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Player though. And if this game is eventually released for the Game Boy App for Switch, I assume it would look fine on the Switch too considering Super Mario Land 2 does. The other issue this game has is the ending. I'm not going to say what it's like, because there are probably still DK fans out there who haven't beaten the game before. But I will say that the ending is really nothing special, and it is the same even if you find all of the secrets and beat the game 100%. The game has some unused music tracks. These can be heard with some Game Genie codes. One of them was apparently supposed to be used during the battle against King K. Rool (the game just plays the regular boss music instead). 4.Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 The first game to feature Wario as the protagonist. Like Super Mario Land 2, Wario Land has map screens and alternate goals in some levels that lead to secret levels. The game takes place on "Kitchen Island", and you gotta love the names given to the various areas of the Island. There's Rice Beach, Mt. Teapot, Stove Canyon, Syrup Castle, etc. Wario has different moves and power-ups than Mario. He can body slam into blocks and some enemies (body slamming into the latter gives you coins). If he gets the Bull Pot, which gives him horns, he can cling to ceilings or blocks for a few seconds as well as pound the ground (which causes enemies to flip over). He can get a Jet Pot which allows him to fly for a few seconds and also makes him run faster and jump higher. The Dragon Pot allows him to shoot fire on land and arrows while underwater. There are several Treasures hidden in the game. There are some levels in the game that have hidden doors that lead to Treasure rooms. The ultimate goal is to find these Treasures so Wario can get enough coins at the end of the game to get a Castle of his own. At the end of each level, you can play one of two minigames. One of the minigames has two buckets with ropes. One of them has a bag of coins, while the other has a 10 ton weight. The other minigame has you throwing bombs across a river at some enemies. There is a meter on the bottom of the screen that shows the strength of your throw. This minigame also has three difficulty settings. Winning the minigame gives you 1 ups. The game is a lot of fun, easily one of my favorites. I like it a little more than Wario Land II. One of the areas in the game has a typo. When you first enter Parsley Woods, the name is spelled correctly. But when you drain the water in the second level of the area, it becomes "Parsely" Woods. I've beaten every boss in the game as Tiny Wario. 3.Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Improved graphics, more levels, the rabbit ears, and Wario's first appearance. Like the first Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2 is different than other Mario games in that it doesn't have Princess Peach or Bowser. In fact, you don't even rescue a princess in this game. The game is about getting six golden coins so Mario can enter Wario's Castle (which is really Mario's Castle) and defeat him. Despite that, the game is closer to being like Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 than the first Mario Land. The visuals in Super Mario Land 2 resemble Super Mario World, similar to how Link's Awakening's visuals resemble A Link to the Past. Mario also has the spin jump move from Super Mario World, which destroys blocks. The rabbit ears are the game's new power-up, which make Mario jump higher and allow him to stay in the air longer which allows him to glide long distances. The Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Star from other Mario games are also in this game. Each area in the game, except for one, has levels with multiple goals (one hidden), with the hidden goals leading to secret levels filled with coins. I like that, after these secret levels have been completed, the map screen changes somewhat. For example, beating all of the levels in Tree Zone makes flowers appear on the map while beating all of the levels in Pumpkin Zone causes ghosts (Boos) to appear on the map for that area (the Pumpkin's eyes also light up). A hacked version, called Super Mario Land 2 DX, was released for Game Boy Color. Not only is it in color, but it also adds Luigi as a playable character. Luigi controls a little differently than Mario. It was put on a cartridge, and works with Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, and the GameCube's Game Boy Player. A comic loosely based on Super Mario Land 2, called "Mario Vs. Wario", is included in the January 1993 issue of Nintendo Power. It is also included in the Super Mario Adventures comic collection released in 2016. In the first Tree Zone level, there's a hidden section that can only be accessed with glitches. It is also in Super Mario Land 2 DX. Super Mario Land 2 was re-released on the Game Boy App for Switch. The game retains its portability on the Switch, since it is both a console and a handheld. Not only have I beaten this game on the Game Boy before, but I've beaten it on the Switch too (every level, including secret levels). 2.Tetris The Game Boy game that pretty much everyone has played. I really don't need to say much about it or why it's my favorite. Tetris is just plain fun and one of the best games for the original Game Boy. The Game Boy version of Tetris is considered better than the NES version, due to its portability and inclusion of a 2-Player mode. The NES version actually does have a 2-Player mode that can be accessed with a Game Genie, but it wasn't finished and went unused. I played that unused 2-Player mode with a friend a few years ago. While most copies of Tetris are identical regardless if it's bought in the U.S., Canada, Japan, or Europe, it's worth noting that the earliest Japanese copies of the game, known as Version 1.0, are somewhat different. The earliest Japanese copies have a different A-Type music, called "Minuet" (heard in the video above). In most copies of the game, known as Version 1.1, this music was replaced with the much more well-known "Korobeiniki" theme, also known as the Tetris theme. The early Japanese copies that have the "Minuet" music were bundled with a Link Cable, say "DMG-TRAT" on the box, and have a slightly different label than other Japanese copies (you have to see them side by side to notice the differences). The early Japanese copies also have a different level up sound effect (a simple beep that you may not even hear while playing). An updated version, Tetris DX, was released for Game Boy Color and is also compatible with the original Game Boy. It has more modes, saves your scores, different cutscenes, and, of course, color graphics. Unfortunately, most of the iconic themes from the original Game Boy version were replaced. However, Tetris DX has several unused music tracks (including the full Korobeiniki theme). These unused music tracks can be heard in my video above. While Tetris DX is technically "better", there's nothing wrong with going back to playing the original Game Boy game. I play the original more often than DX, though both versions are great. Like Super Mario Land 2, Tetris was recently re-released on the Game Boy App for Switch. 1.Kirby's Dream Land 2 Here it is, my favorite game for the original Game Boy. It is also one of my favorite Kirby games. I bought the game in 1998, and remember it was the last copy available at the store I went to (The Real Canadian Superstore). Since the game was released after Kirby's Adventure, Dream Land 2 retains the feature of Kirby copying certain enemies abilities. Also like Kirby's Adventure, the game has different areas each with a hub containing doors where you can select a level. This game introduced Kirby's animal friends: Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Fish. If you are riding on one of these characters, the abilities that Kirby copies changes. For example, if you have the Parasol ability while riding on Rick the Hamster, he'll spin the Umbrella on his nose while Kirby becomes a ball and sits on top of the Umbrella, which makes it easy to hit flying enemies or enemies on floating blocks. If you have the Electric ability while riding Kine, a light bulb appears that both allows you to see better in dark areas and can also be used as a weapon. Each of these characters has unique theme music. Their energy is also separate from Kirby's, so even if they lose all of their energy Kirby can still keep going. There are "Rainbow Drops" hidden in certain levels. Some of them are easy to find, while others are well-hidden. Even if you find them, you need to figure out what the correct ability to use is so that you can destroy the blocks that prevent you from getting them. Collecting all seven Rainbow Drops allows you to battle the final boss, Dark Matter. Like the first Kirby's Dream Land, there are two endings. If you get all of the Rainbow Drops and defeat Dark Matter, you'll get the good ending. Getting all of the Rainbow Drops and beating the game unlocks a Sound Test. One of the music tracks (FGM 94) is unused, but was later redone and used in the Cave levels in Kirby Triple Deluxe for Nintendo 3DS. Kirby's Dream Land 2 was one of the 52 games I beat in 2018. I've beaten the game several times before, but that was the first time I got all of the Rainbow Drops and got the good ending. Honorable Mentions Mega Man V Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Metroid II: Return of Samus Operation C Super Mario Land Conclusion Another blog completed. As the original Game Boy is my second favorite game system, I still play original Game Boy games fairly often. I usually play them on the Game Boy Player and have also played them on the Game Boy App for Switch, but still have both the original Game Boy and Game Boy Pocket and use them on occasion. There are several other games for the system that I like as well, such as the other Mega Man games, F1 Race, and Super R.C. Pro Am. -MegaMan52

I don't believe it got a very wide release, but it could be found at some stores such as Game Stop in 2006. Fun fact: the Controller was shown in the 2005 Mega Man commercial:

Yes, it was released by NubyTech alongside Mega Man X Collection. It was advertised in the Mega Man X Collection manual. It was originally supposed to be released for both GameCube and PS2 alongside Command Mission, but it was delayed and only the GameCube version of the Controller was released.

Introduction On October 1, 2020, Nintendo released a version of Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Switch to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the original game for the NES. It was a battle royale game similar to Tetris 99, and allowed groups of up to 35 players from all over the world to compete. As the game was intended to be a limited release celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the original game, Super Mario Bros. 35 was playable until March 31, 2021, and its online features were shut down and the game was removed from the Switch eShop on April 1, 2021. The game was arguably superior to Tetris 99 and the later released Pac-Man 99, despite only allowing up to 35 players in a group instead of 99 like the other two games. I put over 100 hours into this game, and it quickly became one of my most played Switch games along with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash. During that time, I took a lot of pictures and recorded several videos of the game and would like to share some of the memories I have of it. Remembering Super Mario Bros. 35 Battling other players While the game looked and sounded a lot like the original game, the goal of the game was not simply to get through the levels. Rather, you needed to focus on two things: defeating enemies and increasing the amount of time you had. Every enemy you defeated would appear on another player's screen. Which player you sent the enemies to depended on who you were targeting, with the random option changing the target every time you beat an enemy. Defeating enemies gave player's more time. Kicking shells at tons of Goomba's or other enemies was a good way to get more time. Collecting Fire Flowers while already powered-up was another good way to get more time. All levels except for the first one were locked initially, and simply entering a level would unlock it. However, reaching the goal in a level wouldn't automatically take you to the next. You would often be taken back to World 1-1, or 1-2. Completing these levels multiple times would allow access to other levels. In addition, depending on certain factors (like playing Special Battle mode), the game would sometimes start on other levels instead of 1-1. Warp Zones were still in the same locations as the original game, but worked a little differently. The Worlds they took you were random. Also they didn't just take you to the beginning of a World, but would sometimes take you to certain levels. They were a quicker way to access and unlock other levels. Using warps was often a good strategy, because later levels contained harder to avoid enemies like Cheep-Cheeps and Hammer Brothers that you could send to other players, making it a little easier to knock them out. By knocking out other players, you were awarded with more coins and time. By pressing the X button, a Roulette would activate and give you an item: Mushroom, Fire Flower, Star, or POW Block. The POW Block would defeat every enemy shown on the screen. But no matter which item you received, the Roulette was useful if you were just regular Mario and were being swarmed by enemies. The last player remaining, of course, was the winner. Special Battles Often, Nintendo would have events with different rules for the Special Battle mode. In this mode, the game would often start on a different level than 1-1. Sometimes you would start with an item (which would be activated automatically), such as a Mushroom. Some of the events included the three World Count Challenges, which required player's to defeat as much of a certain enemy as possible (like Bowser's and Goomba's), and Full-Course Battle, in which the levels were played in the same order as Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Close Calls Eventually, after playing for a while, the timer would turn red and go down faster. In this situation, defeating large amounts of enemies and collecting items (even if you were already powered-up) was crucial to preventing the timer from reaching zero. There were a few times I managed to get 1st place with barely any time left. Since the timer went down faster when it was red, 4 seconds was more like 1 second left. Playing as Luigi While Super Mario Bros. 35 could be played online with a group of up to 35 players, there was no 2-player option. This left many players wondering if Luigi was playable. Turns out, Luigi was in the game and was indeed playable. Unlocking every level would unlock Luigi, but there was no indication of this. After unlocking every level and choosing a mode and level, you needed to press and hold the L button on the matching screen to play as Luigi. Like the original game, Luigi was basically the same as Mario except for his colors. Glitches and Updates Despite the fact that it was only available for six months, Nintendo released updates for Super Mario Bros. 35 that fixed glitches and made minor adjustments. Something I remember early on was kicking a shell into a very tiny space, which made the sound effect loud and annoying. This was adjusted in an update to make the sound effect a little easier on the ears. I also remember losing once as Fire Mario, and Mario was still Fire Mario when it happened (instead of being smaller) and the game displayed the incorrect animation. I didn't take any pictures of this glitch, but some people might remember it. Other unlockables Aside from Luigi and the levels, there were unlockable icons. I usually chose Super Mario, but when I unlocked Luigi I occasionally chose Super Luigi. Final Battle March 31, 2021 was the last day Super Mario Bros. 35 could be played before it was removed from the Switch eShop and its online features were shutdown. I played it late at night, literally right before it couldn't be played anymore. After a long battle, me and a Japanese player were the only ones that remained. It was just the two of us for a while. Eventually the timer turned red, I ran out of time, and I got 2nd. I may not have gotten 1st during the final battle, but I didn't go down without a long, hard battle. I did get 1st place earlier that day, however. Multiple times. Right after the final battle, I couldn't play Super Mario Bros. 35 anymore. Final Stats I put a lot of hours into this game. As mentioned in this blog's introduction, I played Super Mario Bros. 35 almost as much as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash (the Switch games I've played the most). I got 1st place many times and unlocked everything. I did about all I could in this game. Conclusion It's unfortunate this game was removed, all because it was part of the 35th Anniversary celebration of the original NES game. If only Nintendo would re-name it to something like "Super Mario Bros. Battle Royale", they could re-release it and make it available again. Even though millions of people played the game, there were no doubt a lot of Mario fans who didn't get a chance to play it. I've got an entire playlist of Super Mario Bros. 35 videos on my YouTube Channel (and some of them are included in this blog), featuring regular battles as well as several of the special events. Super Mario Bros. 35 remains on my Switch (or rather, an SD Card), but the only things that can be done with it are looking at the menus and stats. At least the menu music is catchy. Gone, but not forgotten. -MegaMan52

Downloaded the newest update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe last night. Not only is Birdo playable now, but Waluigi Stadium is one of the tracks that have been added. About time they added more Double Dash!! content. Also, the new Yoshi track looks cool. And it looks like five more characters are going to be added in future updates.