After some teasing and online speculation, Lego has officially revealed its next collaboration with Nintendo: A brick-built Piranha Plant that will fit perfectly on your desk or bookshelf. Unlike previous Lego Mario sets, this one won’t break the bank with its price tag.
Actual Italians Tell Us What They Think About Super Mario
Nintendo and Lego have been working together for a few years now on Super Mario-themed sets, including a popular line that features electronic Mario characters and custom levels built out of Lego bricks and pieces. This collaboration between the two family-friendly brands has led to some big and expensive sets, like the impressively large Bowser from 2022 and the giant Super Mario 64 block from 2021. While these sets were cool, they weren’t cheap, with Bowser costing $270 and the big block priced at $170. So I was pleasantly surprised to see Lego’s latest Nintendo set—a wonderful looking Piranha Plant—is a lot less than $100.
Revealed on Thursday, The Lego Piranha Plant—set number 71426—is 540 pieces and costs $60. According to Lego’s site, the Piranha Plant is set to launch on November 6.
Pre-order The Lego Piranha Plant:LEGO Store
Photo: Lego / Nintendo
The oddly affordable Mario-themed plant set isn’t as pricey as that rad NES set, but it doesn’t look like a budget set, either. The brick built Piranha Plant isn’t blocky or too covered in custom pieces, so it still looks properly Lego while also being instantly recognizable. That’s not easy to do, I mean, look at Lego Chewbacca. Also, it’s nice to see such a cheap set with fully posable parts. The set’s plant head, mouth, stalk, and leaves can be moved and set into funny (or suggestive) poses. And Lego’s site mentions that the set also comes with two Super Mario coins.
It should be noted that this Piranha Plant set can’t connect or interact with the Super Mario playsets and levels. However, you could just put this guy next to the levels and it would look awesome. I mean, it would be weird if someone tried to stop you.
I really hope this is just the start of something new. I’d love to see more Mario enemies and characters in affordable brick-built display sets like this, instead of everything being expensive, massive, or connected to the level-based playsets. Next up: I want a Goomba the size of a cantaloupe.
Update 10/13/2023 3:25 p.m. ET: The speculation surrounding who voices Mario has been brought to an end. Kevin Afghani, who also voices Arnold in Genshin Impact, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that he had stepped into the plumber’s boots.
The Week In Games: What’s Releasing Beyond Exoprimal
The Verge reports that Nintendo also confirmed the news via an email which stated, “The voice actor’s name is Kevin Afghani.”
The original story follows below.
Fans believe they might have discovered who the new actor for Mario is in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
In June, Nintendo revealed an all-new 2D side-scrolling Mario platformer called Super Mario Bros. Wonder. While one section of the internet was captivated by the upcoming game’s new power-up that transforms Mario and friends into elephants, other keen-eared fans were distracted by how “off” the Italian plumber’s various utterances sounded in the trailer. Nintendo confirmed in August that longtime Mario voice actor Charles Martinet was stepping away from the series, transitioning to an honorary role as a “Mario ambassador” for the company. Now, one Mario fanatic claims to have committed what the kids call a “cool crime” to figure out who the unannounced new Mario voice actor is.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
According to Video Games Chronicle, an anonymous 4chan user claims they acquired a “kiosk demo” of Super Mario Bros. Wonder from a retail store in the U.S. and has hacked into it to obtain previously unrevealed information. On Wednesday, the anonymous user posted images of an unverified list of voice actors, which filtered out across other websites like ResetEra and Twitter. Although the list gained an air of credibility thanks to attached screenshots of previously unseen levels allegedly from World 1 of Wonder, it didn’t specify what roles the name-dropped actors would be voicing. This in turn led to a bit of online investigating on fans’ part to narrow down the potential Mario actor by cross-referencing each actor’s previous works.
After Famiboards user MondoMega whittled down the 21-person list by removing any female, foreign, or returning Mario cast member names, the list of potential western Mario actors came down to just two: Kevin Afghani (Arnold from Genshin Impact) and Mick Wingert (Heimerdinger from Arcane). The running theory in this makeshift Mario Wonder actor ARG is that the plumber’s new voice is probably Wingert. Why Wingert? As VGC notes, Afghani’s performance as Arnold sounds similar to Wonder’s talking flower, which would make veteran voice actor Wingert the likely pick for Wonder’s Mario.
Nintendo
Read More:Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is A Whole New Approach To 2D Mario Games Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
After giving Wingert’s demo reel a quick listen and discovering that he’s voiced a wide range of similarly plucky-sounding characters over his career—from Baki Hanma’s Kaku Kaioh, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim’s Shu Amiguchi, to virtually every character in the Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness game—I wouldn’t be surprised if he were the new voice of Mario. Plus, Wingert’s high-energy voice print maps nicely to Nintendo’s adventurous plumber. Of course, we’ll find out come October 20 if Wingert is in fact the new voice of Mario or if a bunch of internet sleuths just got in a tizzy over nothing.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the latest 2D platformer from the masters of the form at Nintendo, is due out this week, on October 20. So it’s unfortunate news for both the Japanese gaming giant, and everyone who wants to avoid spoilers, that it’s already leaked online.
Actual Italians Tell Us What They Think About Super Mario
In what is unquestionably now a routine pattern, the first-party Switch title has found its way to the darker corners of the internet days before its official release. Beginning as early in the Switch’s lifetime as 2018, when Super Smash Bros. Ultimate appeared online two weeks before its release, and now regularly occurring with games like Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Metroid Dread, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, this is a perennial issue for the publisher. As it happens—although it’ll be little consolation to Nintendo—this Wonder leak comes somewhat later compared to the two weeks early that most of their titles have appeared.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
This could be in part due to Nintendo’s shock-and-awe response after TotK’s leak. This six-day-early leak most likely comes from that far more old-fashioned method, where stock arriving into stores ahead of sale gets filched by a member of staff, then ripped and uploaded.
What makes the Switch’s predicament so unique is that it’s a present-day console that’s already being emulated on PC. This is an unusual situation, with console emulation usually operating a good couple of generations behind, meaning the pursuit rarely impinges on current software sales. (It’s also why PC gaming has been embroiled in the misery of DRM (digital rights management) far longer than console games, as it’s always been easy to copy and run PC games, with no emulation required.)
Right now, emulators are just about managing to replicate the PS3 and are making headway on Xbox 360. There are early, mostly non-working PS4 emulators, and nothing at all for the Xbox One. So while it’s a minefield of unestablished copyright issues, it’s also not something that demonstrably harms sales for developers or publishers (it’s as likely that it helps boost interest in official re-issues and remakes, although the copyright holders would vociferously disagree).
That’s clearly not the case when it comes to Nintendo’s situation, where its latest games are routinely appearing online ahead of release, for emulators that already out-perform the console itself. Switch emulators can run games in 4K, for instance.
It also makes life pretty miserable for those who are looking forward to a game’s release, as the internet quickly fills up with significant spoilers. For Tears of the Kingdom, it became a case of unplugging your router for a couple of weeks, in order not to find out every detail of the game ahead of launch. And now for those looking forward to all the surprises Super Mario Bros.Wonder has to offer, you might want to drop your phone in a well until Friday.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Another big Nintendo Switch exclusive has leaked way ahead of schedule. With early copies of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the handheld hybrid console’s big holiday 2023 release, already making the rounds online, modders have taken it upon themselves to make the new talking Talking Flowers in the game curse Mario off.
What You Should Know About Mario Strikers’ Big Free Update
Super Mario Bros. Wonder isn’t officially out until October 20, but like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before it, physical copies appear to have made their way into the wild late last week, at which point it was only a matter of time before the ROM got dumped online. While Nintendo is no doubt worried about piracy, fans have been trying to avoid spoilers for the first new 2D Mario platformer since 2012’s New Super Mario Bros. U.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Emulation enthusiasts and modders, on the other hand, are already finding ways to improve or alter the game. DSOGaming reports that Super Mario Bros. Wonder already runs in 4K at 60fps on PC, while clips circulating on social media show the game’s serene, trippy levels defiled by foul language. As previously revealed in trailers and gameplay videos, Super Mario Bros. Wonder revolves around a new Wonder Flower power-up that turns levels into Yellow Submarine-like psychedelic sequences. It also features Talking Flowers that shout at Mario and his friends as they walk by.
Normally they say inoffensive things like, “Heya!” and, “Onward and upward!” But a recent update to the Switch toolbox mod kit has seemingly made it easier than ever to edit the onscreen text. Insert a new audio file or two and you end up with a very different version of the game than Nintendo intended.
Modder ContendoYT shared a clip on Twitter showing the Talking Flower saying “Fuck you!” as Mario ran by. User AndratVAshared another where the plant shouts, “That Goomba looks so fucking serene!” But my favorite clip doesn’t involve any F-bombs at all; it simply shows the Talking Flower gloating before dropping into a pit of lava and screaming.
“The [Talking Flowers] are scripted to talk as you approach,” AndratVA, maker of the Mario Kart 64HD texture pack, told Kotaku in a Twitter DM. “Their text and voices are all stored in the files, so changing them is easy if you have the proper tools.” Instead of just editing the text, they went the extra mile of recording their own voice-over lines. Nintendo fans are a special breed.
Of course, modded versions of Wonder can only be played on hacked Switches or PC (which also involves hacking a Switch). The overwhelming majority of actual players will only be able to experience the game as the original creators intended. Even Nintendo recognized the Talking Flowers might get annoying after a while, however: The game has options in the settings menu to mute the plants entirely.
I’d like to predict that Nintendo might eventually add official voice and script editing for the Talking Flower into an inevitable Super Mario Maker 3, but I think we all know that would be a moderation nightmare. The existing list of banned words on Switch continues to grow with every big firmware update.
Update 10/18/2023 11:22 a.m. ET: The videos of potty mouthed flowers in Mario Bros. Wonder have been removed from the internet after copyright claims by Nintendo. I’m sure they’ll be back.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Releasing on October 20, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the latest entry in one of the most recognizable gaming franchises in history. And from the early reviews, it seems like it doesn’t disappoint—in fact, it’s shaping up to be perhaps one of the most memorable Mario experiences yet.
Actual Italians Tell Us What They Think About Super Mario
We’ve gathered up a variety of perspectives on Mario’s latest outing and found there to be universal praise for the new Switch exclusive. Overall opinions highlight Wonder’s mastery of the classic 2D platformer form, and point out it’s not just a rehash of old ideas: Reviewers are finding the world-warping Wonder effects to offer excellent replayability and unexpected levels of surprise challenges.
Universally the new worlds are described as lively, dynamic, and full of secrets. The Wonder mechanics and Badge system (which lets you equip new abilities) keep the game alive. And cooperative play means that this experience can be easily shared with friends.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder currently sits at a score of 93 on Metacritic, falling just under fellow Switch exclusive The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and soaring over other highly anticipated 2023 releases.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
GamesRadar: 4.5/5
GamesRadar spoke positively about the new power-ups and the game’s wonder-inspiring visuals, but lamented a lack of unique per-character powers.
Playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder is like your first magical visit to Disneyland. You have no idea what’s beyond that first bend on the roller coaster track or behind the next closed door, but there may well be sudden singing, odd little creatures, and the occasional man in an oversized suit. The addition of Wonder Flowers truly mimics this surprise factor found all throughout Wonder. In each level, there’s at least one hidden Wonder Flower to discover, which always involves a little detective work or some perfect timing.
NPR: ‘a surreal masterpiece’
NPR praised the liveliness of Wonder’s presentation, cooperative play, and change of scenery that the Flower Kingdom offers.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, ultimately, feels like a flex — proof that Nintendo can still innovate with some of gaming’s oldest verbs: run and jump. It’s a pristine extravaganza designed to appeal to nostalgic players and newcomers who may have only encountered the franchise through this year’s blockbuster movie. Every frame bursts with charming detail.
Inverse: 8/10
Inverse described the level design as a “beautiful thing to behold,” packed with wonderful visuals and interesting new power-ups.
Wonder’s success is built upon the numerous iterations of past 2D Mario titles. The core idea of tight platforming across stages has been nailed down for so long that each new entry is able to iterate in more granular ways, even if it doesn’t innovate on a larger scale. Wonder doesn’t reinvent the wheel that is the Mario game, but it gives it a heck of a tune-up.
CNN: ‘an unexpected return to form’
CNN said that the game presents a wonderful sense of charm, with clever level design and great multiplayer options.
Not only is it one of the best games on Nintendo Switch, but it deserves a place in the pantheon of lauded Mario games alongside the likes of Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3.
The Verge: ‘infused with strange yet incredibly fun concepts’
The Verge said that Wonder delivers a remixed classic 2D Mario action with hidden stages, varying challenges, and the surprising, game-changing effects of the Wonder Flowers.
Even as someone who has played Super Mario since the very beginning, I found myself constantly surprised at the new twists that Wonder threw at me. And this lasts through the entire experience: the final sequence might be my favorite Mario level ever.
Wccftech: 9.5/10
Wccftech praised the game’s visuals, sense of character, and level design, but did note that Mario’s new voice actor “lacks some of [Charles] Martinet’s infectious enthusiasm.”
The first thing that will likely strike you when you hop into Super Mario Bros. Wonder is how gosh darn-pretty the whole thing looks. While the New Super Mario Bros. games sometimes had the cookie-cutter feel of something assembled in an editor, almost every course in Super Mario Wonder feels like a bespoke piece of art offering up lush backgrounds packed with fun details. From mountains made of rocky pipes to clouds mounded up like sundaes, cool snowy peaks lit up by glowing lights, and beyond, Mario’s world has rarely looked this good.
Polygon: ‘Play Mario for the first time a second time’
Polygon said that Wonder offers an excellent classic Mario experience that’s capable of reinventing itself through its mind-bending Wonder mechanics.
The brilliance of Super Mario Bros. Wonder is that the choice is one of “and,” not of “or.” The traditional and the topsy-turvy coexist. Across six worlds, the creators of Wonder offer a menu of familiar stages that, should you like, can be prepared with extra spice — or paired with the family-friendly equivalent of ayahuasca. That particular drug comparison isn’t flippant: At one point Toad licks the ol’ Wonder Seed and suddenly he’s riding a dragon.
IGN: 9/10
As critics, IGN found Super Mario Wonder fun to play.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder establishes a new standard for what 2D Mario platformers should look like. It is colorful, it is alive, and it is joyful. It also managed to surprise and delight me in continually more creative ways thanks to its unpredictable Wonder Effects, which transform levels into something completely different for a brief while.
Eurogamer: 5/5
Eurogamer echoed the game’s seemingly wonderful sense of character and visual delight, but particularly loved ‘sheer density of secrets.’
I am still trying to work out what this means, what impact the Wonder Flowers have on the game itself. Is this a Mario game that offers secrets that are so delightful, but which are so memorable and funny that they stand in for replayability? Is it a game that you enjoy once, twice, and then shelve? I suspect not, because of the sheer density of secrets, and the sheer number of reasons to replay a level – to look for exits, to hunt for surprise moments, to revel in a one-shot character or silly bit of business that is dropped in and then never repeated.
GameSpot: 9/10
GameSpot praised the visual presentation, surprising twists and turns, and online multiplayer, but critiqued occasional repetition around some Wonder effects.
One moment, you’ll be jumping and spinning your way through a traditional Super Mario stage, and the next you may be transformed into a Goomba and hiding from carnivorous creatures that eat Goombas, or seeing yourself only in silhouette, or bounding along to a rhythmic dance. Some of these are genuinely challenging, while others that are played as a cute joke that provide a quick breather. You never quite know what’s coming next.
VideoGamesChronicle: 5/5
VideoGamesChronicle found Wonder’s new additions to the classic Mario formula lifted it above a throwback to the classic games.
Key to the game’s gleeful inventiveness are the level-flipping Wonder effects which, once you’ve located the hidden Wonder Seed on each stage, change the scenario drastically. They transform players into floating balloons, summon a stampede of rampaging bulls, flip gameplay to a top-down adventure, and numerous other unexpected effects that always surprise and rarely leave you without a beaming grin on your face.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available on Nintendo Switch on October 20, 2023.
Pre-order Super Mario Bros. Wonder:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo’s beloved Switch racer, is finally getting its last major expansion on November 9. And it’s one for the Rosalina and Wii fans.
The Best Gear For Scoring Goals In Mario Strikers: Battle League
Nintendo dropped a video on its YouTube channel on November 1, which revealed the contents of Booster Course Pass Wave 6, due to launch November 9. As part of the game’s $25 Booster Course Pass expansion pack, this latest wave includes eight tracks that span releases from Mario Kart Double Dash to Mario Kart Wii. Alongside the eight courses are eight new playable racers, including Birdo, Diddy and Funky Kong, Peachette, and Pauline (Mario’s first love interest and the lead singer of the Donkey Band).
Buy the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass: Amazon | Best Buy Buy Nintendo Switch Online:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Nintendo of America
The final update’s course offerings are especially solid, with the Daisy Circuit and Rainbow Road racetracks from Mario Kart Wii and. Rosalina’s Ice World from Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, which previously made a return in Mario Kart Tour.
Players are over the moon across both X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.
“I was not expecting Rosalina’s Ice World, Cool,” user j.corbygaming2693 wrote in the comments section of Nintendo’s YouTube video. “Also what a great final set of tracks!”
“Oh my god, I can’t put [into] words how happy I am to see [Mario Kart Wii’s] Rainbow Road,” posted YouTube user AstraledaMusic. “It looks wonderful and the music is outstanding. What a blast of nostalgia.”
“I’m so happy that there’s so much [Mario Kart Wii] love in this DLC,” user TheGoldSmith said in the YouTube comments. “Makes me feel like a kid again!”
Folks are quite pleased with Rainbow Road specifically, getting “Wii Rainbow Road” trending on Twitter with a bevy of posts celebrating the nostalgia trip.
“WII RAINBOW ROAD IS COMING TO WAVE 6 OH MY FUCKING GOD WE WIN,” tweeted user ChoritoYT.
“WII RAINBOW ROAD IN WAVE 6 NO FUCKING WAY RAHHHHHHHhHH,” wrote Tweeter Harrison190107.
“WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK WII RAINBOW ROAD BAYBEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Twitter user little_paisano exclaimed.
With Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLCs finally coming to an end, the Booster Course Pass now contains a total of 48 racetracks from the series’ history. The pass costs $25 as a standalone purchase and is also included in the price of a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Buy the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass: Amazon | Best Buy Buy Nintendo Switch Online:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
Super Mario RPG, the remake of Square Enix’s 1996 2D pixel art classic, will be out on Nintendo Switch on November 17. The charming-looking turn-based game sees Mario and Peach join forces with the dastardly Bowser to stop a mechanical creature named Smithy from destroying the Mushroom Kingdom. Going off some early previews, Super Mario RPG (see on Amazon) is sounding like a promising remake that will give the classic SNES adventure a graphical and mechanical glow-up.
Nintendo JP
We’ve gathered highlights from some early hands-on previews and overall, folks seem in love with the game’s improved graphics, streamlined gameplay, and the wacky energy the remake preserves from the original’s off-kilter adventure.
This New Fantasy Beat ‘Em Up Is Like Dragon’s Crown With Druids
Here’s what else the previews are saying:
Destructoid: ‘a faithful remake with subtle improvements’
Destructoid’s preview of Super Mario RPGpraised the remake for its attention to detail recreating the subtle mannerisms that gave the original game’s cutesy 3D models personality.
That’s not to say that the only alterations are quality of life related. There are also cute visual touches that, while seemingly small at a glance, added a lot to my experience. Mario and his companions now have fun little idle animations while they wait for their turn in battle, which appropriately reflect their personalities. For example, you might see Mario take a couple practice swings while he waits for his turn.
Digital Trends: ‘halfway between a remaster and remake’
Digital Trends said the remake’s quality-of-life improvements free the game from some of the original’s worst mechanical headaches.
In general, Super Mario RPG seems much easier than its predecessor so far—and that’s not a bad thing. It’s mostly thanks to little changes like these that cut away some tedium. Autosaving, for instance, makes it so I’m no longer set back very far after a death. It’s also easier to fix up my party on the fly between battles with a more organized mini menu that groups items together (no more scrolling through 10 mushrooms to find syrup) and a quick ability menu that lets me use Mallow’s healing rain outside of battle.
IGN: ‘recreates a classic while breathing new life into its combat’
IGN was impressed by how refreshingly challenging Super Mario RPG’s streamlined combat turned out.
Timing your attacks and blocks has also been made more important, even against pushover enemies who could be cleared in a single AOE smash. That’s because Super Mario RPG keeps track of how many successfully timed presses you’ve completed in a row, even between fights. I loved seeing how high I could get that number, and you’re rewarded the better you do with small buffs and a slowly charging Gauge meter.
GamesRadar: ‘might just make the SNES classic obsolete’
Dunno about obsoleting an absolute classic, but GamesRadar saidSuper Mario RPG goes above and beyond improving the original’s graphics.
The most immediately impressive thing about the remake is, of course, the new visual treatment. In general, SNES-era graphics have aged better than pretty much any other retro look, but even I have to admit that’s not really true for Super Mario RPG. The original’s style of pre-rendered CGI sprites looked just fine on ‘90s CRT televisions, but–as with Donkey Kong Country–looks more like a collection of over-compressed .jpeg files when blown up on modern, high-resolution screens. The remake does a genuinely fantastic job of expanding the visual style of the original into something far more robust and detailed.
Nintendo Life: ‘retains that level of excellence that we experienced in ‘96’
Nintendo Life said the game is possibly one of “the most faithful remake[s]” it’s ever played and was particularly tickled by how funny its characters are.
Super Mario RPG is really, really silly. Mario communicates through gestures and re-enacts events to hilarious effect, and NPCs interact with him as though he’s a celebrity, tricking him into jumping and freaking out when he’s talking to them. That lighthearted tone also carries through into the pacing: you’ll go from a town to a dungeon to a short minigame within minutes, and every single aspect of the game feels daft or fun. Rolling down the river on a barrel is surprisingly challenging, it turns out. But we were grinning from ear to ear all the time.
VG247: ‘hyper-faithful, perhaps to a fault’
VG247 wrote that the game makes “subtle, not sweeping” changes that bring the classic RPG to a modern audience.
It’s the same, but just cleaner, sharper. Modern. The same is true of the soundtrack, which sees Yoko Shimomura return to remaster and rearrange one of her most iconic works. The dialogue still has a 90s flair, too, even though it’s a fresh translation. There’s a silly edginess that is very much of that era, and I love it.
Video Games Chronicle: ‘a staunchly faithful recreation of the original’
A warning from Video Games Chronicle: They think that Super Mario RPG will reignite online debates over which Mario RPG is the greatest of all time. Uh oh.
But despite looking lightyears beyond the technical limitations of the original, Switch’s Mario RPG feels exactly how fans will remember it. For the most part, that’s great; the scenarios and characters here are as entertaining and memorable as ever, and deliver an adventure that’s arguably still stronger than any of the Paper Mario games released in the decades since.
And that’s the word on Nintendo’s Mario role-playing remake so far. Super Mario RPG will be available on Nintendo Switch on November 17.
Pre-order Super Mario RPG:Amazon | Best Buy | GameStop
pbnbigesdi
