This episode centers around the main characters using the Professor's "What If?" machine to show alternate realities. Fry wants to know what life would be like if it was more like a video game, so the machine shows a world where Earth goes to war with the planet Nintendu 64 (yes, Nintendu). At the start of the scenario, President Nixon signs a peace treaty with Donkey Kong, who is the Nintendu 64ian ambassador to Earth. DK attacks Nixon, however, and Mario, who is part of the Earth U.N., expresses fear.

Mario: Mamma mia! The cruel meatball of war has-a rolled onto our laps, and-a ruined our white pants of peace.

Later, the main characters meet Donkey Kong and the monsters:

Fry: What do you monsters want?
Donkey Kong: One thing, and one thing only. Quarters! A million allowances worth of quarters! No slots or tokens!
Monster: Fork 'em over, fork 'em over.
Professor: Forget it you pixelated pirates! We need those quarters to do our laundry.
Lur: But, but, space invaders need to do laundry too. I mean, look at Donkey Kong here. Have you smelled his loin cloth lately?

Mario, Luigi, and Wario Mario Kart toys appear in the "3 Fast 3 Furious" skit, which parodies the 2 Fast 2 Furious movie. Despite launching a blue shell to take out the lead racer, Mario and Luigi finish in 6th and 7th place, respectively.

Bonus cameo: When Mario and Luigi discuss using the blue shell, a Yoshi toy appears in the background for a split second.

A Super Mario World cartridge is visible in a couple of scenes where they are playing SNES.

During the Weekend Update skit, a news item about Christian Video Games ends with "Super Jesuit Bros," accompanied by a picture of Mario as a Jesuit. The picture used was converted from Super Mario Sunshine art.

Wario, holding a shotgun, marches to battle along with other evil characters.
While the good guys prepare for war, Mario grabs a sword from the armory.
As the two sides are about to clash on the battlefield, Wario (now holding a spear) and Bowser are shown running towards the screen.

A screen shot from Super Mario Bros. 2 and another from Super Mario Bros. are displayed on two arcade machines inside Blanket's house. Only visible for a few seconds, they are part of a group of four arcade games with generic-looking cabinets and obviously fake titles. The machine with SMB2 has the title "______ ___ Blood." SMB is titled "Farmer's Market" and has a steering wheel. (Another NES game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, is two machines down from SMB. We're not sure what game's screen shot is on the "Space Brain Damage" machine between SMB and Zelda II.)

Prior to the beginning of the actual episode, a commercial for Log is shown, in which a girl is presented with potential toys she might enjoy. Among these is a video game, which shows what appears to be Mario about to enter an angled pipe, such as that seen in Super Mario Bros. immediately before an underground level.

At the "Try-N-Save," Bart encounters a pair of his school mates, who brag that they are currently shoplifting. After they walk away, Bart notices that the video game display case has been left open. As Bart looks at a game called "Bonestorm," he considers stealing it. One after another, several video game characters appear as his conscience:

Luigi: Go ahead-a, Bart, take-a the Bonestorm.
Mario: The store, she's so rich. She'll-a never notice.
Donkey Kong: Duh, it's the company's fault for making you want it so much.
Lee Carvallo: Don't do it, son. How's that game going to help your putting?
Sonic: Just take it! Take it, take it, take it, take it, take it! TAKE IT!

(Voice of Mario: Dan Castellaneta. Voice of Luigi: Hank Azaria. Voice of DK: Harry Shearer.)

At the Noiseland Arcade, Donkey Kong sits under a sign that reads "Friday Meet Donkey Kong in Person." While holding a cigarette, DK picks a bug off his leg and eats it. Then, the Manager walks by.

Manager: Sorry Donkey Kong, you're just not a draw anymore.
[The manager walks away. Donkey Kong throws a barrel at him as a generic video game sound effect plays, knocking the manager to the ground.]
Manager: Hey, he's still got it!

During Springfield Elementary School's medieval festival, Principal Skinner has Groundskeeper Willie in a cage, explaining, "Since the Middle Ages had no compact discs or Super Mario men, people found entertainment abusing the village idiot."

A female contestant was asked:

In the video game "Donkey Kong," the hero now known as Mario was originally called what?
A: Climbman, B: Runman, C: Jumpman, D: Smashman.

She correctly answered "C," winning $100,000.