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Author Topic: Altered Super Mario Bros. appears on The Daily Show  (Read 11819 times)

Deezer

  • Invincible
« on: February 05, 2015, 02:49:16 PM »
The Daily Show host Jon Stewart has spiced up his jokes with Mario references before, but last night's show included one with a twist.

In the first segment, while joking about how Senator Mitch McConnell looks like a turtle, a few seconds of Super Mario Bros. gameplay was shown, featuring a green Koopa Troopa on a pipe in World 1-1. If you're familiar with the game, you might have noticed something odd: There's not supposed to be a Koopa Troopa there.

Here's a screencap from Comedy Central's stream:


And here's the section from World 1-1 that was shown, with correct enemy starting points, taken from our map of the level:


Assuming The Daily Show didn't make their own Super Mario Bros. ROM hack just for that one segment, the source of the footage is unclear. Did they grab the footage from somebody else's ROM hack? Or do they have really good video editors with lots of SMB experience? Tell us what you think in the forums, or, send us an email and we might include it in our next mailbag article.

For more "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" Mario references, visit our TV sightings section.

« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2015, 11:37:20 AM »
Interesting note: The score is 4000 with 2 coins in the screenshot. You can only get 1450 points in the level at that point if you get 2 coins, unless you die before the checkpoint, in which case it is entirely possible in a number of ways.

However, the strangest thing about the Koopa is that it's green. This is significant since it should have probably moved off on the pipe considering the distance the screen has scrolled.

Deezer

  • Invincible
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2015, 11:13:20 PM »
Normally, I think you're correct that the Koopa would have walked off the pipe, but as you can see in the game footage here (skip to 3:30), the Koopa drops down onto the pipe, as if someone placed his spawn point in midair, which slowed him down a bit. With all the SMB level editors available, it wouldn't be too hard to change the Goomba that was supposed to be next to the pipe into a Koopa and move him upward.

Suffix

  • Steamed
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2015, 06:45:03 AM »
I haven't seen the video yet, but considering most of The Daily Show's visual gags are photoshops, isn't it easy to conceive that this is just video editing?

Deezer

  • Invincible
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2015, 08:54:52 PM »
It's possible there was some really good video editing here. But based on how real it looks and the enemy placement, I'm leaning towards ROM hack.

Suffix

  • Steamed
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2015, 03:07:54 AM »
I just saw the clip; Mario moves at a 45 degree angle and the frame rate is about 15 fps. Pretty sure one of the interns is just playing with sprites.

ShadowBrain

  • Ridiculously relevant
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2015, 11:28:01 AM »
Seems like an odd thing to splice together when they could've just picked an accurate level. Is it possible video/ROM editing really *was* more efficient than playing through to an actual level with a Koopa that looks good on TV?
"Mario is your oyster." ~The Chef

BriGuy92

  • Luck of the Irish
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2015, 04:37:49 PM »
Also, the timer does not move at all during the time that Mario's on screen. Probably not from a game.
Know the most important contribution of the organ Fund science girls type. It's true!

« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2015, 07:49:01 PM »
They got their hands on a beta version of Mario Maker.
YYur  waYur n beYur you Yur plusYur instYur an Yur Yur whaYur

Deezer

  • Invincible
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2015, 10:00:50 PM »
Also, the timer does not move at all during the time that Mario's on screen. Probably not from a game.
The timer does tick down from 381 to 380.

Is it possible video/ROM editing really *was* more efficient than playing through to an actual level with a Koopa that looks good on TV?
Probably. Since they needed a Koopa Troopa on a pipe to match up with the joke, hacking one into the first stage would definitely be easier than going through all the levels trying to find one.

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2015, 04:59:51 AM »


This much further? That's too far? ...really?

I mean........... really? I'd be more understanding if it were pretty much any other thing in any other game, but, what... they couldn't get anybody working on the show to jump at least 8 times over pipes, pits and goombas to get that koopa on-screen? They could get somebody working on the show to fake video footage, but not get some?

"I'm always willing to go the extra mile to avoid doing something."
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2015, 09:45:20 AM »
Also, if they absolutely needed a Koopa on a pipe, then they could have used Game Genie to get there. I'm beginning to think an intern might just be showing off.


Also, does the Daily Show broadcast at 30fps or 60fps? If it runs in 1080p30, that might explain some oddities.

ShadowBrain

  • Ridiculously relevant
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2015, 10:18:11 PM »
Man, I'm missing my true calling in a niche market here: playing a couple minutes of popular games to line up footage for a TV show cutaway gag.
"Mario is your oyster." ~The Chef

« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2015, 12:15:39 AM »
BP, the Koopa Troopa had to be on a pipe.

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2015, 04:59:22 PM »
Oh, I see.
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

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