News: 2003 and Earlier
News archive

November 17th, 2003
In a glorious day for Mario fans in the US, both Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga are released today. Of course, your favorite game shop may not have the games in until tomorrow, so be sure to call ahead before wasting any gas.

Nintendo's official MK:DD website: MarioKart.com
Nintendo's official M&L:SS website: marioandluigi.gameboy.com

November 11th, 2003
The official US release date of Mario Party 5 is here. Like the SMA4 release news item below, we've heard reports of some stores putting out copies a couple days early...

Nintendo's official Mario Party 5 website: MarioParty5.com

October 21st, 2003
Today is the official release date of Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 here in the US. I say "official" because we've heard reports of some stores putting out copies a few days early. Anyway, your favorite store may or may not have the game yet, so calling ahead may not be a bad idea.

October 17th, 2003
Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 was released in Europe today. Lucky them.

Don't forget, there's only four more days until the U.S. release! Check out the official SMB3:SMA4 site for some nice wallpaper and other stuff to look at while you're waiting.

October 7th, 2003
Thanks to GameStop.com, we now have some idea of what to expect to see on the bonus disc given out with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! pre-orders. Contents include:

  • Five mini-games from Mario Party 5
  • F-Zero GX playable demo featuring Captain Falcon
  • Fire Emblem (GBA) - unlockable weapons, abilities, and new music for your game (requires GBA Cable)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles demo featuring Leonardo
  • Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike - playable demo of Hoth level
  • Sonic Heroes demo - two levels, three characters, and seven movies
Double Dash!! is scheduled to ship on November 17th.

September 10th, 2003
Yesterday, Nintendo confirmed a three-week-old rumor: Effective immediately, those who pre-order Mario Kart: Double Dash!! shall receive a bonus disc containing playable demos and videos of new and upcoming GameCube games.

We're not sure how long the offer will last, nor which stores will be honoring the promotion. It sounds like the bonus disc will be similar to the demo discs currently inside GameCube kiosks located in many video game retailers.

July 28th, 2003
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour ships to stores across the US today. Most stores will have it available on the 29th, so "phone first" if you're going shopping for it today.

July 23rd, 2003
Nintendo has shuffled a lot of fourth-quarter releases around. Here's how it affects the Mario titles:

Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 (GBA) - October 21st
Super Mario Advance 4-e card series (GBA e-Reader) - October 21st
Mario Party 5 (GC) - November 11th
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GC) - November 17th
Mario & Luigi (GBA) - November 17th

Also, just a reminder that Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for GameCube launches on the 28th -- only five more days! Nintendo's official MG:TT website is up at Mario-Golf.com.

July 11th, 2003
Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 was released in Japan today. As Mario would say, "Lucky!"... for Japanese gamers, that is.

As for SMB3 on the GBA in USA, Nintendo has pushed back its release date one month to October 21st.

July 9th, 2003
On June 30th, Steve Wiebe of Redmond, Washington, set a new record for Donkey Kong (arcade), finishing with 947,200 points. For a detailed breakdown of Steve's record-breaking run, check out TwinGalaxies.com. The previous record of 879,200 was held by Tim Sczerby of Auburn, New York.

June 24th, 2003
Nintendo of America enters the holiday shopping madness with Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Party 5, both due out at the end of the year. The fourth Mario Kart game will zoom into stores on November 18th, and the fifth Mario Party gets started on December 14th. Christmas lists ready... set... go!

June 23rd, 2003
Wario World ships to stores across the US today, so it should be available for purchase no later than Wednesday. Nintendo has opened the official Wario World site at Wario-World.com.

June 20th, 2003
Wario World is out now in Europe. Only three more days until the U.S. release!

June 3rd, 2003
As of today, Super Mario Bros.: The Movie is out on DVD. In case you didn't bookmark the links in our Feb. 19th news item, here again are some online ordering options from Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.

May 26th, 2003
At last, Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ is now shipping to stores across the US. Nintendo has recently set up an official Wario Ware game site at WarioWare.biz.

May 23rd, 2003
Wario Ware, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ was released in Europe today (known there as Wario Ware, Inc.: Minigame Mania). The US release is only 3 days away! Check out our preview if you're not sufficiently hyped up for this crazy game.

May 16th, 2003
Nintendo of Europe has posted a release schedule that lists Paper Mario as a Q1/Q2 2004 release. Nothing else is known about a GameCube version of Paper Mario, but we'll keep you posted.

Note that NOE also lists "Wario World" for the GBA coming out June 20th, which must be some sort of typo because there's no date for a GameCube version anywhere on the list.

May 14th, 2003
I'm sure Mario fans will be pretty excited about the news pouring out of the 2003 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). I'll get right to it:

New games announced (with expected release dates):

  • Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 (GBA) - 9/22/2003
  • Mario & Luigi (GBA) - Q4 2003
  • Mario Party 5 (GC) - Q4 2003
  • Mario & Donkey Kong (GBA) - TBA
  • Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA) - TBA
  • Nintendo Puzzle Collection (GC) - TBA
We also have some new info on these and previously announced games in the section below.

More info:

  • Mario & Donkey Kong
    Looks to me like a sequel to GB Donkey Kong. This is probably a new name for the "Donkey Kong Plus" game announced at E3 2002.
  • Mario & Luigi
    An RPG starring both the brothers! Mario and Luigi can be controlled separately or simultaneously.
  • Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
    Will connect with the upcoming "Mario Golf: Advance Tour" for transfering characters and possibly other data.
  • Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
    For 1 - 4 players, 5 - 8 players via broadband LAN. (This requires two GameCubes with broadband adapters, and one TV per GameCube. Up to four players on each GameCube for a total of eight players.)
  • Nintendo Puzzle Collection
    Released in Japan on February 7th and finally confirmed for the US.
  • Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4
    SMB3 on GBA! New items and enemies such as Chargin' Chucks and Rip Van Fish from Super Mario World. Special e-Reader cards can unlock new levels and more.
Update: Screen shots have been added.

May 7th, 2003
Nintendo has confirmed suspicions of a name change for the upcoming Mario Golf for GameCube. Their website does not yet reflect the change, but "Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour" is the new name for Camelot's sequel to the successful Mario Golf for Nintendo 64. Judging from the probably-not-final box art, we can expect returning appearances from at least most of the Mario characters from the N64 Mario Golf, as well as Waluigi and Koopa Troopa. And if recent history is any indication, along with Waluigi will come Daisy.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour's US release date holds steady at July 28th.

April 23rd, 2003
Nintendo is already gearing up for this year's E3, revealing a little info for Mario Kart GC (now being called Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) and Wario World.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! first screen shots:

E3 2003 will be held May 14-16th in Los Angeles, CA.

April 15th, 2003
Tommorrow night, The Learning Channel will be airing "Gameheadz," an hour-long documentary about video games. We can expect to see a lot about Atari, Nintendo, and Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Mario). Here's an interesting snippet from the press release:

    Gameheadz explains the Miyamoto phenomenon, tracing his inspirations back to a magical childhood spent exploring the Japanese countryside. Miyamoto tells the story of how an amazing series of twists of fate led to him being asked to design his first game - Donkey Kong.

    A highlight for game fans in particular is Miyamoto performing the theme tune to Super Mario Bros. on his guitar.

Gameheadz premiers Wednesday, April 16th at 10pm ET. Of course, check your local listings for exact time and channel number in your area.

March 19th, 2003
Nintendo has set exact release dates for Wario Ware (GBA) and Mario Golf (GC). Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$ is set for May 26th, and Mario Golf will swing into stores on July 28th. A Mario Golf for GBA is expected, but has not yet been given a release date.

For those interested in importing Wario Ware, it will be released in Japan on the 21st of this month (two more days!) as "Made in Wario."

March 12th, 2003
Nintendo.com shows a May 26th release for Wario World, but word on the street is that it has been pushed back to June 23rd. Yes, this means that Wario World is now coming out almost 8½ months after its first announced release date (November 11, 2002).

February 19th, 2003
Currently only available in Europe, a DVD release of Super Mario Bros.: The Movie will hit the U.S. on June 3rd, 2003. If you're looking for online (pre-)ordering options, try Amazon.com or BarnesAndNoble.com.

February 6th, 2003
Starting February 9th, the Super Mario Sunshine Bundle Pak (GameCube, SMS, and Memory Card 59) will drop from $189.95 to $159.95 (MSRP). Also, Luigi's Mansion and Super Smash Bros. Melee will become part of the Player's Choice program (over 1 million sold), lowering the MSRP to $29.95 each.

Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$ will be released in Japan on March 21st, under the title "Made in Wario." Here's the story: Wario's greed leads him into the video game industry, where he keeps developing costs low by mini-sizing the games -- and these games are what we get to play. Wario Ware will have more than 200 "microgames," ideal for quick gaming sessions when you're on the go.

January 15th, 2003
In a press release today, Nintendo unveiled some less-vague release dates. In the Mario Universe, Wario World (GC) moves from Q1 of this year to May. The Mario Party-e card series (GBA e-Reader) is set for February 17th. Finally, Wario Ware (GBA) -- which we first heard of on January 7th -- is scheduled for May, like its European release.

It looks like Wario Ware's full title will be Wario Ware, Inc: Mega Microgame$. How interesting! More info on Wario Ware will be released as it becomes available.

January 8th, 2003
Yesterday, Nintendo of Europe posted a sneak preview of GameCube and Game Boy Advance titles due out this year. No real surprises except for Wario Ware, listed as a May release for GBA. Europe usually gets games later than the US, so we can probably expect to see Wario Ware in the first quarter of the year.

January 7th, 2003
From January 6th to February 9th, Burger King is giving away Nintendo toys inside their Burger King® Big Kids Meals™. The Mario-related toys are the following: Coin Collector Mario Sunshine, Chase-N-Race Bowser & Peach, Soar and Chase Luigi, Egg Hunter Yoshi, and Water Whirl Wario. The other five toys feature Donkey/Diddy Kong, Kirby, and Link. As an added bonus, if the toy you get happens to be painted gold, you win one Game Boy Advance game.

Check out http://www.burgerking.com/NINTENDO/ for pictures of the toys and official contest rules.

December 10th, 2002
In the lastest issue of Japan's Playboy magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that "We're developing ... the Mario 128 that we showed to everyone at a press announcement earlier." From this translation, I'm assuming this new game will be based on the "Mario 128" demo shown at Nintendo's Space World expo on August 24th, 2000.

November 16th, 2002
On this date in 1952, the man who would single-handedly revolutionize video games forever was born in Kyoto, Japan. His name: Shigeru Miyamoto. His first game, Donkey Kong, also led to the "Super Mario" game series that took the world by storm. We at TMK would like to say thanks for the good times, and happy 50th birthday!

November 12th, 2002
The much-debated theories on the origin of Donkey Kong's name can finally be put to rest. I recently ran across this Feb. 2000 interview of Shigeru Miyamoto (the creator of Donkey Kong and Mario) at Nintendo's Japanese website. The interview confirms the story that Mr. Miyamoto somehow came away with the word "donkey" from looking up manuke (Japanese for "stupid") in an English dictionary. The "Kong" part came from King Kong, obviously.

November 11th, 2002
Mario Bros.-e and Donkey Kong-e were released for the GBA e-Reader today. Said games are part of the second set of five classic NES games re-released for the e-Reader. Unfortunately, no more sets have been announced.

November 8th, 2002
Mario Party 4 was released in Japan today. On the 26th of this month, it will also be released in Europe.

October 28th, 2002
Game & Watch Gallery 4 was released today. It is the fourth collection of revamped Game & Watch titles, but the first one for the Game Boy Advance.

October 21st, 2002
Mario Party 4—the lastest GameCube game to feature Mario—ships out to stores nationwide today. MP4 will be released in Japan on November 8th, and in Europe on November 26th.

October 11th, 2002
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 was released in Europe today.


Nintendo HQ has released some new screen shots for Mario Party 4. Mario Party 4 is scheduled to be released in the US on October 21st, in Japan on November 8th, and in Europe on November 26th.

September 23rd, 2002
Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 ships to stores today across the US. If you're planning on picking up a copy, your favorite video game retailer should have it available in a day or two.

September 21th, 2002
Super Mario Sunshine hits stores in Australia on October 4th, and Charles Martinet—the voice of Mario—will be there to make sure everyone knows about it. During three different days this month, fans can attend the special events to play Super Mario Sunshine, win prizes, and maybe even meet Mr. Martinet. Check the following links for dates, times, locations, and more info.

September 20th, 2002
Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island was released in Japan today. SMA3 will be released here in the US on the 23rd, a mere three days away.

August 26th, 2002
Super Mario Sunshine is here! Actually, it's shipping out to stores today. Lucky gamers will find SMS already on the shelves, but most stores will have it available for purchase either tomorrow or the next day, depending on the store.

August 25th, 2002
Starting in September, Wendy's will be giving away Mario toys with their Wendy's Kids' Meals®! Although the promotion starts shortly after the release of Super Mario Sunshine, none of the five different toys appear to be SMS-related.

WendysKids.com should have more details fairly soon.

August 15th, 2002
To promote the pending release of Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo will roll out a bowl containing a record-breaking 2,700 pounds of spaghetti in San Francisco, California, on August 22nd. Attend in a Mario costume and you can compete for a chance to dive into the pasta-filled bowl to (hopefully) win a trip to Hawaii or other Nintendo prizes.

You can read the full news item at Nintendo.com.

August 11th, 2002
GameSpy.com has recently interviewed Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario... and Luigi, and Wario, and Waluigi... It's not extremely long, but Mr. Martinet talks a lot and makes for an interesting read. Do check it out!

August 9th, 2002
Nintendo's Japanese website just updated with 113 new Mario Sunshine screen shots. ALL from the intro sequence, and all in English(!). If you really want to spoil it for yourself, go ahead. If you can't figure out the Japanese, just click the blue arrow in the bottom left to scroll through the shots.

They also put up several movies of some of the areas in the game if you want to ruin it for yourself even further.

August 8th, 2002
On eBay.ca, Nintendo of Canada is auctioning off ten copies of Super Mario Sunshine autographed by Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of Mario and Donkey Kong. It looks like NOC will auction off two at a time, because only two are available right now. I'm also assuming the auction is only open to Canadian residents.

Nintendo will donate all proceeds to the Starlight Children's Foundation.

August 7th, 2002
These 12 new Mario Party 4 screen shots include the first shots of Waluigi and Daisy in the game.


On July 19th, the day of Super Mario Sunshine's Japanese release date, Nintendo's dream team of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, along with first-time director Yoshiaki Koizumi, held a special Q&A session at Nintendo's HQ in Kyoto, Japan. Lucky for us English-speakers, Nintendo.com has posted a translated transcript of the session.

Read it to find out why Mario has short-sleeves but not shorts, and how the water-squirting backpack idea came about.

July 29th, 2002
Here are some new foreign release dates thanks to Planet GameCube:

European:

  • Super Mario Sunshine: October 4th, 2002
  • Mario Party 4: November 29th, 2002
  • Wario World: December 6th, 2002
Australian:
  • Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island: October 4th, 2002
  • Super Mario Sunshine: October, 2002
  • Game and Watch Gallery 4: November, 2002
  • Mario Party 4: December, 2002

July 26th, 2002
Toys "R" Us is giving away free beach towels to customers who reserve Super Mario Sunshine at their stores. The beach towel contains both a "Super Mario Sunshine" logo and "Nintendo GameCube" logo.

Super Mario Sunshine ships on August 26th, and should be ready for purchase at stores such as TRU on the 27th or 28th.

July 20th, 2002
Just one day after Super Mario Sunshine hit stores in Japan, Nintendo opens the official US SMS website. The address, of course, is supermariosunshine.com. Not much there right now... just five screenshots we've already seen before, and a clearer version of the SMS trailer released during E3 in May.

July 19th, 2002
Japanese gamers are basking in the glow of Super Mario Sunshine, which was just released there today. Although Japan gets Super Mario Sunshine a month earlier than the USA, there were reports of SMS on sale in Hong Kong on the 17th.

Also, in release date news, Mario Party 4 moved up from Oct. 28th to Oct. 21st. Game & Watch Gallery 4 was assigned an Oct. 28th release, and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 moved up a week from Sep. 28th to Sep. 23rd.

July 15th, 2002
Nintendo HQ has revealed two more trophies to unlock in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Just like how having a Pikmin save file on the same memory card will award you a Captian Olimar trophy the first time you boot up SSBM, owners of Super Mario Sunshine and/or Metroid Prime will receive new trophies of Mario and Samus, respectively.

Update - Aug. 12th: All the news sites that reported this were wrong. I'm no Japanese expert, but after further review of the link below, apparently you'll be able to obtain the trophies at a Toys "R" Us event (in Japan) sometime in the future. We regret the error.

Nintendo's Japanese site has all the info... in Japanese, of course. They're calling the Mario trophy "Cape Mario + Yoshi", and the Samus trophy "Samus Without a Mask."

Super Mario Sunshine's release date is August 26th of this year. Metroid Prime's is scheduled for November 18th.

June 21st, 2002
Here are the latest Super Mario Sunshine screen shots and concept art released by Nintendo.

June 17th, 2002
Nintendo.com has recently released over 20 new screen shots of Super Mario Sunshine, along with artwork of a Shine (what Mario must collect in SMS) and Peach's Butler (a new character).

Peach's Butler Shine

May 21st, 2002
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) of 2002 is in full swing in sunny Los Angeles, California -- the perfect spot for Nintendo to showcase new info on Super Mario Sunshine. Other GameCube games covered were Mario Party 4 and Wario World, which we already new about from a premature flyer release (see May 2nd news), but can now be considered officially announced. Game & Watch Gallery 4, Donkey Kong Plus, and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 were also announced for the Game Boy Advance.

You guessed it, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 will be a GBA port of the SNES classic Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and will include the Mario Bros. mode like the first two Super Mario Advance games before it.

Donkey Kong Plus, which appears to a revamped version of the Game Boy classic GB Donkey Kong, is listed in Nintendo.com's E3 coverage only in the form of a fact sheet. DKP will connect to the GameCube via the GBA cable to create and play custom levels!

    Release dates:

    SMA3: 09/20/2002
    Mario Party 4: 10/28/2002
    Donkey Kong Plus: Q1/2003
    Wario World: Q1/2003
    Super Mario Sunshine's release date holds steady at August 26th of this year.

When CNN covered the Nintendo GameCube price cut during their Moneyline segment yesterday, about 15 seconds of new Super Mario Sunshine footage was shown. It seems as though Mario will be able to use his water pack to boost himself up a few feet (or more?) into the air! PlanetGameCube.com has a few screen shots from said segment.

May 11th, 2002
Tomorrow's Fox Trot comic strip mentions Mario as Jason Fox plays video games during Mother's Day. If your newspaper deprives you of the goodness that is Fox Trot, or if you're reading this news item too late, you can view the strip online at uComics.com.

A handful of Mario references exist in older Fox Trot strips, the last one occuring over five years ago.

May 9th, 2002
The German site BitChar-G.de is showing off a new Mario Kart R/C car, which can be yours for € 69,40. Check out the specs page for more info.

May 3rd, 2002
The wait is over for Nintendo fans in Europe, for the Nintendo GameCube and Luigi's Mansion have been released there. However, no Super Smash Bros. Melee just yet; the PAL release is set for May 24th.

May 2nd, 2002
It's not like us to report unconfirmed stuff, but this seems authentic enough to report before Nintendo officially confirms or denies this. Anyway, somebody at the IGN message boards acquired a brochure which shows screen shots for 45 new and coming soon GameCube titles, including Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4, and Wario World(!). See for yourself:

!!!  ·Close-up: Super Mario Sunshine
 ·Close-up: Mario Party 4
 ·Close-up: Wario World

April 29th, 2002
Super Mario Sunshine. Yoshi. Need I say more?
Mario's been working out. Life's a beach. Don't look down...! More aerial acrobatics. Heeeere's Yoshi! So what's up?

March 31st, 2002
Nintendo.com has recently released six new screen shots of Super Mario Sunshine, along with artwork of Mario in an action-ready pose. Check 'em out:
Up on the housetop, click-click-click... Tricky platforms. Now that could be trouble... Female thing. Male thing. Painting the town wet. Mario

March 29th, 2002
Nintendo.com now calls Mario Sunshine "Super Mario Sunshine." Although it's still labeled a tentative title, I smell a name change. Also, Nintendo finally shed some light on Super Mario Sunshine's release dates. Nintendo will release Super Mario Sunshine in Japan on July 19th of this year, and the U.S. will get it August 26th. Quite fittingly, both dates are in the Summer.

March 10th, 2002
Nintendo.com has posted a few screen shots from the recently-announced Mario Golf and Mario Tennis titles for GameCube. Without further ado:
Oooh... Aaah...

March 6th, 2002
Reportedly, Famitsu has revealed that Camelot Software Planning are at work on new GameCube versions of their popular Mario Tennis and Mario Golf titles. No word yet on any GBA counterparts or GBA link-up action, but we'll keep you posted.

March 2nd, 2002
During a recent interview with GameSpot.com, Shigeru Miyamoto had this to say about Luigi's Mansion:

    GameSpot: Did Luigi's Mansion turn out to be the game you wanted it to be?

    Shigeru Miyamoto: Actually, games like Luigi's Mansion and Animal Forest, which we've just recently released in Japan, are really being driven more by some of our younger directors at Nintendo. It's not so much my vision of what the game will be--I supervise the overall development of the game. It's true that the director of Luigi's Mansion still feels that if he'd had more time, he could have put a lot more into it and come out with a better game. And so to that extent I think he has some regrets about it.

    Though, in the case of Luigi's Mansion, for the European launch, we've added some new elements to the hidden mansion that become accessible after you clear the game and strengthened that mode so that people will probably be interested in playing it a little longer than they did the US version.

Both Luigi's Mansion and the GameCube are scheduled for a May 3rd release in Europe. No word yet on what exactly was changed for the PAL version of Luigi's Mansion, but we'll keep you posted.

February 28th, 2002
Now we're getting somewhere. Notice Mario's more apparent short sleeves and the Super Mario World-esque rotating fence panel...
Octo-thingy. Runnnnnn! The contraption in action. Spin, spin!

February 22nd, 2002
If you haven't seen them already, here are the two new Mario Sunshine screens floating around the net:
Have you hugged a tree today? Mario's highwire act.
As polished as the game looks, word is they were taken from a video of even better quality.

The other Mario Sunshine bit o' info released recently concerns Mario's water-filled backpack. Apparently it will be used to "clean up the paint that falls from the sky." Hmm.

February 11th, 2002
Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World was released in America today. Keep an eye on your favorite Game Boy Advance software seller in the coming days for your chance to pick up Mario's third appearance on the GBA.

January 16th, 2002
Another thing that I got six billion e-mails about was the news that some of the old Mario cartoons will be coming to DVD. Set to be released February 26th, the "Super Mario Bros: Mario's Greatest Movie Moments" disc will include "Mario's Monster Madness" and "Mario's Action Adventures," along with two episodes from The Adventures of Zelda ("The Missing Link" and "Kiss and Tell"). Check out Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com for a couple of ordering options. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with info.

December 14th, 2001
As of today, lucky Mario fans in Japan can start enjoying Super Mario Advance 2. "Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2," as it will be known as in the States, will be released February 11th, 2002. (Thanks to everyone who wrote in with the US release date.)

December 3rd, 2001
Super Smash Bros. Melee should be shipping to stores today! It should be available by the 5th at the latest, because stores still have to receive and stock it, yadda yadda yadda, you know the deal.

November 21st, 2001
Super Smash Bros. Melee was released in Japan today, but there it's called "Dai-Rantou Smash Brothers Deluxe." The American release date is December 3rd... only 12 days away!

November 19th, 2001
Just as your wallet is reeling from the GameCube release, Nintendo ships Wario Land 4 out to stores today. You've still got a few days to recover, because stores still have to receive and stock Wario Land 4, so it'll probably be on shelves in another day or two.

November 18th, 2001
Finally, the Nintendo GameCube has arrived, along with Luigi's Mansion. After standing in line for a half hour, I am happy to report that I am a proud owner of a GameCube.

November 16th, 2001
Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who created Mario, turns 49 today. If you don't have your birthday cards in the mail by now, I'd say it's pretty much too late, since he lives in Japan and all... ;)

September 14th, 2001
In what I consider to be the first step of "The Nintendo Difference," the Nintendo GameCube was released in Japan today. Along with it comes Luigi's Mansion, selling separately for ¥6,800. We American Nintendo junkies anxiously awaiting the GameCube and Luigi's Mansion must continue waiting until November 18th.

September 12th, 2001
Nintendo of Canada's website has Wario Land 4's release date listed at November 19th of this year.

Thanks to The Nintendo Index for the news.

August 27rd, 2001
Today, the eagerly anticipated Mario Kart: Super Circuit (for GBA) was released. Now we just have to wait one or two excruciatingly long days for stores to receive and stock the game...

August 23rd, 2001
Well, Spaceworld 2001 has started in Japan. Just like this year's E3, a slew of fresh Mario news will come out, and we'll do our best to report it. Below is one of the first ever "screen shots" of Mario Sunshine (tentative title).

    Sunny day, sweepin' the clouds away...

Now I'm starting to see why they're calling it "Mario Sunshine"... but what's with the backpack he's got...?!

Check out http://cube.ign.com/news/37662.html for a couple other screen shots of Mario Sunshine and other GameCube titles.

August 21st, 2001
Au'some Candies® is now offering "World of Nintendo Candy Products." Notice they say "World of Nintendo candy" and not "Mario candy," which means it features more than just Mario characters, but luckily most of it is in fact Mario stuff. Check out nintendopower.com/ausome/ for pictures and descriptions. When this candy will be available in stores is unknown.

Wario Land Advance busts into stores in Japan today. The US release is tentatively titled Wario Land 4, and has yet to be given a specific release date from Nintendo of America. We'll keep you posted.

July 21st, 2001
Mario Kart Advance zooms into stores in Japan today. The U.S. release will be Mario Kart: Super Circuit, crashing into stores August 27th.

June 11th, 2001
Today, the Game Boy Advance was released! Super Mario Advance is a launch title, and should be available for purchase as soon as stores receive and stock the GBA.

May 30th, 2001
ClassicGaming.com and ArcadeClassics.com have teamed up to give one lucky winner a Donkey Kong Jr. arcade cabinet! You have until the end of June 5th to enter, so get movin'!

May 26th, 2001
TendoBox.com reports that Nintendo (of America) has registered 100marios.com and mariosunshine.com (as well as .net and .org TLDs for each). Currenly they merely forward you to Nintendo.com. Hmm.

As some of you may know, 100 Marios and Mario Sunshine were part of a huge list on http://e3.nintendo.com/gamecube/, but the list has mysteriously vanished recently. Other Mario titles on said list were "Mario Party 4" and "Mairionette." MarioParty4.com forwards to MarioParty.com, but Mairionette.com|net|org is still up for grabs.

May 17th, 2001
Over the next three days, lots of Nintendo news will be going down at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, CA. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the time off of work to attend E3, but at least I have the luxury of updating this site from home.

It's official: After sailing through an ocean of rumors, Luigi's Mansion will dock at the Nintendo GameCube as a launch title. Joining it will be Super Smash Bros. Melee, the sequel to Super Smash Bros.. Also, Wario Land 4 was announced as an upcoming GBA title.

As far as we know at this moment, the roster for Super Smash Bros. Melee is the following: Mario, Bowser(!), Peach(!), DK, Kirby, Pikachu, Samus, Fox, Ness, Shiek, Ice Climber, Captian Falcon, and Link. I'm guessing Luigi will be a hidden character again...

e3.nintendo.com has downloadable movies and/or screen shots for the new Mario titles listed above. Woot!

May 7th, 2001
Well, Mario Party 3 was scheduled to be released today. I didn't hear anything about it being delayed or anything, so it should be available for purchase in a day or two.

May 4rd, 2001
Way back at Spaceworld 2000, a game called "Animal Forest" was previewed for the Nintendo 64. They've found a way to get Mario in it... but not as an animal. Apparently, some of the houses you can enter will have ready-to-play "NES consoles" with faithful reproductions of classic NES titles. Nintendo has recently revealed the titles: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Pinball, Golf, Tennis, Balloon Fight, and Kuru Kuru Land. That's right, the first five games listed all have Mario in them.

May 3rd, 2001
Cube.ign.com reports that Super Smash Bros. 2 will be on display in playable form at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The sequel to the smash-hit Super Smash Bros. is being developed by HAL once again, and is planned to be released for the Nintendo GameCube. You can bet Mario and Luigi will be back, and there is a good chance we'll see Bowser and/or Wario as new contestants.

April 9th, 2001
Today, Dr. Mario 64 is shipping out to stores nationwide, and will probably be available for purchase on the 7th.

March 21st, 2001
The Game Boy Advance was released in Japan today, and Super Mario Advance was one of the launch titles. Nintendo of America is still planning to release GBA and SMA on June 11 of this year.

March 17th, 2001
DailyRadar.com reports that Super Mario Advance 2 will be a remake of none other than Super Mario World! They also mentioned that Nintendo confirmed Super Mario Advance 3, but we already knew that (see March 10th news item below).

To recap, SMA will be a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 (plus Mario Bros.), and SMA2 will revive Super Mario World. I'm thinking SMA3 will be... Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island! But that's just a guess; I'm sure we'll soon find out how right (or wrong) I am. :)

March 10th, 2001
Apparently, GameBoy.com left out a few details when I reported the news on the 7th. When Gaming Age covered the same Nintendo conference, they also mentioned that Wario Land 4 and Super Mario Advance 2 and 3 would be making their way to the Game Boy Advance. Mario Advance 2 and 3 could both be released by the end of 2001 in Japan. Yowza!
Thanks: bhman

March 7th, 2001
According to GameBoy.com, Nintendo is planning to re-release Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Yoshi's Story for the Game Boy Advance! Combined with Super Mario Advance and Mario Kart Advance, that makes five Mario titles we now know of so far for the GBA. The GBA will be released March 21st in Japan, surrounded by 25 launch titles including Super Mario Advance. June 11th is the expected GBA release date in the US, with Super Mario Advance (tentative title) also confirmed as a launch title.

March 1st, 2001
According to Nintendo.com, Mario Party 3 will be released on May 7th! The third and most likely last Mario Party title will include new-arrival Waluigi, and old-schooler Daisy, both fresh off their stint in Mario Tennis (N64) last year.

February 5th, 2001
Today, Paper Mario is shipping out to stores nationwide, and will probably be available for purchase on the 7th. PaperMario.com still hasn't launched yet, but I'm sure that will happen very soon considering the game's impending arrival. All we can do is wait (im)patiently...

January 20th, 2001
An N64 version of Dr. Mario, which first graced the NES back in 1990, will be out April 9th, 2001 -- with a possible MSRP of $29.99! Screen shots available at ign64.ign.com.

January 15th, 2001
Koro Koro Comics has revealed "Mario Advance" (tentative title) in its February issue. Basically, the game is a modified version of Super Mario Bros. 2. This appears to be some sort of contest page from said issue:

They're really trying to sell the "lift stuff up" aspect, which should excite everyone that hasn't played Super Mario Bros. 2 or Doki Doki Panic before. Of course, there will be new features such as 4-player simultaneous play.
Source: pocket.ign.com

In other news, Mario Tennis (GB) was supposed to be released today, so be sure to keep an eye on that Game Boy section in your favorite store for the next few days if you were planning on picking up a copy.

January 3rd, 2001
Rumors are flying about a game dubbed "Mario Advance" -- a 2-D side-scrolling Mario adventure for the Game Boy Advance. While this news is certainly exciting, Nintendo hasn't officially announced said game. (Thanks: Ironfoot.)

In other GBA news, it looks like Mario Kart Advance will be one of the launch titles when the GBA is released in Japan sometime this year.

January 1st, 2001
Back in 1981, a portly construction worker named Jumpman chased Donkey Kong straight into video game stardom. Shortly thereafter, his name was changed to Mario, and he eventually became the mascot of Nintendo. Twenty years later, Super Mario remains the most recognizable video game character in world. Mario, we salute you.

December 7th, 2000
The Mario Party series is now officially a trilogy. Well, in Japan at least. Today, Mario Party 3 was released in the Land of the Rising Sun. Unfortunately, we Americans have to wait until... uh, well, first we need a release date set...

November 16th, 2000
Today marks the 48th birthday of Shigeru Miyamoto. We at TMK would like to take this opportunity to wish Mr. Miyamoto a very happy birthday!

I just realized that although TMK was unveiled on ClassicGaming.com on 11/19/97, I began the uploading on 11/16 -- Shigeru Miyamoto's birthday. Coincidence, or fate? Heck if I know.

November 1st, 2000
Today, Mario Tennis (GB) was released in Japan. As for the USA, expect a release sometime in early 2001.

October 26th, 2000
According to Nintendo.com, Paper Mario will now be released on February 5th, 2001. The highly-anticipated sorta-sequel to Super Mario RPG was originally slated for December 26th, but was pushed back in late September in an effort to spread out future game releases.

October 5th, 2000
On Monday, October 9th, The History Channel will be airing "Video Games: Behind the Fun," an hour-long special about the history of video games. You can bet that Mario and/or Shigeru Miyamoto will get some coverage. :) The special airs at 10:00pm CT, and then re-runs a few hours later on October 10 at 1:00am CT. Of course, there is a discrepancy between my TV schedule's listings and HistoryChannel.com's listings, so be sure to check your local listings for the correct times for your area.

September 23rd, 2000
Paper Mario, the game that has been through two title changes (Super Mario RPG 2, Super Mario Adventure), now has one release date change under its belt. It will still be released this winter, but in early 2001 instead of December 26th. If memory serves me, this is the first Mario game be delayed since the Yoshi's Story shipments were delayed due to "El Niño" in March 1998.

September 2nd, 2000
From September 1st to October 15th, Blockbuster is running a "Blockbuster Cup" contest for Mario Tennis. The prizes aren't very impressive, except the grand prize: a trip to Disney World and $500 cash! The catch is you have to visit your local Blockbuster to get the tournament code needed for Mario Tennis' Ring Tournament code entry screen. For official rules, visit Blockbuster.com.

August 31th, 2000
Tomorrow, Nintendo's online tournaments will begin at MarioTennis.com. "Mario Cup" is the first of eight separate two-week-long Ring Tournaments, and will last until September 15th. In order to participate, fire up your copy of Mario Tennis, then enter the code A3W5KQA3C in the Ring Tournament mode under Special Games. At the end of the match, the game will give you a result code to enter at MarioTennis.com. Good luck!

August 24th, 2000
The Nintendo Game Cube was unveiled at Nintendo's Space World expo in Japan today. Demos featuring Mario and Luigi were shown, and Nintendo.com has the pictures of the "Super Mario 128" demo, as well as Luigi in a ghost house. All I can say is... WOW... (Keep in mind that these are just demos, and not screen shots from actual games. But could this be Mario's new, more mature look? If so, he's not as round as before. :)

Here's a little snippet from Nintendo.com:

With the help of one of his staff members, Mr. Futoda, Mr. Miyamoto ran through a very humorous demonstration of the capabilities of the Nintendo GAMECUBE. Within short order he had displayed 128 Marios on the screen, each made up of about 700 polygons (the same model was used in Super Mario 64) running at 60 frames per second. Each Mario ran around on a circular platform, interacting with other Marios and 128 cubes strewn about on the landscape. Throughout the demonstration a green bar at the bottom of the screen monitored the processing time. If that green bar reached all the way to the right side of the screen, the demo would be running at 30 frames per second, the same rate as Super Mario 64. During the entire demo, including the later parts where Mr. Miyamoto warped the flat platform to complicate the demo's real-time physics and collision detection, and applied many special effects to the polygons, the green bar didn't even go halfway across the screen.

Also, according to Nintendo.com, Mario Tennis is supposed to be released today. I find this hard to believe because every other site lists the release date as August 28. Still, you never know. It wouldn't hurt to check your favorite video game retailer in a few days just in case it comes out early.

August 11th, 2000
Today, the action/RPG game Paper Mario has been released in Japan. (Actually called Mario Story there.) The US release date is holding steady at December 26th.

Some new Mario games will be unveiled August 25th at Nintendo's Space World 2000 expo in Japan. Scheduled to appear are Mario Party 3, Mario Tennis (GBC), and Mario Kart Advance (for the upcoming Game Boy Advance). Nintendo.com has released the first screen shots and info about these games at their Space World 2000 preview.

June 29th, 2000
Giving us yet another reason to pick up Mario Golf again, Nintendo.com has started a NP Summer Scramble tournament. Though there doesn't appear to be any prizes to win, it's always interesting to see where you rank against the rest of the planet. Go to http://www.nintendo.com/n64/golf/summerscramble.html for all the info.

May 30th, 2000
Today is the day of Wario Land 3's release. If Nintendo is still on schedule, WL3 is making its way to stores across the country as I type. Stores still have to receive and stock it, so all you Wario fans will have to wait one or two more days.

May 16th, 2000
The Wizard will be shown on the Disney Channel on May 24th at 9:15pm (Central time). For those of you who don't know the significance of the movie, The Wizard showed Super Mario Bros. 3 being played before it was released, which helped SMB3 achieve record-breaking sales.

May 3rd, 2000
Super Mario Adventure, once known as Super Mario RPG 2, is now being called "Paper Mario Story." Expect a release sometime around the holiday season, and expect yet another title change once Nintendo realizes that Paper Mario Story's initials are P.M.S. ;-)

April 12th, 2000
Camelot Planning, makers of the popular Mario Golf N64/GBC games, has officially announced a Mario Tennis 64 title. Mario Tennis 64 will be released for both the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, like they did with Mario Golf, again with GB Transfer Pak compatibility between the two games. With Mario's Tennis, Camelot introduces Wario's brother "Waluigi." Yes, you heard right. While "Waluigi" is the Japanese name right now, it may change for the US release, but don't bet the house on it. Check out IGN64 for some more info and screen shots.

March 25th, 2000
Nintendo.com has put up a Mario Party poll. Sounds like they're planning another sequel to the popular Nintendo 64 Mario Party series!

March 14th, 2000
Feeling the pain on your palm from Mario Party's Pedal Power mini-game? Because of a settlement with the New York attorney general's office, Nintendo is providing free protective gloves for owners of Mario Party. Players with proof of purchase can call toll-free 1-800-521-0900 for the free gloves. Before the settlement, Nintendo had warned of potential skin irritation from using your palm to rotate the Control Stick.

January 27th, 2000
Nintendo has released an official web site for Mario Party 2. Check it out at MarioParty2.com.

January 24th, 2000
Today, Mario Party 2 is on its way to stores across the USA. Give it one or two days to appear on the shelves, and then you can party with Mario once again!

December 5th, 1999
The very bottom of Nintendo.com's Game Boy game list shows Wario Land 3 as "announced." I will report more info about WL3's release date as it is made available.

Thanks to SmakethDown638 for the info.

December 4th, 1999
Yesterday, a Super Smash Bros. poll at Nintendo.com went up. If you pay attention to the questions, it seems like Nintendo is planning a SSB mall tournament and/or a sequel to SSB. Go fill out the poll and let them know you wanted Bowser instead of Jigglypuff. ;)

November 16th, 1999
Shigeru Miyamoto turns 47 today. We at TMK would like to take this opportunity to wish him a very happy birthday!

November 1st, 1999
According to Nintendo of America's official site, Mario Party 2 is scheduled to be released January 24th, 2000. What can we expect in MP2? Familiar characters, new mini-games, and six all-new boards. Party on!

October 4th, 1999
Today, Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color was shipped out to stores. Odd, I don't remember hearing anything about a release date until now... heh. Anyway, here's the gimmick: Mario Golf (GB) will feature four new characters that you can "pump up" with experience, and then you can transfer them to your Mario Golf (N64) cartridge via the "Transfer Pak." Check out the Mario Golf (GB) preview for more about the game.

Thanks to Mr. Wesley of DMG Ice for the news.

September 10th, 1999
Hah, I just knew that Rare couldn't resist putting Mario in Donkey Kong 64. Rare's upcoming DK incarnation for the Nintendo 64 will feature a Donkey Kong arcade game mode, which apparently will be exactly like the original DK arcade game, with most likely a limited number of rounds. To access this mode, you must find an arcade unit in one of the levels.
Donkey Kong 64 is scheduled for release on November 22nd, 1999.

August 20th, 1999
Related to the 7/28 news item, Mario Party 2 will be in a playable form for Nintendo's Space World exhibition next week. It will also have a total of 64 mini-games, which is eight more than the first Mario Party.

August 11th, 1999
There has been a change of plans regarding Super Mario 64 2. According to Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine (September 1999, issue #122), Nintendo has announced that its sequel to SM64 will skip the Nintendo 64 altogether and will become a launch title for Nintendo's next-generation system.
Credit: Snatcher

August 3rd, 1999
In a recent interview on Nintendo's online Japanese magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto reveals that Mario is "...getting in shape for the Dolphin." For Nintendo's next-generation system (codenamed "Dolphin"), it seems Mario will be growing up. Miyamoto elaborates: "You'll see a completely new side of Mario on Dolphin. Don't you agree that both Mario and Luigi have become a little too cutesy? It's time they became a bit more grown-up."
This could be a smart move for Nintendo. Perhaps now, no longer will people pass up great Mario games because they think they're "too childish."
Source: Fastest Game News Online

August 1999
August showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: Cinemax:
Moremax: 8/8, 11:15am CT; 8/17, 4:30am CT; 8/23, 6:15pm CT

July 28th, 1999
Nintendo is expected to unveil Mario Party 2 during this year's Space World convention on August 27th, in Tokyo, Japan. Whether it will be a demo or somewhat playable is not known. Mario Party 2 will be, of course, the sequel to the surprisingly (at least to me) popular Mario Party.

July 26th, 1999
Mario Golf hits the stores today! Like so many games before it, Nintendo bought a domain name for it: MarioGolf.net. The site looks pretty cool, but when I clicked on "Enter the Site" all I got was a page that was "Loading" for about ten minutes, so I gave up.
According to this interview with Mario Golf's developers, it seems you'll be able to build up your character's stats on the Game Boy Color version, and then play with him on the N64 version. There are other interesting things in the interview also, so go read it! (After you're done reading TMK of course. ;-)

It looks like Mario Golf will be the last Mario game for the Nintendo 64 we'll see for a while, until Super Mario Adventure comes out sometime next year.

July 1999
July showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: Cinemax: Jul 9th, 12:00pm CT; Jul 31st, 5:30am CT

June 1999
June showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: None.

May 25th, 1999
Super Mario RPG 2 is now "Super Mario Adventure." Nintendo is shooting for a release in 2000.

April 1999
April showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: None. Hmm, that's three months in a row... if you don't have it on tape by now, utilize your Blockbuster™ Card. :)

March 1999
March showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: None. :(

February 19th, 1999
The March issue of Nickelodeon Magazine has a 1-page interview with Shigeru Miyamoto on page 74.

February 13th, 1999
It's official; Super Smash Bros. will be released April 26th, 1999.

February 7th, 1999
Mario Party will be in stores February 8th!

February 1999
February showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie: None.

January 24th, 1999
Nintendo is remaking Super Mario Bros. for Game Boy Color! It looks almost exactly like the NES version, and could be in stores by May 10th. Thanks to everybody who mailed me about this.

January 1999
January showtimes for the Super Mario Bros. movie (Central time zone):
Cinemax - 7th at 5:15pm; 17th at 12:45pm; 22nd at 10:00am; 27th at 3:30pm.

December 20th, 1998
Mario Party for N64 may be released in the U.S. as early as February 8th, 1999!

December 16th, 1998
The December 11th issue (#462) of Entertainment Weekly magazine has a VERY short interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in it. Check it out if you're bored.