Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary Encyclopedia

Super indeed.

This book follows in the footsteps of Hyrule Historia and the Kirby 20th Anniversary Book in that it celebrates the main points of Mario's game history. It covers the following:

• 1985 - Super Mario Bros.
• 1986 - Super Mario Bros. 2
• 1988 - Super Mario Bros. 3
• 1989 - Super Mario Land
• 1990 - Super Mario World
• 1992 - Super Mario USA
• 1992 - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
• 1996 - Super Mario 64
• 2002 - Super Mario Sunshine
• 2006 - New Super Mario Bros.
• 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy
• 2009 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
• 2010 - Super Mario Galaxy 2
• 2011 - Super Mario 3D Land
• 2012 - New Super Mario Bros. 2
• 2012 - New Super Mario Bros. U
• 2013 - Super Mario 3D World
• 2015 - Super Mario Maker

It clocks in at 255 pages, and is quite a good read. Granted, it cannot go super in-depth for all of the above titles, because that would take a much larger volume than this. But it is a great book nonetheless.

There are a ton of visuals, which is a huge part of what makes this book stand out. Each game has official artwork from the manual/guide book/etc., as well as many screenshots. Personally, it's great having so much of Shigefumi Hino's high-quality artwork in one place. Super Mario World still has my favorite design out of any Mario game, and I love that the current official 2D art style has gravitated back to that era.

The book design is very well thought-out and the whole thing has a nice flow. Each game is split into four sections:

1. Introduction
2. Characters
3. World
4. And More

The "Introduction" gives a brief synopsis of the story, what's going on, why Mario is there, etc. Pretty self-explanatory. The "Characters" section presents all the good guys and bad guys, along with a short explanation of each. The "World" section shows all of the areas Mario will travel through, as well as environmental hazards and objects he may encounter. Finally, the "And More" section has some trivia facts, secrets, and even some ways to glitch each game. Neat-o.

It's pretty crazy to look at an entirety of a Mario game over a few pages. It makes you realize how much content there really is inside of each one. I tend to spend the most time in the retro games section, because that was the period in which I grew up, and it's where I have the most interest. I imagine younger readers are more likely to stick to the newer games.

Even though this book cannot cover every Mario game in detail, there is a section in the back that lists almost every game he has appeared in. It even includes cameo appearances in games like Majora's Mask.

The only ones missing are the really obscure games of which we do not speak.

There are also small sections scattered throughout of interesting facts, merchandise info, and interviews. Just makes the book that much more worth it. I will note that Tezuka seems much more open to interviews than Miyamoto as of late. Which is totally fine, they are both right up there in the creative process. It's just interesting to note.

One of my favorite parts of this book has to be the front inside of the dust cover. It is the same illustration of the Super Mario Collection official guide book printed way back in 1993! I prefer it over the dust cover. I'm sure it helps that Shogakukan has been publishing official Nintendo guide books since the Famicom era. Too cool.

I am hoping this book will be localized, and I would think that if Hyrule Historia can have it done, so can this. Nintendo seems to want to celebrate Mario's 30th Anniversary equally around the world, so there is still hope.

Returning from Super Mario Maker

So awkward.

So I have been enjoying the hell out of Super Mario Maker. Even though it has its shortcomings here and there, it is one of the most enjoyable Wii U games I have played this year. I continue to dabble pretty much every day I can find some time, and have managed to download a decent list of stages that are not crap. There are some real gems out there among the garbage. Great learning opportunities for designing my own stages.

However...

I remember back before the game was launched, Tezuka was stating how core movement/gameplay mechanics would be "modernized." This sent up a red flag for me. I hate it when games get a re-release of sorts, but have things altered simply because it's a re-release, without any rhyme or reason. See the Silent Hill HD Collection for a prime example of this.

Yet upon playing Super Mario Maker, I found no real control issues that I had anticipated. Nintendo does care about its IPs, and seeing as how Mario is the flagship one, I would expect them to take care of it, especially with the 30th Anniversary and all.

However...

I decided to go back to playing SMB/SMB3/SMW just to get an idea of what makes a good stage. Nothing wrong with going back to the source to make my stages better. And thanks to the Virtual Console, I can still do it all right from the Wii U. So I booted it up and jumped right in.

Holy crap, it is ridiculously disorienting. It's like somebody turned all the adjustment knobs every which way, and sensitivity has been cranked up to freaking 11. I could not get over how awkward it felt.

Games I have been playing regularly for twenty years are suddenly very foreign to my brain and hands. I am making mistakes and dying like it's my job. Stages I have played a million times are making me look like I've never picked up a controller before. It was so embarrassing. So many core gameplay adjustments have been made from the source material, I couldn't place them all if I tried. It's just so weird! I eventually got it under control, but it took way too long.

That Nintendo could so radically transform its crown jewels and not create an uproar is a feat in itself. They did it so effectively that really no one has noticed or been bothered enough to say anything. They have done exactly what they said they would do. They have "modernized" three of the most iconic platformers in the history of the industry. But they did it so well, with such good intention, planning, and follow-through, that it could not have felt more natural.

Bravo.

(Seriously, go back and try one of those games after exploring Super Mario Maker. Mind = Blown.)

Pixel Painting - Small Mario (Super Mario All-Stars)

This painting was done as a donation for a raffle. There was a small Nintendo-themed lot, and this was my main contribution. It's not too large, measuring in at 12"x12".

I know it's more pink than red for the hat and shirt, but after doing the Super Mario World painting, I really like the more passive shades of pink as opposed to the in-your-face red, especially when doing 16-bit stuff. Hopefully the painting can help boost interest for this lot. I considered doing the actual Super Mario World Mario sprite, but I had to crank the whole painting out in a day, so I opted for this simpler design instead.

Plus, that dark yellow kind of irritates me.

Commissions are always welcome. Price varies based on the size and complexity of the sprite/scene. I moderate comments, so feel free to leave one with your contact email and request and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Mario Goodies Collection

Excellent.

I took a chance the other week with our favorite friends, Pix'n Love Publishing. I decided to purchase the recently released Mario Goodies Collection from their website directly. I absolutely kept track of everything going on with my order, because their history speaks for itself. After no contact or responses whatsoever for a good three weeks, it showed up unexpectedly in the mail. The fact that I was surprised that it arrived at all is a testament to Pix'n Love's business practices. And don't think I didn't repeatedly attempt to find out the status of my order. But on to the book itself.

This thing is great. It is a brief documentation of Mitsugi Kikai's Mario collection. Kikai holds the distinction of having the most Mario-related items in the world. His Guinness World Records certificate clocks it in at 5,400 individual unique items. However, he claims the actual total of all items he owns is closer to 20,000 (including doubles, etc.).

The book is primarily pictures, with tiny text snippets in between. This is a great format for a book like this, because Kikai has a lot of unique and rare items. The book is separated into eight sections:

• Video Games
• Books
• Video & Audio
• Figurines & Plushies
• Life Accessories
• Toys
• Collector Goodies
• Foreign Goodies

Thankfully, there are items from the Famicom-era all the way up to present day. For me, the older items stand out as being a lot more interesting, as the more modern things can be found in stores right now. I really enjoy the things from the period where Nintendo was a little more free on how their characters were presented, and things weren't as set in stone as they are today. The artwork on a lot of the boxes and promotional material is also way cooler than anything currently on Mario-themed stuff (in my opinion). Most of the pictures presented here are of older-era items.

Obviously, the book can't cover the entirety of Kikai's collection, but it definitely has a lot of variety, and the formatting is perfect. Pictures are all high quality and presented on a plain background. The text is unobtrusive, which is good, because the focus is on the items themselves. I made the grab for a "Tanuki Limited Edition," which was limited to 150 copies (supposedly). Apparently it is already sold out. I can't speak for the "Classic Edition," but the Tanuki version is a really nice hardcover with solid binding. The pages are of high quality, and all images are in vivid color. I believe the "Classic Edition" is softcover.

The only complaint I have is the flimsy half slipcover that goes over the book itself. The thought is nice. It's a pipe that Mario's face peeks out from. However, the material is very thin, and the fit is extremely snug. Already the edges are starting to fray, and I've only removed it once.

For Nintendo collectors, I would say that this book is definitely a must-have. The amount of items, high quality images, and organized way it's presented really make this book stand out in terms of quality. As stated before, Pix'n Love knows how to make books well. They just can't effectively handle the international business part to save their lives. They took a tiny step in the right direction by just printing the English text right below the French, so they didn't have to do two separate printings.

I would highly recommend picking this book up, but the only place to get it right now is Pix'n Love's website directly. Order at your own risk!