The sequel to DK marks the
first, and last time Mario was ever a villain rather than the
hero. He stands at the top of each level, sending things to
attack DKjr, such as Klaptraps, buzzards, electrical currents,
and crows. When you beat the game, Mario falls to the ground,
using the exact same sprite that was used when you fell too far
in DK.
-Mario the
bad guy
-Mario defeated
This can definately be
considered one of the first educational titles. Likely to help
sell the game, Nintendo themed it around the Donkey Kong games.
But for some reason, DKjr gets all the publicity. To make it more
interesting to younger kids, possibly? However, Donkey Kong
appears in the various play modes. In the A and B challenge
games, he will hold up a number, and you and your opponent must
race eachother to gather numbers which will add up (or subtract,
divide, or multilply) to the one DK has.
-DK Jr.
Math, A/B mode
DK does something slightly
different in the third game mode. First, you must select which
kind of problem you want to solve, as DK indicates with his sign.
Then, while you solve the problem, his ever-present sign will
display your score. What's with all these signs, anyway?
-Select
your excercise
-Yet Another
Sign
At one point, you'll run into a
kid who asks if you've played Super Mario Bros. 7, and then
comments on SMB3. Thanks to ZNess for this screenshot.
-Have
you played Super Mario Bros. 7?
One of the first Nintendo
sports titles, and Mario's first golfing appearance. Basically he
just stands in the lower left corner and only moves during
strokes. That's about it.
-Stroke Play
-Putting
An interesting reference to
Metroid is made in it's companion game, Kid Icarus. In the final
vertically-scrolling level, Metroid-like enemies called Komaytos
will attack pit in groups of four. The instruction booklet even
makes reference to them coming from another planet. Thanks to The Metroid
Database for this screenshot and info.
-Komaytos
= Metroids?
Maniac Mansion is a strange
game, but just the right kind for a brief Mario reference. To
enter the last room in the Mansion, you have to activate the
arcade game Meteor Mess. When the high score screen appears, it
will give you the four-digit code to the security door.
Interestingly, when the high score screen pops up, the first five
notes of the Super Mario Bros. theme play.
-Meteor
Mess
-High Scores
Yoshi plays a small role in
this game. In fact, the game would have been virtually the same
without him. But Yoshi was really popular at the time, so...
Yoshi waits in Antarctica while Luigi returns the stolen
artifacts. Then, once all the artifacts in a city have been
returned, you have to lead Yoshi to the city Luigi is in, and
jump into the nearest warp pipe to get back to Antarctica.
-Luigi
and Yoshi
-Yoshi on the
map screen
Yoshi's role in this game was also minor. He appears at the beginning, before entering the museum, and at the end after rescuing him from Bowser. He also pops up as a portrait in the hallway, in the newspaper, and during the ending credits.
Interestingly, Donkey Kong Jr. also makes a brief appearance in the hallway.
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!/Punch-Out!!
The original boxing game, often
emulated, but never duplicated. Though he made a small cameo in
the two arcade versions of the game in the pre-NES days, he is
considerably more noticeable here. That's right, Mario is the
referee. He starts the match, and counts down to the knock outs.
This also the first time Mario ever had a voice. A bit fuzzy, but
not bad for 1987. Also, one of the boxers, Don Flamenco, makes a
comment about Mario's hair.
-TKO
Another Mario-related golf game
in which Mario isn't named in the title. This time, Luigi is also
playable (as player 2), and Peach and Daisy show up as caddies.
Toad also pops up here and there. Most interestingly though, is
that Donkey Kong runs the prize money booth.
-Mario,
you're broke!
This was one of the first NES
games, and also one of Mario's earliest (and strangest) cameos.
On the lower half of the Pinball table, there is a hole in the
upper-right corner which leads to a bonus level. In the bonus
level, you control Mario, and have to bounce the Pinball on the
bumper he is carrying, while Princess Toadstool runs back and
forth on a platform above. Once Mario has bounced the Pinball
against the upper platform, highlighting the numbers in the
center of the screen enough times, the platform will disappear
and Toadstool will fall to the ground. You must then catch her on
Mario's bumper for a bonus, or she will become a flattened mess.
-The
Minigame
Being such a unique game, it's no surprise that
ST2 contains a silly Mario reference. When you reach Egypt,
Cleopatra will ask you to go to Rome and get a pizza for her.
After you exit a dangerous cave, and borrow a camel, you'll walk...and
walk...and walk...and walk...and walk...for a very long time.
Then, you'll run into a man riding on the back of a koopa troopa,
who will give you Cleopatra's pizza. Interesting that he's native
to Italy...
-You've got the Pizza
An early Mario sports appearance. This time, Mario referees the game, and makes various calls, like in, out, fault, double fault, and so on.
If you beat game B on level
nine, Nintendo characters will appear on your winning screen,
playing different instruments. Which characters and how many
appear at once depend on what height you beat the level at. At
the lowest height, Pit will appear, playing a violin. At next,
Link will join him playing a flute. Then Samus playing a bass, DK
with a drum, and finally Princess Toadstool, Bowser (with an
accordian), and the Mario brothers doing a funky Russian dance.
Nice touch. Thanks to The Mushroom Kingdom for this screenshot.
-High
Score Screen
Another very early cameo,
released around the same time as Golf, Tennis, and Pinball,
although a bit more unique. Wrecking Crew hands Mario a sledge
hammer and puts him in one construction (or is it destruction?)
zone after another. Luigi also appears in the two-player mode.
-Mario's
ready
-Mario start!
In the years following Super
Mario World, Yoshi was rather popular and appeared in several
title games, even though Yoshi himself was rarely playable. In
this game, there are a few Yoshi references (the Yoshi eggs), but
the game is mostly Mario-related. In fact, you control Mario
during the gameplay. He also makes a few other appearances.
-Gameplay
-Congratulations
This is even more inexplicable
than Yoshi. Again, Mario appears in most of the game, while Yoshi
only pops up here and there (e.g. Yoshi-shaped cookies), yet
Yoshi gets the credit. Interestingly, the cookies in this game
were later used in the modernized version of Vermin in Game &
Watch Gallery 2, and Egg in Game & Watch Gallery 3.
-Gameplay
-Select your
options
