In just three days time on March 11th (2012), Mario Party 9 will be hitting the store shelves. This time around though, the rules have changed. Players all travel across the stages in the same vehicle, but taking turns to drive. Also new are boss battles, which incorporate a bit of teamwork. Let's just hope there's nothing offensive in this one! In case you're dying to know which characters and what stages you...... read more

Here's a TV commercial for the new Mario Party on Nintendo DS. How about that for some cheerful...... read more

Nintendo of Europe has recalled all Mario Party 8 discs in the UK due to problems. The official statement is: "Unfortunately we have discovered that a small number of games contain the wrong version of the disk due to an assembly error". However, rumors going around say that it's because the game contains the word "spastic", which is an offensive term in the UK. Those crazy spastic trains. Nintendo...... read more

Nintendo have announced a release date for Mario Party 8. In North America the game will be released on March 5th in 2007. Other release dates from Ubisoft are also available. The latest installment in the Splinter Cell series Double Agent will be released on November 28th. Open Season will be available on November...... read more

Nintendo have announced Mario Party 8 will be heading to the Wii. Details are thin on the ground, but it's certain to release in...... read more

It's an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan! On March 3rd, 2017 Big N will do a worldwide release of their new machine: Switch - so called because it switches between being a home console and something you can take on the move. A number of games have already been announced, but here's a look at Super Mario Odyssey: How do you like...... read more

Third year university students across my homeland of the UK are getting ready to hand in their dissertations to complete a long and hard working 3 years to hopefully graduate in a few months time. I'm one of those, and I have hit a stumbling block in my studies...MK8 DLC. I've waited months for the Animal Crossing DLC pack to be released, along with the recently announced 200CC difficulty, and there is no way I can...... read more

amiibo fans won't be happy to hear it, but the upcoming Gold Mario amiibo has been confirmed as another retailer exclusive. It joins Meta Knight as an amiibo that is only available at Wal-Mart stores. The gold Mario is the first amiibo of the new Super Mario Bros. line to be a retailer exclusive, while three amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. line, Rosalina & Luma, Meta Knight, and Shulk, were exclusive at Target,...... read more

The nice folks over at Unseen64 were able to dig up concept art and footage of a cancelled Mario volleyball/wrestling hybrid game. The game, titled Super Mario Spikers, was planned for release on the Wii, and was being developed by Next Level Games (the masterminds of the Mario Strikers series). According to the report, the game started off simply as Mario Volleyball. As development on the game progressed,...... read more

While there were many great games at Nintendo's E3 showing, the most unique and exciting one to me was Mario Maker. The upcoming game gives players the ability to build their own Mario levels. However, one has to wonder will this impact the sales of current and future Mario games? Mario Maker producer Takashi Tezuka feels quite confident that sales will see no negative impact from the future release. His...... read more

University final resits are... very, very time consuming. On that note: Top 5's? To hitch a ride on the website bandwagon, Mario has been in my life since I was three years old and Super Mario Bros. was the first game I ever played. Mario has literally, in some way or another, changed my life and my relationship with video games... and surprisingly still, nostalgia plays no part in how I reflect on the series....... read more

One of Nintendo's pleasant surprises at this year's E3 was Splatoon. The game takes the squad-based shooter template and puts a Nintendo spin on it. It's also a breath of fresh air in that it's a new IP (something Nintendo desperately needs). However, the game was nearly a Mario spin-off. Speaking in the latest issue of Edge magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto said: There were heated debates over who the main player...... read more

Mario Kart 8 is receiving some great additions thanks to DLC (downloadable content) that will be available in two parts. The first DLC, available in November, will add Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and Hyrule's very own hero, Link, to the game. The second, scheduled to be released May 2015, will have an Animal Crossing Villager, Isabelle from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and the skeletal Dry Bowser. Each bundle of...... read more

A study published in Computers in Human Behavior has shown that a group of 48 subjects decreased their levels of stress after playing Mario Kart, having first performing a Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) in order to stress the applicants out. Operating on the theory of self determination, researchers observed the applicants and observed how they felt after being tested while monitoring their...... read more

Is there a bigger more well-known gaming mascot than Mario? The guy is the face of an entire generation of gaming. He has been in hundreds of video games and this got me thinking. What are my top five favourite Mario games? Well, here they are. One rule, I will only include games where Mario is the main focus, so games like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros are out. Also, keep in mind that if I haven't played the...... read more

August 27th will bring with it a new update to Mario Kart 8. The download is set to include a number of new features and three Mercedes cars to choose from: Mercedes-Benz GLA 300 SL Roadster (1950s era) Silver Arrow (1930s era) To go along with this, Nintendo are also organizing a global tournament called the "Mercedes Cup". As for tweaks to the nuts and bolts of the game, here's a...... read more

Many of us think we're pretty good at platform games, but the speedrunners of this world take that to a whole other level. One such speed demon called Blubbler has taken on Super Mario Bros and beaten it in just 4:57.69, edging out the previous record of 4:58.09. Video evidence below! The iconic Super Mario Bros. is now almost 30 years old. Time...... read more

For a while we have known that Japan was going to get a Mercedes-themed DLC for Mario Kart 8, but today we received a confirmation via Nintendo's Twitter accounts that this DLC will be coming to North America, as well. The DLC will include a "GLA-class kart," which is based on the Mercedes Benz GLA-class SUV. All we know for a release date is that it will come "this summer," as stated in the tweet, but hopefully...... read more

The next set of figures confirmed for the McDonalds happy meals will be some very familiar faces. Mario and the gang will be driving their way into Happy Meals a little later this summer and you'll be able to collect Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi as well as a red Mario cap that comes with each toy. Be on the look out for these collectible figures based on Mario Kart 8 later in the next...... read more

During today's Nintendo E3 direct presentation we saw a lot, and earlier this week, an image hit the web that had everyone talking about a new Mario title and it looks like the rumors were true. Mario Maker, confirmed for the Wii U, will allow players to change and create portions of their own Mario levels. The GamePad and the stylus will be used in order to avoid obstacles as you maneuver your way to the...... read more

Third party support has been one of Nintendo's biggest challenges since the launch of the Wii U. The console hasn't been able to attract developers and publishers with the same level of success as Sony and Microsoft. Over the last two years, there have been many games that could have been released on the system but weren't - a lack of profit being cited as the main reason. Nintendo is fully aware of their dire...... read more

WooOOooOOoo! In the run-up to Halloween, some of today's WiiWare and Virtual Console games have a spooky theme going on. Tales of Monkey Island 3: Lair of the Leviathan (WiiWare) Ghost Mansion Party (WiiWare) Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES) Golden Axe (Arcade) (Arcade) Seems like a good...... read more

Konami has revealed new details for their latest DDR game on Wii and PS2, Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 3. Key features Use the Wiimote or the Balance Board to work out to the beat. Exclusive moves like the Hip Roll and Bump Arrows appear in the game. Costume customizations taken to the next level, and you can use your Mii. New modes include Workout Mode, Story Mode, and a special Kids Mode...... read more

Publishers Nordcurrent have sent out a press release announcing a wacky new game. Running from bulls in Spain, racing gondolas in Venice, sledging down snowy mountains in Antarctica, and battling a gigantic robot mouse in New York city are just a few of the wacky activities you perform in this fun party game. Ninja Captains not only offers 20 unique games that are both fun and challenging, but the Wii...... read more

It's a WiiWare bonanza today as three new titles are released, but no Virtual Console to speak of: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (WiiWare) Battle Poker (WiiWare) 5 Spots Party (WiiWare) Darklord is win in my book. More on Friday with the PAL...... read more

EA has made a TV commercial for Boom Blox: Bash Party (it's a party that anyone can throw,...... read more

A game from Gammick Entertainment hit the WiiWare service in the US today, along with a Virtual Console title from ye olde SNES ages. Family & Friends Party (WiiWare) Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (SNES) Tune in on Friday for news about the Euro/Aussie...... read more

Here's the European cover art for MySims Party, which is a casual effort featuring over 50...... read more

Three WiiWare games added to the Europe/Australia catalog today: Tetris Party (WiiWare) The Incredible Maze (WiiWare) Home Sweet Home (WiiWare) Have a good weekend, we'll be back on Monday with the US...... read more

It's Monday, that means Virtual Console and WiiWare games have been added to the US lineup, two of each: Tetris Party (WiiWare) The Incredible Maze (WiiWare) Digital Champ (TG-16) Gradius 2 (TG-16) There's also some new downloadable content for Mega Man 9: Hard Mode - Does exactly what it says on the tin, the difficulty of the game is raised. Expert Mode - For psychopaths only, triple the...... read more

This isn't necessarily my idea of a good time, but Konami are bringing out Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2, since the original must have sold in adequate quantities. A trailer has already been released, there's a blurb at the bottom of the picture explaining all the new funkytastic...... read more

Njoy has brought out the first 3rd party Wii Balance Board. Pictured below, it's also a weighing scales - having an LCD display and a speaker for telling your weight. Currently listed on Amazon UK, it's retailing for slightly cheaper than the official version by Nintendo. It uses the same kind of Bluetooth connection and will be compatible with all Wii Balance Board games, such as: Wii Fit We Ski ...... read more

Some new info and media about the upcoming Tetris game on WiiWare is now available. Developed by Hudson, it's called Tetris Party. A whopping eighteen modes of play will be featured, ten of which have never seen the light of day before. Multiplayer fans are covered too, in both online and offline flavors. Support for Miis is included, and comically you can control the game using the Wii Balance Board if you...... read more

In a press release earlier today, Reflexive Entertainment announced they intend on bringing Big Kahuna Party onto Nintendo's WiiWare service. With a total of 99 levels, Big Kahuna Party builds on previous titles released on the PC. In addition to the usual single player mode, it's said to be multiplayer focused, with both coop and competitive styles of play for up to 4 players. The "Big Kahuna" series are...... read more