Punch Ball Mario Bros.
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 The game's artwork, in which Mario is holding a Punch Ball.
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Developer
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Hudson Soft
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Publisher
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Hudson Soft
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Platforms
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PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, FM-7, Sharp X1, Sharp MZ-1500, Hitachi S1, IBM JX
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Release date
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October 5, 1984
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Genre
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Retro/Platform
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Mode(s)
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Up to two players simultaneously
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Media
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5.25-inch floppy, Cassette
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Punch Ball Mario Bros. (パンチボールマリオブラザーズ) is a game developed and released by Hudson Soft in 1984. The game was available for the PC-6001mkII/PC-6601, PC-8801, FM-7, Sharp X1, Sharp MZ-1500,[1] and IBM-JX,[2] most of which had noticeable differences between each other (palette, sound, flow of gameplay, etc.). It is very similar to Mario Bros., but with new objects called Punch Balls that could now be thrown to stun enemies. Once stunned, the hit enemy could be hit like normal. The details of the licensing of this game are not clear, but Punch Ball Mario Bros. is probably one of the earliest licensed Mario games. It is unknown why Hudson Soft was permitted the rights to and chose to make the game. Hudson also produced two other Mario games for Japanese home computers: Mario Bros. Special and Super Mario Bros. Special.
The title screen music is the opening melody from the 19th-century American song Dixie.
The story page in the instruction manual explains that while humanity has evolved throughout the ages, mastering fire and developing advanced technology, some people such as Mario and Luigi are primitive men who do not know of modern society and must use "stone balls" and their jumping abilities to defend themselves from outsiders.
The story, from the instruction booklet:
いつの頃だろうか、人類が道具を持つようになったのは……。初めは動物
の骨、石のかけらを利用した単純なものであった。人類は英知をふるい、道
具を改良していった。それが、火を使い、風を利用し、そして今では原子力
をも駆使し、高度な文明を築き始めたのである。
だが、ある一方ではまだ石を利用しているだけの人々もいるのである。彼
らはどのようにして獲物をとり、外敵から身を守るのであろうか。彼らは強
力なジャンプ力と石の玉を持っているだけである。それをうまく利用し、彼
らの身を守って欲しい。
ここに、そういった人々のうちの2人を紹介しよう。そう、彼らの名前は
マリオとルイージ。彼らが高度な文明を身につけるのはいつになるのだろうか。
At some point, humans gained the ability to use tools... At first, they were simple things using the bones of animals and fragments of rock. Using their wisdom, humans improved their tools. Harnessing fire, wind, and nowadays even atomic energy, they began to build up a sophisticated culture. On the other hand, however, there are people who still only use stone. How do they catch game and defend themselves from outsiders? Using only their strong jumping power and stone spheres. They use those skillfully to defend themselves. Here, we introduce two such people. It seems their names are Mario and Luigi. Will they ever learn about sophisticated culture?
Gameplay[edit]
There are two difficulty modes, A and B, but the latter is only slightly harder than A.
Like in the original, Mario and Luigi are playable. Unlike the original, the floor-level design is almost the exact opposite of the original Mario Bros. For instance, the first platform (above the floor) in the original extends from the edges, with a gap in the middle. In this game, the platform is in the middle, with gaps around the edges. The pipe at the bottom where enemies exit is essentially a pit. Footholds are sturdier and do not trip the enemy if hit from underneath like the first Mario Bros. - either the Punch Ball or the POW Block must be used to achieve this. The button for throwing the Punch Ball is the same as jumping, so the brothers must remain still to throw the Punch Ball rather than jump. Once thrown, the Punch Ball stays on the ground until collected by one of the plumbers. The POW Block can be used thrice per phase. If a brother loses a life, he will respawn on a temporary platform above the POW Block with Mario slightly to the left and Luigi to the right. This is also the same spot where the Punch Ball respawns if it falls into the bottom pipe.
As the game progresses, the stage design becomes more difficult with moving platforms, frozen platforms, and frozen moving platforms. Some phases are bonus stages where Mario has to grab 10 coins before the time runs out. If there are two players, it is a competition to get the most coins.
Enemies[edit]
Like the original game, target enemies must be flipped over and kicked to be defeated. The only method to flip them over is with the Punch Ball or the POW Block. In this game, enemies only have two forms with them turning into their fast form if they right themselves up or become the last enemy on screen. After an enemy is defeated, a coin will appear on the top platform. However, only one coin can exist at a time.
- Shellcreeper - acts like in the original game, its second form is red. They debut in Phase 1.
- Sidestepper - acts identically to Shellcreepers, its second form is green with an angry face. They're introduced in Phase 4.
- Fighter Fly - hopping enemy that are difficult to stun, its second form is green. They make their first appearance in Phase 6.
- Fireball - it is red but acts more like the green fireballs from the original game. They are invincible and first appear in Phase 4.
Main programmer[edit]
A typical stage from the game.
Mario hitting a POW Block in the game. When this happens, the screen inverts its colors momentarily.
Sources[edit]
References[edit]
Mario games
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Platformers
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Super Mario series
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Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES) • Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986, FDS) • Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988, NES) • Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES) • Super Mario Land (1989, GB) • Super Mario World (1990, SNES) • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992, GB) • Super Mario 64 (1996, N64) • Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GCN) • New Super Mario Bros. (2006, NDS) • Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii) • New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009, Wii) • Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Wii) • Super Mario 3D Land (2011, 3DS) • New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012, 3DS) • New Super Mario Bros. U (2012, Wii U) • Super Mario 3D World (2013, Wii U) • Super Mario Maker (2015, Wii U) • Super Mario Run (2016, iOS/Android) • Super Mario Odyssey (2017, NS) • Super Mario Maker 2 (2019, NS)
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Mario vs. Donkey Kong series
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Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004, GBA) • Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (2006, DS) • Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! (2009, DSiWare) • Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! (2010, DS) • Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (2013, 3DS) • Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (2015, 3DS/Wii U) • Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge (2016, 3DS/Wii U)
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Other
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Donkey Kong (1981, Arcade) • Mario Bros. (1983, G&W) • Mario's Cement Factory (1983, G&W) • Mario Bros. (1983, Arcade) • VS. Wrecking Crew (1984, Arcade) • Mario Bros. Special (1984, PC) • Punch Ball Mario Bros. (1984, PC) • Wrecking Crew (1985, NES) • Super Mario Bros. Special (1986, PC) • Mario & Wario (1993, SNES) • Hotel Mario (1994, Philips CD-i) • Donkey Kong (1994, Game Boy) • Mario Clash (1995, VB) • Wrecking Crew '98 (1998, SFC) • Super Princess Peach (2005, DS) • New Super Luigi U (2013, Wii U) • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014, Wii U) • Super Mario Bros. 35 (2020, NS)
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Ports and remakes
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Crazy Kong (1981, Arcade) • Donkey Kong (1982, G&W) • VS. Super Mario Bros. (1986, Arcade) • Super Mario Bros. (1986, G&W) • All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. (1986, FDS) • Kaettekita Mario Bros. (1988, FDS) • Super Mario All-Stars (1993, SNES) • Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World (1994, SNES) • BS Super Mario USA (1996, SNES) • BS Super Mario Collection (1997, SNES) • Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (1999, GBC) • Super Mario Advance (2001, GBA) • Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (2002, GBA) • Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2003, GBA) • Famicom Mini Series (2004, GBA) • Classic NES Series (2004-2005, GBA) • Super Mario 64 DS (2004, NDS) • Virtual Console (2006-current, Wii/3DS/Wii U) • Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (2010, Wii) • Luigi Bros. (2013, Wii U) • Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (2016, 3DS) • Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2018, NS/3DS) • New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (2019, NS) • Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020, NS) • Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. (2020, G&W) • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021, NS)
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Role-playing games
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Paper Mario series
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Paper Mario (2000, N64) • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004, GCN) • Super Paper Mario (2007, Wii) • Paper Mario: Sticker Star (2012, 3DS) • Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016, Wii U) • Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020, NS)
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Mario & Luigi series
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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003, GBA) • Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (2005, NDS) • Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009, NDS) • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013, 3DS) • Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015, 3DS)
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Other
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Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (1996, SNES)
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Remakes
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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (2017, 3DS) • Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (2018, 3DS)
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Dr. Mario series
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Main
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Dr. Mario (1990, NES) • Dr. Mario 64 (2001, N64) • Dr. Mario Online Rx (2008, WiiWare) • Dr. Mario Express (2008, DSiWare) • Dr. Luigi (2013, Wii U) • Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure (2015, 3DS) • Dr. Mario World (2019, iOS/Android)
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Other
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VS. Dr. Mario (1990, Arcade)
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Remakes
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Tetris & Dr. Mario (1994, SNES) • Nintendo Puzzle Collection (2003, GCN) • Dr. Mario & Puzzle League (2005, GBA)
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Mario Kart series
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Main
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Super Mario Kart (1992, SNES) • Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64) • Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001, GBA) • Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (2003, GCN) • Mario Kart DS (2005, NDS) • Mario Kart Wii (2008, Wii) • Mario Kart 7 (2011, 3DS) • Mario Kart 8 (2014, Wii U) • Mario Kart Tour (2019, iOS/Android)
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Mario Kart Arcade series
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Mario Kart Arcade GP (2005, Arcade) • Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 (2007, Arcade) • Mario Kart Arcade GP DX (2013, Arcade) • Mario Kart Arcade GP VR (2017, Arcade)
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Other
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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (2020, NS)
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Ports
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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017, NS)
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Mario Party series
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Main
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Mario Party (1998, N64) • Mario Party 2 (1999, N64) • Mario Party 3 (2000, N64) • Mario Party 4 (2002, GCN) • Mario Party 5 (2003, GCN) • Mario Party 6 (2004, GCN) • Mario Party 7 (2005, GCN) • Mario Party 8 (2007, Wii) • Mario Party 9 (2012, Wii) • Mario Party 10 (2015, Wii U) • Super Mario Party (2018, NS)
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Arcade
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Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party (2004, Arcade) • Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2 (2005, Arcade) • Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher (2009, Arcade) • Mario Party Kurukuru Carnival (2012, Arcade) • Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher 2 (2013, Arcade) • Mario Party Challenge World (2016, Arcade)
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Other
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Mario Party-e (2003, GBA) • Mario Party Advance (2005, GBA) • Mario Party DS (2007, NDS) • Mario Party: Island Tour (2013, 3DS) • Mario Party: Star Rush (2016, 3DS) • Mario Party: The Top 100 (2017, 3DS)
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Luigi's Mansion series
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Main
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Luigi's Mansion (2001, GCN) • Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (2013, 3DS) • Luigi's Mansion Arcade (2015, Arcade) • Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019, NS)
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Remakes
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Luigi's Mansion (2018, 3DS)
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Sports games
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Mario Baseball series
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Mario Superstar Baseball (2005, GCN) • Mario Super Sluggers (2008, Wii)
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Mario Golf series
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Golf (1984, NES) • Family Computer Golf: Japan Course (1987, FDS) • Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course (1987, FDS) • NES Open Tournament Golf (1991, NES) • Mario Golf (1999, N64) • Mario Golf (1999, GBC) • Mobile Golf (2001, GBC) • Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003, GCN) • Mario Golf: Advance Tour (2004, GBA) • Mario Golf: World Tour (2014, 3DS) • Mario Golf: Super Rush (2021, NS)
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Mario Strikers series
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Super Mario Strikers (2005, GCN) • Mario Strikers Charged (2007, Wii)
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Mario Tennis series
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Mario's Tennis (1995, VB) • Mario Tennis (2000, N64) • Mario Tennis (2000, GBC) • Mario Power Tennis (2004, GCN) • Mario Tennis: Power Tour (2005, GBA) • Mario Tennis Open (2012, 3DS) • Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (2015, Wii U) • Mario Tennis Aces (2018, NS)
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Ports
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New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (2009, Wii)
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Other
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Donkey Kong Hockey (1984, G&W) • NBA Street V3 (2005, GCN) • SSX on Tour (2005, GCN) • Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (2006, NDS) • Mario Sports Mix (2010, Wii) • Mario Sports Superstars (2017, 3DS)
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Crossovers
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Mario & Sonic series
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007, Wii) • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2008, NDS) • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009, Wii) • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009, NDS) • Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2011, Wii) • Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2012, 3DS) • Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (2013, Wii U) • Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016, Wii U) • Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016, 3DS) • Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition (2016, Arcade) • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019, NS) • Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020, Arcade)
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Super Smash Bros. series
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Super Smash Bros. (1999, N64) • Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, GCN) • Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, Wii) • Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014, 3DS) • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (2014, Wii U) • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018, NS)
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Other
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Itadaki Street DS (2007, NDS) • Fortune Street (2011, Wii) • Nintendo Land (2012, Wii U) • Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (2015, 3DS) • Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (2017, NS)
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Educational games
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Mario Discovery series
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Mario is Missing! (1993, MS-DOS/SNES/NES) • Mario's Time Machine (1993, MS-DOS/SNES/NES) • Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters (1993, MS-DOS/SNES) • Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers (1994, MS-DOS/SNES) • Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun (1994, MS-DOS/SNES)
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Other
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Mario Teaches Typing (1991, MS-DOS) • Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up (1991, MS-DOS) • Mario Teaches Typing 2 (1996, MS-DOS)
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Ports
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Mario's Early Years! CD-ROM Collection (1995, PC)
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Art utilities
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Super Mario Bros. Print World (1991, MS-DOS) • Mario Paint (1992, SNES) • Super Mario Collection Screen Saver (1997, PC) • Mario no Photopi (1998, N64) • Mario Artist: Paint Studio (1999, N64DD) • Mario Artist: Talent Studio (2000, N64DD) • Mario Artist: Communication Kit (2000, N64DD) • Mario Artist: Polygon Studio (2000, N64DD)
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Miscellaneous
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Mario's Bombs Away (1983, G&W) • Mario the Juggler (1991, G&W) • Yoshi's Safari (1993, SNES) • Undake30 Same Game (1995, SFC) • Mario's Game Gallery (1995, MS-DOS) • Mario's Picross (1995, GB) • Mario's Super Picross (1995, SFC) • Donkey Kong (slot machine) (1996, Arcade) • Picross 2 (1996, GB) • Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle (1997, Satellaview) • Mario's FUNdamentals (1998, Windows) • Picross NP (1999-2000, SFC) • Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land (2003, Arcade) • Mario Pinball Land (2004, GBA) • Yakuman DS (2005, NDS) • Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (2005, GCN)
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