Super Mario Bros. Special
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 For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
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Developer
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Hudson Soft
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Publisher
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Hudson Soft (Japan) Caroline Software (South Korea)[citation needed]
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Platforms
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PC-8801 X1 Samsung SPC-1500[1]
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Release date
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1986
c. 1987[1]
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Genre
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Platformer
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Mode(s)
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Single player
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Media
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5.25-inch floppy, Tape
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Super Mario Bros. Special (スーパーマリオブラザーズ スペシャル) was developed by Hudson Soft and released in 1986 for the PC-8801 and X1 series of Japanese computers, and later for the Samsung SPC-1500[1] in South Korea. Super Mario Bros. Special was the second Nintendo-licensed follow-up to Super Mario Bros., released around two months after Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.[2] Two years prior, Hudson Soft had released Punch Ball Mario Bros. and Mario Bros. Special, which were both based on the original Mario Bros.
While superficially very similar to the original Super Mario Bros., the game features original new levels and has a screen-by-screen scrolling mechanism. The latter is implemented more smoothly in the X1 version, which features Zelda-style scrolling, where the screen visually slides to the next lock point (with some overlap between screens), whereas the PC-8801 version simply turns black for a moment while loading the next screen.
Jumping and dashing physics also differ from the original NES, providing a more challenging experience than Super Mario Bros. Adding difficulty is the fact that the stage time is slightly faster than in the original NES game. Mario's Hammer from Donkey Kong makes a re-appearance as a rare item, alongside a variety of past foes from earlier arcade Mario titles and new exclusive items.
Due to the PC-8801 and X1's technology being inferior to that of the NES/Famicom, the graphics and audio differ slightly from the original game as well, although they are closely replicated. Additionally, the game does not include Luigi nor does it contain a multiplayer mode. The X1 version contains partial scrolling and slightly more colorful graphics, featuring all eight colors possible with 100% and 0% RGB, including lime-green, cyan, magenta and white. While the PC-88 is able to produce eight colors, Super Mario Bros. Special only uses half of the PC-88's hardware palette, restricted to only black, red, yellow, and blue, including dithered results with those four colors. Further, sprites exclude the use of blue to allow transparency in the sprites.
The Warp Zones from the original were changed in such a way that Super Mario Bros. Special has no true Warp Zone. In World 1-2, reaching the area over the pipe instead leads to the single bonus room that could be accessed normally in the stage, but with a pipe that still leads to the overworld, thus to the end of the level. In World 4-2, a room that more resembles a true Warp Zone can be found, however the only pipe it holds does not have any destinations defined, likely due to an oversight by the developers. The pipe can still be entered, but the player will remain stuck there indefinitely, forcing the player to be killed by the timer.
New enemies[edit]
Hudson Soft's staff took these enemies from earlier Mario games, none of which can be stomped, and provided them with new names:
Name
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X1 image
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PC-88 image
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Description
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Chokichoki
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Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball, invincibility, or a bump from below. Found in Worlds 4-2, 5-2, 7-3, 8-1, and 8-3.
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Nakaji
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Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball, hammer, invincibility, or a bump. Found in Worlds 5-1, 5-2, 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3.
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Tsurara
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Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball. Found in Worlds 4-2, 4-4, 5-3, 6-4, 7-4, 8-3, and 8-4.
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Sigebou
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Originally from Donkey Kong. Found in Worlds 7-4 and 8-2.
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Tarusar
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Originally from Donkey Kong. Can be defeated with a hammer or a bump. Found in Worlds 3-4, 4-3, 6-2, 6-4, 7-1, and 8-2.
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Gameplay[edit]
The object of the game is to get to the goal flag to advance to the next level. While on his way to the goal, Mario encounters many enemies and power-ups.
Power-Ups[edit]
Name
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X1 image
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PC-88 image
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Description
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Magic Mushroom
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Grab this to change into Super Mario. 1000 points awarded.
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Fire Flower
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Grab this to change into Fire Mario. 1000 points awarded.
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Hammer
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The hammer power-up from Donkey Kong, which spawns a hammer in front of Mario that rapidly swings. Found in Worlds 3-4 and 5-1. 1000 points awarded.
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Wing
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Collecting this causes Mario to briefly act as if he is swimming in the air. Found in Worlds 3-2 and 4-1. 1000 points awarded.
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Starman
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Makes Mario briefly invincible. 1000 points awarded.
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Name
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X1 image
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PC-88 image
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Description
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1 up Mushroom
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If Mario collects one, he will get an extra life.
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Coin
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Collect 100 Coins for a 1 up.
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Clock
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Upon picking this up, Mario will get an additional 100 seconds added to the timer. Found in World 8-3. 1000 points awarded.
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Hachisuke
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The bee from the Hudson Soft logo. If Mario finds this item, he will be awarded 8000 points. Found in World 1-1.
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Lucky Star
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Resembles an atom. If Mario collects it, all the enemies on-screen will be defeated and award their normal point values as if hit by a Starman (similar to a POW Block except it also affects airborne foes). Found in World 4-1. 1000 points awarded.
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Glitches[edit]
Due to both the PC-88 and X1 technology being inferior compared to the NES/Famicom, some glitches and tricks that were previously not present in the original appear here.
The Blinkfest[edit]
When moving, Mario and some other sprites flicker. Due to the hardware Super Mario Bros. Special is built on, sprites do not have as fluid and smooth of a movement as they did in NES game Super Mario Bros. and X1 version. This "glitch" is more present in the PC-88 version.
Infinite 1-Up trick[edit]
Like in the original Super Mario Bros., jumping continuously on a Koopa Troopa or a Buzzy Beetle when it's about three blocks away from an edge or wall won't make it move, thus allowing the player to remain hopping on the shell and gain infinite 1-Ups. Unlike the original, the trick is much easier to perform due to the game's different collision physics launching the player higher after a stomp, and can be done in virtually any area with both a Koopa Troopa and an edge/wall.
When a sliding Koopa shell is stomped and stops moving, the timer before the Koopa gets back up does not reset, continuing from where it left off when the shell was kicked. Because of this, it is possible for a Koopa to break itself out of the trick, requiring Mario to re-set it up.
The player can accumulate a maximum of 255 lives, with the number of current lives remaining represented in hexadecimal numbers (such as "85" for 133 lives and "DE" for 222 lives). Collecting any more will round the counter back to 0 lives.
Sometimes, hitting the most external part of a Fire-Bar won't deliver any damage, likely because of the game's limits in hardware and registering hitboxes with moving obstacles.
Lagging Fire-Bars[edit]
In World 8-4, in the room with five Fire-Bars, the game will lag, probably due to technical limitations with the number of sprites that can be projected on-screen exceeding the normal limit.
Trap or glitch?[edit]
In World 4-3, there is a beanstalk that leads to a Coin Heaven. When trying to leave, sometimes Mario will be unable to enter the exit pipe. It is assumed to be an overlooked program error, as the entrance back to the main level from this bonus area is present underneath the mushroom stairs leading to the flagpole. A similar error appears in 4-2, where a hidden pipe placed beyond the exit pipe can be entered, but it lacks a destination to take the player, thus causing Mario to be stuck inside the pipe until time runs out.
Compared to the original Super Mario Bros., the jumping board present in World 2-1 is much more difficult to perform a higher jump off of due to poor collision detection, sometimes being stuck in its animation frames when Mario jumps off. Sometimes holding the jump key while landing on the board will guarantee success in jumping off, and in the event that a player would have trouble, the set of invisible blocks placed around the board allows players to bypass it.
Disk error[edit]
Some copies of the PC-88 version of Super Mario Bros. Special (notably ROM dumps that are run on computer emulators) are missing the data necessary to trigger the IPL switch needed to load World 8-4, and thus will load a blank screen reading "DISK ERROR! PLEASE RESTART GAME PUSH IPL SWITCH", after clearing World 8-3.[3] This glitch is very likely not present in an authentic copy of the game.
Stop music[edit]
Due to bad pipe entering detection, if Mario gets too close to a horizontal pipe that can be entered and quickly turn around, the player will hear the pipe entering sound, and the music will stop until Mario actually enters the pipe. The player can do this multiple times in the same room, but all that will happen is that they will hear the pipe entering sound again.
- Main article: List of Super Mario Bros. Special staff
Programmed By[edit]
Course-Designed By[edit]
Sound Effected By[edit]
- Fumihiko-Itagaki
- Megumi-Kawamata
Produced By[edit]
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Bros. Special.
External links[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 Bros. (1983, Arcade) • Mario's Cement Factory (1983, G&W) • Mario Bros. Special (1984, PC88) • Punch Ball Mario Bros. (1984, PC88) • VS. Wrecking Crew (1984, Arcade) • Wrecking Crew (1985, NES) • Super Mario Bros. Special (1986, PC88) • 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) • All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. (1986, FDS) • Super Mario Bros. (1987, G&W) • 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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Mario Party (1998, N64) • Mario Party 2 (1999, N64) • Mario Party 3 (2000, N64) • Mario Party 4 (2002, GCN) • Mario Party-e (2003, GBA) • Mario Party 5 (2003, GCN) • Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party (2004, Arcade) • Mario Party 6 (2004, GCN) • Mario Party Advance (2005, GBA) • Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2 (2005, Arcade) • Mario Party 7 (2005, GCN) • Mario Party 8 (2007, Wii) • Mario Party DS (2007, NDS) • Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher (2009, Arcade) • Mario Party Kurukuru Carnival (2012, Arcade) • Mario Party 9 (2012, Wii) • Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher 2 (2013, Arcade) • Mario Party: Island Tour (2013, 3DS) • Mario Party 10 (2015, Wii U) • Mario Party Challenge World (2016, Arcade) • Mario Party: Star Rush (2016, 3DS) • Mario Party: The Top 100 (2017, 3DS) • Super Mario Party (2018, NS)
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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)
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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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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) • 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 Stadium (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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