User:Walkazo/Essays

Here's where I shall rant about my views on the Mario series or the Super Mario Wiki itself and/or draft stuff to actually use on the wiki.

Organization

 * Mario (Including Mario Kart, Mario Party, all Mario sports titles, Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi, and everything else with "Mario" in it's title.)
 * Yoshi
 * Wario
 * WarioWare
 * Pyoro
 * Donkey Kong
 * Donkey Konga
 * Diddy Kong Racing
 * Banjo
 * Conker
 * Crossovers:
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3
 * Final Fantasy
 * Dragon Quest
 * Itadaki Street DS
 * Itadaki Street
 * Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
 * Sonic
 * Super Smash Bros (Our Page)
 * The Legend of Zelda
 * Kirby
 * Star Fox
 * Metroid
 * Pikmin
 * Mother (Earthbound)
 * (Golden Sun, Animal Crossing trophies)
 * All else go to Wikipedia

Justification
The links between Mario, Wario (including WarioWare), Donkey Kong (and its affiliates), and Yoshi are constantly being strengthened with Sports, Party and Racing games, whereas Banjo and Conker have been disassociated with the major Mario series since their beginnings in Diddy Kong Racing. This is why I feel series pages are enough coverage of these two for the time being - there's more relevant aspects of the Mario superseries (in relation to Mario and the other "core" series) that need the attention. Perhaps in the future, Banjo and Conker could be given full coverage, but that time is not yet upon us. As for Pyoro, it is still a new series, but (as far as I know), it's branching away from WarioWare too; because of this and the fact that Pyoro is as far removed from the central focus of this Wiki ("Mario" titles) as Banjo and Conker, by that same reasoning, it should only be given general coverage as well.

Now, the reason I include WarioWare under Wario, Donkey Konga and Diddy Kong Racing under Donkey Kong, and all the "Mario" games under Mario is because I feel they are all joined at the hip. The Mario Kart, Party and sports titles all bear "Mario" in their names, and feature Mario above all the other characters, so I consider them Mario titles. The same goes for all the "mainstream" Mario games: Paper Mario is no less of a Mario game than Super Mario Bros., in my opinion. The Wario games can be grouped together by the same rule: Wario Land titles and WarioWare titles both star Wario and have his name in their titles; he is an integral part in both (sub-)series. And while he may wear different clothes in WarioWare, I consider them Wario games as much as I do Wario Land. While I can apply this logic to the relationship between Donkey Kong's starring roles in the Donkey Kong and Donkey Konga titles, Diddy Kong Racing requires a bit more weaselling. DKR does not have "Donkey Kong" in its title, nor does it feature the big ape; this would be a problem, if that wasn't already a normal occurrence in the main DK titles: Donkey Kong Country 2 also features Diddy over the eponymous DK, and Donkey Kong Country 3 goes a step further and cuts out both stars of the original Donkey Kong Country. Clearly it's not "Donkey" but "Kong" that matters in the DK Country (and DK Land) games, so why should DK Racing be treated any different? - In my defense, it's not speculation, it's interpretation.

Finally, we can just externally link to all the non-Mario series encountered in the crossover titles. I'd even like to see less Super Smash Bros. coverage here, and leave everything that doesn't deal specifically with Mario to our NIWA associate, SmashWiki. This will give us more room to talk about our own series, and we won't be competing with them for readers and writers anymore.

And that's my two-cents on the whole thing.

Categorizing Merged Levels
If all the levels were merged into their parent world pages, it would cut down on stubs, red links, navigation time, template space and organizational hassles when it comes to the many forms of "Level 1-1" and its ilk. The only thing it would cut back on that isn't so great are categories. For example, if single level in a world is underwater while the rest is a forest, an impasse is reached: the level must be acknowledged on a navigational level as an underwater area, but the entire world cannot be categorized as such. The solution: adding the links to the individual sections to the "summary" of the category page itself. I don't think this has ever been done before, and new things are very scary, but hear me out: with a little work, this could be a very good thing instead.

Firstly, not all categories are gonna get tripped up by a merge. The categories that apply to individual games or series will still work: they'll merely go on the world pages instead of on each level page (and complaining that the world itself isn't a level is sorta splitting hairs at this point - all the info in the page is about the levels, after-all).

On the other and, some categories will be rendered completely unfeasible: fir example, if all the Ghost Houses are part of the Super Mario World world pages, there hardly needs to be a category for them. However this isn't a problem in this case, since the Ghost House page itself sports a directory of Ghost House locations - the category is hardly needed when all the pages are already linked to in one place.

And between the two extremes we have the categories that will need to be rewritten to include the introductory list. Merely using the links will probably mess us some of the fancier aspects of how the Wiki works (like DPL and other things I don't even try to understand), but at a basic level, it'll ensure that the readers still get all the applicable links when they search using a category. It could even make navigation easier: right now, all the levels from all the various games are mixed together, often with worlds and miscellaneous areas thrown in as well; a list gives us the option to organize the raw data. We could subdivide the lists into the parent games, sparing people the task of having to comb through all the pages if they're looking for things like the subterranean areas of Yoshi's Island DS, for example. Some games will even allow for the levels to be clustered together into their worlds in the lists. Take the Subterranean Areas of Super Mario World for example (with all the unmade section-links left as raw coding; also, the ";" header coder doesn't work in quoteblocks):

;Super Mario World
 * Donut Plains 2 and Donut Secret.
 * All basic levels of Vanilla Dome, including Vanilla Ghost House and Lemmy's Castle, as well as Vanilla Secrets 1 and 3, and the Red Switch Palace.
 * Chocolate Island 4 and Chocolate Secret.
 * All the levels in the Valley of Bowser, including Larry's Castle and Bowser's Castle, and the Valley Ghost House.

Which would look like:

Super Mario World
 * and.
 * All basic levels of Vanilla Dome, including and, as well as Vanilla Secrets  and , and the Red Switch Palace.
 * and.
 * All the levels in the Valley of Bowser, including and Bowser's Castle, and the.

It could even be simpler: when an entire world fits the category, linking to the individual sections seems redundant. However, when only a couple levels in the world fit the bill, they should both get their own section-links, since linking to the page as a whole would be wrong. With these changes, it would be written like this:

;Super Mario World
 * Donut Plains 2 and Donut Secret.
 * All basic levels of Vanilla Dome, including Vanilla Ghost House and Lemmy's Castle, as well as Vanilla Secrets 1 and 3, and the Red Switch Palace.
 * Chocolate Island 4 and Chocolate Secret.
 * All the levels in the Valley of Bowser, including Larry's Castle and Bowser's Castles, and the Valley Ghost House]].

And look like this:

Super Mario World
 * Donut Plains 2 and Donut Secret.
 * All basic levels of Vanilla Dome, including Vanilla Ghost House and Lemmy's Castle, as well as Vanilla Secrets 1 and 3, and the Red Switch Palace.
 * Chocolate Island 4 and Chocolate Secret.
 * All the levels in the Valley of Bowser, including Larry's Castle and Bowser's Castles, and the Valley Ghost House]].

Both versions make it much easier to see what levels are from SMW if you didn't know to look for "Donut Plains" and whatnot. Proving additional tidbits of info, like how the Red Switch Palace is underground because it's in Vanilla Dome is also a plus - though the reader would have learned this the moment they clicked on any of the related links. While games like Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - and its evenly distributed subterranean levels - couldn't be grouped like this (it'd have to be traditional one-by-one lists), seeing the different organizational methods would be another bonus heads-up to the nature of the games. It may not be a direct goal of this innovation, but it's certainly not a detractor.

Also, while I've organized my example by sequential order, the actual lists should be alphabetical (by world, if they're like SMW) - to match the category entries below. This is a given for the one-by-one lists, but as you can see in my example, the "compound" lists lend themselves to the sequential order quite nicely. I organized my example like that to make sure I got all the levels (I haven't played SMW in a while), and I was too lazy to change it back; also, I personally prefer it this way, though I know it would look too inconsistent to actually employ.

Koopa Taxonomy
There are many kinds of Koopa: some are like Koopa Troopas, some are like Bowser, some are like Lakitu, some are like Hammer Bros., and if I had my way, Buzzy Beetles and Clubbas would be Koopas too. Are these different species? Are Red Magikoopas and Yellow Magikoopas different species, or do they just wear different clothes? And what are sub-species? Koopatrols? KP Koopas? What's the relationship between Dark Koopas in Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Dark Koopas in Super Paper Mario? What is Bowser? And what the heck is a Koopa anyway? Since Nintendo didn't give us any sort of Koopa taxonomy, evolutionary chart, fossil record or family tree, it's totally up to us to answer those questions.

This is not impossible: mother nature didn't share her blueprints either, and yet we still know that spiders and crabs are cousins, and that tapeworms and earthworms aren't. We can't tell if Koopas evolved from turtles or dinosaurs, but we can tell that Bowser is not a Koopa Troopa based on the fact that they look nothing alike, besides their shells and overall skin colour. It's just like how tapeworms and earthworms look nothing alike beyond the fact that they're long and limbless and don't make for pleasant dinner conversations. By analyzing the facts, we can make reasonable deductions, enabling us to organize these enemy pages logically with minimal speculation involved, if we do it right. For example, we can associate Fire Bros. and Boomerang Bros. in because they are nearly identical except for colouration and some physical capabilities (fire or boomerang), just as we can say Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Kinglets are closely related based on the fact that their body makeup is virtually the same, but their facial feathers and songs are different. But unlike the cute little birdies, we can't speculate on how the Fire and Boomerang Bros. are related: we can't assign them genera or place them in phylogenetic trees, but I think we can say they're different species. True, Nintendo never said they are, but, I mean, one breathes fire and one doesn't: any biologist will tell you that's enough to separate them.

Unfortunately, the "species" vs. "sub-species" debate is where things get really sticky; if you bring race into it too, all the stickier. It's easier just to say they're different "types" of a larger "group" of Koopas which are "related" to one-another, but our nature is to stick "species" in there as well - since it sounds more professional, and more importantly, way more posh. We can justify "species" when there's no doubt to the biology (if it quacks like a duck, it's a duck; if it's pitch black and throws hammers, it's a Dark Hammer Bro.), but when you have really similar enemies, the arguments start to waver. A no-brainer example: KP Koopas are basic Koopa Troopas who merely dyed their shells a different colour; they're "different", but not different species or even a different race or sub-species, just like how punk rockers who dyed their hair blue are still humans - very cool humans. A more difficult example: Dark Koopas in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Paper Mario are more Koopa Troopas of a different colour, but they also have unique skills and live in a specific habitat, so are they a sub-species, or a race, or what? In cases like these, to label them is to make an assumption out of uncertainty, which we have to avoid as much we can: no more of this "sub-species" nonsense - therein lies the face of speculation.

Now, the reason for this spiel (aside from my love of taxonomy) is the confusion over "Koopa" vs. "Koopa Troopa", and what to do with their respective articles. As I said before, to the best of my understanding, the "Koopa Troopa" is a specific species (with many similar species and races attached to it, though the actual relationships between the organisms are ambiguous), and "Koopa" is a general term for all the vaguely turtle/dragonish creatures (I'd call it an Order, but that would be speculation to the max). Therefore, I believe it is a very good thing to have separate Koopa and Koopa Troopa pages: one for the species, one for all the shelled enemies. Currently, Koopa is just a partial list of all the major species and some of the minor species, and that should be changed: it should be an annotated list of all the species. Note the "annotated" part: that's what will set the page apart from a mere category or a list in Koopa (disambiguation): it will give context to the Koopas, allowing us to present them in an organized and logical manner, and as long as we watch ourselves, it can be one that is virtually free of speculation. An example of what the Lakitu section could look like is at the end of this essay.

Of course, some level of speculation is unavoidable. Like tapeworms and earthworms, things like Sumo Bro. and Hammer 'Bro. may not be related at all, but if names are good enough reasons to cram everything else on the Wiki together (A Pirate Goomba is a Goomba? Who knew!), why not here too? No matter what we do, we will have to make some assumptions, but none wil be as large and misguided as saying "Koopa" = "Koopa Troopa" = all Koopas and merging the pages. Bowser is not a Koopa Troopa: any biologist could tell you that even if they never played a videogame in their life (like my Animal Diversity teacher: instead, he spends all his free time studying tapeworms). Therefore, we can't write about Bowser's species in Koopa Troopa, and if we merge Koopa, we lose the only logical place to put it - we'd have to make a nameless stub about them, which would be against various Super Mario Wiki policies. For this specific reason, and for the organizational benefits I stated above, in the name of taxonomy and in the spirit of organization, I say we leave the pages separate.

Lakitu
Lakitus are bespectacled Koopas who ride clouds through the skies, and which can occasionally be found snorkeling in water and hiding in walls or pipes. Unlike most Koopa species, they do not have snouts or beaks, but flat faces; their shells are also unique in their circular patterning. To attack, Lakitus typically throw unlimited numbers of Spiny Eggs at their opponents, and some will also dangle 1-Up Mushrooms from fishing poles to lure their targets closer.


 * Lakitus
 * Aqua Lakitu - A race of Lakitu that lives underwater with the aid of scuba gear, coming to the surface to breathe and throw Spiny Eggs.
 * Calm Lakitu - Lakitus that inhabit Vibe Island, where they are associated with the Calm Vibe, incarnating the power by sleeping most of the time.
 * Dark Lakitu - Lakitus that are darker in colour with red shells and that throw Sky-Blue Spinies.
 * Fishin' Lakitu - Lakitus that use Fishing Rods baited with a 1-Up Mushroom to lure enemies near their clouds. Once the bait is taken the rod is withdrawn and Spinies are thrown. The Fishing Rod can also be used to hook enemies, support various objects, or to simply fish.
 * Lakipea - The Beanish Lakitus. Lakipea have a leaf-like appendage growing from their head, inhabit vine-covered clouds, and throw the Beanish variation of Spiny, Sharpea.
 * Lakitufo - Red-shelled Lakitus bioengineered by the Shroobs to possess strange extraterrestrial features, including antennae in place of hair. They ride UFOs instead of clouds and beam down Spiny Shroopas in lieu of Spinies. They can also jump off their UFOs and assault their enemies themselves with a screw attack.
 * Pipe Lakitu - Lakitus that hide in Warp Pipes to ambush enemies (still attacking with Spiny Eggs).
 * Roketon - A species of Lakitu that flies in airplanes through the skies of Sarasaland. Instead of throwing Spinies, Roketons fire large amounts of Giras from their aircraft to attack their enemies.
 * Thunder Lakitu - This species of Lakitu has a red shell (like Dark Lakitus) and tanned skin. Instead of throwing Spinies it shoots fire generated by a device in its cloud that harnesses the energy from the sun.
 * Wall Lakitu - Lakitus that hide behind hills and other objects in order to throw Spiny Eggs in surprise-attacks.

Timeline
Every Mario game, show, movie and publication in chronological order (things without specific dates go before everything else released in that month/year). Non-game titles are bold. Issues in serialized publications and the set-of-three anime are marked with dashes. Remakes and notable ports are in brackets, although most ports/re-releases aren't listed. All that is to help with organization / comprehension. Non-English names usually have translations (just for fun), and I also have the NA names in parentheses for the things we use the PAL titles for (because my memory is bad).


 * 1) Donkey Kong - July, 1981
 * 2) Donkey Kong Jr. -  1982
 * 3) (Donkey Kong (Game & Watch game)) - June 3, 1982
 * 4) (Donkey Kong Jr. (G&W game)) - October 26, 1982
 * 5) Greenhouse - Dec. 6, 1982
 * 6) Mario Bros. - 1983
 * 7) Donkey Kong II - March 7, 1983
 * 8) Mario Bros. (G&W game) - March 14, 1983
 * 9) Donkey Kong 3 - 1983
 * 10) Mario's Cement Factory - June 16, 1983
 * 11) 'The Saturday Supercade'' - Sept. 17, 1983 (ends Sept. 8, 1984)
 * 12) Mario's Bombs Away - Nov. 10, 1983
 * 13) Donkey Kong Jr. Math - Dec. 12, 1983
 * 14) Pinball - Feb. 2, 1984
 * 15) Golf - May 1, 1984
 * 16) (Mario Bros. Special) - 1984
 * 17) Punch Ball Mario Bros. - 1984
 * 18) (Donkey Kong 3 (G&W game)) - August 20, 1984
 * 19) Donkey Kong Circus - Sept. 6, 1984
 * 20) Donkey Kong Hockey - Nov. 13, 1984
 * 21) Wrecking Crew - June 18, 1985
 * 22) (Vs. Wrecking Crew) - 1985
 * 23) Super Mario Bros. - Sept. 13, 1985
 * 24) (Super Mario Bros. Special) - 1986
 * 25) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - June 3, 1986
 * 26) 'Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! (The Great Mission to Save Princess Peach!'') - July 20, 1986
 * 27) (Vs. Super Mario Bros.) - 1986
 * 28) (All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.) - 1986
 * 29) I Am a Teacher: Super Mario Sweater - Aug. 27, 1986
 * 30) Super Mario Bros. (Game & Watch) - Aug. 19, 1987
 * 31) Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race - Oct. 30, 1987
 * 32) Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally - April 14, 1988
 * 33) Super Mario Bros. 2 - Sept. 1, 1988
 * 34) Super Mario Bros. 3 - Oct. 23, 1988
 * 35) Kaette Kita Mario Bros. - Nov. 30, 1988
 * 36) 'Captain N: The Game Master'' - 1989 (ends 1991)
 * 37) Super Mario Land - April 21, 1989
 * 38) Alleyway - April 21, 1989
 * 39) 'Super Mario Bros.: Trapped in the Perilous Pit'' - July 1989
 * 40) ' Super Mario'' anime - Aug. 3, 1989
 * 41) - 'Super Mario Momotarō'' - Aug. 3, 1989
 * 42) - 'Super Mario Issun-bōshi'' - Aug. 3, 1989
 * 43) - 'Super Mario Shirayuki-hime (Snow White'') - Aug. 3, 1989
 * 44) 'The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' - Sept. 4, 1989 (ends Dec. 1989)
 * 45) 'Mario Ice Capades'' - Dec. 7, 1989
 * 46) 'King Koopa's Kool Kartoons'' - holiday season 1989/1990
 * 47) 'Super Mario Bros. 3: Happy Birthday, Princess Toadstool!'' - 1990
 * 48) 'Super Mario Bros. 3: The Secret Bridge'' - 1990
 * 49) Dr. Mario - July 27, 1990
 * 50) 'Club Mario'' - summer of 1990
 * 51) Super Mario World - Nov. 21, 1990
 * 52) 'The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' - Sept. 8, 1990 (ends Dec.1, 1990)
 * 53) 'The Super Mario Challenge'' - 1990-1991
 * 54) '''Nintendo Comics System - 1990-1991
 * 55) Mario Roulette - 1991
 * 56) Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up - 1991
 * 57) 'Nintendo Adventure Books'' – June 1991 (ends ???)
 * 58) 'Club Nintendo'' - Aug. 1991 (ends Aug. 1998)
 * 59) - Mario will hoch hinaus (Mario is Aiming High) (CN) - Aug. 1991
 * 60) - Wart steht unter Strom (Wart is Tensed Up) (CN) - Oct. 1991
 * 61) - 'Süße Weihnachten (Sweet Christmas'') (CN) - Dec. 1991
 * 62) 'The Super Mario World'' TV series -Sept. 14, 1991 (ends Dec. 7, 1991)
 * 63) NES Open Tournament Golf - Sept. 20, 1991
 * 64) Mario the Juggler - Oct. 14, 1991
 * 65) Mario Teaches Typing - Nov. 13, 1991
 * 66) Yoshi - Dec. 4, 1991
 * 67) Mario is Missing - 1992
 * 68) 'Super Mario Adventures'' - 1992
 * 69) - 'Marios Rückkehr (Mario's Comeback) (direct sequel of Mario will hoch hinaus''; CN) - Jan. 1992
 * 70) - 'Ostern im Schwammerlland (Easter in the Mushroom Kingdom'') (CN) - April 1992
 * 71) - 'Super Mario: Die unheimliche Begegnung der Yoshi-Art (Super Mario: The Close Encounters of the Yoshi Kind) (direct sequel of Ostern im Schwammerlland''; CN) - June 1992
 * 72) Mario Paint - July 14, 1992
 * 73) Super Mario Kart - Aug. 27, 1992
 * 74) - 'Super Mario: Im Rausch der Geschwindigkeit (Super Mario: In the Flush of Speed'') - Aug. 1992
 * 75) Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - Oct. 21, 1992
 * 76) - 'Super Mario Klemp-Won-Do: Muskeln sind nicht alles! (Super Mario Plumb-Won-Do: Muscles are not everything!'') (CN) - Oct. 1992
 * 77) Yoshi's Cookie - Nov. 21, 1992
 * 78) - 'Super Mario: Die Bescherung (Super Mario: The Giving out of the Christmas Presents'') (CN) - Dec. 1992
 * 79) 'Captain N & The Video Game Masters'' - 1992-1993
 * 80) Mario Unkurukai - 1993
 * 81) 'Mario vs. Wario'' - Jan. 1993
 * 82) - 'Super Mario: Die Verwandlung (Super Mario: The Transformation'') (CN) - Jan. 1993
 * 83) - 'Super Mario: Coole Klänge (Super Mario: Cool Sounds'') (CN) - April 1993
 * 84) 'The Super Mario Bros.'' film - May 28, 1993
 * 85) - 'Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland (Super Mario: Mario in Wonderland'') (CN) - June 1993
 * 86) ''Super Mario All-Stars - July 14, 1993
 * 87) Yoshi's Safari - July 14, 1993
 * 88) Mario & Wario - Aug. 27, 1993
 * 89) - 'Super Mario: Erholung? Nein, danke! (Super Mario: Recreation? No, Thanks! '') (CN) – Aug. 1993
 * 90) 'Mario vs Wario: The Birthday Bash'' - Jan. 1994
 * 91) - 'Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit (Super Mario: Lost In Time'') (CN) - Oct. 1993 (ends April 1994)
 * 92) Mario's Time Machine - Dec. 1993
 * 93) Yoshi no Cookie: Kuruppon Oven de Cookie - 1994
 * 94) Mario All Stars - 1994
 * 95) Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land - Jan. 21, 1994
 * 96) Wario's Woods - Feb. 19, 1994
 * 97) Donkey Kong (Game Boy game) - June 14, 1994
 * 98) Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! - Aug. 10, 1994
 * 99) Mario's Early Years! Fun with Numbers - Sept. 1994
 * 100) Mario's Early Years! Fun with Letters - Oct. 1994
 * 101) Mario's Early Years! Preschool Fun - Nov. 1994
 * 102) Donkey Kong Country - Nov. 24, 1994
 * 103) Hotel Mario - Dec. 31, 1994
 * 104) 'Mario Kirby Meisaku Video'' - 1995
 * 105) - 'The Donkey Kong Country'' Club Nintendo comic - Jan. 1995
 * 106) Undake30 Same Game - Jan. 16, 1995
 * 107) Mario's Picross - March 14, 1995
 * 108) Donkey Kong Land - June 1995
 * 109) Mario's Tennis - July 21, 1995
 * 110) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - Aug. 15, 1995
 * 111) - 'The Mario's Picross'' Club Nintendo comic - Aug. 1995
 * 112) Mario's Super Picross - Sept. 14, 1995
 * 113) Mario Clash - Sept. 28, 1995
 * 114) Satella-Q - Oct. 7, 1995 (ends April 3, 1999)
 * 115) Virtual Boy Wario Land - Nov. 1995
 * 116) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest - Nov. 20, 1995
 * 117) - 'Warios Weihnachtsmärchen (Wario's Christmas Tale'') (CN) - Dec. 1995
 * 118) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - March 6, 1996
 * 119) - 'Mario in Mariozilla'' (CN) - June, 1996
 * 120) Super Mario 64 - June 23, 1996
 * 121) Tetris Attack - Aug. 1996
 * 122) Donkey Kong Land 2 - Sept. 1996
 * 123) 'Donkey Kong Country'' TV show - Sept. 4, 1996 (ends July 7, 2000 in US)
 * 124) - 'Super Mario in Die Nacht des Grauens (Super Mario in the Night of Horror'') (CN) - 1996 October (second half in Oct. 1997)
 * 125) Picross 2 - Oct. 19, 1996
 * 126) Mario Teaches Typing 2 - Oct. 31, 1996
 * 127) Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble - Nov. 19, 1996
 * 128) - 'Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24'' (CN) - Dec. 1996
 * 129) Mario Kart 64 - Dec. 14, 1996
 * 130) - '(Super Mario: Die Blume meines Herzens (Super Mario: The Flower of my Heart) (reprint of Super Mario: Coole Klänge'' with different texts; CN)) - Jan. 1997
 * 131) Game & Watch Gallery - Feb. 1, 1997
 * 132) Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium - March 11, 1996
 * 133) - 'Die Jagd nach dem Nintendo 64: Krawall im All (The Race for the Nintendo 64: Ruckus in Outer Space'') (CN) - April 1997
 * 134) Game & Watch Gallery 2 - Sept. 27, 1996
 * 135) Donkey Kong Land III - Oct. 1997
 * 136) - 'Blast Corps in Yoshis Knallkekse (Blast Corps in Yoshi's Bang Cookies'') (CN) - Oct. 1997
 * 137) Diddy Kong Racing - Nov. 21, 1997
 * 138) Yoshi's Story - Dec. 21, 1997
 * 139) Wrecking Crew '98 - Jan 1, 1998
 * 140) Mario's FUNdamentals - March 3, 1998
 * 141) Wario Land II - March 28, 1998
 * 142) - 'Sag niemals Holerö! (Never Say Holerö!'') (CN) - April, 1998
 * 143) - 'Rummelplatzquatsch (Fairground Nonsense'') (CN) - June, 1998
 * 144) - 'Super Mario in Aloha Hawaii'' (CN) - Aug. 1998
 * 145) Mario no Photopi - Dec. 2, 1998
 * 146) Mario Party - Dec. 18, 1998
 * 147) 'N-Gang'' - 1999-2000
 * 148) Super Smash Bros. - Jan. 21, 1999
 * 149) (Super Mario Bros. Deluxe) - May, 1999
 * 150) Mario Golf (Nintendo 64 game) - June 11, 1999
 * 151) Game & Watch Gallery 3 - Aug. 4, 1999
 * 152) Mario Golf (Game Boy Color game) - Aug. 10, 1999
 * 153) Donkey Kong 64 - Nov. 6, 1999
 * 154) Mario Artist: Paint Studio - Dec. 1, 1999
 * 155) Mario Party 2 - Dec. 17, 1999
 * 156) 'Bumm-Badabumm im Urwald (Boom-Badaboom in the Jungle'') - 2000
 * 157) Mario Artist: Talent Studio - Feb. 23, 2000
 * 158) Wario Land 3 - March 21, 2000
 * 159) Mario Artist: Communication Kit - June 29, 2000
 * 160) Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64 game) - July 21, 2000
 * 161) Paper Mario - Aug. 11, 2000
 * 162) Mario Artist: Polygon Studio - Aug. 29, 2000
 * 163) Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color game) - Nov. 1, 2000
 * 164) 'Donkey Kong in When the Banana Splits'' - winter 2000
 * 165) Mario Party 3 - Dec. 7, 2000
 * 166) (Super Mario Advance) - March 21, 2001
 * 167) Dr. Mario 64 - April 9, 2001
 * 168) Mobile Golf - May 11, 2001
 * 169) ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit - July 21, 2001
 * 170) Wario Land 4 - Aug. 21, 2001
 * 171) Mario Family - Sept. 10, 2001
 * 172) Luigi's Mansion - Sept. 14, 2001
 * 173) Super Smash Bros. Melee - Nov. 21, 2001
 * 174) 'Game Boy'' book series) - 2001-2002
 * 175) - 'Super Mario Advance'' (GB book) - Sept. 2001
 * 176) (Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2) - Dec. 2001
 * 177) - 'Wario Land 4'' (GB book) - 2002
 * 178) Super Mario Sunshine - July 19, 2002
 * 179) (Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3) - Sept. 20, 2002
 * 180) Mario Party 4 - Oct. 21, 2002
 * 181) Game & Watch Gallery Advance (aka Game & Watch Gallery 4) - Oct. 28, 2002
 * 182) (Mario Bros.-e) - Nov. 11, 2002
 * 183) Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land - 2003
 * 184) (Nintendo Puzzle Collection) - Feb. 7, 2003
 * 185) Mario Party-e - Feb. 18, 2003
 * 186) WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania (aka WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!) - March 21, 2003
 * 187) Wario World - June 20, 2003
 * 188) (Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3) - July 11, 2003
 * 189) Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - July 18, 2003
 * 190) WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! - Oct. 17, 2003
 * 191) Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - Nov. 7, 2003
 * 192) Mario Party 5 - Nov. 10, 2003
 * 193) Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - Nov. 17, 2003
 * 194) Donkey Konga - Dec. 12, 2003
 * 195) 'How to Draw Nintendo Heroes And Villains'' - March, 2004
 * 196) Mario Golf: Advance Tour - April 22, 2004
 * 197) Mario vs. Donkey Kong - May 24, 2004
 * 198) Donkey Konga 2 - July 1, 2004
 * 199) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - July 22, 2004
 * 200) Mario Pinball Land - Aug. 26, 2004
 * 201) Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party - Sept. 2004
 * 202) WarioWare: Twisted! - Oct. 14, 2004
 * 203) Mario Power Tennis (GameCube game) - Oct. 28, 2004
 * 204) Mario Party 6 - Nov. 18, 2004
 * 205) (Super Mario 64 DS) - Nov. 21, 2004
 * 206) WarioWare: Touched! - Dec. 2, 2004
 * 207) Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (aka Yoshi Topsy-Turvy) - Dec. 9, 2004
 * 208) Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - Dec. 16, 2004
 * 209) Donkey Kong: Jungle Fever - 2005
 * 210) Mario Party Advance - Jan. 13, 2005
 * 211) Yoshi Touch & Go - Jan. 27, 2005
 * 212) DK: King of Swing - Feb. 4, 2005
 * 213) NBA Street V3 - Feb. 8, 2005
 * 214) Donkey Konga 3: Tabe-houdai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku (All-You-Can-Eat! Springtime Freshly Picked 50 Tunes) - March 17, 2005
 * 215) Yakuman DS - March 31, 2005
 * 216) Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix - July 14, 2005
 * 217) Mario Superstar Baseball - July 21, 2005
 * 218) Mario Power Tennis (GBA game; aka Mario Tennis: Power Tour) - Sept. 13, 2005
 * 219) Mario Kart Arcade GP - Oct. 2005
 * 220) Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2 - Oct. 2005
 * 221) Super Princess Peach - Oct. 20, 2005
 * 222) Mario Party 7 - Nov. 7, 2005
 * 223) Mario Kart DS - Nov. 14, 2005
 * 224) Mario Smash Football (aka Super Mario Strikers) - Nov. 18, 2005
 * 225) Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - Nov. 28, 2005
 * 226) 'Mario and the Incredible Rescue'' - Jan. 2006
 * 227) Tetris DS - March 20, 2006
 * 228) New Super Mario Bros. - May 15, 2006
 * 229) Mario Hoops 3 on 3 - July 27, 2006
 * 230) Game & Watch Collection - July 28, 2006
 * 231) Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis - Sept. 25, 2006
 * 232) Yoshi's Island DS - Nov. 13, 2006
 * 233) Donkey Kong: Banana Kingdom - Nov. 16, 2006
 * 234) WarioWare: Smooth Moves - Dec. 2, 2006
 * 235) 'How to Draw Nintendo Greatest Heroes & Villains'' - Jan. 2007
 * 236) Wario: Master of Disguise - Jan. 18, 2007
 * 237) 'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'' - Jan. 22, 2007
 * 238) Diddy Kong Racing DS - Feb. 5, 2007
 * 239) Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 - March, 2007
 * 240) Super Paper Mario - April 9, 2007
 * 241) Mario Strikers Charged Football (aka Mario Strikers Charged) - May 25, 2007
 * 242) Mario Party 8 - May 29, 2007
 * 243) Itadaki Street DS - June 21, 2007
 * 244) Donkey Kong Barrel Blast - June 28, 2007
 * 245) DK: Jungle Climber - Aug. 9, 2007
 * 246) Super Mario Galaxy - Nov. 1, 2007
 * 247) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - Nov. 6, 2007
 * 248) - 'Ore Dayo! Wario Dayo!!'' volume one - Dec. 30, 2007
 * 249) Mario Party DS - Nov. 8, 2007
 * 250) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Jan. 31, 2008
 * 251) Dr. Mario & Germ Buster - March 25, 2008
 * 252) Mario Kart Wii - April 10, 2008
 * 253) - 'Ore Dayo! Wario Dayo!!'' volume two - June 2, 2008
 * 254) Mario Super Sluggers - June 19, 2008
 * 255) Wario Land: Shake It! - July 24, 2008
 * 256) Captain Rainbow - Aug. 28, 2008
 * 257) Dr. Mario Express - Dec. 24, 2008
 * 258) WarioWare: Snapped! - Dec. 24, 2008
 * 259) Pyoro - Dec. 24, 2008
 * 260) Paper Plane - Dec. 24, 2008
 * 261) Art Style: PiCTOBiTS - Jan. 28, 2009
 * 262) Mario Party Fushigi no Korokoro Catcher - Feb. 2009
 * 263) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - Feb. 11, 2009
 * 264) Mario Calculator - Feb. 25, 2009
 * 265) Mario Clock - April 1, 2009
 * 266) WarioWare: D.I.Y. - April 29, 2009
 * 267) WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase - April 29, 2009
 * 268) Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! - June 8, 2009
 * 269) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - Oct. 13, 2009
 * 270) New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Nov. 12, 2009
 * 271) - 'Ore Dayo! Wario Dayo!!'' volume three - July 28, 2010
 * 272) Super Mario Galaxy 2 - May 23, 2010
 * 273) (Super Mario All-Stars - 25th Anniversary Edition (aka Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition)) - Oct. 21, 2010
 * 274) Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! - Nov. 14, 2010
 * 275) Donkey Kong Country Returns - Nov. 21, 2010
 * 276) Mario Sports Mix - Nov. 25, 2010
 * Paper Mario 3D - TBA
 * Mario Kart 3D - TBA
 * Super Mario 3D - TBA