Mario is Missing!: Difference between revisions

'''''Mario is Missing!''''' is an [[Genre#Educational|educational]] game created for {{wp|MS-DOS}}, [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], and Mac. The gameplay was widely panned by critics, although its ''[[Super Mario World]]'' music remixes have gained recognition. ''Mario is Missing!'' was released in floppy disk format for MS-DOS in 1992, with the ''CD-ROM Deluxe'' edition and conversions released the following year. A follow-up called ''[[Mario's Time Machine]]'' was eventually produced. This is the first game where [[Luigi]] is the main protagonist with [[Mario]] in a supporting role and the second solo adventure for Luigi (the first being ''[[Luigi's Hammer Toss]]'') until 2001 when ''[[Luigi's Mansion]]'' was released on the [[Nintendo GameCube]].

In his latest scheme, [[Bowser]] decides to flood the [[Earth]] with hairdryers from [[Hafta Havit Mail-Order]] to melt [[Antarctica]]. In order to buy the hairdryers, Bowser has his [[Koopa Troopa|Koopa]]s travel all over the world and steal various important landmarks he plans to sell. [[Mario]], [[Luigi]] and [[Yoshi]] follow Bowser to Antarctica to stop him. However, Mario is captured by Bowser when he continues on his own.

 

 

 

With Mario captured, Luigi finds himself faced with the task of returning all the stolen artifacts and saving both his brother and Earth itself. He bravely enters the castle, leaving Yoshi outside.

[[File:BeachKoopa-Bowser.png|thumb|right|Bowser is de-shelled, as seen in the DOS version of the game.]]

In the DOS version, Luigi takes Bowser's shell (which covers his tail in this depiction) off, causing Bowser to run off screen, embarrassed about his polka-dot boxers. This is the only time Bowser has been seen in his [[Beach Koopa|shell-less]] form. Luigi shakes the shell to retrieve the key to Mario's cell, and then throws the carapace away. Bowser returns wondering where his shell is, with Luigi then lying to him saying he threw the shell off the balcony; then, when Bowser leans over the railing to look for it, Luigi kicks him off and he lands in the snow. Luigi then opens Mario's cell and the two dance around in joy. They then go outside and shake Yoshi's hand, before walking off into the distance together. Bowser then pokes his head out of the snow, looking in their direction with his shell back on.

In the SNES version of the ending, Luigi pulls a lever to reveal Mario behind a wall. Bowser then jumps down from a distant ledge, but Luigi pulls the same lever, causing Bowser to fall down into a [[cannon]]. He is then launched out of the castle and into the snow, where he freezes instantly and then shatters. In the NES version, Luigi and Bowser have a boss battle and "Bowser" turns out to be a normal [[Koopa Troopa|Koopa]] in disguise, who turns the key to Mario's cell, freeing him.

[[File:MiM Larry Floor.png|thumb|right|[[Larry Koopa|Larry]]]]

[[File:MiM Roy Floor.png|thumb|right|[[Roy Koopa|Roy]]]]

[[File:MiM Wendy O Floor.png|thumb|right|[[Wendy O. Koopa|Wendy]]]]

[[File:MiM Iggy Floor.png|thumb|right|[[Iggy Koopa|Iggy]]]]

[[File:MiM Ludwig Von Floor.png|thumb|right|[[Ludwig von Koopa|Ludwig]]]]

[[File:Mario is Missing!.PNG|right|thumb|All countries and cities (yellow ★) that Luigi visits in the three versions of the game]]

{{construction|section=yes|user={{user|Time Turner}}}}

Although ''Mario is Missing!'' is intended to teach its players geographical facts, it contains numerous errors in its teaching material.

*Some information in the game features proper terms that are not well known outside of North America. For example, the pamphlet for the [[Big Ben]] calls its subject "England's Capitol Hill"; as {{wp|Capitol Hill}} is a metonym for the area surrounding the {{wp|United States Capitol}}, this analogy, despite being technically correct, would confuse players who are unfamiliar with the metonymies used in American politics.

*Several cities that share its name with its surrounding country or state do not have "City" in their name; for example, [[New York City]] is simply "New York", {{wp|Guatemala City}} is "Guatemala", and so on.

*Diacritics are also not rendered; {{wp|San José, Costa Rica|San José}} is "San Jose", for example, and {{wp|Medellín}} is "Medellin".

*The ''CD-ROM Deluxe'' version released in 1993 reuses the map of the DOS version in 1992, meaning that it lists several countries that no longer exist, including {{wp|Czechoslovakia}} (which dissolved into the {{wp|Czech Republic}} and {{wp|Slovakia}}) and {{wp|Yugoslavia}} (which dissolved into {{wp|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}, {{wp|Croatia}}, {{wp|North Macedonia}}, {{wp|Montenegro}}, {{wp|Serbia}}, and {{wp|Slovenia}}). It also does not list {{wp|Eritrea}}, which split from {{wp|Ethiopia}}.

*{{wp|Colombia}}'s capital, {{wp|Bogotá}} is misspelled as "Bogata".

*{{wp|French Guiana}} is rendered with a hyphen, as "French-Guiana".

*The second-largest city in {{wp|Bulgaria}}, {{wp|Plovdiv}}, is spelled "Ploudiv".

*{{wp|Western Sahara}} is listed as a country despite the {{wp|Political status of Western Sahara|still-disputed nature of its sovereignty}}.

*{{wp|Kufra}} is listed as a city in {{wp|Libya}} despite being an oasis; its name is even rendered as "Kufra Oasis".

*{{wp|N'Djamena}} is rendered with a space, as "N' Djamena".

*{{wp|El-Obeid}} is rendered without a hyphen, as "El Obeid".

*{{wp|Lesotho}} is rendered as "Sinai Lesotho".

*{{wp|Muttrah}} is not only listed as a city in {{wp|Oman}}, despite being an administrative district, it is also misspelled as "Matrah".

*The capital of {{wp|Kuwait}}, {{wp|Kuwait City}}, is rendered as "Al Kuwait".

*The city of {{wp|Tel Aviv}} in {{wp|Israel}} is rendered as "Tel Aviv-Jaffa".

*The city of {{wp|Ashgabat}} was spelled "Ashkhabad" before 1991; "Ashkhabad" is the name used in-game.

*The city of {{wp|Almaty}} was renamed from "Alma-Ata" after {{wp|Kazakhstan}} gained independence (although "Alma-Ata" is a transliteration of the original Russian name); "Alma-Ata" is also the name used in-game.

*The capital of {{wp|Mongolia}}, {{wp|Ulaanbaatar}}, is spelled "Ulaabaatar"

*The capital of {{wp|North Korea}}, {{wp|Pyongyang}} (alternate spelling P'yŏngyang), is rendered as "P'yong'yang".

*{{wp|Myanmar}} is rendered as "MyAnmar".

*{{wp|Yangon}} in Myanmar was renamed from "Rangoon" in 1989,<ref>"Myanmar Profile - Timeline." ''BBC News'', BBC, 11 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12992883. Retrieved January 21, 2018.</ref> but the game still uses "Rangoon".

*In the SNES version, there are several buildings whose signs read "ΟΔΑΝΤΟΚΡΕNΑ". This seems to be a misspelling of "ΟΔΟΝΤΟΚΡΕΜΑ", which literally means "toothpaste"; if the signs were supposed to read "dentist", this is spelled "ΟΔΟΝΤΙΑΤΡΟΣ".

*A scientist says that Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, when it was actually in 1833.<ref>Hall, Thomas. "Athens." ''Planning Europe's Capital Cities: Aspects of Nineteenth-Century Urban Development'', Routledge, 2003, p. 114. ''Google Books'', books.google.ca/books?id=7wORAgAAQBAJ. Retrieved February 8, 2018.</ref>

*He also says that 3000 years had passed between Athens being founded and becoming Greece's capital. As Athens was founded in 3000 BC,<ref>"Athens History." ''Athensguide.org'', Athens Greece Guide, 2007, www.athensguide.org/athens-history.html.</ref> close to 4,800 years had actually passed between the two dates.

*A scientist says that the [[Caryatid]]s have stood for 2000 years. Considering that they were constructed in 406 BC,<ref>Langmea, Donald, and Christine Garnaut. "Erechtheion." ''Encyclopedia of Architectural and Engineering Feats'', illustrated ed., ABC-CLIO, 2001, pp. 110–111. ''Google Books'', books.google.ca/books?id=T5J6GKvGbmMC. Retrieved February 8, 2018.</ref> they have stood for close to 2,400 years (at the time of the game's release).

*The [[Erechtheion Temple]]'s proper name is just the {{wp|Erechtheion}}, without the word "temple" being a part of it.

*Despite what its DOS sprite depicts, the Erechtheion Temple does not have four extremely large Caryatids looming over it.

*The temple's pamphlet says that the Caryatids are 6 feet and 6 inches tall, when they are actually around 7.48 feet (2.28 meters).<ref>"Caryatid." ''British Museum'', Trustees of the British Museum, 2017, www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=459389&partId=1. Retrieved February 8, 2018.</ref>

*The [[Brass Plaque]] is nonexistent in reality; the inscriptions of [[Hadrian's Arch]] that are supposedly on the plaque are carved directly onto the monument.<ref>Nefasdicere. "J. Matthew Harrington, Personal Digital Image." ''Wikimedia Commons'', Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2007, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arch-of-Hadrian-5.jpg. Retrieved February 7, 2018.</ref>

*The pamphlet for the [[Berlin Wall]] claims that the {{wp|Cold War}} was a conflict between {{wp|East Germany}} and {{wp|West Germany}}, and that the wall was built out of a mutual belief that unification was impossible. In actuality, the Cold War was a period of political and military tension between the [[United States of America]] and the {{wp|Soviet Union}}. Following {{wp|Nazi Germany}}'s defeat in {{wp|World War II}}, the country was partitioned between the two superpowers as parts of their spheres of influence (with America gaining influence over West Germany and the Soviet Union gaining influence over East Germany). The Berlin Wall was then unilaterally built by East Germany specifically to deter residents from defecting to West Berlin.

*The pamphlet describes {{wp|Francisco Franco}} as a "stuffy tyrant", which is a gross understatement: he ruled as a militaristic dictator for more than thirty years, and his policies and actions were responsible for 200,000 to 400,000 deaths in his first nine years in power alone (in an event called the {{wp|White Terror (Spain)|White Terror}}).

*It also says that he died two years before Spain's 1978 constitution was ratified (i.e. in 1976), but he actually died in 1975.<ref>The Local. "On This Day in 1975: Spain's Dictator General Francisco Franco Died." ''thelocal.es'', The Local, 20 Nov. 2015, www.thelocal.es/20151120/on-this-day-spanish-dictator-francisco-franco-dies. Retrieved February 12, 2018.</ref>

*The center is also describes as being a "United Nations headquarters". Although the fourth {{wp|United Nations Conference on Trade and Development}} did take place at the center, this was only for the purposes of the assembly; the building was never used as a headquarters.<ref>Mochorwa, Silvia. "Kenya's Mice Tourism Goes a Notch Higher." ''kicc.co.ke'', 8 Jan. 2016, kicc.co.ke/media/newsDetails/35. Retrieved January 23, 2018.</ref><ref>United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, ''Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development FOURTH SESSION Nairobi'' (5-31 May 1976), unctad.org/en/Docs/td218vol1_en.pdf. Retrieved on January 23, 2018.</ref>

*The pamphlet for the center describes {{wp|Jomo Kenyatta}} solely as a "{{wp|freedom fighter}}". For starters, although he rallied for Kenya to be freed from British rule, he did so through non-violent means and actively opposed others' brutal methods<ref>"Kenyatta, Jomo 1891(?)–1978." Contemporary Black Biography. ''Encyclopedia.com''. 21 Jan. 2018 www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/african-history-biographies/jomo-kenyatta. Retrieved January 23, 2018.</ref> (labelling him as a "freedom fighter" due to his desire for an independent Kenya is a misuse of the term, anyways). Beyond that, he is best known as the first {{wp|List of heads of state of Kenya|Prime Minister and President of Kenya}}, and not as a "freedom fighter".

*A boy mentions that France is the biggest country in Europe after the Soviet Union has broken up, despite that Russia's European portion and Ukraine's land area is larger than France.<ref>[https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-largest-countries-in-europe.html The Largest Countries in Europe] ''World Atlas''. Retrieved April 10, 2019.</ref>

*A business woman mentions obtaining French fries though their origin as a French food has been disputed, with sources citing origins in possibly Belgium or Spain.<ref>Rupp, Rebecca (January 8, 2015) [https://www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2015/01/08/are-french-fries-truly-french/ Are French Fries Truly French?] ''National Geographic''. Retrieved April 10,2019.</ref>

Steve Merrett and Robert Whitfield of ''{{wp|Nintendo Magazine System (Australia)|Nintendo Magazine System}}'' both commend the game for succeeding in being both educational and entertaining, unlike most other educational games.<ref>''Nintendo Magazine System'' (AU) Issue #8, page 28-29.</ref> They also praise the variety of locations to explore and objects to collect, though they criticize that the core gameplay is a bit repetitive and the city graphics are lack-luster. While they acknowledge that ''Mario'' fans and older demographics may not derive much enjoyment from the game, they do recommend the game to those who have an interest in geography or  under the age of eleven.

''{{wp|Electronic Gaming Monthly}}''{{'}}s "Review Crew" gives the game a combined average score of 5.75/10.<ref>Electronic Gaming Monthly #47, page 28.</ref> Steve Harris, Ed Semrad, and Martin Alessi all recommend the game to only young audiences and praise the educational content. However, Alessi criticizes that the game has very little challenging action sections. He points out that even boss fights "offer little to no challenge". Sushi-X, who gives the game the lowest score of 3/10, criticizes that the game plays like a slow ''Mario'' game and that the graphics were not lively enough to keep him interested.

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Luigi's sprite in the PC version started the Internet meme "[[List of Mario references on the Internet#Weegee|Weegee]]", as well as Mario being "Malleo" and Yoshi being called "Yushee".

|Fra=''Mario a disparu !''

|FraM=''Mario has disappeared!''

*Although some ''Mario'' media supply voice acting for the [[Koopalings]], the ''CD-ROM Deluxe'' edition is the first game to have them voiced, as well as the only game to actually supply them with dialogue until the release of ''[[Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam]]''. Later games starting with ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' have the Koopalings voiced, although it is limited to roars and grunts.

 

{{Mario games}}