Mario's 25th Anniversary Tribute Quiz

Answer: Carpenter

You know the story about how Mario was named after Miyamoto's Italian landlord, Mario Segali. It's interesting to know that there are some Italians in Japan. The "Donkey Kong" arcade featured four levels of Donkey Kong (who is presently Cranky Kong) famously throwing barrels, fireballs, and springs to keep Mario from rescuing Pauline.

The third stage appeared many years later as an unlockable stage in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl". "Donkey Kong 64" required that this arcade be defeated within the game not once, but twice.

After the game was beat the second time, Pauline was replaced with the Nintendo Coin,needed for Hideout Helm. Many gamers eleven years ago (myself included) were introduced to the "Donkey Kong" arcade for the very first time through "Donkey Kong 64".

It's perplexing as to why developers of "DK64" made something as challenging as obtaining the Nintendo Coin to beat the main adventure a requirment. Sure, Donkey Kong 64 had more stuff to collect than any other game in history (seriously); the game will go down in history as a collectathon's collectathon.

But otherwise beating the main adventure was incredibly easy: Only 100 of the game's 201 Golden Bananas were necessary for such a task! It is inarguably obvious that they were trying to go easy on the little kids who were playing. The reason for requireing the Nintendo Coin (as well as the Rareware coin) may have been that they thought this: "Hey! There are some big kids playing this! Let's make one measly requirement." Had it not been for the "Donkey Kong" arcade, there would have been no NES, no SNES, no Game Boy, no Nintendo 64, no GameCube, no Wii... no nothing, for Nintendo would have been bankrupt for 30 years.

Answer: five

This happened five (!) times: In "Super Mario Advance", "Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World", "Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island", "Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3", (those were all remakes of the great NES and SNES classics, and four of the GBA's very best), and last but not least, the venerable "Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga".

By the fourth or fifth time the remake port of "Mario Bros." showed up on one of my new GBA "Mario" games, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, "Classic 'Mario Bros.' again?!" If just ONE of those five times the "Mario Bros." arcade had been replaced with a game that is infinitely better, such as the original "Super Mario Bros.", I would not have been so sour.

Answer: "Game & Watch Gallery" for the Game Boy

The Game & Watch is another piece of genius by the late Wario creator Gunpei Yokoi (Well, I wouldn't go that far. His greatest creation was Wario. His next greatest: The Game Boy. His next greatest: The Virtual Boy. That's right! I like the Virtual Boy, especially one of the greatest 2D games ever, "Virtual Boy Wario Land", and "Mario Clash", which was a bajillion times better than that "Mario Bros." arcade game. And you better not have a problem with me liking the Virtual Boy because I'm 6'3", 290 lbs. and you'll be sorry!) The game consists of two firemen catching Mr. Game & Watches falling from a burning building.

The much better remake first appeared in "Game & Watch Gallery", in 1997 for the Game Boy. It is better than the mind-numbingly boring beyond reproach original in everyway possible. First off, this time Mario and Luigi, the dynamic duo, are the ones doing the rescuing.

They don't all fall at the same speed: The Baby Toads are the lightest and most feathery, so they fall the slowest.

The most eminent attention must be granted to the fat Baby Kongs, who plummit to the earth the fastest, and the Baby Yoshi's are in the middle (However, in real life, all objects fall at the same speed regardless of weight, so a Baby Toad and a Baby Kong would fall at the same speed.) The remake (and the shoddy original again as well) appear again in "Game & Watch Galler 3" and "4". However, the game looks the most visually beautiful in "Game & Watch Gallery 4" for the GBA with lovely, crisp, colorful graphics. Nevertheless, the gameplay is precisely the same in all versions.

Answer: World 1-2

Happy 25th anniversary, "Super Mario Bros."! This beloved glitch is found very early in the game. Level 1-2's pipe which leads to the Flagpole is most peculiar. If the second and third blocks from the block closest to the pipe are broken (the one touching the must be left pipe unbroken for reasons completely unknown), Mario should stand at the edge of the pipe, duck, jump up, (while still facing left) and go to the right.

A great phenomenon will now occur if Mario has hit the precise spot: He slides through the wall! He lands into the Warp Zone room, and to the first guy that ever discovered this glitch, I'm sure that's all he thought it was.

However, jumping into the pipe on the far left, or on the far right, (but not in the middle, that will just bring Mario to level 5-1 as per usual, regardless of anything), Mario will be taken to the mysterious "World -1." If Mario moves too far the the right, the "Welcome to Warp Zone" message will be displayed, in which case he can forget any plans of visiting the Minus World.

The Minus World is really the non-existent World 36. It is like an unbeatable World 2-2. Mario will re-start the level every time he gets to the pipe that would normally take him to the Flagpole. Therefore, a Game Over in an inevitability in the Minus World. It is a road of death, but an interesting one at that. The version on the Famicom Disk System is even stranger. It is accessed the same exact way, only it is like World 7-3. The level contains floating Bowsers, floating Princess Peaches, flying Bloopers, odd colors, and the works. I wonder if the Beatles designed this level...

Answer: The whole adventure was just a dream

"Super Mario Bros. 2" is my least favorite of all 2D "Mario" platformers. However, the GBA remake, "Super Mario Advance", is much, much better. I would highly recommend it over the original. The remake has more of a Mario feel, with giant vegetables, hearts, and giant Shy Guys, and giant Ninjis, as well as a whole lot more interesting new stuff. I don't need to talk about how this game was originally a game called "Doki Doki Panic", because you've all heard it a bajillion times before.

The infamous evil masks, Phantos, are killable, but by one way and by one way only: Good old fashioned, time-tested invincibility. To it's credit, "Super Mario Bros. 2" did introduce a lot of interesting, beloved enemies who would go on to appear in future Mario titles, and I will now name off each and every one of them in order of ubiquity: Bob-ombs, Shy Guys, Pokeys, Snifits, Ninjis, Beezos, and Pidgits.

Answer: World 3-3

I got a nautical feeling you don't like Boss Bass. Mario first encounters the fiendish, man-eating Boss Bass in World 3-3. He swims on the water's surface and can eat Mario in one fell swoop, which is highly disconcerting. He seems to have a penchant for eating Cheep-Cheeps (Is this cannibalism? He seems to be a rather large Cheep-Cheep himself!) The only way Mario can come in contact with Boss Bass and not lose a life is if he is invincible (which will briefly defeat him) or if he is a stone statue (thanks to the Tanooki Suit), in which case he will jump right through Mario. Landing on top of Boss Bass as a statue will briefly defeat him as well.

He is a horrifying enemy to deal with even when equipped with firepower. Fireballs or hammers will seemingly kill him, but he will keep coming back over and over again like Michael Meyers! He will not rest and he will not cease until the level has been beaten or Mario is eaten.

A giant fish similar to Boss Bass known as Bubba terrorizes Mario in "Super Mario 64" in Tiny-Huge Island.

However, Bubba cannot be defeated, like nearly all undersea enemies in the game. He can, of course, like Boss Bass, swallow Mario whole irregardless of how much health he has. However, because Mario can movie in 3D under the water with an analog stick, he isn't a fifth the threat of the demoniac Boss Bass.

Answer: In "Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins", carrots turn Mario into the Giga-Carrot.

The carrots in "Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins" do not turn Mario into the Giga-Carrot; they give him rabbit ears which allow him to flutter brief distances(they are even used by Wario in the final boss fight). You might say carrots are the Raccoon Leaves of the game.

The rabbit ears much later appear in the "Super Smash Bros." series, but they come with totally different perks. They endow their wearers with the ability to jump extremely high. The Superball from "Super Mario Land" is perhaps Mario's oddest power-up.

It does not behave like a fireball, instead bouncing all around and ricocheting off walls until it hits an enemy (it will stop if it doesn't hit an enemy after a few seconds, and it will never hurt Mario). Dragon Wario is one of Wario's oldest and most powerful transformations.

The mechanized dragon hat Wario wears can exhale flames from its nostrils for a short time, even under water! The power-up is also available in in "Virtual Boy Wario Land" (great game, play it if you haven't), and "Wario: Master of Disguise" (not one of my favorite Wario games...).

The Jet-Hat from the Jet Pot (which lets Wario fly for a short period of time) can only be found in the original "Wario Land".

Answer: A Fishin' Lakitu

"Super Mario Bros. 3" and "Super Mario World" are two of the greatest 2D platformers ever created. Their enamoring charm with gamers have bridged the decades. There is not one video gamer alive who can claim to truly be one and not have experienced them. That includes all the video gamers of today, yesterday, and the ones yet unborn. "Super Mario World"'s Forest of Illusion is one of the most memorable parts of the great game.

The Forest of Illusion 4 can only be unlocked by taking a secret exit in the Forest Ghost House.

The Fishin' Lakitu tempts Mario with a 1-Up. But taking the bait could be the ruination of the player's countenance; he will be flooded with Spinies. A Chargin' Chuck awaits Mario as the last line of defense before he can cross the Exit Gate.

As fans know, it is typical of these sports nut Koopas to be the final enemies to get past in a level of "Super Mario World".

Answer: four

At the end of the World 5 level "Sluggy the Unshaven's Fort", Sluggy the Unshaven is the boss that must be dealt with. Yoshi must hit his skin to several times before it is stretched back enough to hit the heart. The process must be repeated three more times.

The final boss of World 5, Raphael the Raven, is made huge by Kamek's magic. He did not shrink back to normal size after being beaten by Yoshi. Instead, he betrays the Koopa Troop and becomes a good guy. This is discovered when he helps Mario and his party members out in "Paper Mario". On Lavalava Island, he helps them reach Mt. Lavalava.

He also gives Mario the vital Ultra Stone.

Answer: Bundt

Bundt was baked by neurotic German Terrapin Chef Torte in Marrymore. Bundt was the pièce de résistance of culinary perfection, so much so he took on a life of his own. He was baked at the behest of the one and only Booster for his marriage to Princess Toadstool.

After Mario stopped the wedding, Cheft Torte grew enraged and tried to kill Mario and his friends. It was then his creation came to life, resulting in Torte running for his. Mario was left to fight the monstrous sweet himself. It is odd that Bundt was called Bundt, for he was a wedding cake, not a bundt cake, which is baked in a bundt pan and is shaped in a ridged ring. Bundt's face, which was made of frosting, a strawberry for a nose, and a candied star, bore the semblance of a clown. Bundt was mean, but tasted sweet, not unlike the boss who Yoshi once fought, Cloud N. Candy, the cotton candy cloud boss from "Yoshi's Story".

Answer: Eight

Eight Power Stars were all that were needed. But as an eight year old kid, I was saying, "Wow! I gotta get eight of 'em"? But even then, it was no trouble at all. It was amazing how fast some of my little friends who were born and bread on 2D games adapted to 3D during that September of 1996. Facing Bowser the second time required thirty stars, and the final encounter required only seventy of the games 120 Stars.

After all 120 were collected, the everlasting Yoshi appeared on the roof and granted Mario 99 lives and a new triple-jump move. Just two years shy of a decade later, "Super Mario 64 DS" came on the scene. If anyone had heard that Nintendo was going to release a brand-spankin' new 3D game with Mario, Wario, Luigi, and Yoshi intrepidly adventuring together, they would have flipped.

But no sooner was this learned than was the fact that it was a remake of "Super Mario 64". Many critics panned "64 DS" for not standing the test of time all that well, and it awkward gameplay through the courtesy of a missing analog stick.

They wondered "Why not an all new adventure?!" And plus (I'm the one pointing this out) the game only came out eight years after the original, so the vast majority of gamers probably had beaten the original to death. The thirty extra stars and the thrill of finally getting to play as Luigi (there was no Luigi in "Super Mario 64", "L" was not real), as well as Wario and Yoshi. It would have been nice if they had somehow squeezed Donkey Kong in the mix, making it an adventure featuring all of Nintendo's greatest characters. Of course, there was no Waluigi. WHY oh why do many Nintendo fans hate Waluigi? He is an awesome addition and perfectly compliments Wario and Walugi. Those nimrods should keep they're mouths shut! They might be the reasons why Waluigi has not appeared in anything but racing, party, and sports titles. Is it because they think his name is unoriginal? It's alright for God's sake. Imagine if they would make a game with Wario and Waluigi going on a misadventure together. But big mouth morons who just so "haaaaaaate" Waluigi have to open their fat mouths! One big criticism I have of "New Super Mario Bros. Wii" was how they had those lame Toads as players 3 and 4. Don't get me wrong, I love Toads, but Nintendo, seriously! Put Wario and Waluigi in there! Miyamoto may have said, "That sounds like a good idea, but people hate Waluigi". Gamers don't get the best because of those morons Waluigi hating morons! I'd like to mash their skulls with a 2X4! They did make Waluigi the great pitcher in "Mario Superstar Baseball" and "Mario Super Sluggers", however. Waluigi was not a creation of Nintendo, rather, of Camelot, the makers of "Mario Tennis" one decade ago in the year 2000. Now let's get back to "64 DS". If Nintendo had made it an all new adventure, retaining all of the additional characters, then I might have loved that game. But it didn't come true. Nintendo too often leaves luck to Heaven. Nintendo gave the reason the usually devious Wario agreed to help Mario and his companions on the quest: They promised him any treasure he found along the way was his to keep. However, what would have been so bad had they made no excuse? Anti-hero Wario can't be on the right side once in a while? Bowser has been, multiple times in fact. After collecting all 150 of the games Power Stars, the iconic Yoshi of course cannot appear, rather, the last of the multifarious mini-games is your reward. Enjoy...

Answer: Gelato Beach

Practically the name of everyplace in "Super Mario Sunshine" means something in Italian. Let's take the Piantas for example. "Pianta" is the Italian word for plant. Now, let's look at Bianco Hills. "Bianco" is Italian for "white man", thus the implication must be Bianco Hills is a white, affluent, blue-blooded place. "Delfino" is "Dolphin". Gelato means "ice cream". "Ricco" means "rich". "Sirena" obviously means "serene". "Pinna", as in "Pinna Park", means "fin". And finally, "Corona", as in "Corona Mountain", means "crown".

The fact that everything on Isle Delfino is has Italian names, despite the fact that the only Italian seen there is Mario who was just vacationing, might imply the dolphine-shaped Island was discovered by an Italian, or most likely, it is just a nod to the fact that Mario is an ethnic Italian by the developers. Mario would never have been the most beloved character in the history of the gaming universe had he belonged to any other ethnic group of which I am a proud member.

In regards to the Sand Bird, Mario had to knock the six red Plungelos off of the mirrors as well as defeat the wiggler to allow the light to heat and thus hatch the Legendary Sand Bird's egg. It then took to the sky. While riding on the Legendary Sand Bird, Mario uncovered eight Red Coins and four Blue Coins. Another Sand Bird did not appear until eight long years later in "Super Mario Galaxy 2" during the ultra-fun Slipsand Galaxy. This one actually glided on sand.

Answer: "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga's fashionista, Harhall, is also known as "Belch".

Harhall is a fashionista in "Superstar Saga". The first thing he says to the Bros. is, "Honestly! What is one to do with such riffraff?!? Oh! Welcome! WELCOME! I am called Harhall, genius designer. And I am also called Bleetch. Yes! We are one and the same!" He is a very effeminate character.

His method for coloring clothing is known as Splart, which uses the paint-exploding Designbombs (basically colored, flying Bob-ombs loaded with paint rather than explosives). His reward for the Bros. for helping his designs is a piece of the Beanstar. Beating a second challenge of his will have him award Harhall Jeans.

In "Partners in Time", the Hollijolli Mayor of the perpetually Christmas Hollijolli Village is kidnapped by Shroobs. He resembles St. Nicholas, which may be why he got stuck in his chimney. Sergeant Guy, Corporal Paraplonk, and Private Goomp betray Bowser in "Bowser's Inside Story" for Fawful's pay by pushing/locking him into a safe. Bowser later reinstates them into the Koopa Troop in exchange for helping them fix up his castle.

In "Superstar Saga", all three of Jojora's creey friends resemble giant, evil, muscular dolls. No matter which friend the Bros. pick to meet, the friend will have equal power to all of the rest, and only one can be fought.

Answer: A conflict with a giant Blooper occurs in all three original "Paper Mario" entries.

The only true piece of information in that question was, "A conflict with a giant Blooper occurs in all three original 'Paper Mario' entries". Mario faced three giant Blooper's in the Toad Town Tunnels during the first "Paper Mario", each one more powerful than the last.

The first was simply a giant Blooper, the second was called Electro Blooper (for obvious reasons), and the final: Super Blooper. And he was called that with good reason too, with 70 HP and an attack power of 6. This made him one of the game's most overall powerful bosses. Giant Bloopers molested Mario again in "The Thousand Year Door".

It stood between Mario and Petalburg. Hammering it's tentacle started the battle. In "Super Paper Mario", a giant ten-tentacled Blooper known as Big Blooper had to be beaten to make it to Fort Francis.

The best character to use (this is usually the answer to most bosses in the game) was Bowser. Bloopers have been making havoc for Mario from "Super Mario Bros." all the way to "Super Mario Galaxy 2", and, undoubtedly, for many decades to come.

Answer: Kamella

Kamella, the giant Magikoopa boss from "Super Mario Galaxy", is surprisingly and noticeably absent from the Throwback Throwdown. Kamella was especially formidable during her Daredevil Run. All of the bosses that do have to be faced in the challenge are: Dino Piranha, King Kaliente, Major Burrow, Bouldergesit, and the biggest threat by far as the finale, Fiery Dino Piranha. Had the Boss Blitz Galaxy's Comet Coin produced a Prankster Comet of the Daredevil Run variety, rather than a Speed Run, it would have made The Perfect Run look about as difficult as a boss from the original "Donkey Kong Country". Finally, in case you don't know, it is interesting to point out a man (he's got to be a man now, anyway) by the name of Jimmy Peterford from Glen Clove, NY, is well known to fans of "Super Mario Galaxy".

The reason being: He perdicted the game (Well, kind of). In December of 1991, he sent a letter to Nintendo Power Magazine about his fantasy game system that would come bundled with "Super Mario Galaxy", better known as "Super Mario Bros. 24".

He would have called it "The Raw Power System", and it would be capable of playing any game for any system that already exists, or will ever exist. I dedicate this quiz to Mario's 25th anniversary. When the original "Super Mario Bros." was released twenty-five years ago, it took the world by storm. As the first example of true video game greatness, it set the bar as to what great games can truly be. There is no word to describe the game other than "greatness", but even that word does not do it (or any great Mario standard, for that matter) justice. So drink a toast tonight to Mario's next twenty-five years. For as long as I can grasp a controller, I will be playing. If I grow old and can no longer hold a controller due to arthritis or any other infirmity, I will pay people to play the games in front of me. My mind houses perhaps one of the greatest databases for Mario information in the world due to my lifelong obsession with the fat little Italian. You know what? I'm going to take it further than saying he's the best video game character of all time. He's the greatest mascot of all time. He's the greatest character of all time. He's the greatest... anything of all time!