We delved through Charles Martinet’s prodigious voice work over the past 25 years and picked some of our favorite Super Mario voice lines
Shouting, grunting, and yahoo-ing may sound easy at first glance, but Super Mario voice actor Charles Martinet not only came up with a dozen or more different ways to make the same sound. He also imbued each falling yell, burned overalls, and triumphant leap with an enduring sense of joy that became as much a part of the Mario series as the Koopa King and platforming action. With the news that Martinet is leaving his role as Nintendo’s iconic plumber, we delved through his prodigious voice work over the past 25 years and picked out some of our favorite Super Mario voice lines.
Charles Martinet, who’s voiced Mario in every Super Mario game since Super Mario 64, is retiring from his role
Charles Martinet, who’s voiced Mario in every Super Mario game since Super Mario 64, is retiring from his role, but not from Mario. Nintendo of America made the announcement on Twitter and said that Martinet will continue as a Mario Ambassador around the world.
Martinet also voiced Luigi, Wario, and several other characters in the Mario universe.
“Charles Martinet has been the original voice of Mario in Nintendo games for a long time,” Nintendo said in the announcement. “Charles is now moving into the brand-new role of Mario Ambassador. With this transition, he will be stepping back from recording character voices for our games, but he’ll continue traveling the world and sharing the joy of Mario with you all!”
A Nintendo representative told GameSpot that Martinet did not provide the voice of Mario for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which confirmed what some fans had speculated since the trailer first debuted in the June Nintendo Direct.
Prior to the Super Mario Bros movie’s release, Martinet responded to rumors about him stepping down by saying he never wanted to stop.
“I want to voice Mario until I drop dead,” Martinet said at the time. “If someday I think I am no longer capable of doing it, I will tell Nintendo to look into finding someone else.”
Nintendo didn’t say whether Martinet’s retirement is tied to his health. The Big N also didn’t say what the newly-created role of Mario Ambassador actually entails, though since Martinet regularly appeared at conventions and other celebrations to represent Mario, it’ll likely involve much of the same thing.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder and its fabulous cover art launch for Nintendo Switch on Oct. 20, 2023.
Our worst Nintendo Gamecube games list highlights some of the truly awful licensed games, adaptations, and first-party flops on the console
The Nintendo Gamecube stands out for its library of innovative new ideas and impressive sequels, but behind these triumphs lurks a host of the worst Gamecube games. These imprinted themselves on the minds of the elders – us 30- and 40-something folks – who spent their hard-earned cash on a new game, clicked the disc into place, and watched their hopes of joy and excitement wither away in front of them. You can count yourself lucky if you missed out on these – or not so lucky, since we’re forcing them into your consciousness now in our worst Gamecube games list.
Amazon Prime Day 2023 Nintendo sales include a broad range of the best Switch games, and we’ve rounded them up in our Switch sale list
Amazon Prime Day 2023 Nintendo sales include a broad range of the best Switch games from Nintendo themselves, indie publishers, and well-known third-party games. Whether you’re after Fire Emblem, Super Mario, Pokemon, or some of the Switch’s meatier RPGs, there’s almost certainly something for you in the sale – unless you’re after hardware. Nintendo isn’t offering any discounts on the Switch itself.
These deals last until Amazon Prime Day 2023 ends – July 12, 2023 – or until supply runs out.
Super Mario RPG’s original director, Chihiro Fujioka, isn’t working on the Switch remake, though he’s happy it exists
Super Mario RPG’s original director, Chihiro Fujioka, isn’t working on the Switch remake, though he’s happy it exists. Fujioka retweeted the announcement after the June Nintendo Direct and expressed surprised and excitement over the project, despite not being involved in it (thanks, Eurogamer).
“Oh my God, finally!” Fujioka said on Twitter (via Google translate). “Both the art and music are wonderfully upgraded! I’m really looking forward to seeing how the feel of various mini-games and fields evolves!”
He said in a reply to someone else that he was surprised to learn the remake exists, so it seems safe to say he wasn’t in the loop at all on the remake and its direction.
Yoko Shimomura, the game’s original composer, was in charge of rearranging the soundtrack, however.
“In my career, I’ve been involved in a lot of games and I would really like my final one to be another Mario RPG game, if possible,” he said. “I would like to go back and create a Mario RPG (different from Mario & Luigi) where you’re only controlling Mario.”
It looks like that probably won’t happen now, though Fujioka certainly left his mark on Mario games and the RPG genre. He worked on every game in the Mario & Luigi series after Super Mario RPG launched and was credited as a game designer for Fantasian, the Apple-exclusive mobile game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.
The Super Mario RPG remake launches for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 17, 2023.
The June 2023 Nintendo Direct shed plenty of light on the Big N’s plans for the rest of 2023, including a new Mario game and more
The June 2023 Nintendo Direct shed plenty of light on the Big N’s plans for the Switch in the rest of 2023. Headline acts include a brand-new 2D Mario game and a Super Mario RPG remake launching just months apart. Square Enix is remaking Star Ocean, WarioWare is back in town, and there’s even a new Dragon Quest Monsters in the works.
Nintendo also teased a few new Mario projects for 2024, including a Princess Peach game and a Switch remake of a 3DS classic.
There’s a lot to see, and our June Nintendo Direct recap lists it all out for you.
Nintendo announced a Super Mario RPG remake during the June Nintendo Direct, an updated version of the SNES classic that Square Enix made
Nintendo announced a Super Mario RPG remake during the June Nintendo Direct, an updated version of the SNES classic that Square Enix first made. The Super Mario RPG remake launches on Nov. 17, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario RPG is often regarded as the precursor to Alpha Dream’s Mario & Luigi series, with its quirky sense of humor, colorful characters, and interactive turn-based battles. An evil blacksmith invades the Mushroom Kingdom and sets his sights on Star Road, and Mario teams up with Peach, Bowser, and new characters Mallow the cloud prince and Geno the living doll to take back their home.
And no, that doesn’t mean we’ll finally see Geno in Super Smash Bros.
It’s an offbeat adventure that takes the crew to a vibrant and unfamiliar version of the Mushroom Kingdom and its surrounding locales. You’ll visit an unorthodox version of Yoshi’s Island, see Birdo make a strong cameo, and even spot some familiar Nintendo icons scattered around, including Samus Aran from Metroid. Battles are turn-based, though like with Mario & Luigi, you can deal extra damage or activate bonus effects by pressing the right button at the right time.
While the official product page only says the game’s graphics are updated, the soundtrack is apparently getting an overhaul as well. Iconic composer Yoko Shimomura, known for her work on Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV, and Live A Live, is handling the remake’s soundtrack.
Elsewhere in Mario news, Nintendo announced a brand-new 2D Mario game: Super Mario Wonder, set to launch later in 2023.
Nintendo announced a new 2D Mario game during the June Nintendo Direct, a surreal adventure aptly named Super Mario Bros Wonder
Nintendo announced a new 2D Mario game during the June Nintendo Direct, a surreal adventure aptly named Super Mario Bros Wonder. Super Mario Bros Wonder launches for the Nintendo Switch on Oct. 20, 2023, and is the first brand-new 2D Mario game in over 10 years.
The last 2D Mario game on the Switch was New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, a repackaging of the Wii U launch game with a few extra features.
Mario Wonder introduces Wonder Flowers and Wonder Seeds, which Mario can interact with and drastically change the environment around him.
“When you touch a Wonder Flower in the game, the wonders of the world unlock – pipes could come alive, hordes of enemies may appear, characters might change their looks, for example – transforming the gameplay in unpredictable ways. Excitement and different surprises await in each course,” Nintendo said in a press release.
One flower turns Mario into an elephant, another makes Princess Daisy playable, and a different Wonder Flower makes the stage come alive, complete with moving pipes and other surreal effects.
There’s a sizeable playable cast as well, including Mario, Luigi, Toad, Yoshi, Daisy, and Peach. Nintendo didn’t outright say whether that means it’ll include multiplayer functions like most modern 2D Mario games, but it looks probable, given the footage.
Nintendo didn’t give too much additional information aside from that, but did promise more details to come before the game’s October 2023 launch.
Trade-in prices are hit and miss at the best of times, but retro game fans could hardly believe how little one customer recently received
Trade-in prices are hit and miss at the best of times, but retro game fans could hardly believe how much, or how little, one local games store paid for a hefty haul that included classic SNES games. Twitter user hasanito posted the video of a retail representative at the game store – which one commenter identified as Hey Bro Video Games in Houston, Texas – panning a camera around to take in everything a customer traded in and said they offered a $700 payout.
The haul included a limited-edition, Pikachu-themed Japanese Nintendo 64; a complete-in-box Nintendo Entertainment System action set; and boxed versions of Super Mario 64, Goldeneye 007, Super Mario Kart, and Super Mario Bros. All-Stars. The customer used the payout to purchase a Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED, but folks on Twitter were more than a little upset over how comparatively small the payout was.
That guy has a jp N64 mint in box with games that look like they are brand new and a NES in box that looks like it fell through a time portal… it's such a good condition! I cant believe he traded that for a switch 🤦♂️ He wasnt robbed! He literally threw money at the robber.
Some posted images of online listings asking several hundred dollars for the Nintendo 64 console alone, while the NES set could fetch upwards of a few thousand dollars. These don’t necessarily seem to be normal listings, though. The average asking price for the NES set seems to hover around $200, while the N64 system ranges from $200 to $400 depending on the seller.
Still, the customer got what they wanted, agreed to the deal, and was happy about it. Whether the store underpaid them or not, at least it was worth it to them and they left with a smile.
The Super Mario Bros. movie is streaming now, but only on select platforms – and not in every country. Here’s where to stream it
The Super Mario Bros. movie is streaming now, so even while the theatrical version continues to rake in record-breaking profits, you can watch Nintendo and Illumination’s first joint effort from the comfort of home. Not every streaming platform is hosting the movie, but you can either buy or rent it from platforms where it is available. Just bear in mind that the rental price is close to the purchase price.
U.K. viewers have to wait a little longer, though, and if you’re keen to pick up a physical copy for yourself, you’ll have to wait even longer. There’s currently no DVD and Blu-Ray release date for the film.
