Unused original character designs found in Super Mario Strikers!

Back in February 24th, a Twitter user named Dogon McBanana decided to dig around in the files of the game Super Mario Strikers, which was released for the Nintendo Gamecube back in 2005. He ended up finding some unused characters - as well as other unused assets - for the game!

Pictured above: Mario's intended sidekicks. The guy on the bottom-right's textures are really messed up.

According to Dogon McBanana, these unused characters appear to be intended to be sidekicks for the Team Captains (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Waluigi for those who never played the game) and would've been styled after them.

Pictured above: Donkey Kong's intended sidekicks. The middle one kind of resembles Bluster Kong from the Donkey Kong Country cartoon show.

However, only Mario's and Donkey Kong's teammates were left in the game's code.

Luigi has a teammate as well, but it's nothing more than a duplicate of himself wearing his usual attire, which may suggest these original sidekick characters were scrapped early on. (and possibly replaced with the Toads, Koopas, Hammer Bros., and Birdos)

Additionally, some other interesting unused characters include a Security Pianta (which was initially found in the E3 Prototype of the game) as well as a 3D interpretation of the Dull Bones enemies from the Paper Mario series who are simply labeled "Medic."

There are also some models of a camera crew, specifically a yellow Pianta, a Shy Guy, and a TV Van. Dogon McBanana theorizes they were replaced with the futuristic cameras the game went with.

There are also a variety of unused banners, though the textures for them were coded differently compared to the other stuff, so Dogon McBanana didn't know how to properly fix it. (Even Diddy Kong gets a banner, even though he's not in the final game!)

Finally, a Goomba Guard was found that has ties to a cut stage in the game, "peach_palace." While it's not a lot, it does give one an idea on the stage's theme.

Would do you think? Would you have liked to see these original characters make the cut, or do you think Nintendo and Next Level Games make the right call scrapping them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

New race tracks heading to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!

While the news may disappoint some fans hoping for a Mario Kart 9, those who don't mind may be excited to hear that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch is receiving 48 new courses via the Booster Course Pass!

The Booster Course Pass will be sent out in 6 waves, with each wave having two 2 Cups that have 8 race tracks each. All of the tracks are picked from previous games in the series, as well as some courses from the Mario Kart Tour mobile game!

The Golden Dash Cup contains Paris Promenade (Mario Kart Tour), Toad Circuit (Mario Kart 7), Choco Mountain (Mario Kart 64), and Coconut Mall (Mario Kart Wii). Lucky Cat Cup contains Tokyo Blur (Mario Kart Tour), Shrom Ridge (Mario Kart DS), Sky Garden (Mario Kart: Super Circuit), and Ninja Hideaway (Mario Kart Tour).  Wave 1 will be released on March 18, 2022.

The Booster Course Pass costs $24.99. Even if you don't buy the DLC. you can still race on these new courses with others in the online mode, as long as one of the players your up against has purchased the DLC. You just won't be able to race on them whenever you want offline.

What are your thoughts? You excited for this upcoming DLC? What courses are you hoping make the cut? Tell us in the comments below!

Play a round of extreme soccer in Mario Strikers: Battle League!

A new entry in the Mario Strikers series, Mario Strikers: Battle League, has been announced yesterday in the Nintendo Direct. 

In Mario Strikers: Battle League, a team of five players compete against another team in a soccer match to score the most goals. Of course, this being Mario, the game puts a Mario twist on it: players can use items to assist themselves or hinder their opponents. Additionally, you're also free to tackle your foe as much as you want, though missing will leave you open.

Compared to the previous entry's Mega Strikes, this game introduces Hyper Strikes, which are similar in concept, but function differently. During the game, orbs will appear somewhere on field. Collecting one will power your whole team up. Afterwards, if you're on your opponents side of the field, pressing and and holding the kick button will allow you to perform a Hyper Strike! If the ball then manages to get into the net, you'll score two points! But be careful, as trying to use a Hyper Strike leaves you open!

New to this game is gear! By equipping gear on your character's head, body, arms and/or legs, their default stats will be modified. You can make your character move more quickly, make their tackles stronger, or even make them powerfully hit the ball faster and farther.

Speaking of characters, these are the ones who are currently confirmed to be playable in the game:

1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Toad
   
5. Yoshi
6. Bowser
   
7. Donkey Kong
8. Wario
9. Waluigi
10. Rosalina (New)
    

Of note is that sidekicks appear to have been removed from the game, as Toad has been upgraded to a main playable character, not to mention that the other returning playable characters - who were previously Team Captains - are now able to work together on a team instead of being unable to. (Example from Mario Strikers Charged: if you picked Mario, you could not have Luigi, Peach, Bowser, etc... on his team) Additionally, it appears that Boom Boom replaces Kritter as the goalkeeper for this game.

The game is planned to release on June 10, 2022.

Wario and his friends return in WarioWare: Get it Together!

 

Following the rumors of an upcoming WarioWare game, Nintendo has revealed WarioWare: Get It Together during their E3 Presentation!

In this new installment, players directly control Wario - or one of his many friends - to beat the various microgames. From trying to get toothpaste on a toothbrush to avoiding bird poop (yes, seriously), you're sure to have some wacky fun! Each one has their own way of clearing Microgames. Wario can perform his iconic Shoulder Charge, Mona can throw a boomerang, Kat can throw Ninja Stars, and Orbulon can use the tractor beam from his spaceship.

There's also a 2-Player mode, where you and a friend work together to beat the microgames.

WarioWare: Get It Together will release on September 10, 2021. You can pre-order the game here!