Those Other Marios, part 2

Name: Mario Andretti
Game: Mario Andretti Racing (GEN), Mario Andretti Racing 3D (mobile), Andretti Racing (SAT, PC, PS)
Bio: Mario Andretti is one of the elite names in motorsports. During his illustrious career, the Italian-born, American-raised driver won four Champcar titles and the 1978 Formula One World Championship. He is the only driver in history to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, and an F1 championship. The handful of games that bore his name were mostly decent affairs, the highlight being the PC version of Andretti Racing, which made up for its lack of realism and licensed drivers with solid racing action. Nonetheless, the legacy of the driver far outshines the legacy of the games in which he starred.

Andretti's done a few video games but, these days, he's more into his Napa winery.

Branching Out

Mario Golf: Advance Tour threw a curveball at fans--combining traditional golf with light roleplaying elements.

Nintendo's next next-generation console--the GameCube--saw Mario and his pals branching out into other sports, in addition to appearing in the stalwart series we'd all become accustomed to. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was another solid entry in the high-speed kart-racing series whose twist was two-player-on-the-same-kart action; Mario Power Tennis brought more imagination to the court, controls, and character lineup than ever before; and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour did exactly what it needed to do: fuse likable characters with an engaging control scheme to create a links game that could be enjoyed by nearly everyone. Over on the handheld side of things, Mario Golf: Advance Tour gave golf nuts an entirely new angle on the sport--combining traditional Nintendo-style links play with some light role-playing elements, which resulted in a game that was thrifty on the Mario (the main characters were named Neil and Ella) but generous with the fun. Similarly, Mario Kart: Super Circuit brought the fast-paced fun of the original SNES Mario Kart game to the Game Boy Advance, in what was essentially an upgraded remake of the original game.

Truly Nintendo had found its Mario sports stride through a string of successes on both the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance. In the case of the GBA and GC Mario Golf games, you could even transfer characters from Toadstool Tour to Advance Tour--an interesting, if trivial, use for GBA/GC connectivity. Having successfully conquered genres such as racing, tennis, and golf, it was time for Mario and the gang to step out in a big way, not only in games of their own, but also in games from other publishers.

Key Contributor

Coming hot on the heels of an ugly steroid scandal in the real world of hardball, the recently released Mario Superstar Baseball is a typically skewed take on America's pastime, one that trades in the big-league egos and complex franchise modes for simplified pitching controls and trap-laden outfields. As is the case with practically every Mario game, part of the magic of MSB is its cast of characters and the special powers each (literally) brings to the plate. Donkey Kong doesn't need a stinkin' bat to take the ball downtown; he simply punches it out of the park with a boxing glove. Yoshi doesn't reach for fly balls with his glove; he uses (what else?) his tongue.

In NBA Street V3, Mario and his pals made their first appearance in an EA Sports game. It wouldn't be their last.

But even three solid games like Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Power Tennis, and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour hasn't been enough to satiate Nintendo fans. It's no wonder, then, that Mario and the gang lent their athleticism to games from the biggest name in sports games: EA Sports. If Mario, Peach, and Luigi were the kings (and queen) of the hill when it came to their own games, so the logic went, just think what they could do for more traditional sports games. Hoops fans found out in February 2005, with the release of NBA Street V3--a game whose roster was rife with stars from the NBA and beyond. Dunking it up with Shaq and Kobe were hip-hop legends The Beastie Boys, along with Mario, Peach, and Luigi, who made a special appearance in GameCube version. This wouldn't be the last cross-pollination between Nintendo and EA Sports, however. Little Mac made a guest appearance in the GameCube version of Fight Night Round 2, released just a couple of weeks after Street V3. In fact, just recently Nintendo and EA announced yet another cameo from Mario and friends in the soon-to-be-released GameCube version of SSX on Tour, the fourth game in EA Sports Big's lauded snowboarding series. Not only are Peach, Luigi, and Mario all playable in the game, but they even have a specially designed mushroom- and coin-themed course to schuss their way down.

Will Mario and his pals make future appearances in upcoming EA Sports games? While we don't expect to see Luigi trading jabs with Bernard Hopkins or see Peach in the booth with John Madden anytime soon, the possibility remains that the Nintendo gang could make another surprise visit where you least expect it.

The Future

So is Mario on the tail end of his athletic career, soon to be riding the bench and holding the proverbial clipboard? Not likely. If anything, Mario's sports ride is just getting warmed up. Three high-profile sports games starring Mario are all due for release this holiday season: Super Mario Strikers, Mario Tennis: Power Tour, and Mario Kart DS.

Apes, mushrooms, and the beautiful game. Super Mario Strikers is yet another departure for Mario and his crew.

Super Mario Strikers marks the gang's soccer debut, and from what we saw of the game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo back in May, SMS is turning out to be a fun, high-octane take on the beautiful sport with finely tuned controls and power-ups and trick shots galore. Also at E3 we got an extremely brief glimpse at Mario Tennis: Power Tour for the GBA, and though we don't know anything more about the game now than we did then, we're excited for the game's four-player capability, slick look, and, of course, portability. Finally, perhaps the most anticipated Mario sports game of all: Mario Kart DS. Few games qualify as a system seller, but with dual-screen capability, eight-player wireless multiplayer, and the same high-speed fun the series has come to be known for, Mario Kart DS just may make the grade. All three of these games are currently scheduled for release in December, and if they all hold to that release date, the holiday season should be fun indeed. Another Mario Kart game, MarioKart Arcade GP, is in the works for Japanese arcades and it's shaping up to be another welcome addition to this heralded series.

And after that? Well, the sports world is Mario's oyster, frankly. He's done so much in his career already and shows no signs of going Randy Johnson on us and slowing down. Provided the demand keeps up for the plump little plumber, there's no end to the sports games he could make an appearance in. Could Mario basketball be far behind? Think about how insanely fun a Mario football game could be, especially in today's current football landscape. Whether coming off the bench in a supporting role or getting the nod as a first-string starter, rest assured that Mario's sports future is bright indeed. We can't wait to see where he turns up next.