4 Huge Super Mario News Stories You (Probably) Never Heard About

The chaotic world of Mario is not the easiest to keep up with.

From the relentless progression of mind-blowing creativity in Super Mario Maker to the expansion of this plumber’s global footprint across the globe (even including the Olympics), it could even be impossible to read every single Mario-based story.

Most amazing is the pure staying power of a character, whose design and backstory was created purely to fit into the limitations of old video game hardware. For over three decades, Mario’s appeal has (and will continue to be) eternal, being a constant source of inspiration not just for other video games, but popular culture in general – with references found in over 60 films including 500 Days of Summer. There are also tributes to Mario in other games including a plumbing-themed slot machine called Fixer Upper, which can be played at Bodog Casino with a nice welcome bonus according to review site casinogames.ca.

Lucky for you, we have dug through them all and picked out five of the best for you to sink your teeth into. So, whether you want fun facts to share with friends over drinks, or if you’re curious about the stranger stories kicking off, here are four huge Super Mario pieces of news you probably never heard about (in no particular order).

1. Robot beats Super Mario Bros. 3 in two seconds

Super Mario speed runs are always entertaining to watch but none have quite matched up to this record. As part of the Games Done Quick TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) block, a bot created by competitor air523 beat Super Mario Bros. 3 in just two seconds. How on Earth did this player do this?

Simply put – he broke the game. The bot presses controller buttons really fast (6000 times per second), which causes the game’s code to crash. Many games react in different ways to this overwhelming level of input. But, for Mario 3, turns out it just takes you straight to the winning screen.

2. 101-player game of Mario Kart created

If Mario Kart wasn’t chaotic enough as is, you’ve not seen anything yet. Hat-Loving Gamer created a parody video about what a 101-player race would look like and – spoiler alert – it’s crazy! But there is a real version in the works, ready to challenge your internet connection and bring some real chaos to your life.

3. AI-controller Super Mario Odyssey player listens to your advice on how to play

Have you ever seen the AI-controller, created by the University of Tubingen in Germany specifically to play Super Mario World? The beauty of this creation was that, instead of requiring pre-programming of all knowledge to play, it could take advice from humans on-the-fly.

Well, this work has evolved into the most recent Super Mario Odyssey, a far more diverse title that requires a shed load of additional coding. That’s right; from taking over Bullet Bills to aiming perfectly at the slot machines, the bot is working hard with advice from players.

4. Super Mario recreated in stop-motion using 7,000 post-it notes

This isn’t much of a game-based story, as it is a huge creative feat! Using 7,000 post-it notes, Zach King has created an amazing stop-motion clip focussed on the 8-bit gaming feats of the original Super Mario. Well worth watching a paper Mario traverse the office wall and collect coins.