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Super Mario RPG Remake Launches Friday!
November 15, 2023

Super Mario RPG Switch Box

Super Mario fans have been eating well lately with the recent release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder on October 20, 2023, and this Friday, November 17, 2023, the Super Mario RPG remake launches!

The original Super Mario RPG game launched on May 13, 1996 in North America for the Super NES, and it was an instant classic! The game was made by legendary developer Square in their absolute prime! I cannot get over what a quality title this is, and how excited I am that we are about to be graced by what looks like a magnificent true-to-form remake that this fantastic game so wonderfully deserves!

When I was growing up with a younger brother, my parents only bought 2P games so we could both play them together and we wouldn't fight. As a result, I came pretty late to the party to Super Mario RPG. I remember only being able to catch glimpses of the game when seeing schoolyard friends playing it at their house. I would sometimes also see a bubbly-looking Bowser on the SNES game cartridge box or in a magazine of some sort.

What made this game so incredible for a Bowser fanatic like me is that Bowser was a playable character in the game. I'm not talking about a cameo, a side character, or a character acting as comic relief (although Bowser is quite hilarious in the game!) - I'm talking about a major main character that is pivotal to the entire story! It's important to realize the significance of the timing of this game. As seen on the Bowser Game List, the only Mario games that preceded this one in the main canonical storyline was the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and Super Mario Kart. Bowser was just known as the main dragon turtle antagonist final boss at the end of these games, and did not talk.



Then came Super Mario RPG, which is entirely responsibile for forming the majority of Bowser's initial character development! He was bratty and brutish, comical and oafish, and frankly just downright all-round lovable. He would display a range of emotions in the game from jumping up and down with balled fists of rage, to nearly falling over on his keester from fright, to crying waterfalls, etc. This was a clever game that took the risk of forking the traditional Super Mario formula of Bowser stealing the princess into its own original story with original villains. Yes, the game starts out with the traditional formula, but there's an early twist where Bowser gets kicked out of his own castle keep.

Super Mario RPG Bowser Model

As an example of being true to character, Bowser laments the loss of his keep, feeling jealous of other characters that have one, and when the opportunity arises, he "convinces" you - the player - to join his crew of minions so that he can get his keep back (because he needs your help). Bowser gets tons and tons of playtime throughout, and has a very unique set of attacks. The animations were all great in the SNES original, and I can't wait to see all the recreations.

I find it so cute and hilarious that they are reusing all the character's short and stubby models, with big heads and short bodies, making for quite a pint-sized Bow Bow! In many of the scenes, Bowser almost looks like a plushie on the screen, haha! Bowser's in game model looks very good, with tons of detail on his shiny shell, with wonderful proporitons and terrific animations!

Taking the focus off the Koopa King for but a moment (this is a very biased website after all), and talking about the entire game as a whole, everything about it is freaking fantastic! The story is deep and engaging, and the game is also very long! I will admit that since I never really got to play any 1P games growing up, I'm not much of an RPG fan, but I LOVE this game! It is so rich with content, so clever in its delivery, and challenging as well!



Then there is the music! All of the tunes are seemingly instant classics that will stay stuck in your head as earworm for years! I was playing an extended loop of Forest Maze earlier today, and I was just taken back in a land of nostalgia. Then there's the fun Battle Theme, which you will hear a lot. And perhaps one of my personal favorites is the faster tempo when fighting some of the stronger opponents. OK, basically all the music is good!

All the footage I have seen looks very true to the original, and we are even going to get brand new cutscenes as well! This absolutely has the feeling of a high-effort remake that I have tons of confidence in. All of the comments above are my own and of my own free will! I will be absolutely buying this game on launch day, and I must absolutely recommend you consider the same!


Bowser Powered

 


Happy Bowser Day 2023!
August 4, 2023

Today is August 4th (or 8-4 in the American MM-DD date standard), which has been observed as Bowser Day by fans of the Koopa King for every year since 2012! World 8-4 in the original Super Mario Bros. game was the final level of which one finally got to lay eyes on the king of all Koopas (in all of his 8-bit glory)!

Honor this momentous day by absorbing everything related to the colorful dragonturtle! Play your favorite Super Mario game that has him as a playable character! Watch the new Super Mario Bros. Movie by Illumination released earlier this year! Draw fan art of him or write fan fiction, if one possesses such talents! Anything you can think of!

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like Bowser has been getting steadily more popular over the years! When I was growing up as a kid, I seemed to be the only one rooting for the bad guy! He's not bad he's just... misunderstood! Yeah, that's it!

In my (biased) opinion, Bowser absolutely stole the show in the Super Mario Bros. animated movie - especially with Jack Black's monster performance and Peaches piano solo (75 million views at the time of writing!). Last year, an entire website dedicated to Bowser Day launched (mostly featuring artwork). Perhaps these few examples do back my point that this iconic character and villain is capturing more and more hearts with time!

As a reminder, every day should be Bowser Day to every true Bowser fan! But for today, let us celebrate with pomp and ceremony!


Bowser Powered

 


The Super Mario Bros. Movie Delivers! (No Spoiler Review)
April 5, 2023

(No spoilers!)(No spoilers!)(No spoilers!)

Hey I can use the internet again! I put myself on a self-imposed blackout for the last 48 hours to ensure I could see the movie cold and not see anything outside of what Illumination released pre-launch! Although I am now "safe", I will ensure to remain careful and respectful with my words that follow so that everybody gets a chance to see the movie themselves in the same condition.

I just came out of the late show on opening night for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which I was highly anticipating, and which I knew I would have to see opening night! It was so weird to have such a big movie release on a Wednesday night, which is still a work/school night for many. I will discuss no plot/stories details below, and only describe what my impression of the feature film was. I will have to keep it short anyways with it being a work night.

As a mega-obsessed hardcore Bowser fan, I could not have realistically asked for any better. This was by far the best Bowser we have ever seen by far! I was cautiously optimistic from the very beginning when the star-studded voice cast was first announced, despite the consensus at the time treating the announcement with near ridicule. Jack Black seemed born to play this role, and this character, and he absolutely nailed it out of the park! It seemed like he had so much fun doing it too!

But it's not just Bowser that was given tremendous service and justice - all of the Mario characters were portrayed in their best light ever! I really like how they did Princess Peach, Mario & Luigi, Toad, DK, and every other character that appeared in the film. They are all memorable in their own way. On top of that, the animation is outstanding!

The movie is very fun and plays out like a video game. You learn more about the characters that might have never been covered in any of the games (which may very well be considered canon going forward for all we know). The movie is only 92 minutes long, but packs so much in there and never seems to waste a second.

There must have been so much pressure for the studio to deliver on such an iconic franchise, and I think they delivered on that task in a big way! It was everything I could have hoped for! I have to give it a perfect 10/10 score, and I'm so overjoyed by that! It's worth multiple viewings for sure, and I already can't wait to see it again soon!


Bowser Powered

 


Bowser Fire Blast
March 30, 2023

In a (I think Spanish) Super Mario Bros. Movie TV spot, there is an extra second or less of frames of Bowser heaving in a deep breath before unleashing his flames of fury. Yes, one second more of Bowser footage is enough to excite Bowser fans!

I spent a good deal of the evening manually cutting all the frames and making it into a GIF below:

Wow, Bowser's really stepping into that flamethrower, isn't he?


Bowser Powered

 


Bowser is Coming...
March 29, 2023

Next week...



I haven't seen the source material exist anywhere else but this tweet, but that's definitely some 5-second Bowser glory!

Next Wednesday can't come soon enough...


Bowser Powered

 


"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" Final Trailer
March 9, 2023

The Super Mario Bros. Movie had its final release date moved two days forward to April 5, 2023, and released its final trailer today!



If you couldn't tell, I am SO excited for this movie! I just cannot believe the kind of Bowser we will be getting! It will probably be the best Bowser we've ever seen to date!



This is basically his "come at me, (Mario) bro!" pose!


Bowser Powered

 


More "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" Posters
February 13, 2023

Today, we were treated with not one, not two, but THREE new movie posters for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie with the Koopa King being the center of attention:


Notice how he's demonstrating how he'll be carrying this entire movie in a couple of months?

Us Bowser fans have been spoiled by at least half a dozen of these high quality movie posters already! I'll probably have to make a dedicated section on The Bowser Shrine just for the movie posters! Finally everyone is recognizing what we have already known for nearly four decades: Bowser is the GOAT!


Bowser Powered

 


"The Super Mario Bros. Movie" Poster
February 5, 2023

Bowser looms over everybody with a sinister grin spread wider than his head in this great movie poster for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie:



Bowser just can't help but look good at all times! It looks like he'll be given the justice he deserves for the great character that he is! The release date of April 7th, 2023 is coming very quickly, and I for one am very excited about it!


Bowser Powered

 




































Proud Bowser
Honoring the Koopa King since December 18, 2006


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