Mario
Mario is a Nintendo video game franchise centered on the titular character, with Mario Kart appearing as one of its associated titles.
About
Mario is a Nintendo video game franchise centered on the titular character, with Mario Kart appearing as one of its associated titles. The franchise is part of Nintendo’s first-party gaming ecosystem and is connected to discussions of Nintendo hardware, ports, releases, and fan reactions. It is associated with broader Nintendo game culture, including titles and products mentioned in the context such as Mario Kart Wii.
Latest News 44 articles
, journalist, and game developer, bringing both editorial experience and development perspective to her coverage. Sign in to your DualShockers account Nintendo is often accused of relying on familiar properties and franchises, cycling through the likes of Mario , Zelda and Pokémon on what feels like
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe The Big Bang Theory © HBO Max AI slop that’s produced as a bit is still AI slop. Someone should have informed the creative team behind the upcoming Big Bang Theory spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe of that before they decided to put out the show’s first epi
, leading coverage of major gaming releases and events for one of Australia’s major youth publications. He holds a Bachelor of Communications in Media from RMIT University and was nominated for Best Branded Content Journalist at the Australian Samsung IT Awards in 2025. Sign in to your DualShockers
In 1993, Cyan Worlds’ Myst changed PC gaming forever. While few could get beyond the first few puzzles, the computer rendered landscape and vibey music illustrated what could be squished into nascent CD-ROMs. It was the best-selling computer game until The Sims, and still commands space to this day.
Article / Highlight · News RPGs Coming This Week, July 26–August 1, 2026 – Everyone is Here! by,, and on July 26, 2026 Sometimes you wonder how so many releases happen on the same day. In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our special day is Thursday, July 30th, wherein most of our 11 (or
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Sign in to your Polygon.com account This article is part of a directory: San Diego Comic-Con 2026: All the big news, reveals, and trailers Previous Ryan Gosling officially cast as Marvel's new Ghost Rider At San Diego Comic-Con, Jonathan Goldstein gave an upda
Halo: Combat Evolved Sign in to your Polygon.com account Patch Notes is a weekly newsletter bringing you the best of sent on Fridays and published on the site on Sundays. You can subscribe here . I remember the first time I played Halo: Combat Evolved at a friend's place. This friend was doing quite
The Most Dangerous Game looks like a vacation stop, but Halo: Campaign Evolved turns it into a sniper-and-aircraft gauntlet where the safest move is often the one that looks least obvious.
Boarding Action is a compact tutorial in Halo: Campaign Evolved’s best combat habits, and learning its weapons, angles, and brute counters turns the first bonus mission from a corridor crawl into a fast, controlled cleanup.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is playable now for Premium Edition buyers on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with the Standard Edition arriving later on July 28 — and Game Pass Ultimate players can jump in early with a $20 upgrade.
A Japanese love hotel is still running rare commercial Famicombox consoles in nearly every room, proving that Nintendo’s old paid-play ecosystem survives in the most unexpected places.
Nintendo Switch 2’s extra power is turning first-party games into stable, colorful chaos, with Splatoon Raiders and Donkey Kong Bananza showing how Nintendo can now fill the screen with enemies, effects, and speed without losing the fun.
Final Fantasy XIV: Bastion is the new tank job, but the real question is whether Square Enix can make two gunshields feel like the kind of sturdy, party-saving role FFXIV players expect.
Nine years after Deborah Ann Woll was first pitched the role, Santa Monica Studio bets the franchise on a magic-focused protagonist swap — but whether Laufey's toolkit carries the same weight as Kratos' axe won't be clear until hands-on previews arrive late next year.
Santa Monica just confirmed Kratos' return, but you'll have to play through his wife's story first — and wait until at least 2028 to pick up the Blades of Chaos again.
With the PS5 Pro rumored at $700 and Luna now free for Prime members on a $40 Fire TV Stick, the console-or-cloud math just got a lot simpler for millions of households.
Death isn’t the end in Dreadweave — it’s a terrifying second chance into the Other Side, giving this tiny extraction-horror shooter an unexpectedly strong hook.
T-Pain picked Mario Kart because it keeps the competition fun, fast, and totally drama-free — which is exactly why Mario Kart 64 still hits different.
Former Nintendo staff say the company’s biggest strength—its intense, integrity-driven culture—is also what made the work-life balance and promotions feel so rough.
Nintendo’s “No Brother Love” feature is exactly the kind of weird, unnecessary safety net that makes old-school game design so funny when someone actually anticipates it.
But when a developer claims to have rebuilt Mario Kart Wii from scratch using AI 'vibe coding' instead of years of painstaking reverse-engineering, the modding community isn't buying it — and they're not afraid to say why.
If you're dropping $100 on a free-to-play MMORPG's founder's pack and getting zero premium currency or subscription time, NCSoft better hope those exclusive wings do the heavy lifting.
The LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade set is more than a display piece — it's a fully playable brick-built tribute to the 1981 classic, and it's already the most talked-about retro collectible of the year.
The legendary game director wants his final moment to be that perfect, quiet beat of anticipation just before the lights go down and the movie begins.
Rhythm Heaven Groove is closing in on 600,000 copies sold, proving that Nintendo's rhythm game revival has serious legs in Japan.
Here's exactly when you can start opening packs—and why Mega Rayquaza is about to shake up both the digital and paper metas.
The 1,367-piece build actually lets you roll barrels and jump over them using a joystick and lever, making it the most playable Lego Nintendo set yet.
EA Sports UFC 6 and the $5 indie prop hunt game Meccha Chameleon topped the US software sales charts for June 2026, according to industry sales data. It’s a weird combo—one is a full-priced sports sim, the other a cheap multiplayer romp that sold over 10 million copies in a month—but together they t
Nintendo's game development is now directly tied to its movie plans, and fans should expect more character-driven titles timed to big-screen debuts.
Miyamoto says remakes aren't nostalgia plays—they're the blueprint for Nintendo's next big ideas.
With Avatar: Legends already channeling Marvel vs. Capcom's chaotic energy, the only logical next step is a crossover that finally lets the blue aliens and the elemental benders settle their naming dispute in the most violent way possible.
The legendary designer's blunt critique lands as the industry reels from layoffs and burnout—proof that chasing quarterly earnings can destroy the very talent that makes games great.
The 2,645-piece cabinet isn't just a display piece—it actually lets you crank Mario through a simplified version of the classic arcade game, and it's available to buy right now.
Pull the lever to send barrels tumbling down the girders, then use the joystick and jump button to guide an early Mario to the top — it's the 1981 arcade experience rebuilt brick by interactive brick.
Sonic Team is celebrating the franchise's 35th anniversary by honoring its legacy while adapting to a competitive market with diverse experiences like Sonic Superstars and Sonic Frontiers. Head of Sonic Team Takashi Iizuka emphasized the importance of delivering authentic content and long-term investment, such as a second season of post-release content for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
The article highlights Pragmata and Pokopia as two of the most anticipated games for 2026, alongside other must-play hits. It provides an overview of these upcoming titles and their expected impact on the gaming landscape.
Palworld may crossover with Fortnite after Epic Games added it to an in-game survey and a Pocketpair executive hinted at the possibility, while a Pokémon collaboration remains unlikely.
Nintendo created Splatoon Raiders as a spin-off instead of Splatoon 4 to offer a new entry point into the series with a single-player, roguelite adventure, moving away from the franchise's standard competitive formula. The developers wanted to release non-competitive elements as a standalone game, while continuing to develop competitive gameplay in future titles.
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, journalist, and game developer, bringing both editorial experience and development perspective to her coverage. Sign in to your DualShockers account Nintendo is often accused of relying on familiar properties and franchises, cycling through the likes of Mario , Zelda and Pokémon on what feels like
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe The Big Bang Theory © HBO Max AI slop that’s produced as a bit is still AI slop. Someone should have informed the creative team behind the upcoming Big Bang Theory spin-off Stuart Fails to Save the Universe of that before they decided to put out the show’s first epi
, leading coverage of major gaming releases and events for one of Australia’s major youth publications. He holds a Bachelor of Communications in Media from RMIT University and was nominated for Best Branded Content Journalist at the Australian Samsung IT Awards in 2025. Sign in to your DualShockers
In 1993, Cyan Worlds’ Myst changed PC gaming forever. While few could get beyond the first few puzzles, the computer rendered landscape and vibey music illustrated what could be squished into nascent CD-ROMs. It was the best-selling computer game until The Sims, and still commands space to this day.
Article / Highlight · News RPGs Coming This Week, July 26–August 1, 2026 – Everyone is Here! by,, and on July 26, 2026 Sometimes you wonder how so many releases happen on the same day. In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our special day is Thursday, July 30th, wherein most of our 11 (or
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Sign in to your Polygon.com account This article is part of a directory: San Diego Comic-Con 2026: All the big news, reveals, and trailers Previous Ryan Gosling officially cast as Marvel's new Ghost Rider At San Diego Comic-Con, Jonathan Goldstein gave an upda
Halo: Combat Evolved Sign in to your Polygon.com account Patch Notes is a weekly newsletter bringing you the best of sent on Fridays and published on the site on Sundays. You can subscribe here . I remember the first time I played Halo: Combat Evolved at a friend's place. This friend was doing quite
The Most Dangerous Game looks like a vacation stop, but Halo: Campaign Evolved turns it into a sniper-and-aircraft gauntlet where the safest move is often the one that looks least obvious.
Boarding Action is a compact tutorial in Halo: Campaign Evolved’s best combat habits, and learning its weapons, angles, and brute counters turns the first bonus mission from a corridor crawl into a fast, controlled cleanup.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is playable now for Premium Edition buyers on Xbox Series X/S and PC, with the Standard Edition arriving later on July 28 — and Game Pass Ultimate players can jump in early with a $20 upgrade.
A Japanese love hotel is still running rare commercial Famicombox consoles in nearly every room, proving that Nintendo’s old paid-play ecosystem survives in the most unexpected places.
Nintendo Switch 2’s extra power is turning first-party games into stable, colorful chaos, with Splatoon Raiders and Donkey Kong Bananza showing how Nintendo can now fill the screen with enemies, effects, and speed without losing the fun.
Final Fantasy XIV: Bastion is the new tank job, but the real question is whether Square Enix can make two gunshields feel like the kind of sturdy, party-saving role FFXIV players expect.
Nine years after Deborah Ann Woll was first pitched the role, Santa Monica Studio bets the franchise on a magic-focused protagonist swap — but whether Laufey's toolkit carries the same weight as Kratos' axe won't be clear until hands-on previews arrive late next year.
Santa Monica just confirmed Kratos' return, but you'll have to play through his wife's story first — and wait until at least 2028 to pick up the Blades of Chaos again.
With the PS5 Pro rumored at $700 and Luna now free for Prime members on a $40 Fire TV Stick, the console-or-cloud math just got a lot simpler for millions of households.
Death isn’t the end in Dreadweave — it’s a terrifying second chance into the Other Side, giving this tiny extraction-horror shooter an unexpectedly strong hook.
T-Pain picked Mario Kart because it keeps the competition fun, fast, and totally drama-free — which is exactly why Mario Kart 64 still hits different.
Former Nintendo staff say the company’s biggest strength—its intense, integrity-driven culture—is also what made the work-life balance and promotions feel so rough.
Nintendo’s “No Brother Love” feature is exactly the kind of weird, unnecessary safety net that makes old-school game design so funny when someone actually anticipates it.
But when a developer claims to have rebuilt Mario Kart Wii from scratch using AI 'vibe coding' instead of years of painstaking reverse-engineering, the modding community isn't buying it — and they're not afraid to say why.
If you're dropping $100 on a free-to-play MMORPG's founder's pack and getting zero premium currency or subscription time, NCSoft better hope those exclusive wings do the heavy lifting.
The LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade set is more than a display piece — it's a fully playable brick-built tribute to the 1981 classic, and it's already the most talked-about retro collectible of the year.
The legendary game director wants his final moment to be that perfect, quiet beat of anticipation just before the lights go down and the movie begins.
Rhythm Heaven Groove is closing in on 600,000 copies sold, proving that Nintendo's rhythm game revival has serious legs in Japan.
Here's exactly when you can start opening packs—and why Mega Rayquaza is about to shake up both the digital and paper metas.
The 1,367-piece build actually lets you roll barrels and jump over them using a joystick and lever, making it the most playable Lego Nintendo set yet.
EA Sports UFC 6 and the $5 indie prop hunt game Meccha Chameleon topped the US software sales charts for June 2026, according to industry sales data. It’s a weird combo—one is a full-priced sports sim, the other a cheap multiplayer romp that sold over 10 million copies in a month—but together they t
Nintendo's game development is now directly tied to its movie plans, and fans should expect more character-driven titles timed to big-screen debuts.
Miyamoto says remakes aren't nostalgia plays—they're the blueprint for Nintendo's next big ideas.
With Avatar: Legends already channeling Marvel vs. Capcom's chaotic energy, the only logical next step is a crossover that finally lets the blue aliens and the elemental benders settle their naming dispute in the most violent way possible.
The legendary designer's blunt critique lands as the industry reels from layoffs and burnout—proof that chasing quarterly earnings can destroy the very talent that makes games great.
The 2,645-piece cabinet isn't just a display piece—it actually lets you crank Mario through a simplified version of the classic arcade game, and it's available to buy right now.
Pull the lever to send barrels tumbling down the girders, then use the joystick and jump button to guide an early Mario to the top — it's the 1981 arcade experience rebuilt brick by interactive brick.
Sonic Team is celebrating the franchise's 35th anniversary by honoring its legacy while adapting to a competitive market with diverse experiences like Sonic Superstars and Sonic Frontiers. Head of Sonic Team Takashi Iizuka emphasized the importance of delivering authentic content and long-term investment, such as a second season of post-release content for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
The article highlights Pragmata and Pokopia as two of the most anticipated games for 2026, alongside other must-play hits. It provides an overview of these upcoming titles and their expected impact on the gaming landscape.
Palworld may crossover with Fortnite after Epic Games added it to an in-game survey and a Pocketpair executive hinted at the possibility, while a Pokémon collaboration remains unlikely.
Nintendo created Splatoon Raiders as a spin-off instead of Splatoon 4 to offer a new entry point into the series with a single-player, roguelite adventure, moving away from the franchise's standard competitive formula. The developers wanted to release non-competitive elements as a standalone game, while continuing to develop competitive gameplay in future titles.