Mario Pinball Land

October 7,2004 -

Nowadays when Mario and Nintendo are mentioned, people would ask, 'What kind of Mario'' We have Super Mario, Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario is Missing, Mario Party, and even Mario RPG's. Does it finally end there' That's really what Nintendo gets when you speak of their high-profile mascot. Because the company milks the title so much, Mario is pretty much in every type of gaming genre available. Now the company has done something incredibly awkward; Mario Pinball Land is now in stores for the Game Boy Advance.

The cool thing about this game is that it's not just any other pinball game. As with games like Mario Kart and Mario RPG, Nintendo has broken the rules in traditional pinball to make a full-fledged action game. Of course'you play as Mario, a man who's practically indestructible.

The story, this time around, takes place at the Mushroom Kingdom just in time for the carnival. As Mario, Princess Peach, and her advisor'Toad, enjoy the festivities they notice a unique contraption. The contraption is part of a new carnival game, and Toad anxiously tries it first. When he enters the machine, it then smashes him, but he thankfully isn't harmed'he's just in the circular shape of a ball. The operators of the machine then transfer Toad and his new spherical body into a cannon, where they then aim and shoot. Toad hits a target set up where he landed right in the bulls-eye, and with such excitement, he convinces Princess Peach to take a shot. As she enters the human cannonball-maker, the operators aim the cannon somewhere else. They weren't just any kind of operators'they're goombas, and even though they're indifferent, they can't be trusted. Princess Peach landed in Bowser's castle, so as usual, Mario is out to save her'this time, in the shape of a ball.

As one can easily tell, the game is practically another Mario game with a different way of playing as the hero. One reason why pinball is so popular is because it's so easy to get into and play. As anybody would know, the game of pinball only involves you keeping the ball in play by using the two flippers on the bottom of the machine. The game only makes use of a few buttons, and it they're really simple and don't take any time to get used to. The left shoulder button and the left direction on the directional pad will move your left flipper, and the right shoulder button and A button will move your right flipper. It's as simple as that.

Of course, it's a Mario game'there must be some crazy things involved. There are all sorts of enemies to fight and goodies you can find in the worlds to increase your score. Mario is practically invincible in the game, so you won't have to worry about finding mushrooms to increase his energy. At this invulnerable form, Mario can roll all over the levels to attack enemies, hit switches, and even end up in deeper parts of the world to get more points and complete the objectives.

Like in older Mario games like the ones on the NES, Mario Pinball Land has levels within worlds. This works by doing certain tasks. In the original Super Mario games, you just had to find the exit to the stage or kill the boss - and in the newer Super Mario games, you have to complete an objective. This time around, once you perform objectives like clearing the field of enemies on the screen, or getting a certain number of points, a Power Star from Super Mario 64 will pop out. These Power Stars open up new paths to explore within the levels, which eventually lead you closer to the area's boss. A factor players may like or won't like about the game is that if you fall through the gutter on a secondary area of a world, you don't lose a life. You only lose a life if you get a gutter ball on the first area of the world. So each world is basically one huge pinball machine. Some paths require a certain number of Power Stars to go through, so you'll have to keep playing or doing things randomly if you hope to be successful in the game. Once you beat a boss, you're a step closer to accessing Bowser's Castle to save Peach, and you can then enter different worlds.

Games, News, Reviews, Media and More