User:TheUndescribableGhost/History of Mario in sports games
Golf
The first time Mario starred in any sports game was in Golf, where his proportions are more realistic. In Japanese versions of Golf, Captain Rainbow would later identify the character as a more generic Ossan (although this was one of Mario's initial names during development of Donkey Kong).
NES Open Tournament Golf
In NES Open Tournament Golf, taking place on Earth, Mario retains his blue shirt and red-and-white striped overalls. Princess Peach is depicted as Mario's caddy, who helps carry Mario's golf equipment.
Mario's Tennis
Mario's Tennis, a precursor to the Mario Tennis series, is the first tennis game Mario is playable in (Mario has made a cameo as a referee in Tennis for the Game Boy and NES). He has balanced stats, including average court speed and average racket contact, and is reliant on groundstrokes. Unlike in many future Mario Tennis games, Mario wears a sports outfit for the occasion.
Mario Golf series
Mario Golf (Nintendo 64)
- “Welcome to Mario Golf!”
- —Mario, Mario Golf
In Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, Mario's drive is 270 yards, the second-strongest in the game, with only Bowser and Metal Mario surpassing him, and his shot is Draw. He must be unlocked for the single-player modes, but he is available by default in the multiplayer modes. He also appears with Luigi at the 18th hole of Mario's Star.
Mario Golf (Game Boy Color)
Mario also appears in the Game Boy Color version under the same name, even though this version is drastically different from the Nintendo 64 version that it can interact with. The game also features a story mode where Mario and other Super Mario characters are not playable.
Mobile Golf
Mario appears in the Japan-only Mobile Golf, but he is unlockable only through the connection of a mobile phone network.
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
- “It's-a me! (Mario! Hoo-hoo!) I've been on fire lately, but I hope you'll challenge me!”
- —Mario, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
In Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario is a default character in all modes. His shot is 212 yards (280 yards with a Star), giving him the fifth-strongest drive in the game with a high, straight trajectory. Although he can hit farther than many other characters, his shots are more influenced by the wind due to his high trajectory, but they can go farther with a favorable wind direction. He has a decently strong impact and the second-best spin, behind only Bowser, but as a trade-off to his strong drive, his control is very poor, tied with Donkey Kong's for the second-worst in the game and better than only Bowser's and Petey Piranha's; this means Mario's shots are more sensitive to veering off if the player does not perfectly time the hits while he is swinging. When he hits a Nice Shot, the ball is encased in flames.
Mario also makes a few miscellaneous appearances throughout the game. He is part of the HUD, accompanying the sliding bar. In Hole 3 Peach's Castle Grounds, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Yoshi are part of a rock formation resembling Mount Rushmore.
Mario Golf: Advance Tour
As with Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour features a different handheld variant entitled Mario Golf: Advance Tour, which continues the story from the Game Boy Color version of Mario Golf. As with its predecessors, Mario and other Super Mario characters are not playable in the story mode. Instead, he is seen as the greatest golfer in the tournament, and Neil and Ella attempt to proceed through the ranks to try to defeat him.
Mario Golf: World Tour
Mario returns in Mario Golf: World Tour as a default character. His combination of having the fifth-highest drive and straight trajectory makes him a versatile character suited to perform well in many golfing maneuvers, but his control is poor. Mario also has a gold variant that features identical stats and the inability to use items, but it awards Mario with a coin per yard depending on how far the ball travels, similar to a permanent Gold Flower.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Mario reappears as a playable character in Mario Golf: Super Rush, sporting a golfing outfit. He is a Speed character with average stats. His Special Shot is known as the Super Star Strike, and his Special Dash is known as the Moonsault Dash.
Mario Tennis series
Mario is a playable character in all games of the Mario Tennis series. In all direct games in the series—Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube and Wii, Mario Tennis: Power Tour for the Game Boy Advance, Mario Tennis Open for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash for the Wii U, and Mario Tennis Aces for the Nintendo Switch—he is an all-around character. In Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color, Mario is an unlockable character, unlocked by completing the Singles Mario Tour.
Mario Tennis
- “Mario Tennis!”
- —Mario and Luigi, Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64)
In Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, Mario is an all-around playable character, and he has several themed courts including the Mario Bros. Court, the Mario & Luigi Court, and the Super Mario Court. In the doubles version of tournament mode, his AI doubles partner is Luigi. Additionally, if Peach is the human player, Mario is her partner.
If Mario is not playing in a match, he appears as the referee. A clone of Mario wearing a blue cap replaces his role as a referee if Mario is playing in a match; however, this clone is always the referee during the Star Cup and Planet Cup, regardless of whether or not Mario is playing. The referee wears different outfits depending on the tournament.
Mario is also the announcer in this game, making this the only game in the Mario Tennis series where he takes this role.
Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)
In Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color, Mario is a supporting NPC in the main story campaign called the Mario Tour. Alex or Nina, the main character of the mode, faces Mario as a final opponent in Singles or Mario and Peach in Doubles on Castle Court. Once Mario is defeated, he is unlocked for the Exhibition Mode. Mario is used in a side minigame, Boo Blast, where he rallies with Luigi and tries to hit the Boos hovering above the net.
This version of Mario Tennis is one of the few games where, instead of being a default character, Mario needs to be unlocked. He is classified as an all-around character.
Mario Power Tennis
In Mario Power Tennis, Mario and Luigi are the only all-around characters. Unlike in other games, Mario and Luigi have subtle differences within each other. While they have nearly identical movement speed, Mario has more power, while Luigi has slightly more reach and more control. Mario, when compared to other characters, has a slightly below-average reach and lunge because of his short stature. Mario is stronger than most non-power characters. All his other stats are average. Mario's Offensive Power Shot has his racket transform into a giant mallet, enabling him to hit the ball with high speed and force; opponents that return the ball may get blasted to the back of the court. Mario's Defensive Power Shot is a simple spin that allows him to reach lobs and faraway balls quickly, but it is one of the few Defensive Power Shots that fail when the ball is too far away. Mario's taunt is waving and saying, "Come on!"
Mario appears occasionally in several trophy-earning ceremonies in Mario Power Tennis. While Mario appears more than most characters in these ceremonies, Luigi appears the most.
During the opening cinematic, Mario returns the ball that gets past Wario and Waluigi, allowing him and Luigi to win the opener of the tournament. During the night of the final match, Mario and Luigi are about to face off against Yoshi and Donkey Kong, but their opponents fail to show up, as Wario and Waluigi appear instead. Wario and Waluigi launch a full-scale assault by throwing Bob-ombs, while Mario and Luigi use their tennis rackets to knock back the explosives, which causes significant damage to the Peach Dome in recoil. After Bowser launches a Bullet Bill from his balloon, Mario knocks it back to Wario and Waluigi. Mario is unharmed during the chaos, even after Bowser's balloon generates an explosion that nearly wipes out the venue and the rest of the inhabitants inside.
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Like in Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color, Mario is a supporting NPC in the main story mode, with Clay or Ace instead being the playable character. In the story, Clay/Ace tries to investigate the identity of the masked challengers that defeated the champions at the Royal Tennis Academy while also aspiring to face Mario after winning in Island Open. Clay/Ace later discovers that Mario and friends are the opponents, and they play against them to the Peach Tournament in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Mario is an all-around character who is available from the start in the Exhibition Mode.
Mario Tennis Open
In Mario Tennis Open, Mario shares nearly identical stats from Mario Power Tennis. His metal form, Metal Mario, also appears as a Power character. Miis can wear tennis clothing based on Mario, and if they win the singles Final Cup, they can wear his costume as well.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash
In Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, Mario is again a balanced character. Mario's tennis racket color is slightly different; rather than being a solid blue, it is predominantly red and blue with some white.
Mario Tennis Aces
Prior to the release of Mario Tennis Aces, Mario was among the characters that could be used in the online tournament demo. In the game, Mario wears a tennis outfit to fit the sport. However, his standard outfit could be unlocked by either participating in the online tournament demo or accumulating 500 participation points in the January 2019 online tournament. While most of his model is reused from Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, his hair is more detailed. During the game's adventure mode, Mario is, for most of the missions, the playable character and must collect the five Power Stones to stop Lucien. As of the game's version 2.0.0 update, the player can unlock a costume for Mario that has him wielding a Lucien replica while wearing his tennis outfit by completing Last Trial Boss Challenge.
NBA Street V3
Mario, along with Luigi and Princess Peach, as a result of the Nintendo and EA partnership, makes a fully playable guest appearance exclusive to the Nintendo GameCube version of NBA Street V3. The three are part of a team entitled "Nintendo All-Stars," alongside other all-star basketball teams. Mario's team additionally has a special basketball court.
Mario Baseball series
Mario Superstar Baseball
In Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario is a balanced character, although his running is only average. Mario's special ball is the classic Fireball, which allows him to pitch or launch the ball at high speeds. Mario's abilities are very similar to Luigi's. Mario's default team is called the Mario Sunshines, which mostly consist of the non-playable characters from Super Mario Sunshine.
Mario's special abilities include Wall Jump, which can help him catch fly balls at the edge of the field, and an improved Sliding Catch.
Mario Super Sluggers
In Mario Super Sluggers, Mario's team is called the Mario Fireballs, which consist of the Mario Bros., the baby Mario Bros., Piantas, Nokis, a Monty Mole, and a Blooper. Mario also had his batting and running skills improved, while his pitching and fielding remain the same. Mario's ability is Enlarge, which enables him to knock away third-base and home-base players and possibly the baseball if he succeeds a close play.
SSX on Tour
Mario, along with Luigi and Peach, as with NBA Street V3, makes another playable guest appearance in the Nintendo GameCube version of SSX on Tour, stemming from the same partnership with Nintendo and Electronic Arts. In SSX on Tour, Mario snowboards on a mountain and performs various stunts to earn points.
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
In Mario Hoops 3-on-3, Mario is a default character. His Special Shot is the Fire Shot, which involves Mario dribbling the ball around him in the shape of an M and then either alley-ooping or dunking a flaming red basketball into the hoop. To execute this move, the player must tap the touchscreen in the shape of the letter M. Mario is classified as a balanced character.
Mario & Sonic series
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario first appears as a playable character in both the Wii version and Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, where he is an All-Around type character, giving him balanced statistics in all categories. He appears in the opening of the Wii version at the start with all of the other athletes, as well as in 100m.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Mario returns as a playable character in both versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. In the Wii version, Mario appears in the opening with all of the other athletes at the start and end, as well as competing in Snowboard Cross. The game also features an outfit based on Mario for Miis to wear, as well as ones based on Bee Mario and Fire Mario. In the Nintendo DS version, Mario can also be used as one of the playable characters to explore Winter Island and Dream Island in Adventure Tours mode, as well as being one of the first two to be selectable in events, along with Sonic.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario returns as an All-Around type character in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, appearing in the opening with the other athletes at the beginning, competing in Trampoline, Dream Hurdles, and Dream Uneven Bars, and with Sonic on top of Big Ben. The Mii outfits return from the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, as well as the addition of two based on Propeller Mario and Penguin Mario.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Mario is included in the Heroes group, alongside Sonic, Luigi, and Tails, which allows him to compete only in certain events. Throughout the story mode, Mario, Luigi, Sonic, and Tails team up to defeat imposters in the Phantasmal Fog generated by a fog machine, which is disrupting the Olympics. Teaming up with other groups, the Heroes confront Bowser and Dr. Eggman responsible for the fog and imposters. After defeating them, the Heroes seal the fog back into the urn. They all then head back to the Main Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games.
A badge of Mario can also be obtained from the badge machine.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario appears in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games once again as a playable All-Around type character. All of the Mii costumes based on Mario from the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games return as well.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Mario appears in the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games once again as an All-Around type character. The Mario outfits return from the previous two instalments, but they now must be collected in separate head and body parts that each have their own set of bonus statistics. In the Nintendo 3DS version, he, Sonic, and the Mii are the only characters that can be used for all events. In the Road to Rio mode, Mario's disappearance causes a disagreement between his and Sonic's gyms, though it is later revealed that Mario was missing due to investigating the theft of his and Sonic's Olympic medals from a museum.
Mario is playable as a Balance character in all events in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, but he has recommended events of 100m and Long Jump. Here, all of his statistics are above average.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Mario appears in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 once again as an All-Around type playable character, now wearing appropriate sporting clothing depending on the event. In addition to being playable in the Tokyo 2020 events, Mario is also among the eight characters playable in the Tokyo 1964 events. In the story mode, he, Sonic, Bowser, Dr. Eggman, and Toad get sucked into a game system featuring 8-bit graphics and are transported back in time to the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games. While in the game system, Mario uses his 8-bit appearance first used in Super Mario Bros. To return to the real world, the five characters need to win gold medals in Olympic events.
Mario is also an All-Around type playable character in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition, having the same statistics as in the arcade version of the previous installment.
Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, Mario is an All-Rounder type character, and all of his stats are average. His stadium in the game is Mario Stadium. Most of his attacks involve spinning. In Basketball, he spins into his opponent if he is blocking his opponent for too long. In Hockey, his hits involve a two-hit combo followed by a spin. In Dodgeball, he rolls forward to avoid any incoming hit. In Volleyball, he spins when he spikes. In all sports, his special move is a fire blast that is so powerful that opponents have to resist the force while sliding backwards if they do not want Mario to score.
Mario Sports Superstars
Mario appears in Mario Sports Superstars, where he is a Balance type character in most sports; in tennis, he is classified as the similar All-Around type. As a result, Mario has few weak stats, but by the same token he does not excel in any stat in particular. His special shots involve hitting the ball with a fiery streak. In golf, Mario's default drive is 220 yards and his shots travel straight and high.
