The Strangest and Most Obscure Super Mario Cameos Ever

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It’s March 10, and that means it’s Mario Day. Because MAR10. If you squint your eyes it looks a bit like MARIO. Everyone on the internet has already compiled a list of their favorite Mario games, or the best Mario games, or every sports game, or whatever, so we decided to do something a bit different. Instead, we took a look at the non-Mario games that either starred Mario, or contained an official reference to the Mario series.

Nintendo is notoriously protective over its IP, but despite that, Mario is one of the most prolific video game characters of all time, even when it comes to games not published by Nintendo. This is just a small sample of some of the strangest and most outlandish cameos Mario and his pals have ever made in a video game.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Nintendo allowed Bandai Namco to go all-out with references to beloved Nintendo characters in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and the team really went above and beyond. Not only does every character have costume options including Mario, Zelda, Starfox, Metroid, and F-Zero-inspired outfits, but there’s even an exclusive Mushroom Battle mode, where you collect various mushrooms and even a Star from the Mario series to power you up during the fight. It’s all very goofy, but it makes the Wii U Edition of TTT2 the most feature-complete of them all.

NBA Street V3

Featuring a full roster of 30 NBA teams, you might be wondering who could possibly be added to a game like NBA Street V3 to improve the playable characters. The answer, as it turns out, is Mario. Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach feature as fully playable characters, not just skins or outfits, in NBA Street V3. These characters are exclusive to the GameCube version of the game, and it’s not the only EA game of the era that saw Mario flexing his sports skills.

Donkey Kong (1994)

The original arcade Donkey Kong game is known as the first ever debut of Mario, but he was called Jumpman back then. If you play 1994’s Donkey Kong for Game Boy though, you’ll find a much more familiar take on the moustachioed hero. Not only does this Game Boy game offer a great version of the original, it also expands on the game greatly, offering many more stages and mechanics than the arcade version ever could’ve. This is the best version of a gaming classic, and it’s now available to play as part of Nintendo Switch Online.

SSX On Tour

Just like in NBA Street V3, Mario, Luigi, and Peach all star as fully playable characters in SSX On Tour. This extreme downhill snowboarding game sees Mario and Luigi on snowboards, while Peach opts for skis. It’s very impressive that the three of them can ball and board to a professional level, but I guess that’s what makes Mario super.

Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

The original Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 had a full remake that was released just six years later, only it went mostly ignored as it is a GameCube exclusive to this day. You see where this is going now, right? Nintendo-exclusive games are the ones most likely to have Nintendo characters show up, and The Twin Snakes is no different. In the Laboratory room, you’ll find a Nintendo GameCube and a Wavebird controller, in addition to Mario and Yoshi statues. Shooting them even activates 1up and “Yoshi” sound effects respectively.

Monster Hunter 4

Monster Hunter ended up being one of the biggest franchises on the Nintendo 3DS, so it just makes sense that Monster Hunter 4 would have a crossover with the Super Mario series. This crossover made it so you could dress your Palico up in armor that resembles either Mario or Luigi, in addition to the Invincible Hammer weapon that looks like the one from the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games.

One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X

One Piece is one of the biggest manga series in the world, and it just so happens that the Nintendo 3DS game One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X was one of the first non-Nintendo games to feature amiibo compatibility. Scanning your amiibo into the game grants access to new costumes that dress the Straw Hat Pirates up as Nintendo characters. Luffy dressing up as Mario and Luigi are the most important ones for this list, but Usopp as Yoshi, Brook as Marth, and Franky as Donkey Kong are real highlights.

Bayonetta

Apparently not even Bayonetta can make overalls look sexy. That’s the vibe from the Nintendo crossover costumes available in Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 on Nintendo Switch and Wii U, at least. Bayo and Jeanne can dress up as Princesses Peach and Daisy, Link, Samus, and even Fox McCloud. If that’s not enough, then there are even new weapons — the Master Sword, Arwing Guns, and a Chain Chomp that homes in on foes once launched. Brilliant stuff.

Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the biggest games in the world and has been for over a decade. Despite being currently owned by Microsoft, Minecraft is available on pretty much every modern platform, and a few of those platforms have unique bonuses. For the Wii U, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, that’s the exclusive Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, which features Mario-themed skins, textures, music, and a new pre-made world. You might’ve played thousands of hours of Minecraft on other platforms, but if you haven’t played on a Nintendo console, you’ve missed this unique pack.

Almost All Early Nintendo games

Mario is the referee in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out and Tennis, pilots the “ship” in Alleyway, plays Pinball and Golf, works in Wrecking Crew, and does just about everything in the Game & Watch Gallery games. Heck, Mario even starred in games like Tetris and F1 Race. Dozens of Nintendo games from the Game Boy and NES era inexplicably starred Mario, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.