DSi Virtual Handheld- The Many Forms of Mario

Special thanks to Arceus144 whose mailbag question inspired this post
For me personally, one of the most disappointing things that came out of this year’s E3 was NO announcement of a virtual console service for the DSi. But on HearMii we can dare to speculate on what the idea, bursting with potential, could have brought forth. All this week all I’ll be posting some of my picks for what I would want on this “virtual Handheld”. Are you listening Reggie. Each day will have a theme. Today’s theme is a few of the more standout Game Boy games starring Nintendo’s bizarre grown-man-yet-still-has-childlike-appeal mascot Mario.

Super Mario Bros DX.

This enhanced port of the NES killer app may have a smaller resolution but it adds several welcomed tweaks and extras. These include the ability to save, go backwards through the level and access the original Mario Bros 2., the Lost Levels.


Super Mario Land





This slightly different take on the Mario platformer is actually the precursor to the Wario Land series. If it were up to me, all of the games in that lineage would appear on this hypothetical service but if you had to pick one to start with, go with the original.


Mario Golf and Mario Tennis









Camelot’s acclaimed Mario sports game are, for whatever reason, always RPG’s on the handhelds. It’s strange but the core gameplay is always solid and the idea of living in a school dedicated to something as ridiculously specific as tennis or golf (or a trading card game) might just be Nintendo’s Japanese sensibilities coming through yet again.