Finally, everything you ever wanted to know about Nintendo’s Mario, provided of course all you ever cared for were his appearances and cameos in video games of all kinds, in one convenient place: Here! Or, to be precise, included in the following list, which -I am sure- is not a 100% complete, despite cataloging over 100 games on more than a dozen platforms ranging from the ZX Spectrum to the Wii. Obviously, all the latest gems and our very dear Super Mario Galaxy have been included. Oh, and, please, do let me know of any omissions.

Arcade: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros, Vs. Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros., Mushroom World Pinball (an actual pinball machine!), Super Mario Bros 2., Super Mario Bros. 3., Super Mario World, Mario Kart Arcade GP, Punch-Out!, Vs. Dr. Mario.

Atari 2600, 7800: Donkey Kong, Mario Bros.

Game & Watch and Mini Arcade: Mario’s Cement Factory, Mario the Juggler, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario Bros., Mario’s Bombs Away, Donkey Kong Hockey

ZX Spectrum (Yes!): Mario Bros.

Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES (or even Famicom if you prefer) & Famicom Disk System: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Classics, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong Junior Math, Donkey Kong 3, Dr. Mario, Golf, Mario is Missing, Mario’s Time Machine, Mike Tyson’s Punchout, NES Open Tournament Golf, Nintendo World Championships, Return of Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tennis, Wario’s Woods, Wrecking Crew, Yoshi, Yoshi’s Cookie, Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally, Kaettekita Mario Bros.

NEC PC-8801: Mario Bros. Special, Punch Ball Mario Bros., Tennis, Super Mario Bros. Special.

Game Boy and Game Boy Color: Alleyway, Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario, F1-Race, Qix, Game & Watch Gallery, Game & Watch Gallery 2, Game & Watch Gallery 3, Mario’s Picross, Mario’s Picross 2, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Tetris Attack, Mario Tennis, Wario Blast featuring Bomberman!, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, Wario Land 2, Yoshi, Yoshi’s Cookie, Mario Golf.

Super NES (SNES, Super Famicom): Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle Stadium, Mario and Wario, Mario is Missing, Mario’s Time Machine, Mario Paint, Mario’s Super Picross, Mario’s Early Years: Fun with numbers, Mario’s Early Years: Fun with letters, Mario’s Early Years: Pre-School, Nintendo Power Dr. Mario, Picross Nintendo Power, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Tetris and Dr. Mario, Tetris Attack, Wario’s Woods, Wrecking Crew ‘98, Yoshi’s Cookie, Yoshi’s Cookie: Kuruppon Oven De Cookie, Yoshi’s Safari, Zelda 3, Super Scope 6.

Virtual Boy: Mario Clash, Virtual Boy Wario Land, Mario’s Tennis.

CDi: Hotel Mario, Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds (unreleased).

Nintendo 64 & N64 DD: Dr. Mario 64, Paper Mario, Super Mario 64, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, Yoshi’s Story, Mario Artist: Paint Studio, Mario Artist: Talent Studio, Mario Artist:Polygon Studio, Mario Artist: Communication Kit, Donkey Kong 64.

PC and Mac: Mario Teaches Typing, Mario Teaches Typing 2, Mario’s Fun with Numbers, Mario’s Fun with Letters, Mario’s Pre-School fun, Mario’s FUNdamental, Mario’s Games Gallery.

Game Boy Advance (excluding the Classic NES series): Game and Watch Gallery 4, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario Bros., Mario Party Advance, Mario Party, Mario Tennis Advance, Mario Pinball Land (a.k.a. Super Mario Ball), Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Super Mario Advance, Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World, Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Advance 6: Mario is Missing, Wario Land 4, WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames, WarioWare Twisted!, Famicom Mini: Wrecking Crew, Yoshi Topsy Turvy, Mario Kart Super Circuit.

GameCube: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Superstar Baseball, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Party 4, Mario Party 5, Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Super Smash Bros. Melee, WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$, NBA Street v3, Super Mario Strikers (a.k.a. Mario Smash Football), Dance-Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes.

Nintendo DS: Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, Mario Basket: 3 on 3, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64 DS, Super Princess Peach, Tetris DS, WarioWare: Touched!, Itadaki Street DS, Yoshi Touch and Go, Mario Slam Basketball, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2, Mario Party DS, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Yoshi’s Island DS.

Wii (excluding Virtual Console offerings): Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Mario Strikers Charged Football, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Super Smash Bros Brawl, Mario Party 8, WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Sonic the Hedgehog was really big, you know. Bigger than Horace ever was and definitely bigger than Zool. He almost won the 16-bit console wars too (if ever there was such a thing), and -admittedly- is still recognizable enough to sell the odd overpriced copy. Then again, everyone can see the character and his truckload of silly overacted friends aren’t doing half as well as expected and -that’s the ugly bit mind you- usually star in some shockingly dreadful games.

Now, as I’m not one to necessarily demand a return to Sonic’s 2D roots and 90s gameplay form, even though you have to admit that Sonic Rush for the DS was the best Sonic for what felt like ages, I think Sega should realistically have a long hard look at Sonic’s current-gen outings. Try to figure out what they can do right and what they simply should do away with. And you know what? It’s as easy as having a look at two 2007 games.

The first one is simply called Sonic the Hedgehog and debuted on the Xbox 360, though a virtually identical PlayStation 3 version did promptly follow. Oh, yes, and it is such an astonishingly awful game you’d think it was meant as a bloody interrogation tool for a consolized version of hell. Also, despite its title, this abomination has nothing to do with the implied return to form you might be hoping for. On the plus side though, Sonic the Hedgehog Next-Gen could probably also serve as a developer’s map of the things designers should avoid: tons of horribly unfunny Sonic Team written dialog, an overly complex control scheme, graphics without style or flair, a silly soundtrack, weird missions, a horrid camera system, pointless exploration bits, exhausting loading times, an interesting selection of bugs and glitches, a badly judged difficulty curve, nonsensical ideas regarding save points and only a few moments of fast platform (almost) properly Sonic action, that unfortunately aren’t that good anyway.

On the other hand, the other extreme if you wish (you know, to, uhh, justify this post’s title) we have Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii, an impressively better game that really tried to focus on the basics that helped define and elevate Sonic to classic status, while also trying to keep up with the gaming mainstream of today: it’s in 3D and uses the Wii Remote. Happily it also offers a simple -almost intuitive- control system, great speed and what can essentially only be described as 2D gameplay. It is thus a fun game that feels properly Sonicy. Mind you, it’s not perfect, not by far, but definitely a step in the right direction. And it does spare us those anime cartoon anthropomorphic animals that aren’t Sonic…

Assassin’s Creed Altaïr’s Chronicles for the Nintendo DS will apparently be the direct prequel of the flawed masterpiece that was Assassin’s Creed and should be available sometime next month. Gamers will be able to uncover interesting bits about the protagonist, his past and his supposedly deep history by playing through a rather impressive arcade-adventure. The game will sport a fully realized and technically amazing (well, judging from the screenshots, that is) 3D world in which players will travel and battle through four cities of the Crusades’ Middle East, allegedly using acrobatic moves and combo attacks. Shockingly for a DS game appropriate mini-games are also to be expected.

Well, for 2007 at least and as far as racing games go, it definitely is. It’s got the awards to prove it too, and if I may say so myself Race Driver: Create & Race deserves every accolade our happy gaming community cares to grace it with. The game, you see, gives Nintendo DS gamers a rare chance to race 20 of the fastest cars on the planet on 30 suitably official race circuits; presumably while sitting in a bus.

But what is it that makes the game worthy of such praise? The addictive gameplay, fluid drive mechanics, excellent on-line multiplayer mode and impressive (for DS standards) graphics do quite a bit to help. What really sets Race Driver: Create & Race aside, though, is the intuitive track designer. Simply grab the stylus, design the track you fancy, race on it and even share it with your (imaginary or not) friends. Yes, apparently even third-party software can put the unique bits of the DS to great use.

Oh, and the award Race Driver won (by IGN no less) is Best DS Driving/Racing game of 2007. The game also was a runner-up in the Best Graphics Technology and Best Online Multi-Player Game categories.