Hmmm: Nintendo “very strict” over which games feature Mario

Get this, folks: Nintendo is allegedly “very strict” when it comes to selecting which games feature company mascot Mario. Yeah, THAT Mario. The one who’s been in more than 200 games over 29 years.

As part of the promotional push for the blindingly brilliant Super Mario Galaxy 2, Nintendo legend and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has discussed the dangers of having too many games featuring the plumber. And he talked about this while totally keeping a straight face.

“Mario is a very important character in the Nintendo world and so we want him to appear in our titles,” said Miyamoto. “Indeed, there are a lot of games to which he is well suited. However, if he appears in too many games, then they will lose their uniqueness, and so with that we are very strict when choosing which games to have Mario feature in.”

Right. Seriously though, has any game character been used quite as frequently as Mario? Admittedly, Mazza’s appearances have slowed down somewhat compared to the mid-2000s, when he was whored out to star in baseball, snowboarding, and even dancing games.

May this new-found choosiness continue, I say.

[Via Go Nintendo]