Nintendo’s lawyers and representatives are just about as fast asSuper Mario 64speedrunners. Last week an amazingSuper Mario 64PC port popped up onlineto the surprise of many. The dazzling 4k port, powered by DirectX 12, wowed viewers and players alike. But just as soon as the game had gone live, Nintendo was on the spot to take action.
Super Mario 64is one of the most influential video games of all time. Many fans have great memories of playing the 3D platformer on the Nintendo 64 and being astonished at what 3D gaming could be. The game has been made available by Nintendo on multiple consoles since the original Nintendo 64 launch, including via virtual console on the Wii. But many have been hoping for some sort of HD remake, which in some ways was provided by this 4k PC port.
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YouTuber Unreal posted a video online last week showcasing hisSuper Mario 64PC port. Many times modders like Unreal will spend years showing off small pieces of their project, but in the case of this surprise PC port, the game was dropped with no fan-fare. Players online purposely have not been sharing the download for the port, as they were hoping to prolong any action from Nintendo. However, just likeNintendo shutdownMariogames in Sony’sDreams, the Big N is often very quick at taking down fan projects of its properties.
Nintendo has been filing copyright complaints with Google and YouTube about Unreal’sSuper Mario 64port, and thus, the YouTube video, for example, has been shut down. That being said, the playable game itself is still floating around in multiple locations.Pokemon Prismis a great example of a fan-made creation that Nintendo successfully shut down.
There are rumors thatSuper Mario 64HD is being published by Nintendoitself soon for the Nintendo Switch. This being the 35 year anniversary ofSuper Mario Bros., HD remakes of the 3D classics would be a great way to celebrate Mario. It would make a lot of sense if Nintendo were quick to shut down the PC port because it has plans to sell its own HD remake ofSuper Mario 64.
There is a precedent as well, as a fan-made game called Super Mario Bros. X was hit hard by Nintendo. The game was a Mario level builder, and very soon after Super Mario Bros. X was closed, thevery successfulSuper Mario Makerfranchisewas announced.
