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Home Manifesto Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition Review

DAILY MANIFESTO

Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition Review

Posted on Thursday, January 12 @ 09:22:16 Eastern by

Video game-related gifts are hard to come by.


It's even harder to find gamer gifts that are actually worth giving. Regardless, I managed to receive one this past Christmas. Out of all the licensed Mario schlock out there, the Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition is well worth the asking price and a nice addition to any board game shelf.


Bowser and Mario serve as white and black Kings while Luigi and Bowser Jr. serve as the respective Queens. Yoshis and Birdos serve as each side's Knights while Toads and Goombas act as Rooks. Princesses Daisy and Peach stand at Mario and Luigi's sides as Bishops while Magikoopas fill that role for the black side. Did you know they were called Magikoopas?

I wasn't 100% sure in writing this review, but the chess set faithfully recreates every character and details their roles in the instruction guide. In fact remarkably so. Maybe it was cynicism that had me assuming the set would be sloppily put together and of poor quality, but I was wrong.

The pieces themselves are painted to perfection and constructed out of some vinyl figure polymer or something. You know, like what they made the space shuttles out of. In fact, every assumption I made about the set has been disproven. Before I even tore the shrink wrap off, I jumped to the conclusion that I wouldn't find one of the ever-present Official Nintendo Seals of Quality you'd find on officially released Nintendo products.


Still, there it was staring back up at me on the second page of the instruction booklet. Seeing it certainly put my cold gamer cynic heart at ease. Settling in to play a game of chess when the significant other wants me to spend time with her is easy and entertaining with this set resting underneath the classic editions of Clue and Scrabble in the bookshelf.

All in all, the Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition is a solidly constructed reskin of a classic board game everyone should own. If you don't already own a set of pieces and a board you'd do well to look into this Nintendo-flavored edition. Now if only the pieces made sound effects, moved themselves, and you could use a controller and the game displayed on your tele-- well, that's... That's just video games.

4.5 out of 5 Stars
+Excellently crafted and painted pieces
+Nintendo Seal of Quality
+Same classic gameplay, but with Italian plumbers and lizard monsters
-Isn't Birdo a good guy now? And why isn't Peach Mario's queen?


Thanks again to my girlfriend Jenna for the excellent Christmas gift.
Tags:   Mario, Nintendo


Comments
  • Squiggy
    Squiggy
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
    That's pretty cool, but what I really want is a Zelda chess set.
    0 0
  • Squiggy
    Squiggy
    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
    or WarioWare Monopoly, where mixed into the usual Chance and Community Chest cards are cards that detail ridiculous things you have to perform in front of your friends for a prize, or go to jail (or some other punishment, like paying up X money, or miss a turn, etc.)
    0 0
  • drathbone
    drathbone
    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
    So what would have made it a full 5 stars (or R's or Star R's) since you guys consistently never give those?
    0 0
  • danielrbischoff
    danielrbischoff
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
    I suppose if the board had a bit more Mario flare on it or if the pieces were more varied.... Why koopa shells for pawns and now koopas themselves? and coins for pawns on the White side? Meh.
    0 0
  • Josh_Laddin
    Josh_Laddin
    Joined: Nov 2009
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 2:23 pm
    Luigi is Mario's Queen and not Peach? Does anyone else find that as disturbing as I do?
    0 0
  • Bras
    Bras
    Joined: Jul 2008
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
    What about Bowser's "queen"?
    0 0
  • cyberjim2000
    cyberjim2000
    Joined: Feb 2010
    Posted: Jan 12th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
    That's pretty cool. Though you'd think goombas would be the pawns and the koopa shells would be the rook.
    0 0

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