Skip to main content

Man dresses like Mario for a month to get free Nintendo 3DS

Would you dress up like Mario for 30 days in order to win a free Nintendo 3DS? At least one person out there would, and he got a visit from Mario to go along with the prize.

When Nintendo asked its Facebook fans what they’d do to get their hands on a free 3DS, Gustavo Valdez told the company he’d dress up like the iconic plumber for a month. Nintendo called his bluff, and Mario paid him a visit with a new 3DS and a set of extra Mario costumes.

Recommended Videos

It’s that last part of the gift that really impressed us, though — clearly the Nintendo team had the forethought to realize that a stinky Mario running around town might not cast them in the best light.

You can watch the full video showing Mario’s meeting with Valdez below:

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
I was burnt out on video games until I dusted off my Nintendo DS
A Nintendo DS sits on a table with a few game boxes.

It was mid-December, and I’d just finished my final assignment of 2023. A hectic year full of exciting games capped off with yet another monumental achievement for the medium, the Meta Quest exclusive Asgard’s Wrath 2. No longer locked into playing a never-ending stream of zeitgeist games that I had to keep up with for work, I was finally free to play whatever I wanted.

There was only one problem: The thought of playing a game made me sick. It turns out that playing well over 100 new releases in any given year is a straight path to burnout. Who would have thought?

Read more
Nintendo’s Zelda movie needs to be nothing like The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Link pulls out the master sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

The long-rumored The Legend of Zelda live-action movie is actually happening, with Nintendo confirming that it's officially in production. It’s a logical move following The Super Mario Bros. Movie, one of the year’s highest-grossing films. Video game adaptations appear to be in fashion more than ever before -- seemingly dethroning superhero movies in the process -- and it’s undeniably exciting to see more and more of my favorite franchises make their way to the big screen.

But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

Read more
Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features
Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Read more