SMB Super Show + Zelda DVD coming in October

[TheSmirk]

The super mario bros super show will have the whole series on 4 DVDs and Legend of Zelda will span 3 DVDs....slated for October...

Saw it here...

http://www.pressthebuttons.com/2005/06/do_the_mario_on.html


The Captain cracks me up LOL

[MegaDrive20XX]

Oh dear god...I have to get that....especially for the entire Zelda cartoons...

[joshnickerson]

Egh, the Mario toons were okay, but I remember the Zelda toon being utterly horrible.

[MarioAllStar2600]

I will be picking it up, The mario cartoon was definatly boring, but I thought the live scenes were so cheesy they were funny. Definatly will be picking both sets up.....

[ubersaurus]

Oh shits!

The Zelda cartoon ruled. And the Mario Super Show? Totally awesome live action segments.

I am definitely picking this one up.

[Drexel923]

Nice...I've been waiting for them to stop making small DVDs and release the whole series. Definitely picking these up.

In addition, they also need to release the SMB3 and SMW cartoons on DVD.

[imanerd0011]

I'll definately be picking them both up, and they are coming out just in time for my Birthday too! I actually watched most of the Zelda ones online a few months ago, they were on a nickolodean site or something. I used to have the site in my favorites, but for some reason it's gone. Does anyone else have it?

[Sniderman]

And in 10 days....
Game Over: The Complete Series on DVD (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007WQGSG/ref=pd_sxp_f/103-1882958-3084624). Will contain character bios, how-they-filmed-the-series material, and best of all, a commentary track that will point out ALL of the videogame references that were made throughout the series. I'm really curious what we missed when it was on the air.

[rbudrick]

I still want Captain N and the 80s cartoons of Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Q Bert.

-Rob

[Poofta!]

wait im confused. is the mario super show the same show in the 90s that was an actual mario cartoon and had that "feel good" song by James Brown?

tell me it is!

[klausien]

I still want Captain N and the 80s cartoons of Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Q Bert.

-Rob

I second on all four of those, especially the Pac Man cartoons. Those were great.

[DragonMaster Sam]

When those DVDs come out, I'll be sure to pick them up. I already have the "Mario Mania" disc that's out. I'm guessing the Super Show will be on 4 DVDs due to each episode being at least a half hour in length.

[Damion]

Captian N rocked but no way am I buying that mario Bros super show. I couldn't even watch it when it was in my demographic.

Zelda wasn't to bad. Though link was rather whinny for a hero. So cool :)

What was Gameover I don't seem to remeber it.

[PDorr3]

Nice to know since as a kid I prefered the "good" sonic cartoon over the nintendo ones, so I will be picking these up! hopefuly they will be at a reasonably good price.

[Garry Silljo]

I know most poeple ahted the format change, but what about "Club Mario". I actually remember those guys being a little funny.

[spooie]

So they're going to cram 52 episodes of the Super Mario Bros Super Show on 4 discs... and spread out 13 episodes of Legend of Zelda on 3 discs. So SMBSS is getting 13 episodes a disc, while Zelda is getting 4.33 episodes a disc. Something doesn't seem right.

:hmm:

Regardless... I hope DiC does a better job than most of their old "Animation Station" DVD releases.

I realize that most of them are budget titles, but they could at least attempt to do a decent remaster of the film, instead of simply transfering the grainy footage of the older shows. And I'm not a fan of their sloppy splicing together of episodes with no intros or credits.

If Rhino can make their Transformers, GIJoe and Jem releases look like they're current generation, DiC shouldn't have problems cleaning up a show that's 5 years younger as it is.

[Famidrive-16]

Nice. I have the SMB Show "Greatest Movie Hits" with six episodes (along with two Zelda ones)

Sure, it's pretty bad even for the 80's, and Zelda's just laughable (WELLL EEEEEXXXCCUUUUSSSEEE ME PRINCESS HAHHAHAHAHAHAH fuck me plzz/) but I'm looking to this mroe than Everybody Loves Raymond Volume 87....

[PC-Famicom64]

So they're going to cram 52 episodes of the Super Mario Bros Super Show on 4 discs... and spread out 13 episodes of Legend of Zelda on 3 discs. So SMBSS is getting 13 episodes a disc, while Zelda is getting 4.33 episodes a disc. Something doesn't seem right.

:hmm:

Regardless... I hope DiC does a better job than most of their old "Animation Station" DVD releases.

I realize that most of them are budget titles, but they could at least attempt to do a decent remaster of the film, instead of simply transfering the grainy footage of the older shows. And I'm not a fan of their sloppy splicing together of episodes with no intros or credits.

If Rhino can make their Transformers, GIJoe and Jem releases look like they're current generation, DiC shouldn't have problems cleaning up a show that's 5 years younger as it is.No,Sony is Do'ing The DVDs (Thats right Sony)

Maybe it can go like this.

Mario=4x DVD-18 (18.8 Giga Bites)

Zelda=3x DVD-9 (9.4 Giga Bites)

;)

[spooie]

DiC announced the entire series release some months ago, as reported by TVshowsonDVD.com. When did Sony, of all people, get the rights to the shows?

LOL

[Raedon]

Well EXCUUUUUSE me pricess!

[rbudrick]

I would also very much like to get all of the Video Power episodes and that other show with JD Roth in it...was that Gamepro TV or something?

-Rob

[Animerforever05]

shoot! @_@ it's about time my fav. mario show is on dvd!

[josekortez]

Where the hell is Captain N?

And Sony getting the rights to the Nintendo DVDs is just wild.

[GrayFox]

*Looks at Sonic SatAM files on harddrive*

Where the hell is my Sonic SatAM DVD Collection you sons of bitches!

I do demand satisfaction.

[Amy Rose]

Hehehe, the Super Mario Bros cartoons came out on DVD over here a while ago. They're TERRIBLE. LOL I remember watching the show when I was a little kid, and it's utterly hilarious to go back to. The sound effects! The title screen having Mario 3 in the background! The music ripped straight from the game!

I hope the Zelda cartoon comes out over here, I never got a chance to see it when I was younger.

[mattmcgrath25]

Since the cartoons are much less historically interesting, I'd like to see the second set of live action wrap-arounds included as well. They included the ubiquitous 1990 Bill&Ted/Wayne And Garth/Beavis And Butthead guys on a couch watching tv. Although at that point they could have only been ripping of Bill&Ted as W&G and B&B were a few months to a few years down the road. Segments included stock footage (ex: a 1960's science film explaining how flies regurgitate their food) with their B&B-esque commentary on top, and then some pointless set pieces (such as the character Eric hitting his head and becoming Evil Eric).

The theme song to Club Mario had a direct lift of the riff from "Black Cat" by Janet Jackson...which in turn was very similar in progression to DP's "Smoke On The Water".

"Name anyplace that you wanna go, we'll take you there, oh don't you know, down at Club...Club Mario"

[Lothars]

I really am excited for this dvd set

it's gonna be great, I am hopefully gonna be able to get it as soon as it came back it's great :)


But thank you for the topic :D

[NintendoMan]

Welp, I along with several other were so happy to get this until I read one of the reviews on IGN:
http://dvd.ign.com/articles/655/655002p1.html

September 30, 2005 - Let's take a trip in time and find ourselves in the late 1980s. Nintendo ruled America's youth - the argument that games were mainly for adults held little water back then - and merchandising was all over the place. You could start your day by waking up in your Nintendo-themed sheets, wash your hair with Super Mario shampoo, eat Mario & Zelda cereal, and go to school with your Nintendo backpack. It therefore goes without saying that there were also Nintendo cartoons based on some of the company's most popular properties. And now Shout Factory, patron saint of B-level television shows of years past, has released the complete The Legend of Zelda.



The animated version of The Legend of Zelda loosely - and I do mean loosely - follows the plot of the video game. Link, a brave warrior, defends both Princess Zelda and the mystical Triforce against the wiles of evil Ganon. With the assistance of a fairy named Sprite (think Ocarina of Time's Navi, but even more annoying), Link goes on various comical adventures to save Hyrule. Ganon sends monsters, Link shoots magic from his sword, and Zelda keeps herself from being kissed by Link. Rinse and repeat. The show's plot isn't its strong point, usually following a very repetitive structure of action sandwiched between comical set-up scenes.



On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda animated series does have its camp merits. Link's awkward plea, "Well excuuuuuse me, Princess," which later made its way into the infamous CD-i Zelda games, is a beloved inside joke of many gamers. The sound effects incorporated into the show also add some quaintness to the show. And, to be honest, fans of the series will get a kick out of the show's rendition of popular characters and enemies into kiddie-cartoon characters.



One annoying aspect of this DVD set is that, regardless of whether or not you choose to watch the Legend of Zelda episodes with or without the Mario Brothers live-action segments, the show still always starts with the Super Mario Brothers Super Show animated beginning. If you remember correctly - and I do because, as a kid, I watched this show like it held the meaning of life - The Legend of Zelda was somewhat supplemental to the main Mario Brothers show.



Every couple of days, rather than an episode featuring the plumbers, we got Link on an adventure. But the DVD doesn't give that context and having the extra opening seems really incongruous with the rest of the set. While it's fun to hear a cheesy rap about the Mario Brothers, it makes this set feel rushed, as if Shout Factory didn't even bother to edit-out the show's Mario Brothers roots.

The same goes for the extra live-action segments. While I'm certainly glad they're included, if for some perverse, campy reasons, they feel really out of place. Without any rhyme or reason, the live-action Mario segments feel dropped in, as if to just fill up space.



This set is probably only valuable to video game fans and people who grew up with the show. Younger viewers will probably feel bored and a bit put-off by the cheesy storylines and bad dialogue ("What is this?", Sprite asks of a monster, "ugly people day?"). And, needless to say, adult viewers with no connection to the game will see the show for what it really was: an extended commercial for Nintendo products. The show does have some value for its cheesiness (especially the included live-action Mario pieces), but it's a camp that will only work for people who grew up with Nintendo.

The Transfer
The first thing you'll notice about this set is its extreme artifact problem. Specks and spots pop up constantly and everywhere. Especially notable in the out-door scenes in which the darker artifacts contrast with the lighter backgrounds, the artifacts really age this show. Colors are also a bit of a problem, looking a bit too bright. Out-door scenes are again a problem when the scenery and characters appear so bright that they come off as almost blurred. Some of the lighter colors, such as the bright blue of Zelda's vest, bleed into other colors. All this is capped-off by a low-quality transfer that betrays little effort to clean-up what is obviously a deteriorated print.



The live-action Mario & Luigi segments, which do make up a sizable part of the extras, are even worse. Colors are washed out, artifacts constantly appear, and everything is just a little blurry. To be honest, the live-action segments almost look like they were transferred from VHS. I suppose that's to be expected considering how low-budget the show was and its sixteen-year-old pedigree. Regardless, it looks pretty bad, even on regular television sets.

Score: 2 out of 10

The Audio Presentation
I won't lie; the synthesizer and orchestra renditions of Zelda music are fun. The DVD's 2.0 audio track doesn't sound awful, and compared to the video, that's an accomplishment. Although there's a very small amount of hiss in the background, there's nothing to make you cringe.

Unfortunately, there are no alternative language or subtitle tracks whatsoever.

Score: 4 out of 10

Bonus Materials and Packaging
The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Animated Series comes in a double-wide Amray case across three DVDs. Although the cover artwork is cool, I can't help feeling it looks like fan-art rather than an accurate representation of either the game series or the animated show's look.



A few shows on the set feature the original live-action Super Mario Brothers opening and closing segments. These were basically low-budget sitcom-like situations that the brothers faced in Brooklyn. Although they are both called and dressed like Mario and Luigi, and their actions are punctuated by game sounds, nothing they do in these segments actually relate to the game. For example, in one episode, their niece visits and brings her music-loving friends with her, creating all sorts of noisy havoc for the brothers.



Anyway, there are about a half-dozen of these segments on the disc. They're not very good, except for the fact that it's hard to believe someone made them, but still worth a watch for Nintendo fans.

The Legend of Zelda Trivia Game is a fun diversion. There are a series of multiple-choice questions (with one answer obviously wrong) about the show and the game series. Although none of the questions are hard, fanatics of the series probably won't mind proving to themselves that they know their stuff.



The Match Game on the other hand is way too difficult. You're given about five seconds to look at twelve pictures and then asked detailed questions about them. The end result of this is a pretty boring and unexciting experience. Furthermore, no one, from kids to adults, are going to find it easy to memorize twelve little pictures in the space of a moment.

Finally, there is some DVD-ROM content that features easy-to-draw representations of the Legend of Zelda characters.


This isn't a packed set, which is understandable. Shout Factory is in a tough position of releasing a product that Nintendo isn't particularly proud of. Therefore it's no shock that they couldn't get old Zelda commercials or meaningful commentaries. At the same time, people thinking they're getting 3 discs worth of content might be disappointed.

Score: 5 out of 10

The Bottom Line
If you've noticed a pattern in the review, it's that this set is for fans of the series only. As a Legend of Zelda fan who grew up with the series, I could easily see myself buying this set. At the same time, I think that anyone else will find the content of these discs to be cheesy and poorly produced.
_______________________________________________

I really wanted this until I read the review. I remember liking those cartoon alot, ALONG with all the other Nintendo ones. I think I remember reading in this review that the VHS tapes have better picture than this.
Oh well, don't know if I'll get it soon. Maybe if I ever catch it discounted or something??
:D

[DragonMaster Sam]

I'm thinking the reviewer must've got an early copy, because the DVD doesn't come out until the 18th. I'm still gonna get it, regardless of what IGN thinks of it. Not all of their reviews are accurate.

[zerohero]

Sold to Zerohero!

Seriously, they need to start bringing back alot of things. I'm still waiting for Mighty Max( I own a pirated dvd collection ;) ), as well as some other old 80's early 90's cartoons.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I want this collection...right now!!!

[NintendoMan]

Sold to Zerohero!

Seriously, they need to start bringing back alot of things. I'm still waiting for Mighty Max( I own a pirated dvd collection ;) ), as well as some other old 80's early 90's cartoons.

Oh boy, there are SO SO SO many 80's early 90's cartoons that i want. I bet I could count at least 20 sets I would buy the day they come out. If they ever did!

[syd]

When these shows were actually being made, I used to always watch them. They were awesome back in the day. But I downloaded a couple episodes of Captain N and Zelda a while back and was wondering why did I like these shows back then? There's just no way they are suited for all ages, because I would never be able to watch them now! :/