''Mario's Game Gallery'' (later re-released as ''Mario's FUNdamentals'') is a compilation of games published by Interplay Productions and developed by Presage Software, Inc. for DOS, Windows and Macintosh. It was released in 1995 in the United States. It was later re-released as ''Mario's FUNdamentals'' for Macintosh in 1996, and for Windows in January 1997, though it was published by Mindscape for the DOS and Windows versions and by Stepping Stone for the Macintosh version. It was also developed by Brainstorm Entertainment. The game includes five traditional games: checkers, backgammon,

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, dominoes, and " yacht", a version of Yahtzee. Players play against Mario in these games, which play similarly to their real world counterparts, though with themes based on the ''Mario'' universe. Since their releases, both versions have received mixed reception; while publications such as ''

The State A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...

'' and the '' Los Angeles Times'' found the game to be a good educational game, authors David Wesley and Gloria Barczak blamed it in part for almost destroying the ''Mario'' brand. '' Official Nintendo Magazine'' listed it as one of the rarest ''Mario'' games as well.

Gameplay

''Mario's Game Gallery'' consists of five games: checkers,

Go Fish Go Fish or Fish is a card game usually played by two to five players,
although it can be played wi ...

, dominoes, backgammon, and "yacht", a version of Yahtzee. In these games, players face off against Mario. The games all play similarly to their real world counterparts, featuring pieces based on the ''Mario'' universe. ''Mario's Game Gallery'' is the first game in the series to feature Charles Martinet as Mario's voice actor; Martinet has since voiced Mario in all speaking appearances in video games.

Development

''Mario's Game Gallery'' was published by Interplay Entertainment Corp. and developed by Presage Software, Inc. for the PC. It was released in 1995. It was later re-released as ''Mario's FUNdamentals'', though it was published by Mindscape for the PC version and by Stepping Stone for the Macintosh version. It was also developed by Brainstorm Entertainment. It was released for the Macintosh in 1996, and for the PC in January 1997.

Reception

Since their releases, both ''Mario's Game Gallery'' and its reversion ''Mario's FUNdamentals'' have received mixed reception. ''

'' praised it for "providing fun for whole family," describing the games included as "excellent." The ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...

'' praised its "sharp" graphics and "fun" animations, as well as the music, which they claim to be based on music from the ''Mario'' series. Like ''The State'', they describe it as "fun for the whole family," though they criticize it for being too difficult at times. However, they recommend it for first-time PC users who want an "easy-to-install product for the new CD-ROM." ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

'' called it a fun game, and praised Martinet for his Mario voice, stating that small children will "giggle with delight." The '' Los Angeles Times'' included it in an article of educational video games that would appeal to younger gamers. Authors David Wesley and Gloria Barczak cited ''Mario's Game Gallery'' as one of the games released in a "flood of ill-conceived ''Mario'' spin-offs", stating that it and the others nearly destroyed the series. '' Official Nintendo Magazine''s Tom East featured it as part of his "Rare ''Mario'' games" article, commenting that though it featured Martinet as Mario first, most identify ''

Super Mario 64 is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. It is the first ''Super Mario'' game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional ''Su ...

'' as his first role as Mario. It was deemed the sixth-worst ''Mario'' game of all time by ScrewAttack, concluding that there was "nothing fun about ''FUNdamentals''".

References

External links

* {{Mario series 1995 video games Classic Mac OS games Digital board games Digital card games DOS games English-language-only video games Interplay Entertainment games Mario educational games Mindscape games North America-exclusive video games Presage Software games Single-player video games Tile-based video games Video games developed in the United States Windows games