Mario Maker’s creation tools span 30 years of Nintendo art styles

By Adam Rosenberg Published December 6, 2014

Fans got a new look at Mario Maker, Nintendo’s Mushroom Kingdom-infused LittleBigPlanet competitor, in a new trailer that debuted during 2014’s Game Awards.

The Wii U exclusive isn’t so much a single game as it is a suite of creation tools aimed at letting Mario fans dream (or nightmare) up their own hellish platforming puzzles. The trailer skips the nitty-gritty creation process in favor of a more general look at what someone fully versed in Mario Maker‘s tools might be able to create.

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Coin-spewing cannons and Lakitus, question mark blocks that conceal Piranha Plants, and giant Goombas that split like amoebae when jumped on. And all of it is moldable, as the trailer reveals, using the art assets of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U.

Mario Maker is expected to arrive for Wii U sometime in the first half of 2015.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

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The best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Luigi kicks a shell in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

The Mario & Luigi series has always been a lighter take on RPGs, but still has all the core elements you expect from the genre. With Mario & Luigi: Brothership, you can count on the return of turn-based battles, puzzles, leveling up, and plenty of gear to find, buy, and equip to alter your stats. This isn't the most challenging RPG on the market, but not upgrading or maximizing your gear can certainly make it far more challenging than it needs to be. You will need to manage both Mario and Luigi's gear individually with dozens of ways to build their abilities. Before you invest in that expensive pair of gloves or shiny pair of boots, let us point you in the right direction on what the best gear is in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
Best gear in Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Gear can be broken down into five categories: Boots, Hammers, Wear, Gloves, and Accessories. In total, each brother can equip up to five pieces of gear. Some gear can be found, while most needs to be purchased or crafted as you go through the game. We'll run through the best one or two for each category for each of the brothers.
Best gear for Mario

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Luigi in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

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When considering which Battle Plugs to use, it is important to remember that some can make combos. You won't know which pairs will make combos until you try them, but we will also share any possible combos we know of here.
Surprise Iron Ball
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