Nintendo"s Mario series is turning 35 this year, and though we"re already halfway into the year, it seems like the company is just now starting to celebrate the occasion. This week, the company announced a LEGO set featuring the Nintendo Entertainment System with Super Mario Bros., and it also works as a tie-in with the separate LEGO Mario set, both of which are launching on August 1.
If spending $229.99 on a LEGO set isn"t up your alley, though, Nintendo has a couple of more affordable celebrations coming from a partnership with Hasbro, as reported by CNET. The companies are releasing a Mario-themed Monopoly set, called Monopoly Super Mario Celebration Edition, as well as Jenga Super Mario.
The Mario Monopoly will cost $30, and it celebrates some of the mascot"s most recognizable games throughout the years. It starts out with locations and art from the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, and goes all the way through to the Switch title Super Mario Odyssey. The houses and hotels are replaced with Toad houses and Princess Peach"s castle, and instead of Chance cards, there"s a Question Block for a similar purpose.
The player icons are all based on Mario items, including the Super Star, Fire Flower, Mushroom, Super Leaf, Yoshi"s Egg, and Koopa Shell. The currency appears to be replaced with Mario-styled coins.
Jenga Super Mario puts a bit of a twist on the original game. Each player has a Mario character they can play as, and the goal is to climb the tower and reach Bowser at the top without crashing the tower. Spinning a wheel will tell players what to do on their turn, like how far to climb or how many blocks to remove. The game will cost $20.
Both of these games will be available on August 1, the same day as the LEGO sets announced previously. Nintendo also has Paper Mario: The Origami King releasing this week, which you might consider part of the celebration. Plus, it"s been rumored that some past Mario games might get re-released on the Switch, though we have yet to hear confirmation from Nintendo on that.