I'm still here.....

.....I just haven't posted anything in this blog for a while because there hasn't been much new stuff going on in the Mario and Sonic gaming world. The recently released Super Mario Galaxy 2 is selling like hot cakes, of course, and we're all still eagerly waiting for the first installment of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 to be released, and that's it really - nothing else to report.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some free Mario and Sonic Flash online games to play, here is the web's best collection of them for you to enjoy:

MarioSonicGames.com

And here are some more great free fun and games sites for you to try out:

Dan-Dare.org
(which includes the Disney.Dan-Dare.org
and the DreamWorks.Dan-Dare.org sites)

Dan-Dare.net

DanDare.org.uk

Super Mario Galaxy 2 wallpaper (multiple sizes available)

Further to my recent posts about the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 (see here and here), I am now pleased to be able to provide you with a fantastic Super Mario Galaxy 2 desktop wallpaper picture based on the game which you can use on your computer if you wish.

It is available in 800 x 600 pixels, 1024 x 768 pixels, 1280 x 960 pixels, 1280 x 1024 pixels and 1600 x 1200 pixels sizes:

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is out in Europe today

Following on from the US release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 last month, European Nintendo Wii owners can now enjoy the best game ever made as of today, hoorah!

Those of you in Australia and New Zealand wanting to get hold of the game will have to wait until the beginning of next month though, sorry. However, it's worth the wait, it really is!

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is released in North America today!

It's here at long last, the ultra-eagerly-awaited "Super Mario Galaxy 2" game for the Nintendo Wii is out today in the USA and Canada. It will be released in Japan on May 27th, Europe on June 11th and Australasia on July 1st.

Early reviews of it give it the highest rating of any video game ever released, currently scoring 98% at the Metacritic website, so it sure is a good reason to go out and buy a Nintendo Wii now if you don't already own one!

You can buy a Nintendo Wii and the Super Mario Galaxy 2 game from Amazon.com here:

     

Update on Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Sonic 4

Further to my posts earlier this year about the two most eagerly awaited video games of 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 4, here are the latest updates about them, including release dates:

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is now complete and is due for release on the Nintendo Wii on the following dates: North America - May 23, Japan - May 27, Australasia - June 10, Europe - June 11.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (previously known as Project Needlemouse) is going to be an episodic series, and Episode 1 is due for release via the PlayStation Network, the Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare in the summer. The actual release date is still to be confirmed because the game is still undergoing development.

Mario and Sonic game releases due in 2010

Looking through the official Mario and Sonic video game release schedules for this coming year, the first thing that stands out is that there aren't very many releases scheduled! However, the second thing that stands out is that these few releases do look to be of the very highest quality indeed! This is a really good thing, trust me - quality is way better than quantity, every time!

There is only one new Mario game currently scheduled for a 2010 release, but given that it is Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii, I think we can all forgive Nintendo for that, lol!

Nintendo promise that it will be an even better Mario experience than the first game, which will take some doing in my opinion - it's not easy to improve on virtual perfection! Nintendo also promise that this game will be a lot more challenging than the previous one. Not so sure that's such a good thing myself, but whatever - the "Big N" know what they're doing. The release date is still to be confirmed.

Update 24/02/10: Nintendo announced today that Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be released on May 23rd.

There are three new Sonic games currently scheduled for release in 2010, and they are:

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing - A Kart racing game featuring Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy Rose, Big the Cat and Dr. Eggman plus Alex Kidd, Billy Hatcher, Ai Ai from Super Monkey Ball, Amigo from Samba de Amigo, Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue, Beat from Jet Set Radio and Zobio and Zobiko, the zombie couple from The House of the Dead EX plus Banjo and Kazooie from Banjo-Kazooie! Due for release on the Xbox and PS3 on February 10th, and on the Wii and DS in early March;

Sonic Classic Collection - For the DS only, this promises to be a little gem, containing the first four ever Sega Genesis / Mega Drive "Sonic the Hedgehog" games, namely: Sonic the Hedgehog from 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from 1992, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 from 1994 and Sonic & Knuckles from 1994, complete with reportedly enhanced Sonic & Knuckles "lock-on" features for the earlier games. Due for release on March 10th;

And finally, an as-yet unnamed Sonic main-series game currently referred to as Project Needlemouse - All that is currently known is that this will be a 2D side-scrolling platformer very much in the style of the classic original Sonic games, with an emphasis on speed! Yes, Yes, YES!! It's been far too long since Sega made a "proper" Sonic game! I want it NOW!!

Anyway, here are some totally awesome free Mario and Sonic online games for you to play while you're waiting for the above games to come out, all courtesy of the famous MarioSonicGames.com site:

  New Super Mario Bros. Flash

  Super Mario Sunshine 64

  Ultimate Flash Sonic the Hedgehog

  Sonic the Hedgehog Rivals Dash

  Super Mario Kart Racing

  Super Mario Kart Xtreme

(See also here)