Mario's original career—running up fallen girders while avoiding barrels and trying to rescue a princess—has taken some massive turns over the years. Problems at the plumbing business he ran with his brother Luigi were taken care of years ago, as the duo simply bashed the pipe-plaguing bugs and turned them into coins. Later, the brothers found serious fame by rescuing the princess (again), this time from a dragon-thing called Bowser, and with help from mushroom power-ups. Mario has also been a graffiti remover, as well as a doctor in a Tetris rip-off. But what, curious fans and celebrity followers wondered, does Mario do in his free time?
Nintendo has answered that question several times, and will answer it again and again this year, starting with Mario Superstar Baseball, a straightforward, extremely kid-friendly trek through Mario's time on the diamond. The bulk of the game, naturally, is simple hitting and pitching—it's so simple, in fact, that adults may tire of it pretty quickly. There are dozens of characters to break up the monotony, and many have special pitches and swings, but there are only about three basic pitches, and batting requires just a bit of timing and not much finesse. Fielding isn't much more exciting: The game shows you where the ball is headed, and you put a fielder under it. Clearly aware of those limitations, the game's creators offer a bunch of different stadiums with various obstacles and quirks, like plants that catch the ball and spit it out in a different direction.