Another great opportunity to see the classic Luigi death stare.
There are often funny little live-action video game shorts doing the rounds, and some of them have startlingly high production values. There’s the fantastically-detailed real-life GTA video (made by the same crew who put together the main event below) that’s been doing the rounds, and of course the bloody brilliant Dragonborn vs. Lone Wanderer mashup, but in the last few days a new contender has surfaced: Super Mario Skate.
Take an adult Luigi costume, a healthy dose of post-production special effects, and an electrically-assisted longboard (for genuinely awesome high-speeds) and what do you get? This amazing slice of Mario Kart-inspired action:
Super Mario Skate has all the elements that cumulatively make for a YouTube classic.
It has a great knowledge of the subject-matter and feels just enough like an in-joke to be a smart parody of the subject matter – including Bullet Bills, Thwomps, a three-pack of speed boost mushrooms and a giant marauding green shell straight out of Temple of Doom – but is inclusive enough that everybody can enjoy it; though that’s probably as much down to the universal appeal of Mario Kart as it is the quality of Mario Skate.
It also feels competitive. Luigi is taking on a time-trial in a real-world street racing circuit, trying to topple Mario’s time from the top of the leader-board. Try as he might, Luigi struggles to shave the fractions required off his time to climb ahead of Mario – a Mario Kart frustration we can all identify with – and starts taking dangerous short-cuts to try and get ahead.
Super Mario Skate is a real treat, and one that you can enjoy over and over. Well played, guys!
