Comments on: Bowser (1989) vs Bowser (2009)

By: Solar

Solar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:50:13 +0000

Ha, I never saw that old art of Bowser before, talk about a transformation! I admit to preferring his newer design, but he still seems like he could be a very menacing character (not a lot has changed other than his color scheme for me). In Galaxy he proved to be an actual threat, and not a joke character. The only times he’s really been made to look more like a joke or a weaker character, that I’ve noticed anyway, were in the various RPG games (“Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door” and “Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga” stand out to me) and possibly in the Brawl story mode (where he gets bossed around, albeit only through gesture, by Ganondorf).

By: Taylor

Taylor — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:23:56 +0000

Dr. Robotnik has taken a similar arc as a sympathetic villian. It seems that in order for a video game villian to last, they can’t be pure evil.

By: TriforceCaptre

TriforceCaptre — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:18:53 +0000

All I can think to say is that Bowser looks really “naked” without the arm bands in that old illustration.

By: Kirbopher

Kirbopher — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:06:58 +0000

The true answer…

Bowser’s the greatest Nintendo character of ALL TIME. GOOD DAY.

By: Timo

Timo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:44:34 +0000

I love the oldschool Bowser/Koopa. I remember the PAL manual from SMB1. There was a similar illustration of him.

By: Tanooki Kuribo

Tanooki Kuribo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:59:58 +0000

This ad actually pops up on eBay from time to time…

Speaking of this early Bowser design, it also popped up (or maybe even originated?) in the first Super Mario Bros strategy guide. You will notice everyone here looks almost nothing like they do today (well, maybe Mario does). Another odd thing… the King shown in this guide looks a lot like the King from the Valiant comic series (of SMB). Cool.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39146331@N06/3639205269/sizes/l/in/set-72157619943786198/