Yep, it's time for another awesome Versus Marathon, hosted by
GameMarathons.com. For the uninitiated, you might be asking, "Versus... Marathon? Well, what makes it so different from your average-," in which I would then rudely interrupt your thoughts with an answer. GameMarathons.com's Versus Marathons aren't simple runs through a ton of games, but also a competition, in which 2+ teams compete against one another in a point-based system, as they vie for supremacy and the bragging rights that come with being declared the winners, all the while raising money towards charity!
For those who missed out, the last Versus Marathon was back in September on the Legend of Zelda series,
on which I did a long (and quite arduous) post on throughout its entire duration, keeping tabs on what games were being played when, and where each team stood point-wise. ~14 Legend of Zelda games were up for play, with two teams competing in that Versus Marathon - the
Triple Speed Runners (TSR) and the
Ocean City Trinity (OCT) - and both have returned to once again wage war (and video games) against one another, this time not in Hyrule, but across the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom.
GameMarathons.com's Mario Versus Marathon (but since I'm lazy and love a good/bad pun, I shall lovingly dub it the Versus "Mario"-thon) will see both teams competing against one another throughout 20 games from the beloved franchise, but there will be a few slight changes compared to last time. Where as the last Versus Marathon was based on an achievement-based system where teams completed pre-marathon specified game requirements as they played in order to earn points, the Versus Marathon this time around will be an all-out race to the finish of each and every Mario game in order to earn those points. A brief definition from
OceanCityTrinity's FAQ post:
"Q: How does the competition side of this work?
A: It’s primarily a speed run competition. All teams will play the games starting at the same point, and whoever finishes first wins 5 points for that game. Other teams have five minutes (or however long the end credits take, whichever is longer) to finish the game from there for 3 points. In either case, all teams then go to the next game. Once all games have been finished by one team, then they can go back individually to finish any incomplete games, again for 3 points. The team with the most points after time is up wins!"
So where do you come in? I'm glad you asked!
The Versus Mariothon initially lasts 60 hours, beginning Friday, January 14th at 6 pm US Eastern Time and running until the 17th; however, based on donations, for each cumulative multiple of $10 received, the marathon will be extended an extra hour, up to a possible of 12 hours tagged on to the original 60. This means, for example, the first $10 donated adds on one extra hour, and the second hour is added on once another $20 has been donated, for a total of $30 towards the donation. For the marathon to be extended by a third hour, another $30 needs to be donated for a total of $60 overall, and so on, so forth.
All donations earned will be sent to the charity DC Outreach. You'll be helping out in more ways than one with your donations, not just with the charity, but also with team TSR. From their blog site:
"Dyskeratosis Congenita Outreach, Inc. holds a very special place amongst the members of TSR. Josh Clark, younger brother of Matthew, has an extremely rare genetic disease called Dyskeratosis Congenita or DC. DC has a number of symptoms, the most severe of which is bone marrow failure. 90% of all DC patients will suffer from bone marrow failure. Josh is 18 and loves to play video games. He has been in and out of the hospital most of his life. In the past, the money you generously donated has paid for families to gather and meet others who suffer from this illness. Help us to once again raise money for the DC Outreach family. 100% of your donations go to charity."
Not to say that's all your donations will gain. Every $10 you donate will also give you the chance to win a brand new
Red Nintendo Wii Bundle, with the winner being drawn at the marathon's conclusion, so the more you donate, the better your chances will be for snagging Nintendo's newly-colored game system!
So what better way to bring in the New Year of 2011 than with a Versus Marathon of gaming's most iconic hero and series? Seeing how the plucky plumber just recently celebrated his 25th anniversary, I'd say this is definitely more than fitting. Team TripleSpeedRunners saw a victory with the Zelda Versus, but will they live up to their namesake and pull out yet another win this time around in a Versus Marathon all about teh speed, or will OceanCityTrinity come thoroughly prepared to snatch up a victory and take the crown resting so comfortably on TSR's head like a warm, red cap? Tune in for the Mario Versus Marathon in less than a week for the action, excitement, and fun that is sure to ensue!
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What You Need to Know
(teh necessities)
The Two Competing Teams: (click team name to visit their personal web site)
What games will be played?
(game order subject to change, as well as chance all games may not be played within the given time)
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land 2
Super Mario World
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Sunshine
Luigi’s Mansion
Yoshi’s Island DS
New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Paper Mario
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Super Paper Mario
When does this start and how long will it run?
The Versus Mariothon begins Friday, January 14th at 6 pm US Eastern Time. It will initially run for 60 hours, but can be extended by an additional 12 hours for a total length of 72 hours, meaning the marathon could end somewhere between 6 am - 6 pm on Monday, January 17th... the day before I go back to college...
Where can I watch this?
Aside from each team's respective individual streams, TripleSpeedRunners have also conveniently set up both streams side-by-side on the home page of their website, making it easier for viewers to watch both streams simultaneously if they wish, and for a Versus Marathon based on racing to the finish, you won' want to miss a beat on either team's stream. I will also be embedding both streams in a single blog post when the time comes, much like I did with the Zelda Versus marathon, so if you wish, you will also be able to view the marathon from my blog here.
What are my donations going towards?
All donations earned will be sent to the charity
DC Outreach. Their focus is on a rare disease called Dyskeratosis Congenita, and they’re looking to research, treat, and support families of someone with this disease. All donations go directly to them through the ChipIn donations widget; there is no middle-man, so your money safely goes to a good cause.
Other Important Links:
Versus Marathon FAQ - To answer all of your questions about how this Versus Mariothon will be run.
Competition Scoreboard - Place for you to visit so you can see how the teams are doing as they race through the marathon and keep track of who is in the lead and what games have been played.
So... will you be there to watch, Mr. Gamree...?
You bet, although I doubt I will be able to participate and watch as much of this marathon as I did the last. Increase in my work schedule as well as different "housing" circumstances mean that my presence will be more sporadic than last time. This also means that I won't be doing an up-to-date play-by-play like I did with the Zelda Versus, nor will I be able to record any marathon footage like last time (although I still need to get around to making a montage video from all of that footage sitting on my HDD...). But fear not! I still hope to attend and watch as much of the marathon as time allows me to, chattin' it up with fellow viewers when I can and enjoying myself overall. There are some key games I definitely don't plan on missing for nostalgia-sake, including some of the Paper Marios, Super Mario RPG, and definitely my beloved Super Mario 64. However, above all, I will be there for one very simple reason:
"Q: What does the winner get?
A: The right to nominate the games to be played for the next versus marathon. And bragging rights.
Q: What about the loser?
A: They have to do the Mario. Like in the cartoon."
Heck yes. Kidding or not, watch out. I'm holding you guys to your word on this above everything else. >=P
Haha! Cool! Will you be joining them in "doing the Mario" dance, too, Green Mag-?
I will hurt you if you even think about suggesting that again.
Oh... er... sowwy...
Nah, I was a bit brash there. Hey, there's this awesome Mariothon coming up soon. Let's go watch it together!
Okay!... wait, who's Mario...?
.............I... can't talk with you any more.............
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