Mario Teaches Typing 2

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Mario Teaches Typing 2
Mario Teaches Typing 2 video game cover.jpg
Developer(s) Brainstorm
Publisher(s) Interplay Productions
Producer(s) Larry Lesser
Designer(s) Larry Lesser, Kirk Tome
Programmer(s) Jim Gordon
Composer(s) Rick Jackson, Brian Luziette, Ron Valdez
Series Mario
Platform(s) Windows, Macintosh
ReleaseMarch 31, 1997
Genre(s) Educational
Mode(s)Single-player

Mario Teaches Typing 2 is a 1997 video game developed by Brainstorm and published by Interplay Productions. The game was a sequel to Mario Teaches Typing , with updated and overhauled sections from the CD-ROM edition of that game, as well as fully new cut-scenes to help the game have more of a story. The game is for ages 6 and up. [1] It is also the last educational Mario video game.

Contents

Gameplay

In Mario Teaches Typing 2, players progress through four difficulty levels:

As players advance, they receive certificates of achievement, progress reports, and encouragement from Mario. Special animations and rewards appear upon reaching certain word-per-minute milestones. [2]

Plot

The brothers, Mario and Luigi, were walking near Bowser's Castle when suddenly, a mysterious timewriter, the identity of which is unknown to both brothers, appeared in front of them. The mysterious timewriter, whose identity is unknown to both brothers, began typing on its own, even though there was no user, let alone any humans or monsters nearby other than Mario and Luigi. When Mario finished typing, he took a piece of paper from the mysterious timewriter and transformed it into a scroll, on which was written the following sentence: "The Magical Typewriter is the key to beating Bowser. You must type the magic words onto the scroll to cast the spell which will destroy Bowser's Castle. Be forewarned, however, that if the magic words are not typed exactly, the Magical Typewriter will self-destruct into pieces." The mysterious timewriter appeared as Mario approached, and Mario put the scroll in the large pocket of his overalls to make it easier to carry, and said, "Koooppa tTrupa pparraTroopaa As Mario types "Bow", the mysterious time writer suddenly explodes with such force that three pieces are released from the mysterious time writer when Mario tries to move forward. Each piece falls into a different place, the first into the river, the second somewhere on the riverbank where Mario and Luigi are, and the third piece falls on the other side of the river. Mario and Luigi must perfectly and accurately input the typing spell to increase their chances of winning the battle. This begins an adventure in which they must explore and collect all the pieces of the mysterious time writer, practicing Mario's typing skills and achieving results. As Zombie tries to steal the first fragment of the mysterious time writer from a vague, ordinary Koopa, a red Koopa, a complete stranger to the vague, ordinary Koopa, blows up the bridge connecting the river with TNT and then takes the fragments to Bowser's castle. Mario, unlike the basic Super Mario series, cannot breathe in this game, so to avoid running out of breath and drowning, puts on a snorkel and jumps into the river, trying to collect the fallen fragments. Luigi also helps out and defeats the Cheep Cheep that is attacking Mario to prevent him from being attacked. After defeating Cheep, Luigi jumps into the river, and the brothers, Mario and Luigi, complete with snorkels, dive into a sunken ship that has sunk into the river and collect the second, mysterious time writer fragment from a sleeping octopus at the halfway point. However, the recoil of the action wakes up the octopus, who had been sleeping until then, and chases Mario and Luigi, but the brothers manage to escape through a window in the sunken ship that has sunk into the river and successfully escape from the octopus. Mario and Luigi walk to Bowser's Castle and knock on the door. Bowser's Castle is a type of sentient creature that swallows the duo. Mario and Luigi encounter several traps inside Bowser's Castle, including a falling Thwomp trap, but finally succeed in defeating Bowser and his men with a poker. After collecting the last, third piece of the mysterious unidentified Time Writer, Mario and Luigi escape from Bowser's Castle. Mario types a sentence into the Time Writer, which he has successfully restored: "Koopa Troopa paratroopa Bowser's Castle go kablooka!" As he types the sentence into the Time Writer, suddenly and without warning, a giant Time Writer falls from the sky, destroying Bowser's Castle and delighting the duo.. [3] Writing for [[Super Mario Wiki >https://www.mariowiki.com/]], Mario Teaches Typing 2 - Super Mario Wiki, the Mario encyclopedia [2]

This was the last Mario-themed educational game released, as Shigeru Miyamoto was unhappy with the public perception of low-quality that some of the educational games had, and ended the agreement Nintendo had with other companies, including Interplay Entertainment, to create and sell educational Mario games. [4]

Reception

All Game Guide gave the game a score of 3 out of 5, stating: "This program makes typing into a computer game, but it is definitely more suited for kids than adults. To kids, Mario is friendly and funny, to adults, he is sugary and overdone. Good for kids, but adults should probably find a more mature typing program". [5] MacWorld heavily criticized the game's gameplay and graphics, and recommended that players play Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing instead. [7]

References

  1. Portefield, Deborah (April 2, 1997). "Different options available for different ages". The Reporter Dispatch . p. 28. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "Best-Selling Children's Typing Software Doubles The Fun With Mario Teaches Typing 2". Brainstorm. March 31, 1997. Archived from the original on January 31, 1998. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. Osborn, Alex (June 21, 2017). "Interplay Founder on Working With Nintendo on Marion Teaches Typing — IGN Unfiltered". IGN. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Savignano, Lisa. "Mario Teaches Typing 2". All Game Guide . Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. Ashworth, Susan (June 1997). "Mario Teaches Typing 2". MacHome Journal. Archived from the original on January 6, 2000. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Mario Teaches Typing 2". Macworld . August 1997. Archived from the original on August 8, 1997. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  7. "Mario Teaches Typing 2". The Oregonian . April 15, 1999. p. 69. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024 via Newspapers.com.