Legendary PlayStation 2 Trilogy Gets Free Super Mario Twist

Somehow, someway, a legendary PlayStation 2 trilogy is playable with a free Super Mario twist. Trust us, seeing is believing.

When it comes to popular video game mascots, it doesn't get any bigger than Nintendo’s Super Mario (sorry, Sonic the Hedgehog).

Since the 80s, the stereotypical Italian plumber has been entertaining fans for generations with its innovation in the platform genre, with no signs of fans' love for the franchise ending anytime soon.

The popularity of the Super Mario brand has even exceeded the Nintendo console with TV animations, blockbuster movies, countless merchandise and more. So, it’s understandable that Nintendo is very protective of its property, and the chances of seeing the likes of Mario and Luigi on PlayStation and Xbox are pretty much non-existent. Well, at least officially.

Super Mario is playable on PlayStation! (Kinda)

As brought to our attention by Twitter user StormslayerDev, the Super Mario character model has been dropped into the world of Jak and Dexter, a franchise that first made its name on the PlayStation 2 in 2001, a series created by The Last of Us and Uncharted studio, Naughty Dog. It might be fair to say that Naughty Dog has become synonymous with The Last of Us and Uncharted brands, so much so that it might be easy to forget that the studio existed long before 2013.

How Is This All Possible?

“People really underestimate the potential of modding after Smash has been decompiled,” explained StormslayerDev, showcasing the pure wizardry that is emulation. “They’re currently adding Super Mario 64 into Jak and Daxter, I don't know how to describe how awesome that is!”

While you can of course tell that this is by no means official, it is cool that the modded emulation has the iconic Super Mario sound effects and voice provided by the legendary Charles Martinet.

“Crash Bandicoot in this game seems to be the best alternate scenario,” suggested Philippe Desjardins, and to be fair, I agree. As much as Jak and Dexter kinda do fit, I think the box-smashing and linear gameplay of Crash would be better suited.

Fun fact: Naughty Dog also created the original Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation in 1996. This studio sure does get around.

Hopefully, much like we’ve seen with the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon in recent years, it would be nice to see Jak and Dexter get its well-deserved and long-awaited revival on modern PlayStation consoles. We can all live and hope.

READ MORE: Charles Martinet Had Never Heard of Nintendo Before Crashing the Mario Audition!