Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition

I've never been very good at it, but seeing the Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition has made me think about playing chess again. The rules of the game have long since escaped me but I do remember it being a lot more strategic than checkers. Of course this particular chess set is so cool, I think I'd be perfectly happy just displaying it without ever bothering to play the thing.

The Super Mario Chess Collector's Edition is something I've had my eye on for a while now. I first saw it when I was browsing in Barns & Nobles. As much stuff as I've bought from Barns & Nobles, I actually got the Super Mario Chess set from fye. Barns & Nobles actually wanted $50 for this thing while fye was only asking for $40. I was originally going to buy this online but the included shipping would have probably cost me what I'd pay at fye, so I figured this would be one of those times I'd shop the old fashioned way.

I must say, this is one very nice set. I love the care that went into painting the pieces and the posses that they stand in. Each chess piece is even labeled with a name, which also brings me to my gripes.

While Mario and Bowser are obviously the Kings of their respective teams, Luigi is for some screwed up reason, the Queen. I'm not making that up. I didn't even have to look at his chess piece to see his Queen label, it's on the back of the case. You thought the Luigi bashing was limited to the games? Oh, no. Peach is on Mario's team so why isn't she the Queen? I mean, that does make more sense, right? Luigi should have been the Knight, but Yoshi fills that role. At least Bowser Jr. is the Queen on his team. I never did like him. He's just a snot-nosed punk that got to be head of the Koopalings (which is a crime in and of itself) simply because he has the name Bowser Jr. and he's a subpar version of his old man. But I digress. Luigi being Queen isn't the only thing that bothers me. Toad is the Rook while the Coin pieces are the Pawns. Coins hold more value than Toad. Coins help us get much needed extra lives. What has Toad done? Besides suck at being a guard, not much. Meanwhile on Bowser's team, the Goomba is a Rook and the Koopa Shells are the Pawns. Last time I checked, Goombas were pretty worthless and after being stomped just once, they were done for. Koopa Shells on the other hand, can be used to earn 1-ups and you have to stomp a Koopa Troopa and kick his shell to be rid of him. In short, while not that much of a bigger threat, Koopa Troopas are higher on the mook chain than Goombas ever will be.

But really, this is all just me inserting my own personal views on the roles that the pieces were given. It really doesn't affect my overall opinion on this set, which I think is one of the best games Usaoply has put out. I would love to have taken my own pictures, but my current room is still tight on space so there's a lot of stuff that I can't display. When I'm able to, I'll take some nice pictures.