Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Goomba

First appearance: Super Mario Bros.

Relatives and variants: Paragoomba, Micro-Goomba, Spiked Goomba

Special characteristics: huge eyebrows and brown color, that's about it

Goomba has been getting smashed up since the series' inception, and was the very first enemy encountered in the game that gave birth to modern Mario, Super Mario Bros.

Like many of Mario's original foes, Goomba has been around long enough to be portrayed as an ally, too. Goombario, for example, leaves his home and family in Goomba village to become a playable party member in the acclaimed N64 RPG, Paper Mario. Why this character was named after the poor, predictable blend of "Goomba" and "Mario" is far beyond our reasoning, but we hope the uninspired staff personell behind it has been demoted or stripped of their Christmas bonus or something. Because, yeah, just about any other name would have been better. There's also Captain Goomba of Mario Party 8 who isn't so much a friend as a swashbuckling sea pirate, but if you pay him enough he might not kill you.

23/07/08