Why it will be great: Mario´s fared quite well throughout his lifespan. He´s gone from platforming pioneer to 3D superstar. But he´s yet to conquer the online world. That changes with the launch of Xbox 2, as Mario´s world is brought into the online arena. The coins, the stars, the funny little Italian voice, and his " brother" Luigi are all still there.
Now gamers will be able to play as one of eight famous Mario characters in a co-operative adventure that will take them through twenty different worlds as they battle Bowser and his evil hoard. And the head-to-head 20-player battles will be even more intense than those found in Conker´s Other Bad Fur Day.
There´s not greater video game all-star than Mario and the wonders of Xbox 2 will bring his world to life like never seen before. Whether playing offline or online, gamer´s will have the best Mario yet. And let´s not forget the special GBA 2 connectivity, which will allow for downloadable mini-games to be stored on a GBA 2 for play away from home. And of course, the special Mario Tamagachi mini-game to boot!
Why it will be Xbox 2: There´s no greater mascot than Mario and no system in greater need of a mascot than Xbox. It´s the perfect fit. Following Nintendo´s 2004 decision to stop producing hardware outside of the GameBoy Advance, Microsoft will quickly shell out a fortune to be the exclusive home for Mario. No Starfox, no Samus, no other Nintendo characters exclusively on Xbox -- Just Mario and his little world. The positives for MS would be through the roof and the cash incentive for Nintendo would be enough to buckle the Japanese giant´s proud legs enough for Mario to make Xbox 2 his new home.
http://xbox.ign.com/articles/400/400591p2.html