Thursday, October 18 12:00 AM ET

Next Mario Game Nothing but Cheat Codes and Easter Eggs

Tokyo, Japan  - Nintendo announced that the next new game in the popular "Mario" franchise, Super Mario Underground Castle, would be made up entirely of Easter eggs and cheat codes.

Easter eggs are small surprises in a game that players can discover by doing moves in a certain order or finding a secret location.  Cheat codes are codes entered by the player to give them special powers like invincibility or more powerful weapons.

Yoshi Hajakuta, who headed development on Underground Castle, said, "Most players aren't interested in actually playing games.  They just want to find out the secret codes.  This game will have over 300 Easter eggs to find and over 500 cheat codes to discover."

Hajakuta said that some Easter eggs will lead to playable mini-games, but most will just be special dedications by programmers to loved ones. Some of the cheat codes in this game will be the most complicated ever. "Usually, it's just a series of seven or eight button presses, but in this game some of the cheat codes require hundreds of button presses and pinpoint positioning of the Wiimote."

Gamers were excited by the news.  Eleven-year-old Alan Frakins of Montgomery, Alabama said, "The first thing I do when I get a game is download all the cheat codes, so I can beat it.  Mom says that's cheating, but in this game you have to cheat to win."

If players are able to discover all the cheat codes and Easter eggs, they unlock a secret level which allows them to finish the game.