Japan-exclusive Super Mario 64 guide from 1996 taken offline by Nintendo

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The guide sells for hundreds online, and that's the only way to see the whole thing now

Super Mario 64
(Image credit: Nintendo / Comfort Food Video Games)

An internet archive of a really neat Super Mario 64 strategy guide from 1996 has been taken offline following a takedown notice from Nintendo.

Super Mario 64 Complete Clear Guide Book is no regular strategy guide. It's filled with full-page pictures of real-world 3D dioramas depicting Super Mario 64's iconic levels, which are used to show players where to go and what to do. There's other cool stuff like developer commentary to give readers some behind-the-scenes insights. 

As Kotaku reports, the scans were available on the Internet Archive courtesy of Comfort Food Video Games, but the website was contacted by Nintendo and asked to remove the images. "Sadly archive.org sent me their usual takedown notice email telling me Nintendo of America challenged the copyright of the scan and it was removed," reads a statement from CFVG.

It's unclear why Nintendo of America would care about an old strategy guide that was never sold in the West, but there could be all sorts of legal reasons we aren't privy to. Also, Nintendo is famously strict about protecting its copyrights.

Regardless, the only way to see the full Super Mario 64 Complete Clear Guide Book now is to buy a used copy online. The good news there is that they aren't hard to find if you just check eBay, but the bad news is that they're going for about $300. That's a tough pill to swallow knowing the full thing was available online in HD scans, but if you're a dedicated enough collector, at least there's that option.

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Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.