Michael Crider
It’s been thirty-five years since the original Super Mario Bros. released on the NES, at least in Japan, and Nintendo is throwing Mario a hell of a shindig. Today’s announcement includes both new and refreshed Mario games, new toys and portable game consoles, and even a version of Mario Kart that you can play in real life.
Let’s break down the big announcements:
Super Mario 3D All-Stars bundle for the Switch
This $60 game includes remastered versions of Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64), Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube), and Super Mario Galaxy (Wii). Sunshine is the black sheep of the 3D Mario family, but 64 and Galaxy are considered all-time classics. The bundle includes upscaled resolution and a music player, which can operate even with the Switch off. It’s available starting September 18th, and oddly, Nintendo says it won’t produced after March of 2021.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for the Switch
This updated port of the Wii U game, which was a multiplayer game with both 2D and 2D platforming, will bring new enhancements and a pair of new Amiibo toy releases. It’ll be released on February 12th of next year.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, an AR toy racing game
This ingenious combination of a radio-controlled Mario Kart cars and the Switch hardware allows you to build a track around your home and race through it via the cameras built into the cars. Two “real” players are supported at once, but you can also drive around your track with computer-controlled racers appearing on the screen. It launches on October 16th, with each car (Mario or Luigi) costing $100.
A new Game & Watch, with the original Super Mario Bros
Game & Watch was Nintendo’s LCD-based portable game series that predates the Game Boy. While the original Game & Watch systems were simple black-and-white cell affairs, similar to Tiger Electronics games, this version is packed with the full Super Mario Bros. NES game on a color screen. It also includes The Lost Levels and a Mario-fied version of the original Ball game. It’ll be out on November 13th for $50.
Super Mario 35, a 2D battle royale game for the Switch
Cross Fortnite (or perhaps Tetris 99) with an old 2D Mario game, and you’d get Super Mario 35. In this odd title you control Mario running across a semi-random level, competing with 34 other players to be the last Mario standing. Enemies defeated on your screen will appear on your opponents’, and vice versa. The game will be available for free on the Switch Online service starting on October 1st, playable until March 31st.
Other Mario-related announcements include:
- The SNES Super Mario All-Stars available on Switch Online
- In-game events for Mario Kart Tour, Super Mario Maker 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Splatoon 2, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- 35th anniversary merchandise available from Nintendo and partners like PUMA and Monopoly
If you want an exhaustive summary, you can check out Nintendo’s Direct presentation video here. Hey Nintendo: don’t forget to break out the red carpet for the 30th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. movie in a couple of years, right?
Source: YouTube
