What better way to celebrate everybody’s favorite Italian plumber’s 35th birthday than with a slew of new Mario content?
Aside from thehugely successful performanceof Animal Crossing: New Horizons, 2020 had been a relatively quiet year for Nintendo. At least by normal standards, that is. Cue Nintendo’s special Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct and the announcement of six new Mario titles releasing over the coming months — and things aren’t so quiet anymore.
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An updated version ofSuper Mario All-Starsis already available for download on the Switch Online store, with five additional Mario games (as well as some in-game content) launching over the next six months.
7Super Mario 3D All-Stars (September 18th 2020)
Rumors of a new Mario All-Stars packhad been circulating online since early 2020. The announcement of 3D All-Stars perhaps came as little surprise then to anybody up to date with the latest gossip. That said, fans of Mario and 3D platformers will be no less excited about the news. 3D All-Stars will include high definition ports ofSuper Mario 64,Super Mario SunshineandSuper Mario Galaxy, all with enhanced controls and a host of other new quality of life updates.
They will all support JoyCon controls, while Galaxy and Sunshine will be displayed in either 1080P (docked) or 720P (handheld). The latter will also be upgraded to output in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, the maximum resolution for Mario 64 will be 720P. The collection will include a music player too, featuring the original soundtracks from all 3 games as well as the soundtrack forSuper Mario Galaxy 2. For anybody keeping count, that’s more than 175 classic Mario tunes for fans to listen to at their leisure.
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For reasons known only to Nintendo, Super Mario 3D All-Stars will only be on sale for a limited period. Both physical and digital copies of the game will only be available until the end of March 2021.If pre-orders are anything to go bythough, most fans plan on picking this one up long before then.
6Super Mario Bros. 35 (October 1st 2020)
Games likeFall Guys: Ultimate KnockoutandTetris 99have helped to take the battle-royale genre in new directions and to a much wider audience. It’s already one of the most popular genres in gaming and one that’sno longer limited to titles like Fortnite. With that in mind, it was perhaps inevitable that everybody’s favorite Italian plumber would get in on the act.
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Super Mario Bros. 35 will see 35 players competing head to head with the hopes of being the last Mario standing. Players will race through the same timed stage and will be able to influence the difficulty level for their rivals by defeating enemies. Like most Mario games, players can also collect coins as they play. They’ll serve as the game’s currency, allowing players to purchase power-ups and other in game items. Super Mario Bros. 35 will be free for Nintendo Online members, although it will only be playable until the end of March 2021. Hopefully Fall Guys will have made its way to the Switch by then!
5Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (October 16th 2020)
This is definitely one of the more out-of-the-box additions to the Mario 35 celebratory line-up. Developed in partnership with Velan Studios, Home Circuit will harness the power of augmented reality to allow players to race a physical go kart around a virtual track.
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The pack will include a Mario or Luigi Switch-controlled go kart as well as a selection of cardboard gates and arrow strips that players can use to create a virtual race course anywhere they like. The go karts will apparently respond directly tothe series' many in game itemstoo, with mushrooms providing speed boosts and shells causing them to stop in their tracks. All players need to get in on the act is a Switch and a large enough room. Well, that and $99.
4Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros (November 13th 2020)
Other than perhaps through the inclusion of Mr Game & Watch in Smash, younger Mario fans likely won’t know too much about theGame & Watchseries. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s though, the systems were hugely popular, with over 40 million units sold worldwide.
This new handheld system is inspired by the classic design of the original Game & Watch systems and will be fitted with a full-color LED screen. It will include a copy of the originalSuper Mario Bros.NES game as well asThe Lost Levelsand a Mario themed version ofBall.
In keeping with the ‘35th anniversary’ theme, Nintendo has also hidden 35 Easter eggs for players to find. If all that wasn’t enough, the device will even function as a clock for those with an aversion to watches. Unfortunately, like a lot of Nintendo’s limited release hardware, this one might prove difficult to get a hold of. It’s currently unavailable on many prominent online stores, with even Nintendo’s online store listing the device as out of stock. Perhaps predictably,like copies of 3D All-Stars, the units are already popping up on internet auction sites with huge mark-ups.
3Super Mario Maker 2: 35th Anniversary Speedrun (November 2020)
Withover 20 million custom coursesalready available inSuper Mario Maker 2, it could certainly be argued that adding additional content to the game at this point is overkill. All the same, it’s nice to see Nintendo continuing to support the game in spite of itreleasing back in 2019.
A 35th anniversary inspired speedrun course will be making its way into the game at some point in November. So far, Nintendo has remained tight-lipped when it comes to exactly what the course will contain. However, it’s likely to incorporatemany of the enemiesand items that have helped punctuate Mario’s 35 years in gaming.
2Splatoon 2: Super Mario Splatfest (January 2021)
Splatfests in Splatoon 2 are becoming something of a rarity these days. With that in mind, it’s again nice to see the Big N showing some love to an older title.
January’s event will ask players to choose their favorite Mario power-up. For those who like to feel like a god, the trusty invincibility star might be the best choice. Players who like to plan for the future however, might be better opting for the faithful mushroom. Whichever players choose though, it’s sure to be a blast for those taking part.
1Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (February 12th 2021)
Nintendo hasn’t given too much away in terms of what improvements fans can expect when this one hits the shelves next year.With the original game having been a Wii-U titlethough, it shouldn’t require too much work to bring the game up to modern standards.
The company did confirm that the game will maintain its multiplayer functionality though, so those who enjoyed playing the original with their friends or family will likely be ready to pounce as soon as the game becomes available.
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