GamerEscape

If you thought Nintendo was having a dry 2020, think again.

The publisher today held a surprise Nintendo Direct to announce a slew of new products and events releasing within the next year to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. Here’s a roundup of everything.

Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.

Easily my favorite announcement out of the bunch, this is a reproduction Game & Watch that comes with Super Mario Bros., the original Super Mario Bros. 2 (also known as The Lost Levels in the West), a version of the original Ball featuring Mario, and a clock.

This system is a limited-time offer and will release on November 13th.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Originally released on the Wii U in 2013, 3D World is finally making its way to the Switch along with a new expansion called Bowser’s Fury.

Not much is known about the expansion, but the re-release will be available on February 12th, 2021.

Super Mario Bros. 35

Now this is cool, a battle royale game where you play Mario Bros. against 35 players in the style of Tetris 99? Sign me up.

This will be a free download to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, will be available on October 1st, and is only playable until March 31st of next year. Nintendo’s artificial scarcity continues to be confusing.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Developed in partnership with Velan Studios, this is like an RC racer that uses the Switch as a controller and your house as a race track. In the trailer, we can see checkpoints being placed on the floor and a camera on top of Mario’s kart, which replicates the track on the Switch’s screen. The game will feature four-player local co-op with karts available for both Mario and Luigi.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit releases on October 16th for $100, and my condolences go out to parents everywhere for the mess that’s about to ensue.

So, So Many Celebratory Events

Where do I even begin.

Here’s a list of all the events and special releases that are celebrating the plumber in red’s 35th anniversary:

• By logging in to your My Nintendo account and completing missions on the official anniversary website, you can get the opportunity to redeem a special pin set. This event will go on from September 3rd to March 31st of next year, and the fine print says that the pins will be released in two waves.
• A Super Mario Kart event will be happening in Mario Kart Tour starting on September 8th at 11 PM PST, with “special appearances” by sprites based on Mario and Donkey Kong Jr. from the original game.
• Special merchandise will be available to purchase at the Nintendo NY store in New York City and on Nintendo’s online store.
• A 35th-Anniversary-themed Ninji Speedrun course is coming to Super Mario Maker 2 in November.
• The NintendoVS Challenge Cup, which will feature Super Mario-themed characters, stages, and items, will take place in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate later this year.
• A new Super Mario-themed Splatfest will be coming to Splatoon 2 in January, with keychains available as My Nintendo rewards and an exclusive shirt for sale on Nintendo’s online store.
• Super Mario-themed furniture will be added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in March.
• Collaborations with Puma, BlackMilk Clothing, Hasbro, and Jakks Pacific were announced.
• Super Mario All-Stars is available on Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online starting today.

Super Mario 3D All Stars

The hotly-rumored collection of 3D Mario games was finally announced today, featuring Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. All three games will have improved resolutions and controls, with Super Mario Sunshine being updated for a 16:9 aspect ratio. The collection will also include playable soundtracks from all three games.

Super Mario 3D All Stars will be available on September 18th, with a limited-run physical edition, and can only be purchased until the end of next March.

While Nintendo was facing concerns that they didn’t have much planned for this year (it’s not like there’s a global pandemic going on or anything), they surely are ending 2020 in style.

Be sure to check out the 35th Anniversary website here, and please pray for my bank account.

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Featured image courtesy of Nintendo.