Super Mario is 35 years old this month, and Nintendo is releasing several Mario games in the next year to celebrate.
The craziest to me is a new Mariokart game for the Nintendo Switch, named Mariokart Live: Home Circuit. In this game, you drive a real remote-control car with a camera on it through your actual house. You set up the track and checkpoints, and then the Switch overlays opponents, obstacles, and items on the track in real-time. The game supports multiple players, too. No word on how much the cars cost, but I’m betting they won’t be cheap.
Nintendo is also re-releasing one of my favorite recent Mario games, Super Mario 3D World. The game was previously only available on the unpopular Wii U system, so I’m glad that more people will be able to experience it, because it’s delightful. I spoke about it way back in 2013, calling the game ‘nearly perfect’, and I still agree.
Nintendo has lots more planned, like a multiplayer take on the original Super Mario Bros called Super Mario Bros 35; a handheld game that only plays Super Mario Bros; and in-game events in Super Mario Maker 2.
Finally, Nintendo is releasing a compilation of 3D Mario games called Super Mario 3D All-Stars. It’s a high-definition remaster of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Not to discount Sunshine or Galaxy, but I consider Super Mario 64 to be a genre-defining masterpiece, and still to this day one of the best 3D platformers ever released. 3D All-Stars comes out next week, and for whatever reason, is only available through March.
