Fans of Mario games were no doubt thrilled after the surprise Nintendo Direct revealed that some of the greatest 3D Mario classics would be ported to the Nintendo Switch in the form of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, but aside from being an answer to fans’ prayers, the collection also holds a lot of symbolic importance for Mario and Nintendo. This is because each of the three games in the collection mark 3D Mario’s biggest adventures on Nintendo’s consoles, starting with the N64 and going up to the Wii. In this way, players will get a snapshot of 3D Mario throughout each generation of Nintendo consoles.
For those that may have missed it, Nintendo held a surprise Direct on September 3rd, revealing a ton of new content in celebration of Mario’s 35th anniversary. Among the many exciting announcements was Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of 3D Mario games being re-released on the Switch. This collection will contain Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy, each representing Mario in a different era of Nintendo gaming. This collection is available on September 18th, but will have a limited run ending in March of 2021.
Hardcore Mario zealots likely know this fact, but more casual fans may not be aware that Super Mario 64 was Mario’s first appearance in a fully 3 dimensional game. Since then, there have been seven 3D Mario games, but only these three are featured in the collection. Super Mario 64 defined not only the Nintendo 64 as a console, but the 3D platforming genre as a whole, so it makes sense that it would be the star of the show in Nintendo’s new collection. Primitive as it may be by today’s standards, the game still has a massive following in the speed running community, where it dominates as one of the most active communities to this day.
Super Mario Sunshine marked Mario’s first 3D appearance on the Gamecube. Though the game was something of a cult classic, it has been highly requested for a remaster or re-release for quite some time now and introduced certain mechanics that have stuck with Mario throughout other incarnations, such as his use of F.L.U.D.D. in Super Smash Bros. Years later after the release of the Wii, Mario returned for yet another 3D adventure in Super Mario Galaxy, a game which received almost unanimous praise from fans and critics alike. This is the last game in the collection, but it doesn’t mark the end of Mario’s 3D journey.
The rest of Mario’s 3D games are somewhat hit or miss. Super Mario Galaxy did get a sequel, but while it was well-received it certainly wasn’t the ground breaking experience that its precursor was. The 3DS also received a 3D Mario game in the form of Super Mario 3D Land, but this was functionally very similar to a lot of other 2D Mario side scrolling games and didn’t manage to stand out in any noticeable way.
If the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection were to include one more game, it would likely be Super Mario 3D World, an expansion on the ideas of Super Mario 3D Land but for the Wii U. While this was a great game, it doesn’t hit quite as hard as the others in the collection, which is likely the reason that Nintendo opted to release this as a standalone remaster later in February of 2021. Finally, the lastest incarnation of 3D Mario is Super Mario Odyssey, a title which could stand with the greats but that is simply too new to include in a collection such as this. Come February 2021, fans that purchase the new and improved Super Mario 3D World could have the chance to own the five greatest 3D Mario games on Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars releases September 18th on Switch.
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