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Mario's turning 35 in style with nostalgic game bundles, Switch ports, and a new 'Game and Watch'
Three and a half decades ago, a classic jump and trusty mustache made a blue collar plumber into the most recognizable video game character on the planet. Now, in 2020, Mario is still a household name (how many parents told their kids to "quit playing that Mario on the Nintendo" when neither of those descriptors were accurate?) and Nintendo is still treating its mascot right. By extension, that means gamers benefit. In a Nintendo Direct, the gaming giant announced a slew of celebratory ports of old-school games, new Mario tie-in products, and more to get fans back in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Or, Isle Delfino — or even the entire galaxy! Depending on the game, of course. Those games — Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy ‚ are getting a Nintendo Switch bundle called Super Mario 3D All-Stars that's just one of the cool announcements from today's Direct.
Take a look:
Aside from the bundle of the first three 3D Mario games (with HD visual upgrades) that drops from Sept. 18 to March 2021, there was Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (dropping on Oct. 16), a game where players control a physical Mario racer with their Switch, the updated Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (out Feb. 12, 2021), an event-branded Super Mario Bros. Game and Watch (out Nov. 13 for $49.99), tons of toys/LEGO sets, and more.
One of the more interesting additions to the celebration is Super Mario Bros. 35, which is a battle game in the vein of Tetris 99: 35 players start Super Mario Bros. at the same time - but only one will make it far enough to be crowned the winner. That game releases on Oct. 1 and also runs through March 2021.
It's unclear what happens at the end of March in 2021, but Nintendo is couching much of this anniversary Mario content on the date — so though it seems far in the future, it couldn't hurt to snap these games up long before whatever ominous legal Koopa Troopa that lurks there rears its head.
