So, Nintendo of America went and dropped this tweet, right? It really is simple. It just says, “What it looks like when you’re locked in:” then follows an attached media with a video link. The media shows what seems to be a messy clip from Mario Strikers, that crazy soccer game from the GameCube days. The replies were just everything.
The Players started by flooding the comments with requests, as if Nintendo had built a suggestion box only to promptly set it on fire. One of the bigger requests was, of course, for baseball. User luchadoh followed with a hilarious GIF, saying “Wen baseball?” Then they added, “The Mariners just won their division. Would be a great time to announce a baseball game.” Okay, fair point? Then another user, LPNintendoITA, said “that only Americans would buy,” leading to a back-and-forth about how baseball is big in Japan, too. It’s becoming a weird little discussion underneath the quote tweets.
And it doesn’t end there. One user named Otoniel726 made a full list of demands upon Nintendo: Smash 6 called “Fury,” Switch Sports Resort, and a new Pilotwings called “Airborne.” They just casually dropped some full game ideas into the replies. The cheek, I tell you.
Then came the remasters crowd. DoooGotee chimed in with, “Now remaster it PLEASE,” in all caps. Clearly, a desperate assertion, yet users like namco_company started asking, “Why do the graphics suck so bad.” A comment hardly fitting when they’re speaking of a GameCube game. Another user said, “It’s a Gamecube game, dude,” slapping common sense back on him. How funny it is when people just completely forget what games used to look like.
Then the conversation took a strange, almost personal turn, due to UltraCon79 having a very… specific grievance that was a bit out of nowhere. This person tweeted a picture/photo expressing that Nintendo’s account policies made them feel “divorced from my kids” over how digital game sharing works in split custody situations. It turned heavy in an instant, with some responses jumping to places you would never expect.
Amidst the chaos, there were some who were just giving pure appreciation. User zyxxofficial just wrote “super power kick boom,” which honestly would be the most epic description of the entire energy of Mario Strikers. ThePollDragon threw out some love for Yoshi, calling him GOAT in the game, which is a completely valid statement. Yoshi’s leg game is disgracefully underrated.
But, what was I saying again? Oh yeah, the tweet itself. It’s a little curious that Nintendo went ahead and decided to highlight this game, specifically. Mario Strikers is definitely a cult classic. It’s this over-the-top, almost-violent take on soccer with electric fences and gigantic kicks. Unfortunately, unlike Tennis and Golf, it hasn’t received a new entry on the Switch yet, making this tweet feel like a slight nod to the old guard. Maybe it’s a tease? Eh, probably not, just a fun throwback. But… get ’em hopeful.
The whole thread is a pretty accurate depiction of online Nintendo fandom: from nostalgics, to putting forth the demand for new games, to random idiots, to a little bit of love for these characters. One minute there is a request for Mario Sunshine for an anniversary; the next somebody jokes about crushing down a beer before Mario Kart IRL. Pure madness, but real community.
Reminding of how many Mario sports spin-offs there have been is also serving as a tease. Baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, and then there’s that weird, dumb Sports Mix with dodgeball. It really starts making one think about what’s next. Mario curling? That could be something.
At the very least, the tweet had basically done its job. It sparked a conversation, went down memory lane, and even made everybody want more. Though, it’s still anyone’s guess as to whether Nintendo is literally considering going back to Strikers or any one of these other long-neglected sports games. But, just for a moment, everybody locked in, just as said in the tweet, reminiscing about the good times and hoping for what comes next. The replies on their own speak gallons about how strongly these games are etched in people’s hearts, even after all these years. Very cool if you ask me, especially for fans of PlayStation and Xbox.
