For months now a lot of rumors have been swirling around the Nintendo universe of a game coming for the Nintendo Switch that will collect a series of Mario 3D games, previously released for the Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, and Nintendo Wii.
Those rumors were proven true yesterday when Nintendo held a special Nintendo Direct which focused on the 35th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. franchise.
The collection in question is called Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and it includes Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. All of these popular titles are getting a run on the Switch in one complete collection starting on September 18.
The games have been updated with new HD visuals to fit in with the more powerful Switch console. There will also be an in-game music player mode with songs from all three games. It will retail for the same price as a regular Switch game at $60.
What was especially interesting about the announcement is that Super Mario 3D All Stars is a limited time release. Most of the gaming world was shocked to hear that the title will only be sold online and in stores until late March 2021.
Super Mario 64 was a groundbreaking title. It was the first time we ever got to hear Mario in a game and it was the first 3D Mario title to hit consoles.
Prior to the release of Mario 64, the Mario titles had been side scrolling 2D adventures like the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World.
Super Mario Sunshine was next on the list, coming out for the Game Cube console. In this game, Mario wears a large cleaning device on his back and you’re able to clean up muck and pollution while making your way through the stages.
Then there was Super Mario Galaxy for the incredibly popular Nintendo Wii. This game took Mario to the Stars and proved to be a big hit with a lot of longtime fans.
If you want to try your hand at some old school 2D Mario titles before the 3D collection comes out, Nintendo is including Super Mario All-Stars on Nintendo Switch Online. It was a Mario collection, much like Super Mario 3D All-Stars, that originally released on the Super Nintendo console. It collects Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3, which were enhanced for the release with 16-bit graphics.
Nintendo also announced that it would be releasing an enhanced version of the Wii-U’s Super Mario 3D World in 2021.
