Nintendo pretty much managed to do the unthinkable? There was literally nothing in the realm of possibilities that was ever thought of. Then the post appears: just a tweet with the text “WA 👏 LUI 👏 GI 👏,” announcing that Super Mario Strikers is OUT NOW for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. The force of the internet was unleashed.
In case there is still some confusion as to what I might be hinting at, Super Mario Strikers is that insane soccer game from the GameCube era where Mario and co. play football with explosive power shots, items, and utter chaos. A game that people have literally been begging Nintendo to bring back for YEARS. And, with the utmost capital letters, they dropped the game?? Very much in Nintendo style.
The tweet is just perfect. Just a Waluigi chant, and BAM-the game announcement. The replies are even better, with the expected chaos from Nintendo fans: demands for Mario baseball and Mario tennis ports, and of course, the oldest cry of all: get Waluigi his own game or at least have him appear in Smash Bros. One even demanded the return of Waluigi’s original game’s crotch chop animation, which, yeah, actually makes sense.
Swirling with confusion is the question of whether or not how many Mario sports games are actually out yet. Someone even commented, “But you can already play Mario Tennis Aces,” and, like… yeah, but that’s definitely not the classic Mario Power Tennis people want. People want the GameCube and Wii sports titles and definitely not the newer ones. So now, thanks to this Strikers drop, Nintendo might just be starting to deliver.
The juicy bit here is that this is exclusively released to Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack tier, the higher-tier one that is already giving you access to N64 and Sega Genesis games. So, at least on the surface, it appears as if Nintendo might begin adding GameCube games to this tier now?? That could be huge. People have been begging for GameCube on Switch FOREVER, and if they start putting Mario Strikers… oh, man, the possibilities.
The timing, though, is just crazy, in a way, because there has been much talk recently about the Nintendo Switch 2. The tweet even addresses NintendoSwitch2 in the hashtags… which is bizarre. Maybe they’re testing the waters on how to handle backward compatibility? Or maybe it’s just a typo, who knows. But the tweet definitely pushed the conversation forward.
A couple of responses are begging for the very same process for Super Mario Sunshine- “js drop sunshine PLEASE,” honestly mood. That one’s still sitting on GameCube and that one HD port on Switch for the anniversary collection. Let’s have it out all by itself once, Nintendo, c’mon.
Of course, Waluigi fans are fully concentrated right now. This character has become such a meme but also like… people genuinely love him?? He’s this lanky purple guy who’s just… there. But he’s got personality, and fans are desperate to have him recognized more. Hence, all the “put him in smash bros” comments. It’s never going to happen, but they will never stop asking.
What’s cool about this drop is it might mean Nintendo is finally listening to actual player wants. Instead of just dropping one more Mario Golf for the masses, Nintendo is resurrecting the classics people are nostalgic about. Super Mario Strikers was legit one of the finest multiplayer games on GameCube – crazy, fun, the perfect balance of wicked charm with a bit of bite.
Not even a Direct announced? So very Nintendo. Just randomly drop things and let the internet explode. And that always worked because now everyone was talking about it. People with the Expansion Pack are probably downloading it right now; those without are well on their way to upgrading just for this game.
And then the Nintendo of America account itself hopped on this thread to push GameChat and hanging out with friends. They’re really going all-out on marketing these social gaming classics – pretty good marketing, as Strikers brings out friendly screams and trash talk when someone’s special shot hits or well-timed tackle steals the ball.
This could be just the start. If the Expansion Pack is indeed the beginning of GameCube games… what’s next? Super Mario Sunshine? Luigi’s Mansion? Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door? Endless possibilities that are honestly exciting. Switch is already the best-possible console for classic games, with its local multiplayer.
Captain out of Mute Land has been beyond good in reception so far, alongside all the usual calls for more. People are really excited about this. This isn’t another port of a game we’ve gotten five times now already; this is something that has never been on modern consoles at all. That already makes it special.
So, go ahead and download Super Mario Strikers if you got the Expansion Pack. If you don’t… this might be what finally convinces you to get it. Either way, an excellent day for Mario sports fans and Waluigi admirers worldwide. Excuse me while I go get some football action with that purple player.
