Super Mario 35th Anniversary Direct - 03.09.2020

[Chimpzy]

So, Nintendo posted a surprise Direct in celebration of Super Mario Bros 35th anniversary (September 13, 1985 in Japan):

In case you don't feel like watching the video, here's a rundown of the stuff announced:

• A new Game & Watch that runs Super Mario Bros (& The Lost Levels), available November 13th for $49,99 in a limited run
• A Switch port of Super Mario 3D World which includes some new content called Bowser's Fury. Release on February 12th, 2021
• Super Mario Bros 35, which is basically a Mario battle royale. Available from October 1st through to March 31st, but exclusively for NSO subs
• Mario Kart Live Home Circuit, an AR game where you drive around an RC car with a camera on it to turn a room into a Mario Kart track through the Switch. Available October 16th
• A whole bunch of Mario themed merch
• Super Mario All-Stars is now available as port of the SNES collection on NSO
• Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of Switch remasters of Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy (but not Galaxy 2). Releases September 18th, but here's the catch, the physical run is limited and the digital version will only be available until March 31st, 2021.

Anyway, as for my take.

• 3D World is finally getting that port. Not that there was all that much doubt about this happening. They weren't going to let that languish on the Wii U when they've got a system with 4 times the install base going. Will probably pick it up.
• The Game & Watch is neat as a collector's item I guess, but there's so many (cheaper) ways you can play SMB, I personally see little reason why you'd put down fifty for it.
• The battle royale thing might be fun, but it's NSO only, so whatever. Aside from the paywall, making it temporary is pulling that dumb artificial scarcity bullshit again.
• I kind of like the AR Mario Kart idea, but it kind of seems to require a decent size space with nice smooth floor. Not really sure how many people have the indoor room to make this appealing.
• So. Merch. Fun for the young uns, but you won't catch me dead wearing a Mario t-shirt. Or use a Mario anything. Not cuz it's 'for kids' or anything, but cuz it's tacky.
• Already have an actual SNES copy of All-Stars and the SNES to play it on, so whatever, not interested. And you know, emulation.
• Already have all 3 on their original systems and I can already remaster them myself through emulation, and at higher resolutions with a ton of AA and AF and such. Pass, not interested. Also, again with the artificial scarcity crap

What do all y'all think?

 

[bluegate]

Super Mario 3D All-Stars, a collection of Switch remasters of Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy (but not Galaxy 2). Releases September 18th, but here's the catch, the physical run is limited and the digital version will only be available until March 31st, 2021.

No Galaxy 2 and the digital version is only available for half a year, what?

Just what?

Nintendo up to their alleged artificial scarcity again?

 

[Chimpzy]

No Galaxy 2 and the digital version is only available for half a year, what?

Just what?

Nintendo up to their alleged artificial scarcity again?

Ikr, I can maybe sort of understand making the physical copies a limited run. Still think it's kind of stupid, but whatever.

But the digital version? Which is something people have been wanting for some time now, would be really easy to just leave up there and would cost them practically nothing to do so? Yah no, that's a facepalm.

 

[lil devils x]

I am a sucker for figures, I have a lot of them, but this may just be an opportunity to get some of the ones I do not have..
I actual do have a couple of Mario shirts, but I have never worn them and I don't think they are actually from Nintendo as they have Mario doing things Nintendo would never let him do. I don't wear T shirts so I was thinking they might make a cute Nintendo themed quilt or something.

I have all the Nintendo game systems just haven't unpacked them from their boxes in a long time to play them.

 

[Ezekiel]

As much as I like Mario, I can already play all three in the collection. I've already gotten all the stars in Mario 64 three times and probably won't revisit it again.

Looks like Mario 64 isn't even in widescreen.

 

[Samtemdo8]

As much as I like Mario, I can already play all three in the collection. I've already gotten all the stars in Mario 64 three times and probably won't revisit it again.

Looks like Mario 64 isn't even in widescreen.

And here we were hoping it be an HD Remaster graphically.

Like make it look as good as Sunshine at least, but no.

 

[BrawlMan]

Nintendo.....you are dumbasses. I'll see if I can pre-order that set from GameStop, but I am not gonna go crazy.

 

[Ezekiel]

And here we were hoping it be an HD Remaster graphically.

Like make it look as good as Sunshine at least, but no.

I actually don't care. I like the way Mario 64 looks. The simplicity is part of its charm and puts it in perspective time-wise. I wouldn't find the game any funner with more polygons and higher resolution textures. I just think it should be in widescreen.

I missed the last two Nintendo generations, so I'm looking forward to Super Mario 3D World at least.

 

[Kae]

Doing the exact same Super Mario All Stars as the SNES & not making it Super-Mario All Stars + World kinda sucks, they should have included Super Mario World on that.

For the 3D games, it's a pleasant surprise, while I agree with @bluegate that they totally should've included Galaxy 2 on there, I must say that Sunshine & Galaxy do still look surprisingly good for their age, but yeah it's pretty shitty that it's a limited time offer.

As for the Mario Kart RC game... I love RC cars, this feels like it's directly targeting me, I don't know what I'll need to do resist buying that because RC cars with cameras & a built in racing game, that's just awesome.

 

[Aiddon]

I'm mostly confused with 3D All-Stars being limited (this is pretty much the ONLY time where artificial scarcity for their games has been real and not a conspiracy theory). Galaxy 2 is probably missing due to Yoshi's tongue requiring the Wiimote aiming and that isn't really possible in the Switch's handheld mode.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

On top of all that, Mario 35 is also the topic of the January splatfest, also complete with shirts and, as a first for the US, physical keychains for My Nintendo points

 

[BrawlMan]

BTW, Nintendo is Disney Vaulting their shit, because their fiscal year ends in March, so the numbers and sales look good.

 

[Chimpzy]

BTW, Nintendo is Disney Vaulting their shit, because their fiscal year ends in March, so the numbers and sales look good.

Probably, does come across as rather cynical. Especially cuz it's friggin Mario. It'd sell anyway. As mentioned, they could keep it up on the digital store for pennies on the copy. Each sale would recoup its costs many times over and Ninty never really drops its prices, so the margin never goes down either.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm mostly confused with 3D All-Stars being limited (this is pretty much the ONLY time where artificial scarcity for their games has been real and not a conspiracy theory). Galaxy 2 is probably missing due to Yoshi's tongue requiring the Wiimote aiming and that isn't really possible in the Switch's handheld mode.

That should be absolutely no problem to convert to the thumbsticks. If they can translate all the motion controls in Galaxy 1 - even the pointer seems to be there - they should be able to do it with 2. Not that I care about Galaxy 2, but at that price it would've been nice had they included it.

Anyway yeah, 60 bucks for three old-ass games is already pretty ludicrous, but making it limited... Why? I mean, are they planning something else down the line for Mario that they don't want these remasters to get in the way of? Like a full blown remake of Mario 64? Or is it because of how overpriced it is that they're making it limited so people will feel forced to buy it at that price point?

Way to be fucking Nintendo about this, Nintendo.

 

[Trunkage]

So, if they actually remaster a game (any game), how much is it worth?

 

[Chimpzy]

So, if they actually remaster a game (any game), how much is it worth?

It's Nintendo. So 60 bucks.

 

[Trunkage]

It's Nintendo. So 60 bucks.

I mean, most Wii games are probably still $60

Am I reading this wrong, it's like $20 bucks per game for the 3D All Stars that have been remastered?

 

[Chimpzy]

I mean, most Wii games are probably still $60

Am I reading this wrong, it's like $20 bucks per game for the 3D All Stars that have been remastered?

Nope, you did not read that wrong. Time-limited collection of 3 Mario games, one of which (Mario 64) seems to not even be a remaster, but just a 1-to-1 port with no enhancement, not even widescreen. MSRP $59,99.

 

[Trunkage]

Nope, you did not read that wrong. Time-limited collection of 3 Mario games, one of which (Mario 64) seems to not even be a remaster, but just a 1-to-1 port with no enhancement, not even widescreen. MSRP $59,99.

Is a remaster not worth $20? (So leave the Mario 64 out for a moment.)

 

[Chimpzy]

Is a remaster not worth $20? (So leave the Mario 64 out for a moment.)

Ok, no, I was misunderstanding your questions. I interpreted your first question as "what would Nintendo charge for a remaster" and your second as just asking confirmation that 3D All Stars costs $60 for 3 remastered games (tho actually seemingly 2 + a straight port), and that the two were unrelated questions. Sorry, haven't had enough caffeine yet to get my brain up to full speed.

Anyway, to answer your last question: I suppose $20 per game is ok if you've never played any of these games before, or if you badly want to be able to play them on the go. I do think $60 is pretty high compared to similar remaster collections, the majority of which are in the $30-40 range, and some of which are full on remakes (like Crash/Spyro), and could be seen as arguably better value propositions. Tho Nintendo's adamant stance on basically never dropping the price of their games is well known, hence the "It's Nintendo. So 60 bucks" from earlier, so it's no surprise they're charging 60 for 3D All Stars, which in a sense is sort of generous by their standards.

On a personal level, no, not worth it to me. But that's cuz I already have all 3 and can do superior remasters.