By TREVIN BRANDT
Staff Writer
Today, September 18th, marks the release of a brand new Nintendo Switch game: Super Mario 3D Allstars. This game comes in the wake of the 35th anniversary of the game that started it all: Super Mario Bros. The game is a remastered version of three beloved Super Mario games: Super Mario 64 (1996), Super Mario Sunshine (2002), and Super Mario Galaxy (2007). All three games are three-dimensional platformers that involve mario collecting stars to progress through the story. In Super Mario 64, Mario needs to collect stars to open more doors in Princess Peach’s castle. In Super Mario Sunshine, he must collect sunshines to unlock more areas of the island Isle Delfino. In Super Mario Galaxy, he collects stars to progress through the various galaxies.
The three games will be remastered to increase the resolution and video quality. The graphics, sound effects and level designs will remain as they were when originally released. However one of the games, Super Mario Galaxy, poses a few challenges. The game was released on the Wii in 2007 and heavily utilized the system’s motion controls. The Nintendo Switch has motion controls when playing on a TV, but these are minimized if the player decides to play handheld. Nintendo has clarified that they have an alternative to this. When playing in handheld mode, the player can use the touchscreen of the system to perform the motion controls needed. This problem with motion controls is most likely one of the reasons Super Mario Galaxy 2 is not included in this remaster. Fans were quick to criticize Nintendo for not including this beloved sequel. The game’s use of motion controls surpasses what its predecessor did in astronomical ways. Nintendo would have to redesign a large portion of the game to make it playable on this new console. As an alternative however, Nintendo is providing the soundtracks of each game with the purchase, including the soundtrack of Super Mario Galaxy 2. There are even some rumors floating around that the game will later be added as payable DLC content.
Super Mario 3D Allstars has already sold out all of its physical copies in many stores across the nation. This may be due to the large demand for this limited time game that will only be available until March 2021. It is still available for digital purchase on the Nintendo Eshop and only costs $59.99.