Celebrating 35 Years of Super Mario

In the 35 years since the release of the Super Mario franchise, Nintendo has captured the hearts and minds of generations of gamers with their plethora of titles following the adventures of the world’s most famous Italian plumber. To celebrate the franchise’s success over the years, Nintendo has released a new collection comprising of some of the best-rated games featuring the running, jumping, shooting hero that made them famous.

The Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, which launched on September 18, 2020, is packed with newly-updated classics that fans of the series will be sure to love. Let’s take a look at which classic games were selected for a bit of spit and polish and re-release onto Nintendo’s newest console in this limited-edition commemorative collection.

Super Mario 64

First released in September 1996, Super Mario 64 was a Mario title that is best remembered for setting the standards of platforming for the years to come. The first game in the Mario series to feature 3D gameplay, Super Mario 64 is responsible for teaching almost an entire generation of gamers how to use an analog stick on a gamepad and it was the first game ever to receive a perfect score from the acclaimed Edge magazine.

On its release, Super Mario 64 was praised for its ambition, stunning visuals for the time, gameplay, and music, and the title soon became a bestseller for the Nintendo 64 system. The game was so successful, even though it only made it to number 15 on the best-selling Mario game list, that it saw a remake for the Nintendo DS in 2004 and has been ported to other Nintendo systems since.

In the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection version of Super Mario 64, Nintendo has taken their upgrade brush and upscaled this classic title to give modern-day gamers a glimpse of what our favorite hero looks like in high definition while keeping the textures as they were in 1996. The nostalgia factor should be through the roof for gamers as the title also excluded the new character additions that were present in the Nintendo DS version of the game, so this title is as close to the original as it could get.

One of the additions from the DS version of this title that audiences may miss is the Super Mario Slot that was introduced into the DS version of Super Mario 64. Luckily, there are a host of Mario themed slots online that can offer a similar experience. Online casinos such as UNIKRN offer players a range of slot machine options in any theme you could think of. What makes UNIKRN unique, however, is its host of other cool features that players have access to on the site. This includes loot, online leaderboards, eSports betting, and more.

Super Mario Sunshine

Next up in the collection is Super Mario Sunshine, a title that was originally released on the GameCube in 2002. The title saw huge commercial success and it is currently the third best-selling GameCube game of all time.  Super Mario Sunshine introduced the F.L.U.D.D. mechanic to the series, a move that was met with both praise and criticism. The F.L.U.D.D, or Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device), has a variety of uses with its main function to spray away goop that has stifled the antics of our capped hero. Critics praised Nintendo for introducing a new mechanic; however, they expressed concern over the gimmicky nature of its gameplay. Despite its issues, the now-iconic device saw screen time most recently as the special move in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Visually speaking, Super Mario Sunshine was already a beautiful game, but seeing it in 1080p widescreen is a sight to behold. The tropical setting has aged well, better than the Super Mario 64 backdrops, and the simple and clean lines of the environment translate well into the higher definitions.

Super Mario Galaxy

The final entry into the collection comes in the form of the Mario platformer that was originally released for the Nintendo Wii in 2007; Super Mario Galaxy. The third game in the Super Mario series, Super Mario Galaxy takes our intrepid hero into the far reaches of space where he has access to new moves, new platforming options, and one of the best soundtracks of the series.

The title is often hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time, with critics and audiences alike being taken in by the game’s visuals, new gravity mechanics, setting, and the orchestral soundtrack. The game was so popular that it was the first-ever Nintendo game to earn a BAFTA (British Academy of Games Award) for Best Game in 2009. The Nintendo Wii top seller also earned Spike Video Games Awards gold as the Best Wii game of 2007 and was a nominee for Game of the Year at the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards.

The Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection is sure to spark feelings of nostalgia for older gamers but it is also a great introduction to the series for new Nintendo Switch owners that shows off some of the best moments in the 35-year lifespan of the franchise. The limited-edition All-Stars collection is available this September for the Nintendo Switch.