Nintendo held it's second major Nintendo Direct of the year yesterday, and after Zelda fans had all of the fun at the start of the year, it was Mario's time to shine.
The latest Nintendo Direct was one of the strongest in a good while, giving us not one, not two, but five new Super Mario games – which makes total sense considering how well The Super Mario Bros. Movie did. As you would expect the biggest one was the grand finale of the Nintendo Direct: Super Mario Bros. Wonder – the first new 2D Super Mario game in 11 years.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, in theory, is very similar to the New Super Mario Bros. series. However what those games lacked in personality, Wonder makes up for it in spades with vibrant art, animations, and a bizarre new world. And Elephant Mario – the less said about him the better. Super Mario Wonder releases on October 20, 2023.
Meanwhile there was also two Mario remakes, first is a remake of the 1996 SNES title Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars which never released in Europe (at least on SNES, it came to Wii, WiiU, and SNES Mini), which will arrive later this year on November 17, 2023. While Luigi's Mansion 2 is getting a Nintendo Switch makeover next year.
A new WarioWare titled Move It! was announced too, thankfully moving away from the disappointing WarioWare: Get It Together! and instead acting as a spiritual successor to WarioWare Smooth Moves for the Wii. Finally, we got our first look at a new game starring Princess Peach, which is set to launch in 2024.
Everything shown in the Nintendo Direct June 2023 presentation
While those were the highlights, here's everything else Nintendo showed off at the Nintendo Direct:
- Super Mario Wonder – a brand new 2D Mario featuring 4-player coop. Launching October 20, 2023
- Super Mario RPG – remake of the SNES classic . Launching November 17, 2023
- Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1 – Switch version announced, NES versions of Metal Gear and Snakes Revenge and the digital graphic novels of 1 and 2. Launching October 24, 2023
- WarioWare: Move It! – new WarioWare, successor to the Wii entry Smooth Moves. Launching November 3, 2023
- Pikmin 4 – new modes and features revealed. Demo launching June 29
- Pikmin 1 + 2 – remaster of two GameCube titles on Nintendo Switch, out now. Physical edition out on 22 September, 2023
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass Wave 5 adds Petey Piranha, Wiggler, and Kamek
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Zelda and Ganondorf amiibo announced
- Untitled Princess Peach game – Princess Peach will star in her own game next year
- Luigi's Mansion 2 – remake of the Nintendo 3DS title arriving in 2024
- Sonic Superstars – new trailer
- Detective Pikachu 2 – new trailer, arriving October 6, 2023
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince – new entry in the Pokemon-inspired spinoff. Launches December 1, 2023
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – DLC showcase
Persona 5 Tactica – story trailer, releasing November 17, 2023
Palia – multiplayer farming sim game, out in 2023
Splatoon 3 – new splatfest on July 14 – July 16, 2023
Vampire Survivors – Nintendo Switch port coming in August, new co-op mode
Penny's Big Breakaway – new 3D platformer from the team behind Sonic Mania
Headbangers Rhythm Royale – rhythm game battle royale with pigeons as playable characters.
Batman Arkham – trilogy pack of Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight coming to Nintendo Switch
Just Dance 2024 – more songs confirmed
Silent Hope – new action RPG from XSeed. Launching October 3, 2023
Fae Farm – new trailer
Star Ocean The Second Story R – remake of Star Ocean 2. Launching November 2, 2023
Manic Mechanics – four player mechanic game in the vein of Overcooked
Mario+Rabbids: Sparks of Hope – DLC pack 2 is out now
Mythforce – first person roguelike based on 80's cartoons
Gloomhaven – launching September 18, 2023
And that's everything shown off at yesterdays direct, I've been in the mood for some Mario since the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie so I'm content. Time to go back to hoping that rumoured Donkey Kong game shows up in the next one.
