Nintendo obviously know the appeal of Mario, so it hasn’t disappointed its fans at E3 this year by revealing a pair of Mario games that are sure to delight anyone who has ever had the pleasure of smashing their head against an item block to extract coins, or flinging a Koopa Troopa at a Piranha plant.
The game that most people will undoubtedly be looking forward to is Super Mario 3DS, which is due to launch Christmas 2011. New level designs and challenges will freshen up a familiar Mario blue-print and a range of enemies and new abilities, including the plumber's rolling somersault attack or ability to run fast with a dash move, should be more than enough to keep fans entertained. 3D visuals should, in theory, make it easier for players to judge the depths and distances in their environments too – so we should get a new level of immersion and certainly a different type of experience to past Mario games.
Next up, due to launch around the same time as Super Mario, is Mario Kart 3DS which is said to evolve the franchise to a whole other level. Alonside new kart abilities, such as soaring through the skies or plunging to the depths of the sea, they’ll be a range of new courses, customizable karts (giant tyres, for example) and, of course, the lure of seeing the glorious Mushroom Kingdom in all its 3D glory.
So, that's the big two Mario games, but let's not also forget Paper Mario 3D, thr fourth installment of the turn-based battle series. It was first announced at E3 2010, but surprisingly at this year’s E3 Nintendo hasn’t released any firm details. It has, however, shown off the trailer below.
There’s a number of great looking games coming out for the 3DS, Kid Icarus Uprising Star Fox 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (out this month) to name a few, but let's not kid ourselves, it's all about Mario, right?
