What will happen, what mystery will there be … on March 31, 2021? It is something that we do not stop asking ourselves, since it generates an uncertainty what Nintendo has caused with several of its premieres with the catchphrase of “limited”.
That fateful date will no longer be available in stores (physical and digital), or they will no longer be playable when using their online service. And the one that is being affected the most by that date is good old Mario, with eight games in total.
Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.
We started with that cute call Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., which recalls an early stage of Nintendo before surprising with the NES and Game Boy consoles. This laptop that pays homage to the great Gunpei Yokoi, comes with three Mario games pre-installed: Super Mario Bros.
The problem? That Nintendo has covertly commented the following on its website:
Note: The Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. console, which was released on November 13, will ship in stores until approximately March 31, 2021 and will be available for purchase while stocks last.
It is still curious, since none of the press releases mentioned that little detail, except for a video. So this is a limited edition handheld console, after all. Your can buy for 49,90 dollars.
Super Mario Bros. 35
Following in the wake of the surprising Tetr is 99, Nintendo wanted to follow the Battle Royale trend with Super Mario Bros. 35, where up to a maximum of 35 people (controlling Mario, although Luigi is hidden) compete for the throne to see who is the best. And it comes with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
The problem? That on March 31, 2021 you will no longer be able to play Super Mario Bros. 35. No way. It will disappear from the eShop, no matter how we played it, because Nintendo will remove it from the service. And being online, there is no solution.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light
Last October, the Big N surprised us by announcing the arrival of the Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light from Famicom to Nintendo Switch, fully respecting the essence of the revolutionary delivery for that 8-bit console, now in English translation and with slight improvements in its interface, such as saving the game in full combat. It will be released on December 4 by 5,99 dollars.
The problem? It will also disappear from the eShop on March 31, without being able to buy it digitally. And in Europe, unlike in the United States, there will be no physical editing, so the options are narrowed. And to add insult to injury, the DS remake (Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon) has its price inflated on eBay.
Super Mario Maker
There have been a few platform publishers, the driving force behind this trend being fun LittleBigPlanet from PS3. Capcom tried it with Mega Man Universe, but canceled it before leaving, while Nintendo did get lucky with Super Mario Maker for Wii U in 2015, coming out a year later on Nintendo 3DS.
The problem? Recently, Nintendo announced that as of March 31, 2021 levels cannot be published on the Wii U original, also shutting down the Super Mario Maker Bookmark website. It will be possible to continue playing at the levels published before the suspension of the service, but Super Mario Maker will be discontinued in the eShop on January 13, 2021. In physic? Second hand.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Finally, we have the case of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. This batch was very special, as it brought together a whole Nintendo 64 flagship (Super Mario 64) along with the refreshing Super Mario Sunshine of GameCube and the wonderful Super Mario Galaxy of Wii. We only miss the sequel to the latter …
The problem? Indeed, it will also disappear on March 31. But both from the eShop and from stores, where there is still availability and you can buy for 45,90 dollars. It is another of the limited edition batches by Nintendo, surprising that it does so for the Mario’s 35th anniversary. Yes, a lot has rained since that Unforgettable year 1985 for the history of videogames.
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