Nintendo confirms that Mario Sports Superstars is coming to the 3DS this March, along with a new range of amiibo cards.
Although all eyes are on the Nintendo Switch, the 3DS is not dead yet. Even though console will no longer be getting much attention from Nintendo itself, there remains a number of solid-looking titles on the horizon. First up is Mario Sports Superstars, which arrives in Europe on March 10.
The good news is Mario Sports Superstars looks rather impressive. Featuring football, tennis, golf, baseball and horse-racing, the game features a full suite of single-player tournaments, plus a range of local and online multiplayer modes.
Camelot are no slouches when it comes to Mario sports spin-offs and have been developing reliably consistent games since 1999. The biggest criticism you can direct at the studio – certainly with 2012’s Mario Tennis Open – is an occasional paucity of content. Something that doesn’t look to be the case here.
Each game promises to be a full fledged experience, with 11 a-side football matches, and the return of game mechanics previously used in Mario Golf: World Tour and Mario Tennis Open. The most fascinating inclusion is Horse Racing, with its carrot collecting gameplay evoking, of all things, The Legend of Zelda. That particular sport also includes a Stable Mode that features petting, feeding and grooming.
There will be 18 Nintendo characters included in Mario Sports Superstars, each with their own unique abilities and attributes. It’s just a hunch, but we expect Bowser will be big and strong, but not too agile.
The game will accompanied by a series of 90 Mario Sports Superstars amiibo cards. They will be available in packs of five and can be used in-game to boost characters’ skills. The amiibo cards unlock more powerful Star versions of the characters in each sport. One randomly selected card will be bundled with the game in its initial run.
Mario Sports Superstars will be released in Europe on March 10 and North America on March 24.
