These Japanese Super Mario 3D World commercials make me feel all tingly

I know there are a lot of gamers in the world who no longer care about Mario or his pixelated or polygonal exploits--if they ever cared about them in the first place.

I am not one of those people.

Now, I'm also not one of those people who snap up each and every game that features Nintendo's iconic protagonist.



For the most part, I stick to the company's Paper Mario series (although that'll no longer be the case if its next entry is as disappointing as the last two), some of its two-dimensional Mario Bros. releases and its three-dimensional Mario games.

That last group is the one that interests me most these days--mainly because, with the possible exception of Super Mario Sunshine (which I like in theory, but not in practice), Nintendo has yet to produce a 3D Mario game that fails to at least compete with (if not top) the ones that came before it.

When it was first announced, I actually thought Super Mario 3D World might join its GameCube counterpart at the bottom of Nintendo's Mario-branded barrel. I mean, that first trailer the company showed to the world during this year's E3 event was the definition of "ho hum," wasn't it?

Thankfully, subsequent trailers have washed that taste from my mouth. Not only that, but they've transformed the game from something I consider only mildly intriguing (if that) to something I now view as a must-purchase release.



Although the commercials included above aren't exactly trailers, they still provide a smile-inducing glimpse at why this game has caught the attention of a lot of folks in the few weeks and months.

Before you watch either of them, though, I have to warn you that they likely include spoilers.

Anyway, are any of you finding yourselves similarly attracted to Super Mario 3D World? If so, what aspects appeal to you most right now?

A few brief thoughts on the latest trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts

I don't know about you, but the very first thing I did after waking up this morning was check out the Nintendo Directs that were made available to Japanese and North American audiences a few hours ago. (I skipped the European one because I assumed it would be a rehash, more or less, of the other two.)

Anyway, here are a few brief thoughts on the above-mentioned broadcasts (watch the North American one here, and the Japanese one here):

(Sort of) surprisingly, Super Mario 3D World looks smashing--Although I wasn't all that interested in Super Mario 3D World following the game's unveiling at this year's E3, I'm pretty darn interested in it now. Some of the levels shown during today's Nintendo Direct looked absolutely stunning--and, more importantly, looked like a lot of fun, too. The question is: will I ever get my husband to play it along with me? Thankfully, I have a feeling it'll be a blast while played solo, too.



Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze delayed--The only news related to this Wii U title is that it's release--originally scheduled for later this year--has been pushed to February. That doesn't bother me too much, as I'm not planning on picking it up (I liked Donkey Kong Country Returns, but not enough to buy a sequel), but I know a lot of people were hoping to get their paws on it this holiday season.



The 3DS is really going to suck next year--In a good way, that is--thanks to the new Kirby game that's scheduled for release at some point in 2014. Anyway, this latest entry in the long-running Kirby series--which I believe will be called Kirby: Triple Deluxe in Japan--looks a lot like Kirby's Return to Dream Land, which is a very good thing, in my opinion. That said, I wouldn't mind at all if Nintendo announced a follow-up to Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii U sometime next year.



Looks like I'll get my yearly dose of Daigasso! Band Brothers sooner than expected--The highlight of the Japanese Nintendo Direct (which covered a lot of the same ground as its North American counterpart) for yours truly: the news that this third entry in the Daigasso! Band Brothers series--called Daigasso! Band Brothers P--will hit the streets in its home country on Nov. 14. Unfortunately, that's about all I got out of this portion of the broadcast--although I think the major revelation here was supposed to be that folks will be able to go on line to access or download a ton of additional tunes. That aspect of the title likely will be lost on me, but that's OK--the 100 or so songs that are supposed to be included on the cart should be more than enough for me.

To those of you who also checked out one or more of this morning's Nintendo Direct broadcasts: which games stuck out at you, if any?

A few thoughts on this morning's E3 2013 Nintendo Direct

Note: I'm taking a page from from my blogging pal Viewtiful Justin's book and making this post about today's E3 2013 Nintendo Direct (watch it here) a stream-of-consciousness affair.

Pokémon X/Y--The game, due out on Oct. 12, continues to look great. I like how the battles have a cartoonish flair to them. Also, fairy-type Pokémon? That's all I needed to hear.

Super Mario 3D World--Huh. I'm not what I think about that cat power-up. Everything else looks nice and clean, though--like Super Mario 3D Land, but better. Wait, you mean we can control Peach again? SOLD. That said, I'm not entirely sure about the gameplay. I expected something Super Mario Galaxy-esque, and this isn't it. Still, it seems fun.



Mario Kart 8--I know some will be confused by my next comment, but I thought this one looked really good. Surprisingly good, even. I guess I didn't expect the Wii U version to look quite so ... detailed. I also really like its F-Zero-esque elements--you know, the anti-gravity stuff. Bummer about the "spring 2014" release date, though. Wasn't it supposed to be out late this year?

Wii Party U--Zzzzzzzzzzz. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it'll be fun in its own way, but it's really not my cup of tea.

Wii Fit U--That we're still waiting for this game is either a joke or a travesty or both, if you ask me. Seriously, a December 2013 release? It should have been out in December 2012. Sigh.



Art Academy U--Seems interesting enough, although I'm not sure it's something I'll get for myself. After all, I bought both previous Art Academy titles and have yet to really "play" them. It'll surely be a boon to those who use Miiverse, though.

Third-party Wii U games--Wait, you mean such a thing exists? Just kidding (kind of).

Wii U and 3DS eShop games--Is it wrong that Coaster Crazy Deluxe excited me the most out of this montage of upcoming digital releases? Oh, and Mutant Mudds Deluxe also looks good--well, except for the design of its protagonist--as does Shovel Knight.