Nintendo released a trailer on Tuesday for its upcoming "Super Mario 3D World" game for Wii U, and from what we saw, it may just sell a few consoles all by itself. The level of charm and care in this title looks off the charts.
While millions of gamers are preparing their living rooms for next month's invasion by Microsoft and Sony's next-generation consoles, some are waiting for Nintendo's Wii U to live up to its promise. A few solid titles have hit, like "Pikmin 3" and "Rayman Legends," but fans are still waiting on big games in the Zelda, Mario, and Metroid series, to list just a few.
"Super Mario 3D World" first appeared at E3 this year, but while the video Nintendo showed off then looked fun, it didn't wow. This one definitely wows. The variety of gameplay types, suits, level gimmicks, and just plain ridiculous situations players will be encountering amounts to what'll probably be lot of fun. And we're pretty sure that's the first time we've seen Princess Peach throw a fireball.
And since it's multiplayer, your friends can drop in to play or help out by using the Wii U's touchscreen. Nintendo has so far been successful at implementing this kind of dual-mode gameplay, and this looks like another great example.
We'll know for sure on November 22, when the game is released in North America. That happens to be just about the time the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are being released — and perhaps the timing is no coincidence. A world-class game in one of the oldest and best-selling franchises of all time might just help keep Nintendo fans from jumping ship — or at least delay them until some Zelda news can be scrounged up.
Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.