I think anytime a new Mario game comes out, it's a big deal (unless it's MARIO SUNSHINE). The first SUPER MARIO BROS. game in 1985 revolutionized platformers – and games in general – and MARIO 64 wrote the book on 3D platformers. Hell, even MARIO GALAXY was innovative with its use of physics-based gameplay.
So now comes the newest Mario game, MARIO ODYSSEY. Let's take a look.
Not going to lie, this looked like the GRAND THEFT AUTO/MARIO mash-up of my dreams, which I was totally into (imagine Mario taking floating gold coins from a dead hoo — on second thought, don't imagine that). But the beginning of the trailer is definitely strange, as we see Mario walk around humans with normal, not cartoon-y features. It also brings into contrast how destructive Mario is…I mean, it's not a big deal when he's breaking floating blocks or f*cking up some Dino-Despot's crib, but seeing him jump on car hoods and such seems like a dick move.
But then he gets on some weird red top-hat vehicle that sends him to other areas (like an Egyptian area, a scary forest area, and a borderline-offensive Mexican area), where he also seems to be stealing Sonic's signature moves (like the spin dash). Honestly, despite how different everything looks to his usual aesthetic and gameplay, I'm definitely excited for this. It seems like something unique and exciting, so hopefully it lives up to its potential!
Either way, MARIO ODYSSEY will be released on the new Nintendo Switch console sometime Fall 2017.