Soapbox features allow our individual writers to give their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In this piece, Kate argues that Mario’s Doomsday may not be as bad an event as you think …
Let’s start with a version of everything that goes down after March 31, 2021:
It’s not going to be a fantastic day for Mario fans, in spite of the fact that it’s been around for a 35 – year – old plumber at the end of the 35 – year celebration. But instead of seeing it as an end, I choose to see it as a beginning: a chance for someone else to take the spotlight.
Being a Mario fan is pretty easy, especially compared to a Metroid fan, an F-Zero fan or a Zelda fan who doesn’t like gates. Mario has long been Nintendo’s golden child, the one who gets lavish birthday parties, a theme park and almost all the glory, and although the rank is deserved – after all, he’s the oldest and the official mascot of Nintendo – it can be a little tiring. be for people who do not love him best.
And anyone who has read the biblical story of Cain and Abel, or Joseph and his technicolor dream coat (or just watched the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical), knows what happens when one child gets all the attention at the expense of others: he is killed and / or sold to strangers.
This is not going to happen to Mario right now – mostly because it’s a little difficult for a family-friendly company – but honestly, the closures on March 31 may also allow other games to get some attention. I would not argue that it is not a bit of a counter-consumer to snatch games out of our hands almost literally, but there is a difference between “limited time only!” and “we decided to scrap it because that’s why you screw it up.” Nintendo failed more than anything in its messages, making ‘only’ limited time ‘seem like it was some kind of thing. It’s really on Nintendo – and it’s pretty bad, but it can not take it back now.
The main problem with a year-long anniversary is that it is only for a year. It has to have an end, and the end is going to disappoint people. The servers for Super Mario Bros. 35 is probably only set for the year – it is expensive and time consuming to use. But these servers could consequently be released for something else – maybe something for Zelda’s 35th, which starts in July (but let’s not hope).
People expect a lot from Nintendo, and while I do not regret the multibillion-dollar company, it would be good, I’m sure. do sometimes feels sympathy for Nintendo to sometimes live up to expectations. It gave people a “free” game (you still need a Nintendo Switch Online account, of course) in celebration, and people complained that it was not free always. They have again released three classic Mario games for a fraction of the original price of each (a very on-Nintendo thing to do) and people were unhappy that it was only on sale for a year. Super Mario Maker’s online services being discontinued make sense for a game that’s almost six years old on a console that didn’t sell well. The mistake here is to make all of this happen. on the same day. It’s just not a great look.
I know it’s stupid to have hope, but I like to think Nintendo has a plan. I do not think it’s as evil as this whole thing made it look like on March 31st, although I do think it’s a little unfriendly. I can imagine it was a fitting end to a year that was all about Mario, and it also got a lot of attention and pressure for the games. But did not it time for Mario deceased did anyone else give the microphone, anyway? I hope Nintendo’s ‘plan’ from April 1 and later involves at least a rupture of the same love for his neglected games.
It’s good to be disappointed about the 31st of March. It’s even good to be annoyed about it. But everything dies eventually, and when one thing dies, does it leave room for something else to take in – and does not that sound exciting?