Nintendo reveals “totally new” 2D Super Mario for 3DS

Nintendo is planning to kick the 3DS’s
sales into full gear over the next year with the release of a fresh
Super Mario game and a steady stream of other hot titles throughout
its 2012 fiscal period, running April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.

As detailed in Satoru Iwata’s Third Quarter Financial Briefing, the Big N is building a “totally
new” side-scrolling Super Mario game for the 3DS. Iwata also
promised a higher consistency of top-tier releases, citing Kid
Icarus, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance, Theatrhythm Final
Fantasy, and Metal Gear Solid 3D Snake Eater as just a few examples.

“There will be more and more
highly-anticipated titles for the Nintendo 3DS even in the U.S. and
Europe where home console game systems lead the market,” he
pledged. “In addition, we absolutely need to keep the vitality of
evergreen titles and release new key titles seamlessly for the
Nintendo 3DS in order to maintain the momentum of the platform
throughout the year.”

Iwata offered no information about the
new Super Mario adventure beyond the fact it would be a 2D title,
however we can infer from title and Nintendo’s history that there
will be plumbers, stars, and possibly a princess in distress. Judging by
Nintendo’s news that Super Mario 3D Land has become the first game to
sell over 5 million copies, we can also assume anything invoking the
Mario name and/or image will also sell a ridiculous amount of copies regardless of its dimensions.