There once was a time whereSuper Mariosports games were a huge deal. Long-time Nintendo fans might remember some major crossovers with Sega’sSonic the Hedgehogseries lining up with the real-world Olympics. The Mushroom Kingdom has a reputation for competitive sports on its own, though, tackling everything from soccer to tennis to baseball. One moreMario Sportsseries that’s done well for itself isMario Golf,but that particular franchise hasn’t been back in a while. Thankfully, Switch owners now know thatMario Golf: Super Rushis on the way. It looks like Mario is ready to get back on the course.
Mario Golf: Super Rushis coming out in an interesting context, though. There’s not a ton of multiplayerMariospinoffs on the Switch, but perhaps the most famous of them all isSuper Mario Party.This new installation was pretty warmly praised for new ideas; for instance, each playable character has their own special die that they can roll instead of the normal d6, adding new layers of strategy. However, for some reason,Super Mario Partylaunched without online multiplayer. Nintendo just fixed this in a surprise patch, and that patch says a lot about Nintendo’s attitude toward online multiplayer right now.Super Mario Party’s overdue updatemight be a good sign forMario Golf: Super Rush’s online multiplayer.
RELATED:Mario Characters Who Need to Appear in Mario Golf: Super Rush
Super Mario Party’s Multiplayer
Super Mario Party’s local multiplayer at launchwas just fine. Offering a wide breadth of gamemodes and characters to choose from,Super Mario Partyseemed like a worthy next step for Nintendo’s long-lived party game series. That’s what made the omission of an online multiplayer mode so glaring. At this point, there’s really no excuse for a game likeSuper Mario Partynot to use online multiplayer. Nintendo Switch Online specifically exists to connect fans of Nintendo games, and Nintendo still pushes it pretty hard. If Nintendo is going to have a paid online multiplayer subscription, it only seems natural that Nintendo encourages players to get it with online multiplayer inSuper Mario Party.That’s what it did forSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Although it took a couple years, Nintendo seems to have finally realized the importance of doubling down on online play. Games ofSuper Mario Party’s kind need online play, especially over the last year.Super Mario Partydefinitely could’ve seen a second wave of sales if Nintendo had added online multiplayer at the start of the COVID pandemic, rather than a year into it. Even so, the new updateadding multiplayer toSuper Mario Partyso much later should be taken as a change in Nintendo’s perspective. It wouldn’t go through the effort of making this patch if it didn’t think online multiplayer was important now. That reflects positively on Nintendo’s next big multiplayerMariogame:Mario Golf: Super Rush.
Mario Golf’s Big Return
A good thing aboutMario Golf: Super Rushis that Nintendo has already confirmed online play for this new sports game. Although Nintendo hasn’t talked about the game a whole lot since it was announced, Nintendo has been very clear thatMario Golf: Super Rush’s 4-player is availableboth locally and online. That’s a big deal. At this point, there’s no way aMario Sportsgame could compete with other sports games without online multiplayer. If Nintendo wants to bring this franchise back, it has to get its money’s worth out of Nintendo Switch Online and support online matchmaking across all future games.
RELATED:Every New Feature in Mario Golf: Super Rush Revealed So Far
UpdatingSuper Mario PartywhenMario Golf: Super Rushalready has online play confirmed could indicate more than just a dedication to including online play, though. If Nintendo thinks thatSuper Mario Partyreally needed that patch, then it’s more likely that that’s part of a broader focus on Nintendo Switch Online, rather than a seemingly random update to one game.Mario Golf: Super Rushmight get a lot of support for online multiplayer that fans can’t even imagine just yet.Super Rush’s experience might look a little bitmore likeSmash Ultimate’s support. Nintendo could decide to roll out regular multiplayer events much likeSmash Ultimate’s many themed tournaments.
Super Mario Party’s late update might also suggest Nintendo has been keeping an eye on the game all this time. Long-term attention could be really good forMario Golf: Super Rush,even if the game doesn’t get patches constantly. Just keeping an eye on the game and maybe releasing a significant update every few months might be enough togiveSuper Rushsome longevity. At the very least, it’s a sign that Nintendo is listening to fans.Super Mario Partylovers wanted nothing more than to see an online mode added. Although it took a long time, Nintendo got there. Hopefully inSuper Rush’s case, Nintendo will act more quickly on the hopes of players. After all, Nintendo has as much to gain on doing that as fans do.
The Switch’s Growing Library
Mario Golf: Super Rushseems to be part of a great new wave of Nintendo games coming to Switch. 2020 was a hard year for Nintendo, devoid of Nintendo Directs to spread knowledge about its games, but it’s hitting 2021 hard.Pokemonhas some great things on the way, as doesThe Legend of Zelda,and now there’snew projects likeGame Builder Garagecoming to Switch too.Super Rushis playing its part by potentially breathing new life intoMario Sportsgames in the same way thatSuper Mario Partyintended to reassess theMario Partyseries.
Hopefully Nintendo is thinking aboutSuper Mario Party’s peer differently. If the recent midnight update means Nintendo has realized the importance of supporting online play for all of its multiplayer games, then maybeMario Golf: Super Rushwill get treateda little better thanSuper Mario Partydid. It sounds like there’ll be an emphasis on online play at the outset, and that’ll be a big boon to the game. Nintendo games andMariogames specifically have always had a reputation for good cheer and bringing people together. Giving games the online multiplayer they deserve is the right way for Nintendo to embody that reputation in the modern age.
