Author’s Note: Though we are still waiting on direct confirmation from Nintendo themselves, it sounds like other outlets have confirmed that Super Mario 3D All-Stars does feature couch play for Galaxy, just with touchscreen functionality. If we get an answer from Nintendo, that will be posted here ASAP.
I want to start this by saying I’m not a lazy gamer. But I very much believe in convenience. There’s a reason I was a die-hard portable gamer for so long, supporting the GBA, DS, 3DS and even Vita. And that’s why I love my Switch so much, it’s convenient as hell. And the vast majority of the games on Nintendo Switch can be played just as well sitting on my couch as they do connected to the TV. So when I saw today’s Mario 35th Anniversary Direct, and the announcement for Super Mario 3D All-Stars, I had one question – does that game offer couch play?
That question burrowed into my head and refused to be dislodged. After all, I wanted an excuse to play Super Mario 64, Sunshine and Galaxy again on a better system. But I also was cognizant several of those games had very particular controls that weren’t optimized for sitting still while playing. So I took the initiative, and looked at the product page for Super Mario 3D All-Stars. And then I found the following disclaimer –
That could only mean one thing – Super Mario 3D All-Stars is only able to be played with the Switch propped up or docked with the TV. Meaning it’s not something you can play just with the Joy-Con attached to the system. And while many of you probably are wondering what the big deal is, I’m more than a little disappointed. Normally Nintendo is amazing about optimizing Mario games for each and every system, making subsequent releases just as fun as the original. But this news is making this gamer very hesitant to consider buying that collection.
As a lifelong Nintendo fan, I believe strongly in various ways of play. And the fact this collection won’t allow that is shocking to me. I’m sure many of you that play with your Switch docked could care less. But for those that like using the Switch as advertised, in any way they can, it’s a bummer. Thankfully I’m still hyped about playing the other collections announced during the 35th Anniversary Direct.
Chime in below! Does this news matter to you? Or could you care less?
