Skip to main content

New Super Mario and Pikmin games confirmed for Wii U! To be shown at E3

Wii-uIt wouldn’t be a new Nintendo console without a new Mario game. Nintendo has let it slip that a Wii U New Super Mario Bros. sidescroller and Pikmin game will be shown at E3 this year, which takes place June 5-7, 2012. The confirmations are somewhat related, but both can be traced back to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s famously loose-lipped game designer. As the man who created both game series, it seems only fitting that he’d accidentally reveal their sequels, no?

Mario Bros. Wii U

Image used with permission by copyright holder

During an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Miyamoto confirmed that a new Mario game will be unveiled in June. Eurogamer got a hold of Nintendo, who confirmed the report.

“In a recent interview, Mr. Miyamoto confirmed that a new Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii U system will be shown at this year’s E3 Expo,” a Nintendo spokesperson told Eurogamer. “We’ll have more to announce about our plans for the E3 Expo at a later date.”

According to a number of sites, this Mario game will be based on the multiplayer Super Mario Bros. Mii demo shown at E3 2011. The game played like a classic Super Mario sidescroller, but allowed one player to use the main Wii U tablet controller, which has its own screen that duplicated the action on the TV. If you were playing single player, you could actually play the entire game on your controller. Other players who joined in used Wii Remotes and could customize their faces with their Mii — an avatar that you create when you get your Wii. Read more about last year’s Wii U demos in our roundup

Judging by Nintendo’s recent Super Mario games, this one will likely be a straight sidescroller that mostly looks like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, though it will undoubtedly have some gameplay elements that make it unique to Wii U. 

Pikmin Wii U

pikmin-cat
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pikmin may have been born on the GameCube, Nintendo’s worst-selling game console, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great game. In the El Mundo interview Shigeru Miyamoto also said that a Pikmin is in the works and Kotaku managed to squeeze a similarly bland confirmation out of Nintendo of America.

“In a recent interview, Mr. Miyamoto confirmed that a new Pikmin will be shown at the E3 Expo in June,” said a Nintendo representative. “He believes that anyone who has played Pikmin games in the past will enjoy playing.”

While we don’t have any general gameplay details, Pikmin has always been one of Nintendo’s franchises that would have best benefited from the motion control in a Wii sequel. Nintendo re-released versions of the original games, but has taken its time in developing a sequel. It’s unknown how much of the core gameplay will remain. In the original, you play as Olimar, a tiny alien who crash lands in a garden. To repower his ship, he has to pluck little pikmin and have them pick up and carry parts of it back for him, while avoiding huge monsters. Half of the fun of the game is tossing the Pikmin and exploring the world, which often has huge versions of real-world items (Olimar is very small) like CocaCola bottle caps or Duracell batteries.

Pikmin seems a natural fit for the secondary Wii U tablet screen, which could allow you to see a view of the map ahead or allow you to reorganize your Pikmin or manage items. It could also serve as a screen for the Piklopedia, which gives information about the world around you.

Editors' Recommendations

Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Super Mario Bros. Wonder has some of Nintendo’s best online features
Wiggler in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

When it comes to multiplayer integration, Nintendo can be wildly unpredictable. Unstable online servers and disappointing co-op experiences built for young players can leave its games lacking. Thankfully, that's not the case with Super Mario Bros. Wonder. In fact, the new 2D adventure might just contain the best Nintendo multiplayer experience on the Switch next to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

At any point while playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder, players can bring their game online with the press of a button in the main menu. Doing so will unlock several multiplayer features at once. For one, there's traditional online multiplayer. Simply press a button to "play with friends" and you'll be able to explore both the overworld and levels co-operatively. Like the New Super Mario Bros. series, four players can work together to complete levels (which can be very hectic fun).

Read more
Best Flower Coin farming levels in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Daisy wall jumps in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a sprawling platformer with plenty to discover in each of its stages, but if you want to complete the game in full, you'll also need to visit Poplin Shops scattered around the overworld. At these shops, you can purchase helpful things like power-ups, badges, and more -- but collecting all of these things will cost a substantial amount of Flower Coins.

You shouldn't fret too much, as you'll likely get the majority of the coins you need by playing through the game normally, but there's still a good chance you'll come up a bit short if you're trying to purchase all 144 standees and get every Medal. Here are our picks for the best Flower Coin farming levels in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Wall-Climb Jump I Badge Challenge

Read more
All secret exits in Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Bowser terrorizes Mario and company in Super Mario Wonder.

Much of your time in Super Mario Bros. Wonder's colorful and vibrant levels is spent collecting Flower Coins and finding fun power-ups that can help you take out enemies, but there are some well-hidden secrets to discover, too. Most notably, you'll want to keep an eye out for secret exits that can uncover some really exciting new stuff to enjoy.

There are a total of seven secret exits in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and if you're looking to find each and every one of them, look no further than our list below. Of course, you'll want to play the levels through completely if you're looking to find all badges and medals in the game.
Piranha Plants on Parade (World 1)

Read more