15 Years Later, This Mario Spin-Off Series Deserves a Modern Comeback

In the days of the Nintendo GameCube and Wii, the publisher found a lot of success in sports-centric spin-offs. While Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and Mario Golf had already been proven successes in previous console generations, the GameCube and Wii featured plenty of other sports spin-offs that threw Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and all their assorted friends and enemies into sports like baseball and soccer.

That concept seemed to reach its peak with Mario Sports Mix, a slight but entertaining medley of sports games that highlighted how easily the Mario cast could fit into an arcade-style approach to the larger sports genre of games. Despite being a real success for the company, Nintendo moved away from the Sports Mix concept and became more focused on bringing Mario (and Sonic) to the Olympic space. However, a modern reimagining of the sports medley could be a great addition to the Switch 2 library and could open the door for more Mario Sports titles.

Mario Sports Highlighted The Potential Of The Nintendo Spin-Off Series

There’s something inherently fun about Mario Sports Mix, which could more than justify a return for the series for the Switch 2. Released in North America on February 7, 2011, for the Wii, Mario Sports Mix featured versions of basketball, dodgeball, hockey, and volleyball — all starring the Nintendo cast of characters. Similar to other Mario Sports games like Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, Sports Mix leaned into the success Square Enix and Nintendo found with Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for the Nintendo DS in 2006 and crafted a larger game. The arcade gameplay was quick to learn and extremely fun, especially when taken into multiplayer. Games like basketball were quick enough to play around with, while dodgeball added a bit more direct combative competition into the experience. The game even featured some light crossover with the Final Fantasy series, bringing characters like Black Mage, Cactuar, and Moogle into the action.

The biggest problem with Mario Sports Mix was the relative lack of depth to the arcade-style gameplay. While it was fun, the split focus on different sports left each one feeling a little underdeveloped, especially when compared to other, more successful Nintendo sports games like Mario Super Strikers or Mario Super Sluggers. That lack of depth also led to a sense of repetition settling in quicker than with those titles, especially when taking the lackluster CPU into account. Despite earning a fairly mediocre 64/100 score on Metacritic, audiences embraced the game for the fun it presented. It sold almost 2 million copies and became the 39th best-selling game in the Wii’s massive library of titles. That highlights how popular the Mario Sports brand can be, and one of the big reasons why Nintendo should bring it back.

The Switch 2 Could Be The Perfect Place For A New Mario Sports Mix

The biggest drawback to Mario Sports Mix could be easily addressed by the current gaming market, where DLC and updates are regular features for games. A new Mario Sports Mix could start with the tight gameplay of the original entry, but then add more characters, stages, and depth as the experience continues. A new Mario Sports Mix could also be a way to experiment with game design, adding new games and sports over time that might otherwise not have justified an entire game. It could also be a great testing ground for older sports titles like Mario Super Sluggers to make a return, getting a simplified arcade version in the Mix release before potentially expanding to a larger individual game. It’d be a great way to experiment with different styles of gameplay and potentially even find the right niche audience for a specific game.

This could also allow Mario Sports Mix to become a replacement for the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games brand, which concluded in 2020. A Mario Sports Mix for the Switch 2 that could experiment with gameplay styles and incorporate different games could also be timed to different major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup or the Olympics. The idea of a Mario Sports Mix for the Switch 2 could also allow the series to play with the Switch 2s unique features, incorporating Nintendo Labo options for certain games. Nintendo has always found success with these types of titles, especially as a means of showcasing its tech or trying out new approaches. A new Mario Sports Mix could become the mascot-driven heir to Wii Sports, putting emphasis on the platform’s capabilities for fun, simple, multiplayer gameplay. It also speaks to the history of Nintendo’s early sports games, like Ice Hockey or Excitebike, and could be a great excuse to honor those games by incorporating new takes on the concept. A fresh Mario Sports Mix could be a great new game for Nintendo to try out and could use it — along with new titles like Mario Tennis Fever — to reestablish the strength of the Nintendo Sports brand.