It took an embarrassingly long time for the smash hit Minecraft to appear on a Nintendo console. It's been available just about everywhere else (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, phones, tablets... It's even on the Gear VR now) for ages, but only just came to the Wii U recently. And when it did? It didn't feel special.
This is surprising, because Minecraft is one of the most family-friendly games in recent history, and the way it encourages young players to be creative is right up Nintendo's alley. How did the two worlds not meet sooner?
But now, the thing that should have happened a long time ago is finally a reality: There is a Super Mario "Mash-Up Pack" for the Wii U coming out on May 17, and it will be free to anybody who owns Minecraft on that platform.
(No, you can't get it on other systems. It's exclusive to Nintendo. Sorry.)
This is in the leadup to the June 17 retail disc launch of Minecraft for the Wii U. Previously, the game was only available as a download. The Super Mario content will come on the disc, along with the full original version of Minecraft and "many of the most popular previously released content packs" for the game.
"For the first time ever, players will be able to fend off blocky Hammer Bros. and Dry Bones the same way they do Creepers and Zombies," Nintendo's press release says.
The pack contains 40 new Mario-themed skins (like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser) and 15 pieces of music that come from Super Mario 64, which will play as you build. A significant number of the Minecraft blocks have also been re-skinned to mimic the look and feel of previous Super Mario Bros. adventures, with content inspired by the likes of Super Mario World and Super Mario Sunshine.
Minecraft: Wii U Edition is available now on the Wii U eShop (though it doesn't have the Super Mario content yet), and will be available at retail on June 17. Either way, it will run you $29.99. The Super Mario Mash-Up Pack will be available as a free download on May 17.
