Apparently, Nintendo has declared March 10th “Mario Day,” or “MAR10 Day” (because 10 looks like “IO”… go figure), and this has been going on for a few years; you learn something new every day, I guess. But more important than reaching gamer holidays is that Nintendo is offering a bunch of discounts on Mario games for the Switch, albeit only in digital download form. Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis Aces, Super Mario Party, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe are all $20 off their usual $55-$60 price tags. Additionally, a Switch bundle including one of the games is now available for $330, about $30 less than normal. The deals will be offered from today, MAR10 Day (one assumes we eat mushrooms and fix a drain pipe in celebration), through Saturday, March 16th, and are available through GameStop, Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target.
All joking aside, it’s nice of Nintendo to do this for their customers (although it appears there’s a better Switch bundle deal available independent of MAR10 Day, in which the console comes with a $35 e-shop gift card). I don’t own a Switch myself, having planted my flag in PlayStation territory years ago. For a split-second, I was tempted to procure one when the surprise announcement of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order turned out to be a Switch exclusive – something the kind folks on social media informed me I wasn’t allowed to be bummed about because PS4 has the Spider-Man exclusive, as though that’s somehow our fault. As for the subject of MAR10 Day, I don’t think I’ve played a Mario game in decades, unless you count a round of Super Smash Bros. on the Wii at a get-together about ten years ago. But for current aficionados of the premier video game mascot, you have a week to take advantage of some good deals from Nintendo. And Happy MAR10 Day!
Are you going to treat yourself to any of the MAR10 Day deals? Do you celebrate MAR10 Day? What are the chances a parade can be arranged, possibly starting at the Nintendo store in Manhattan? Let us know in the comments and stick around Geeks + Gamers for more video game news!