Did you know my Dad was almost an NBA star? He just missed out because of two things: He was a foot too short and had no talent!
Yes, that’s a favorite joke of my father’s, but it does ring true for a lot of us — some people are born with natural potential for athletic achievement, while most of the population will never get the chance to score a touchdown in front of a crowd of millions, or sink a winning putt to claim the coveted green jacket. But that’s where video games step in! Through the power of virtual versions of these same athletic events, anyone can go pro in nearly any sport imaginable.
Nintendo has presented dozens of incredible sports video games over the decades, and as we head to press with this NF issue, they’re in the midst of doing it twice more: an all-new sequel to the global phenomenon, Wii Sports, has just gone on sale for Nintendo Switch, and in June we will also get to gear up for a third installment of Mario’s personal soccer series in Mario Strikers: Battle League. To support both releases, we’ve crafted this sports-spotlighting NF issue!
Our central feature, The Sport Report, is a big collection of retrospectives going sport by sport to chronicle the individual histories of basketball, baseball, tennis, golf and many more through their decades’ worth of adaptations on Nintendo systems. We’ve got an interview with the creator of Golf Club: Wasteland, a review of the Switch debut of MLB The Show and even a look back at the Famista baseball franchise from our own Tony Ponce . . . whose father actually was a pro baseball player! (I guess some Dads don’t have to just joke about hitting the big leagues!) If all that sounds good to you, then let’s play ball!
Print copies of this issue include a double-sided wall poster with the key art from Mario Strikers: Battle League on one side and Piece 3 (of 3) of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate banner on the reverse! (Combine it with the posters included with Issues #57 and #58 to complete the entire image!)
