Game news This is the first time in 23 years that this Nintendo character, internet star, has not appeared in a video game
A true icon on social networks, this cult Nintendo character has not appeared in a single game in 2023. A first in more than twenty-three years of existence for this colorful figure adored by fans.
Over the years, the Mario universe has been enriched to the point of welcoming ever more characters. If we initially only knew Mario, Peach, Bowser and Toad, many new faces were introduced over time. In the lot, we find both iconic figures like Luigi, Yoshi or Peach, as well as much lesser known characters like Wart, Poochy or Wanda. Among all these faces, one has been adored by fans since his first appearance 23 years ago. And yet, for the first time since its creation, it has not appeared in a Nintendo game in 2023.
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A year 2023 marked by the absence of Waluigi
It was in Mario Tennis released in 2000 on Nintendo 64 and Game Boy that players discovered Waluigi for the very first time. If Wario is the opposite of Mario, Waluigi is his brother who is therefore the opposite of Luigi. While Wario is short, fat, and dressed in yellow, Waluigi is tall, thin, and dressed in purple. And as with all the characters who are closely or remotely similar to Mario, he was obviously voiced until then by Charles Martinet, the iconic Mario actor who recently retired. Over the years, the character has become iconic through his unique physique and his character which made him so popular on the internet. If Waluigi never had a game of his own, yet he has always been present every year in a new game. For example, in 2022, we could find it in Mario Strikers: Battle League Football, but as for 2023, the latter was absent.
When we look at the question a little more closely, the finding is actually not that surprising. In fact, no Mario sports, kart or party game has been released in 2023 and this is the first time since 2002. However, it is typically in this type of experience designed for multiplayer that the secondary characters of the Mario universe are often highlighted. In any case, we hope that the thing will be corrected in 2024, especially when we see all the rumors around the potential release of a Nintendo Switch 2 at the end of the year. Wait and see as they say.
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