2D and 3D Mario games for 3DS

Nintendo are planning on bringing both 2D and 3D Mario platformers to its new handheld, general manager Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed.

According to Andriasang, when asked at an investor Q&A last week whether the platform holder was planning a 2D or 3D Mario platformer for the 3DS, Miyamoto said, "The answer is, of course, we'll make both. They both have their own appeal."

"When Super Mario became Mario 64, the range of players narrowed greatly," he added, before explaining how the new handheld's 3D effect will make games easier to play by helping users judge depth of field.

Using the example of flying Bullet Bills, he said, "It's difficult to tell when they will hit the player, so we were only able to use these lightly [in recent 3D Mario games]. However, we'll be able to use this type of thing quite a bit on the 3DS."

He'll have a tough job topping Mario's last 3D adventure – Super Mario Galaxy 2 scored a perfect 10/10 at the hands of Eurogamer's Oli Welsh earlier this year.

The 3DS goes on sale in March 2011. The only confirmed Mario title for Nintendo's portable so far is a new entry in the Paper Mario RPG series.