Joelcool7 still haven't comented ön the 2D Mario news? I'm rly excited to hear what He has to say :D if He doesn't speak up soon I'll be forced to contact him myself :p

If there really is a connection and if it isn`t vital to the games, it could happen at any time.
I don`t think that Nintendo would release two 2D Mario games so close to each other even if they are on different consoles. Maybe that could put an end to that idea of connection as the most likely scenario is Nintendo keeping the Mario Wii U game for Christmas 2013.
If there really is a connection and if it isn`t vital to the games, it could happen at any time but so late... i don`t know.

I`m saying this because if Nintendo launches a Mario for Wii U so soon after it`s launch it will hinder 3rd parties a lot.

Dont' think so. A new Mario game at launch would sell millions of consoles and many of these gamers would buy some third party games too.

Mario games do sell consoles, that`s exactly why you don`t need a Mario game on launch or on launch window because Wii U will sell itself for a good time. A Mario game, be it 2D or 3D, would work better when there`s a market or at least a chance of supplying retail with enough consoles and at launch you can`t do that.

If Mario launches a console people are going to overlook 3rd party games for a good time before giving other games a chance and Wii U needs is attract PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers as soon as possible. More, a short of consoles would hinder that transition and that would result in lesser sales for hardcore games.

In my opinion, it`s best that Nintendo keeps those big hitters for a later date to sustain sales.

Nintendo must release a SMB game at launch with a similar artstyle to Epic Mickey 3DS.

I just gotta second this point! WiiU will sell itself for a while (IF backed by Nintendo with other games that is!) and then you just release 2D Mario upon the up coming PS720 to destroy them!

Shocking news as an analyst talks sense for once!!!

About time too!

Edit: And with regards to a Mario title I'd say there's a good chance that Nintendo will release it between February and May because they'll need to keep momentum going after Christmas and the New Year when sales of all products dip due to people being skint after Christmas. And we'll probably have another big hitter before Christmas next year in an attempt to overshadow the releases of the PS4 and 720. Probably not a 3D/2D Mario but a Mario Kart or a sequel to DKCR.

Darksiders II Devs: "Wii U is next-gen piece of hardware".  They can't tell much because of the NDA.

@7:50

I stand by what I have said releasing a Mario game any main Mario game within the six month launch window is a bad idea. With all the announcements and leaks pointing to over whelming third party support Mario is not only over kill he would be counter productive. I also stand by what I said about 2D Mario it should not be present within the launch year ideally.

Of course however I can understand why it is coming. Its not coming for profits or business sense. It is coming for political reasons share holders need to have full confidence in the WiiU and shareholders are not often educated in the industry and how it works. Nintendo needs something that will renew investor confidence and show Nintendo is going to be a success. As I said Mario within the launch window is ridiculous over kill. But I'd say Nintendo needs to show Mario at E3 even just for the sake of investors.

I am just hoping Nintendo keeps third parties as well as new and lesser popular first party IP in mind when launching Mario. I still suspect Nintendo will announce Mario for Summer/fall 2semester

Actually, this is shocking.