It's no secret at this point that many were disappointed by the lack of blockbuster announcements to originate from Nintendo E3 2015 presentation. Whether being agitated with the lack of The Legend of Zelda for Wii U or disappointed with the unveiling of Metroid Prime: Federation Force, there was generally a lot of negativity surrounding the digital showcase. Not all of it was bad, however, and the likes of Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash garnered very little discontent from dedicated gamers.

Bringing with it everything that fans would expect from a new iteration of the franchise on the Nintendo Wii U, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash looks like a fairy standard entry in the long-running Mario sports series. With that said, consumers have been wondering just exactly when they'll be able to serve up some competition for friends and casual acquaintances alike. Fortunately, it won't be all the much longer.

Taking to the game's official page on Nintendo's website, the company revealed that the next iteration of Mario Tennis will finally be arriving for Wii U on November 20, 2015. While many expected that the game would make its intended release this year – especially in the wake of Star Fox Zero's delay – the Big N has also confirmed that it will retail for $49.99 USD. This is roughly $10 cheaper than what new Wii U software goes for, which may have some concerned by the overall amount of content that will be featured within the final SKU.

While it's impossible to say how substantial Ultra Smash will be at launch, the house of Mario has already taken the liberty of confirming that "new characters make their Mario Tennis debut" within the game. This is sure to kickstart speculation on which newcomers will be hitting the court this time around, as the only confirmed characters thus far are Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Toad – leaving room for plenty of others to join the fray.

Given the discounted price, it'll be interesting to see just what buyers will be getting in exchange for their hard-earned dollars. Any modes outside of standard 1v1 and 2v2 matches, as well as a mode known as Mega Battles, have yet to be confirmed, and online multiplayer is a feature that's still missing in action. Nintendo will likely address these issues – as well as provide Nintendo users with release dates for other territories – sooner rather than later, especially given the game's impending release in just under two months' time.

Are you looking forward to the next iteration of Mario Tennis? Which new characters are you hoping to see make an appearance in Ultra Smash? Get at us in the comments.

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will arrive exclusively for the Nintendo Wii U on November 20, 2015.

Source: Nintendo