| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Wii U | 9.40 |
| Overall | 9.40 |
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When this game was first announced you could almost hear a collective grown from the gaming community. We were promised the next big 3D Mario adventure and instead we got what was seemingly a new version of a portable game on consoles. Well that shows us to ever doubt Nintendo, while Mario 3D World may not be as ambitious as its predecessor it focuses on pure fun with a laser focus on excellent level design delivering what is perhaps the most pure Mario experience in a 3D space. By now I assume you know how 3D Mario plays, all the usual moves return with a few new ones that don't add much. There are some big changes though, the big one being the run button which has never been used in a 3D Mario until now. Some complain that its not necessary, I would argue this, the run button has been a key part of Mario since its inception, I feel that this Mario is trying to be more like 2D Mario than 3D Mario therefore it fits. The other noticeable difference is that the camera angles are fixed creating a more linear experience. The levels are designed like 2D courses with very little leeway to explore further emphasizing the focus of this game which is on pure platforming. Every level is either introducing a new gameplay idea or taking an idea from before into a whole new level of challenge. This feels like SMB3 of 3D Marios with crazy ideas coming and going on a whim some never to be used again. In one level you will be controlling up to 5 Marios at once navigating a course where panels appear and disappear to the beat of music. The next level you are riding the back of a dinosaur while going down a river. Next you may be firing cannons out of a cannon helmet while on top of a train. That kind of variety fills every moment of this 15-20 hour game. It is an absolute joy to play, no platformer controls this well. No platformer has level design this imaginative and consistently great. This game is a master class of game design, once again Nintendo shows they are on a different level than everyone else when it comes to understanding what makes games fun to play. The biggest feature of Super Mario 3D World is that you can play with others, but because of Nintendo's idiotic stance on online gaming I was not able to try the multiplayer out. I assume its chaotic but fun. If you are like most people you will probably play this alone and I am happy to report that you will hardly notice that this game was designed to allow 4 players, it is as pure a single player campaign as any Mario before it. The added characters allow for minor alterations to the controls, Peach in particular can be a great help in some levels because of her floating ability. Now to address the big question, is this game better than Galaxy, no it is not. 3D World's biggest strength might also be its weakness, the levels are too varied and too simple. Galaxy struck the perfect balance between platforming skill, exploration and taking new gameplay concepts to its max potential. I don't feel that 3D World is as compelling as a game as Galaxy was, the levels are not as memorable nor are the boss battles are not as interesting. 3D World feels too simple of a game when compared directly to Galaxy. Even though 3D World is focused almost purely on the platforming the challenge is not there for most of the game, to me that is one of the biggest issues holding it back from all time masterpiece status. This is easily the most beautiful Nintendo game ever made. It is a feast for the eyes with colors that pop and a perfect smooth frame rate that never slows down. Nintendo has raised their game on the music front with huge orchestral scores and this game is no different. The music is fantastic throughout with many remixed versions of classic tunes from all Mario games. It almost feels like a history of Mario music score. Super Mario 3D World is without question the best game on the Wii U. Fear not this is not a NSMB situation where it feels like the ideas are becoming stale, this is Nintendo at it's most creative level, completely uninhibited. It may not reach the highs of Galaxy but lets be real here, almost nothing does. It will take its place as one of the best Mario games of all time. If you love platformers this is a must play. If you love games you should play this too, its pure gaming, to me this is what video games is all about. |
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Posted by Dvader Fri, 27 Dec 2013 06:55:57
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travo (4m)
Vader your review is almost exactly what I would write except I found on a few occasions the camera angle plus shadowing made a few jumps difficult, we're talking maybe 5 jumps out of hundreds though.
Outside Galaxy this is the best 3d platformer ever made, I don't think anyone can challenge EAD tokyo in this genre. I would love to try multiplayer.
But if it's not galaxy-level I don't give a shit about the game.