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[Eidan]

Valid, but observe Galaxy 2's initial trailer.

In there, we see Yoshi properly implemented in 3D, we see new ways of getting round the levels with his tongue lash, we see the fruits that he uses, we see the drill powerup and the applications that it has in gameplay, we see the freezing of a water level and the transition it makes to an ice level, we see the combination of 2D space and 3D space in a way we hadn't seen much before, we see the use of the slowdown switch to navigate an incredibly fast level, we see a level where the ground is constantly changing, deforming and cutting itself away beneath your feet, you see the shadow Mario concept in action... and this is just for the trailer for the perceived expansion pack sequel!

Comparably, 3D World shows off multiplayer, the cat suit and transparent pipes. I don't deny the wall-climbing stuff with the cat suit has potential for interesting gameplay, but that aside there's absolutely nothing to compete with the lurid ingenuity of that Galaxy trailer, never mind the finished product itself. I accept that they might be hiding the scope, innovation and genuinely new mechanics that 3D World has, but I have severe doubts.

Man, that trailer just made me sad. It's like the proverbial load was blown in Galaxy 2.

 

[GitarooMan]

There were some hill/sand dunes in a desert area posted last night.

Random observation but I fuckin hate the desert areas in basically every Mario game. I'd rather have more of any other kind of level.

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

Looks fun. I like the return of the other characters.

It's not recycled from the 3DS I hope. I can't help but think that this is just reused assets with different layouts so that they can make the game quicker.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

The 3D World trailer shows off multiple playable characters with different abilities (you can play as other characters in single player), new powerups, ice skating on Kuribo shoes, pipes you can choose the path of while collecting items in them and throwing objects through them, riding a giant dinosaur through a river, some kind of weird 3D floating block world where no players are seen but the camera is being rotated (what was up with that? was it a puzzle? was the player hidden? There was something that looked like Toad, but it was the wrong color and wearing a mining helmet).

It wasn't Galaxy-like in its mindblowing-ness, but "multiplayer and transparent pipes" is reductive.

 

[Soren01]

Previews?

 

[Freezie KO]

Nintendo wants its most recognizable and accessible mascot to have games that are accessible to the widest swath of players as possible.

Shocking, I know.

3D Land with more powers + more ambitious environments + simultaneous local co-op sounds like fun. It will be the first time I've managed to get my girlfriend (otherwise a pretty hardcore gamer and a lover of 2D Mario) to play a 3D Mario game with me.

I don't give a shit if your girlfriend likes the game. Shocking, I know.

I want a game that's ambitious and creative. Not one that looks safe to your girlfriend.

It doesn't play like the DS version. The physics and level design of NSMB DS were mostly shit, NSMB Wii felt like a much tighter game. And your last sentence doesn't make any sense... it's revolutionary to the series precisely because it turns the 2D Mario platformers into something that can be enjoyed with other people. That was a big element of its success, and FYI, just because it's a useless mode for you doesn't mean that a fair portion of the massive amount of people who went out and bought the game, which includes demographics a lot more varied than 'people who are out of college and don't have dorm parties' and 'people still in college who do', haven't gotten anything out of it.

Saying NSMBWii doesn't play like the DS version is absurd. Did they tweak the physics? Sure. But it's still just a tweak. The game suddenly doesn't play like Killzone. NSMB Wii is a direct sequel to the DS game, severely lacking in creativity (except for 9-7).

And the multiplayer is a mode. Even if you want to call it revolutionary to have a four player platformer (it's not), it's still something unavailable to a lot of players. Mario has primarily been a singleplayer game, so for those that enjoyed that, they got a game that plays just like the one before it with NSMB Wii.

Valid, but observe Galaxy 2's initial trailer.

In there, we see Yoshi properly implemented in 3D, we see new ways of getting round the levels with his tongue lash, we see the fruits that he uses, we see the drill powerup and the applications that it has in gameplay, we see the freezing of a water level and the transition it makes to an ice level, we see the combination of 2D space and 3D space in a way we hadn't seen much before, we see the use of the slowdown switch to navigate an incredibly fast level, we see a level where the ground is constantly changing, deforming and cutting itself away beneath your feet, we see Flipswitch Galaxy and the way that an action you have taken for granted in Mario changes the makeup of the level, you see the shadow Mario concept in action... and this is just for the trailer for the perceived expansion pack sequel!

Comparably, 3D World shows off multiplayer, the cat suit and transparent pipes. I don't deny the wall-climbing stuff with the cat suit has potential for interesting gameplay, but that aside there's absolutely nothing to compete with the lurid ingenuity of that Galaxy trailer, never mind the finished product itself. I accept that they might be hiding the scope, innovation and genuinely new mechanics that 3D World has, but I have severe doubts.

Well said. 3D World is such a comparative disappointment.

 

[Hakai]

Valid, but observe Galaxy 2's initial trailer.

In there, we see Yoshi properly implemented in 3D, we see new ways of getting round the levels with his tongue lash, we see the fruits that he uses, we see the drill powerup and the applications that it has in gameplay, we see the freezing of a water level and the transition it makes to an ice level, we see the combination of 2D space and 3D space in a way we hadn't seen much before, we see the use of the slowdown switch to navigate an incredibly fast level, we see a level where the ground is constantly changing, deforming and cutting itself away beneath your feet, we see Flipswitch Galaxy and the way that an action you have taken for granted in Mario changes the makeup of the level, you see the shadow Mario concept in action... and this is just for the trailer for the perceived expansion pack sequel!

Comparably, 3D World shows off multiplayer, the cat suit and transparent pipes. I don't deny the wall-climbing stuff with the cat suit has potential for interesting gameplay, but that aside there's absolutely nothing to compete with the lurid ingenuity of that Galaxy trailer, never mind the finished product itself. I accept that they might be hiding the scope, innovation and genuinely new mechanics that 3D World has, but I have severe doubts.


There's something to this, as well. The Galaxies (as in the individual levels, not the games as a whole) were really well themed, and used these themes to their advantage. 3D World (and this is a big criticism I had of 3D Land, too) is nowhere near as creative or cohesive with their themes. At least give me a world name, for goodness sake!

Fair enough, but with galaxy 2 every one knew about the old mechanics, so they focused in all the new stuff was coming.

With 3D world is clear they wanted to focus on the Co-Op mode, and in the new suit. And plus can only be a not so good trailer. Also they are keep info close to their chest, since we don't know what is the "story" of the game and etc.

It is hard to say either way with the little info we have.

 

[Somnid]

What does that have to do with how good or bad the game is

NSMB DS sold a lot of copies too and it was crazy mediorce

A basic answer would be: It's simple, fun and it's inviting. What it means to self-described gamers has little to do with it because it's much bigger than that. Otherwise this boils down to I don't like it and I can find 10 people that don't which really says nothing especially when "revolutionary" typically means that something is more widely embraced than previous things.

 

[trixx]

Honestly when I first seen the original 3d land I was very impressed by it, but I dont think I can get behind this game. Its like new super Luigi u, although I found nsmbu to be great, I didn't really find myself enjoying it rather playing for the sake of it.

I think I'd much rather put the $60 to donkey Kong country instead of this, not even sure if I should pick up new super Luigi u.

 

[Celine]

What does that have to do with how good or bad the game is

NSMB DS sold a lot of copies too and it was crazy mediorce

There is a reason why NSMB DS sold "lots of copies".
And it's the same reason as why famicom mini:SMB was the only non-pokemon game to sell more than 1 million units in Japan for GBA.

 

[SenorArdilla]

I imagine the game will be more fun to play than it initially seems.

On the subject of SM3D World, who would the best character be? Mario for being an all-rounder? Luigi for jumping higher? Peach for hovering? Or Toad for being the fastest runner?

 

[garth2000]

So does anyone know if this game is actually 3d? I'm talking the 3dtv kind of 3d.

 

[Carpe Libertatem]

I imagine the game will be more fun to play than it initially seems.

On the subject of SM3D World, who would the best character be? Mario for being an all-rounder? Luigi for jumping higher? Peach for hovering? Or Toad for being the fastest runner?

I don't think there will ever be a definitive answer. People still argue about who was best for Super Mario Bros 2 USA and that game's two and a half decades old

 

[Zero148]

I imagine the game will be more fun to play than it initially seems.

On the subject of SM3D World, who would the best character be? Mario for being an all-rounder? Luigi for jumping higher? Peach for hovering? Or Toad for being the fastest runner?

toad all the way for speed running

 

[dcdobson]

I'm sure the gameplay will be rock solid, but I REALLY hope that we get to see a wide variety of environments in this game. I'd love to see levels that I would never expect to find in a Mario game.

 

[Solid Samus]

Saying NSMBWii doesn't play like the DS version is absurd. Did they tweak the physics? Sure. But it's still just a tweak. The game suddenly doesn't play like Killzone. NSMB Wii is a direct sequel to the DS game, severely lacking in creativity (except for 9-7).

And the multiplayer is a mode. Even if you want to call it revolutionary to have a four player platformer (it's not), it's still something unavailable to a lot of players. Mario has primarily been a singleplayer game, so for those that enjoyed that, they got a game that plays just like the one before it with NSMB Wii.

Hey man, don't get me wrong. As far as NSMB Wii being uncreative goes I agree whole heartedly. I really had to force myself to finish that game and I wouldn't have if I hadn't had my brother to play with, but seriously, taking a series that's been single player for 20 years and introducing multiplayer into the design is a revolution for the series, one that helped propel the game to 20+ million sales (meaning a fifth of Wii owners own the game, or possibly a fuckload more than that considering that the Wii is the PSP of home console piracy) on a party console that for so many years was touted as a local multiplayer machine by Nintendo themselves and purchased as a local multiplayer machine by scads of people. I still fail to see how that's even arguable even if you can still play it single player. Playing with friends almost feels like playing a totally different game.

 

[marc^o^]

Previews?

Telegraph preview

familiar as they might be, the games on display at Nintendo's booth were predictably excellent, such is the company's dedication to quality. Pick of the bunch was Super Mario 3D World. [...] It could be harshly judged as a stop gap before the anticipated Galaxy follow-up, with Nintendo ensuring there is a 3D Mario game for Wii U's Christmas. But as stop-gaps go, this is a delightful one.

We play through a couple of beautifully designed candy-coated levels, skittering over lush green platforms, hopping up fluffy clouds and scampering over walls using the game's new Cat Bell power-up. Pick up one of these golden treats, and your character will don an adorable cat suit, able to zip off on all-fours at a canter and use the claws to scale sheer surfaces. The animation is adorable and the power-up adds a real sense of verticality to the level design.

The multiplayer is handled in a similar way to the New Super Mario Bros. series, with all four players staying on a single screen as the camera pans out and stragglers are whisked back to the group in a bubble. The game is designed to be a competitive as you like, with high scores totted up for collecting coins and bopping enemies at the end of each level.

You'll have to co-operate at times too, though, with one level pitching our troupe down a raging river on the back of a giant Yoshi. Players need to steer in tandem to guide the dinosaur raft, with a neat sense of inertia and physicality.

Mario is arguably gaming's most consistent hero, and Super Mario 3D World looks set to continue his streak, with the four-person multiplayer a particular draw. Conservative? Yes. Brilliant fun? Of course.

 

[Exterminieren]

The 3D World trailer shows off multiple playable characters with different abilities (you can play as other characters in single player), new powerups, ice skating on Kuribo shoes, pipes you can choose the path of while collecting items in them and throwing objects through them, riding a giant dinosaur through a river, some kind of weird 3D floating block world where no players are seen but the camera is being rotated (what was up with that? was it a puzzle? was the player hidden? There was something that looked like Toad, but it was the wrong color and wearing a mining helmet).

It wasn't Galaxy-like in its mindblowing-ness, but "multiplayer and transparent pipes" is reductive.

Granted, but the Galaxy 2 examples are genuinely new ways of interacting with a platform game and its mechanics. As far as we can tell, the dinosaur and Kuribo's Shoe mechanics are new presentations of doing what 3D platformers have been doing for as long as the genre's existed (rafts heading down a river and ice skating respectively). Had the Galaxy trailer just featured an ice flower, I wouldn't be so effusive.

The block bit is intriguing, certainly, but it doesn't make a compelling game pitch.

Pick of the bunch was Super Mario 3D World. [...] It could be harshly judged as a stop gap before the anticipated Galaxy follow-up, with Nintendo ensuring there is a 3D Mario game for Wii U's Christmas. But as stop-gaps go, this is a delightful one.

I hope this is right, on every level.

 

[disap.ed]

So will be this game be fully playable alone (and also without AI sidekicks)?

 

[ASTROID2]

So will be this game be fully playable alone (and also without AI sidekicks)?

Going by all other Mario multiplayer games I would say yes.

 

[char0n]

Personally I love how this looks to play, basically a more direct translation of old 2D mario games (3, world) to 3D and done pretty perfectly if 3DLand is an indicator. While I love the Galaxy games, there's something about 3D Land that actually makes me like it even more and this looks like large scale that. It also doesn't rub me the wrong way like NSMB series seems to oddly enough.

This may be a large part of what sells me a Wii-U finally

 

[khaaan]

Awww yeah.,Nintendo worked some magic and can now render Peach's skirt physics.

I'm looking forward to this title. 3D Land was fantastic so even if it ends up being iterative, it'll still be a tonne of fun.

 

[MegalonJJ]

Valid, but observe Galaxy 2's initial trailer.

In there, we see Yoshi properly implemented in 3D, we see new ways of getting round the levels with his tongue lash, we see the fruits that he uses, we see the drill powerup and the applications that it has in gameplay, we see the freezing of a water level and the transition it makes to an ice level, we see the combination of 2D space and 3D space in a way we hadn't seen much before, we see the use of the slowdown switch to navigate an incredibly fast level, we see a level where the ground is constantly changing, deforming and cutting itself away beneath your feet, we see Flipswitch Galaxy and the way that an action you have taken for granted in Mario changes the makeup of the level, you see the shadow Mario concept in action... and this is just for the trailer for the perceived expansion pack sequel!

Comparably, 3D World shows off multiplayer, the cat suit and transparent pipes. I don't deny the wall-climbing stuff with the cat suit has potential for interesting gameplay, but that aside there's absolutely nothing to compete with the lurid ingenuity of that Galaxy trailer, never mind the finished product itself. I accept that they might be hiding the scope, innovation and genuinely new mechanics that 3D World has, but I have severe doubts.


There's something to this, as well. The Galaxies (as in the individual levels, not the games as a whole) were really well themed, and used these themes to their advantage. 3D World (and this is a big criticism I had of 3D Land, too) is nowhere near as creative or cohesive with their themes. At least give me a world name, for goodness sake!

Exactly.

The Mario Galaxy 1 trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmN8DHZYNCg from GDC 2007 looks more impressive in both scope and gameplay (and imo graphics, especially as a marquee title) than 3D World.

No doubt 3D World will be excellent, but hopefully Exterminieren's post coupled with the above better illustrate where the disappointment stems from.

 

[Freezie KO]

Exactly.

The Mario Galaxy 1 trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmN8DHZYNCg from GDC 2007 looks more impressive in both scope and gameplay (and imo graphics, especially as a marquee title) than 3D World.

No doubt 3D World will be excellent, but hopefully Exterminieren's post coupled with the above better illustrate where the disappointment stems from.

Dammit. Can we stop posting Mario Galaxy trailers? It's only making 3D World seem like an even bigger disappointment.

 

[ASIS]

Exactly.

The Mario Galaxy 1 trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmN8DHZYNCg from GDC 2007 looks more impressive in both scope and gameplay (and imo graphics, especially as a marquee title) than 3D World.

No doubt 3D World will be excellent, but hopefully Exterminieren's post coupled with the above better illustrate where the disappointment stems from.

Man SMG is brilliant. Really just utterly fantastic that continues to impress to this day.

 

[RayMaker]

seems good, but also seems like a step back from Mario galaxy.

Would of thought the first 3d mario game on the WiiU would be genre defining and unique for the WiiU.

not disappointing but not to exciting either

 

[megabytecr]

There are some subtle but brilliant changes I see from this title and also from NSLU. They achieve this in a non intrusive way.

By adding characters like Luigi and Nabbit (NSLU), the first is for hardcore platforming, the second is as casual as it can get. I find this amazing game design, as I can play with my daughter who is not so good in platforming, without letting go completely of the hardcore platforming I want.

The same applies to this Super Mario 3D World, as peach seems to be a character that makes the game easier, you have standard Mario, and Toad seems to be faster to increase the challenge and for more advanced players, all of this within the same game.

 

[Hakai]

Exactly.

The Mario Galaxy 1 trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmN8DHZYNCg from GDC 2007 looks more impressive in both scope and gameplay (and imo graphics, especially as a marquee title) than 3D World.

No doubt 3D World will be excellent, but hopefully Exterminieren's post coupled with the above better illustrate where the disappointment stems from.

Yeah but is more fair to compare to this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtRGMlhlFmo

Since the one you linked was not the first time we saw the game.

 

[Ricky 7]

I get the feeling that most people on these boards don't play any of the Marios primarily through multiplayer. Which is a shame, multi-Mario is a game changer (for me at least). And I've been waiting to play a (good) multiplayer 3d platformer for ages. Sounds like a good enough reason to make a game to me.

Yeah, that's probably it which is a shame really. 4 player Super Mario Bros. was one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. This game looks outstandingly fun.

 

[Aaron Strife]

There are some subtle but brilliant changes I see from this title and also from NSLU. They achieve this in a non intrusive way.

By adding characters like Luigi and Nabbit (NSLU), the first is for hardcore platforming, the second is as casual as it can get. I find this amazing game design, as I can play with my daughter who is not so good in platforming, without letting go completely of the hardcore platforming I want.

The same applies to this Super Mario 3D World, as peach seems to be a character that makes the game easier, you have standard Mario, and Toad seems to be faster to increase the challenge and for more advanced players, all of this within the same game.

Yeah, and you have Peach for easy mode... or more skilled gamers can exploit her abilities to find secrets or shortcuts.

I'm glad this has been implemented. Hey, if nothing else, no Bowser kidnapping plot.

 

[megabytecr]

By the way, anyone who plays the game, what does the gamepad show?

 

[marc^o^]

There are some subtle but brilliant changes I see from this title and also from NSLU. They achieve this in a non intrusive way.

By adding characters like Luigi and Nabbit (NSLU), the first is for hardcore platforming, the second is as casual as it can get. I find this amazing game design, as I can play with my daughter who is not so good in platforming, without letting go completely of the hardcore platforming I want.

The same applies to this Super Mario 3D World, as peach seems to be a character that makes the game easier, you have standard Mario, and Toad seems to be faster to increase the challenge and for more advanced players, all of this within the same game.

This is brilliant game design, what other platformer does this? I can't think of any.

 

[deleted]

The game seems to be somewhat closer to 64 than Galaxy. The areas/levels you can explore are somewhat linear, but appear to also wider than their counterparts in Galaxy.
That's nice, even if they won't replace a full Adventure Mario.

Otherwise I hope they'll implement a 2 player mode, where both have full camera control (gamepad/pro-Controller).

 

[SAB CA]

I love Super Mario Brothers 2. I've really not cared MUCH about any of the Mario games in a LONG while, not to the point where I want to PLAY them, I'm happy enough just watching the spectacle as someone else does.

But this one... I'm quite happy for it. All the homage to SMB2... with a world that looks like it has the graphic polish of a Galaxy game. The slightly tilted screen looks like it makes a log of sense for giving a wide playing field, and characters really seemed to move with something of a grid-like feel, as if they knew exactly how to get rid of the aiming issues that normally come with loose 3D movement.

I was very surprised to see people complaining about this game, when I think that NSMBWiiU and This are coming out within VERY close release times of each other. I wouldn't expect a "gamechanger" like Galaxy for a while now, and frankly, I didn't expect another Mario title so soon. All I could think, when I saw this on stream, was "This is a treat for Mario Fans. A quality game with style and personality, AND SO SOON! That makes great references to one of the most under-used Mario titles ever."

As a person who recently decided to play Super Mario World 2P again for the first time in YEARS, this is the perfect Mario game for me, right now. I've learned much of what I like, and dislike in modern Mario thanks to playing SMW again.

I thought the "hodge podge" nature of stage design was a modern thing, but really, even the great SMW feels like a LOT of elements are just tossed together, with no concern to making things look as if they "gel". Green Pipes on Floating Mushrooms that lead to water stages, with yellow pipes that exit into nighttime ground stages! O...Ok. Sonic Unleashed' sense of using world-culture to give it's stage designs thematic elements blows such unfocused build-a-world concepts out of the water.

This game seems to speak to everything I like in Mario, and more. I'll probably be humming the SMB2 music all the way through!

 

[ASTROID2]

So I went over to BestBuy to try the new games and there was a million people there. I was gonna have to wait over 3 hours for it to be my turn, and didn't wanna wait that long for a few minutes of play so I left. Why do so many people have to be interested in these games?

 

[EvilMario]

If the demos are this busy on Wednesday, I can only imagine the madness that will be Saturday 1-5pm demos.

 

[gamergirly]

If the demos are this busy on Wednesday, I can only imagine the madness that will be Saturday 1-5pm demos.

I found one in Georgia I'm gonna try to hit up

 

[OryoN]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsGbb-Kd-U

It wasn't what I had in mind when I hoped for a 3D Mario, but this game looks great. The screens and N-D footage doesn't do it justice. Ever since Mario Sunshine, I felt a bit disappointed and skipped(as in not buy, though I did played around with them a little) every single Mario game since then(even the Galaxy series).

But this new Mario game is growing on me the more I see it. Looks really fun, especially with other players.

 

[Skilletor]

they can just that it would a an inferior experience and would lead to deaths that are not the users fault.

So? Sometimes I can't do things online I can do all the time offline in fighters. I'd rather be playing with somebody in a multiplayer than playing alone.

It's not like you're forced to play online. And I really doubt that it would negatively impact the experience as much as some people here think it would (provided the netcode is good).

 

[El Odio]

Got back from watching some people demo at best buy and I gotta say for a supposed 3DS game with shoehorned multiplayer the gameplay looks solid even with 4 people playing together. Hopefully I'll get to try it saturday.

 

[Thrillhouse]

All other negativity aside, am I the only one who thinks this looks boring as fuck, including gameplay? Big, flat and empty worlds with generic backgrounds. Reminds me too much of NSMB, of which I've only played the wii-version, which I always get tired of after five minutes. Bland, uninspired, spin off and cheap are words that pop up in my head.

 

[sd28821]

So? Sometimes I can't do things online I can do all the time offline in fighters. I'd rather be playing with somebody in a multiplayer than playing alone.

It's not like you're forced to play online. And I really doubt that it would negatively impact the experience as much as some people here think it would (provided the netcode is good).

i only gave you an answer to your question i never said anything about not having the option

 

[jlscool]

Just got back from playing Super Mario 3D World at Best Buy with my 2 kids. It was awesome. (read: Nintendo Fan Biased)

There is a run button. It did not seem like you can do either the backflip or sideflip jump or the long jump anymore. It is more like use the run button and jump farther. You can do the spin jump and you can do a jump kick off a wall.

The hardest part was going throught the pipes for some reason. The pipes in the later levels get very complex and it did not seem to register when I wanted to move a different direction in the pipe and would run into the enemies instead. I am guessing I needed to push in the direction I wanted to go a lot sooner. If you are playing multi-player and you get ahead in the level, it puts the other players in bubbles, so you still need to stick together to get through the level.

The gamepad screen shows the same screen as the TV. I know from the E3 videos you can find secrets by touching on the gamepad to make a hidden block flash, but I was too busy playing to try it.

There was an area with baseballs and the guy said that I could pick it up, but I could not figure it out (I just kept kicking them around). It must be the Z buttons I bet. You just get caught up in the moment of playing the game for the first time.

We did find a secret area where we had to collect 5 key coins to get out.

The game is almost like you are playing NSMB, Mario 64 and Super Mario Bros 2 combined.

Overall very good 3D Mario game IMO.

(also saw someone else playing the new Donkey Kong Country and it looks incredible)

(Mario Kart 8 looked great too, but for some reason I thought it looked like the racing was slow moving)

 

[The Boat]

This is brilliant game design, what other platformer does this? I can't think of any.

DKCR kind of does it, playing as Diddy is "easy" mode.

 

[Freezie KO]

Another disappointment with this game is that, once again, you collect three Star Coins... I mean, Green Stars... throughout the level.

I'd much prefer the challenge to come from completing the level, but we've seen Nintendo (with the NSMB series) rely on the coin-collecting to create the difficulty in their platforming. While we did see this with 3D Land, the continuation of this mechanic only just further homogenizes the two series.

All other negativity aside, am I the only one who thinks this looks boring as fuck, including gameplay? Big, flat and empty worlds with generic backgrounds. Reminds me too much of NSMB, of which I've only played the wii-version, which I always get tired of after five minutes. Bland, uninspired, spin off and cheap are words that pop up in my head.

It looks boring. And I commented on the challenge above. That said, 3D Land was fun, but it was my least favorite of the 5 3D Mario games.

 

[poppedcollar69]

I just realized something..... no more 'bah! bah!' music, thank goodness.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

So is there a full account of the differences between the 4 characters?

Mario - basic all-rounder
Luigi - higher, floaty jump (but poorer traction?)
Peach - can float (but runs slower?)
Toad - runs faster (but can't jump as high?)

Confirm/deny notes in parentheses.

 

[King_Moc]

Another disappointment with this game is that, once again, you collect three Star Coins... I mean, Green Stars... throughout the level.

I'd much prefer the challenge to come from completing the level, but we've seen Nintendo (with the NSMB series) rely on the coin-collecting to create the difficulty in their platforming. While we did see this with 3D Land, the continuation of this mechanic only just further homogenizes the two series.

This mechanic allows people who aren't so great at the game to finish the level, and those of us who like a challenge can '100%' it. It's a good idea and allows more people to enjoy it.

 

[DaBoss]

One thing 3D World seems to have that the other 3D Mario games don't really have is how the levels look far more vertical. I don't know how to word this, but I feel like that was the reason for them to include the wall-climbing mechanic to the cat suit. It is crazy how high some of the levels seem to go (or in some instance, how low they can go) and it doesn't seem like the horizontal distance covered is largely affected.

 

[Freezie KO]

This mechanic allows people who aren't so great at the game to finish the level, and those of us who like a challenge can '100%' it. It's a good idea and allows more people to enjoy it.

I understand the mechanic, and while that's wonderful for people that suck at games, I'd personally rather the challenge come from completing the level. That's more fun for me than exploration.

One thing 3D World seems to have that the other 3D Mario games don't really have is how the levels look far more vertical. I don't know how to word this, but I feel like that was the reason for them to include the wall-climbing mechanic to the cat suit. It is crazy how high some of the levels seem to go (or in some instance, how low they can go) and it doesn't seem like the horizontal distance covered is largely affected.

Do you lose the cat suit if you're hit? Because that could constrain the ability to design levels around it if you're still expected to be able to finish the level even after taking a hit and losing your suit.