World 3 and I already think this game is amazing, I don't get the negative opinions on this one, really. Gameplay and graphics are specially great and the duration of stages and worlds are perfect for a handheld game. You can go take a shit and play at least 3 stages.
Biggest surprise of the year for me, this. It looked slow and uninteresting in almost every video I saw, but actually playing it, with the brilliant 3D effect and the huge amount of content, has blown me away.
Just pure, distilled fun; exactly what I want in a Mario game.
World 3 and I already think this game is amazing, I don't get the negative opinions on this one, really. Gameplay and graphics are specially great and the duration of stages and worlds are perfect for a handheld game. You can go take a shit and play at least 3 stages.
Got it in the post today (well yesterday since it's post midnight now). Love the little art poking through the holes on the inside of the case. Even cooler is that it covers of whole of the reverse side.
Going to keep this purely portable while I play Zelda at home. Almost completed the first two world during my journey to and from the pub this evening.
The pacing of this game is so well done. Nintendo really know what is necessary out of a handheld Super Mario game. I love playing this game in short 15/25 minute goes every two hours as a break from essay writing. So so awesome.
I thought the camera was more problematic than the Galaxy games. The camera positioning felt more to accentuate the 3D effect than provide the best possible view. The speed at which it moved was also too slow to keep up with Mario (if you were trying to get through levels quickly). Just some minor problems I didn't have with the Galaxy, but it wasn't Sunshine bad or anything, or bad at all.
The most impressive thing about Mario 3D Land is just how high quality it is for how quickly it was made. I wouldn't mind if they did another quick 3DS game for next year.
I mean, it is the best portable Mario game by a pretty huge lead.
Just curious, what are your other GOTY contenders, HatchX? I think 3D Land is my GOTY, followed by Arkham City, and then a three-way tie between Uncharted 3, Deus Ex and Catherine. Honorable mention to Pilotwings Resort, The Mercenaries 3D and MvC3.
Yay. Almost ready to confirm/deny all these star rumors... I have gotten to the point at which I have Gold Flags on all levels but 1, all 3 coins on all levels but 1, and beaten all but four stages with both Mario and Luigi.
Time to check each of those conditions and see what gives me my fourth star on the save file.
This game does 3D graphics right. Not just the 3D effect, what I mean by this is the 3D graphics period. This is the first 3D Mario I have played where I can put my enjoyment of the visuals on the same level as the 2D games... and that's not just cause they are pretty, it's because the use of angles brings the game so much to life that it can actually, truly and timelessly match the 2D games!
Another thing I noticed with this game is that it finally feels like Nintendo has found an alternate me (lol) and hired him and had him put a lot of input into this game! There are SO many things going on in the level design and game play mechanics that just click and resonate in a way that feels so fulfilling in a way that makes you think "they get it, they finally REALLY get it!".
The game is not without it's flaws and there are certain things missing that would be included in my dream Mario game (a SMW styled map, for one), but SM3DL came and surprised me in such a way delivering a Mario experience that I never knew I wanted, but had always longed for deep down inside.
Just curious, what are your other GOTY contenders, HatchX? I think 3D Land is my GOTY, followed by Arkham City, and then a three-way tie between Uncharted 3, Deus Ex and Catherine. Honorable mention to Pilotwings Resort, The Mercenaries 3D and MvC3.
Arkham City is my GOTY so far but I'm really enjoying Mario. It's a hard call, because it's impossible to play every game that comes out in a year.
I just realized, in Mario 3D Land, if you jump after rolling you do an insane long jump. The longer into the roll you jump, the higher and farther you go. It's awesome. Very much like DKC:R.
I'm really confused about the % in this game. I see the stars on my file (I've got two), but how do you guys know if you've '100%-ed' the game? And
where does Luigi come in? Seems like he's just a bonus. What does it matter if I complete the levels or get the coins with him? I've heard people say that everything needs to be done twice, but how do they know that? It doesn't look like it's recorded anywhere.
I really enjoyed the first 8 worlds, although it was too easy for the most part. Extra lives are far too plentiful and the lack of challenge often made me go through the game lazily. That sucks. The 'Special' stuff is awesome. It feels like this is what the game should have been from world 3 on. Give us a couple worlds to get comfortable with the mechanics and then up the challenge. The learning curve was incredibly lame, though.
I spotpassed a few people today and they were also playing Mario 3D. This is a great little game. Definitely the best of all the portable Marios so far.
World S7 is the real shit. I hope they make another one of these and ramp it up to that level earlier in the game.
It's always a terrifying delight when Cosmic Mario is chasing you down, but I wish they would return him to the horrifying void in existence that he was in Mario Galaxy instead of that pleasant purple color.
Arkham City is my GOTY so far but I'm really enjoying Mario. It's a hard call, because it's impossible to play every game that comes out in a year.
I just realized, in Mario 3D Land, if you jump after rolling you do an insane long jump. The longer into the roll you jump, the higher and farther you go. It's awesome. Very much like DKC:R.
I just realized, in Mario 3D Land, if you jump after rolling you do an insane long jump. The longer into the roll you jump, the higher and farther you go. It's awesome. Very much like DKC:R.
yea one thing I don't understand is why they have been going with such basic world maps ... SMW, sm3, and 64 were amazing in that category, but I wonder why Nintendo thinks its a better idea not to have a fleshed out world map ...
I spotpassed a few people today and they were also playing Mario 3D. This is a great little game. Definitely the best of all the portable Marios so far.
What does the SpotPass do exactly?
Like I'll see someone's Miis over those challenge boxes, but go in and really don't see the point?
Also, I don't know if its necessarily right, but I would call this the embodiment of the perfect handheld title. Its a really simple pick up and play title, and you can clear many of the levels quickly. It really does feel like you are always making progress in the game if for 40 seconds or 4 hours.
Arkham City is my GOTY so far but I'm really enjoying Mario. It's a hard call, because it's impossible to play every game that comes out in a year.
I just realized, in Mario 3D Land, if you jump after rolling you do an insane long jump. The longer into the roll you jump, the higher and farther you go. It's awesome. Very much like DKC:R.
Did you know that if you continue to hold duck as you launch out of a rolling long jump, Mario will launch forward rolled up in a ball? It appears to actually be a bit faster than a regular long jump, so it may be a good speedrun trick.
I'm really confused about the % in this game. I see the stars on my file (I've got two), but how do you guys know if you've '100%-ed' the game? And
where does Luigi come in? Seems like he's just a bonus. What does it matter if I complete the levels or get the coins with him? I've heard people say that everything needs to be done twice, but how do they know that? It doesn't look like it's recorded anywhere.
I really enjoyed the first 8 worlds, although it was too easy for the most part. Extra lives are far too plentiful and the lack of challenge often made me go through the game lazily. That sucks. The 'Special' stuff is awesome. It feels like this is what the game should have been from world 3 on. Give us a couple worlds to get comfortable with the mechanics and then up the challenge. The learning curve was incredibly lame, though.
to beat the very last level which requires you to get 5 stars on your profile and one of those stars requires you to complete every level with both Mario and Luigi. Just complete, you don't need to get the star coins again or get gold flags for both characters. The game only shows which levels you completed with Luigi or Mario after you beat all the special levels, but it does record it before then.
And I agree about the first 8 worlds. The game doesn't really start until the special worlds. It's shame that a lot of those levels are remixes on the normal levels.
Streetpassing with anyone refreshes a mystery box, which is good for stars coins, and a toad house. I think mystery boxes refresh on their own every 24 hours.
If you streetpass with someone who has the game, you also get their fastest clear times for the levels they've completed to compare to your own.
yea one thing I don't understand is why they have been going with such basic world maps ... SMW, sm3, and 64 were amazing in that category, but I wonder why Nintendo thinks its a better idea not to have a fleshed out world map ...
You know how the challenge boxes "refresh" and randomize every day? Streetpasses refresh them immediately and appear to favour boxes you haven't already done.
Also you merge time trial records and add items to toadhouses.
How about Super Mario 3D World? A new adventure set in Dinosaur Land, with that added Galaxy sparkle. Give us the cape and Yoshi. Make the Koopalings bosses. Bring back classic SMW enemies like Chargin' Chuck, Dino Rhino and Rex. And if they really want to go all-out, find a way to make four-player multiplayer work, like NSMB Wii but with 3D Land gameplay. Make it local AND online, and make the four playable characters Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach, just like SMB2. Imagine seeing your pal scurry on screen or fall down from above you, in 3D. *bisonyes.gif*
to beat the very last level which requires you to get 5 stars on your profile and one of those stars requires you to complete every level with both Mario and Luigi. Just complete, you don't need to get the star coins again or get gold flags for both characters. The game only shows which levels you completed with Luigi or Mario after you beat all the special levels, but it does record it before then.
I thought the camera was more problematic than the Galaxy games. The camera positioning felt more to accentuate the 3D effect than provide the best possible view. The speed at which it moved was also too slow to keep up with Mario (if you were trying to get through levels quickly). Just some minor problems I didn't have with the Galaxy, but it wasn't Sunshine bad or anything, or bad at all.
The camera never put me in a bad position for the next jump or unintentionally obstructed my view. The angles they chose make a lot of sense for what the game asks you to do in different situations, and it worked great with 3d. I don't know if 3d gets the credit or if its the camera angle or a combination of both but I've never platformed so accurately in a 3d mario game before this one. The only times I found the camera to be slow for a speed run was on the airship levels but I think they've always had that set pace. Other than that I think Nintendo really perfected the camera for this kind of linear3d mario platforming style.
The camera works for when you're breezing through levels, but trying to backtrack when looking for star coins can make things more problematic. Overall the camera works well but there have been the occasional level where it doesn't exactly work in my favor.
Maybe it's just me, but by and large I hardly even take much notice of the 3-D effect. There are a few specific points throughout the game where it got an "oh that looked cool" reaction but that was about it. Maybe it's just my personal experience with it, it seems pretty subtle most of the time.
The camera works for when you're breezing through levels, but trying to backtrack when looking for star coins can make things more problematic. Overall the camera works well but there have been the occasional level where it doesn't exactly work in my favor.
Maybe it's just me, but by and large I hardly even take much notice of the 3-D effect. There are a few specific points throughout the game where it got an "oh that looked cool" reaction but that was about it. Maybe it's just my personal experience with it, it seems pretty subtle most of the time.
I'd see no reason to be worried about this games replay value versus most games. Unless you rent/buy used mostly. I'd say SM3DL is probably more replayable than most games out there and more replayable than all the other 3D Marios.
On the file select screen what does it mean if your file has 2 stars? I thought the stars corresponded with how many worlds you've gotten all the star coins in but that can't be right cuz I've already cleared worlds 1-5 with full star coins and the level select shows them all with star icons. Bit confused...
On the file select screen what does it mean if your file has 2 stars? I thought the stars corresponded with how many worlds you've gotten all the star coins in but that can't be right cuz I've already cleared worlds 1-5 with full star coins and the level select shows them all with star icons. Bit confused...
"You get one for beating Bowser. You get two for beating each level as both Mario and Luigi. You get the fourth for getting the golden flagpole in all levels, and the fifth for getting all the star coins".
"You get one for beating Bowser. You get two for beating each level as both Mario and Luigi. You get the fourth for getting the golden flagpole in all levels, and the fifth for getting all the star coins".
Hmm, I don't know how I got my 2nd star than unless by beating each level as Mario they mean only worlds 1-8. Oh well I'm not a stickler for 100%ing a game but going back to get star coins is really fun.
Okay. I now have 5 stars. I know exactly how you get the last 2, and essentially the first 3.
Star 1: Complete 8-Castle -- credits play,
Special World unlocked.
Star 2:
This was unlocked for me after I rescued Luigi and beat all of Special World 1. I'm not sure if that unlocked it, or if it was unlocked because I beat the entire "standard" game without skipping any levels.
Star 3:
Beating Special 8-Castle adds a ! to the standard 8-Castle. I'm not sure if this star is unlocked by beating Special 8-Castle or by beating the "revamped" 8-Castle after doing so.
Star 4: Get all 3 Star Coins in each level,
INCLUDING the entire Special world
.
Star 5: In addition to having all the star coins (from the previous entry), get a Gold Flag on every level -and- complete every level with both Mario and Luigi.
Once you do so, this will unlock the extra Crown level in Special World 8.
I noticed that once you get 5 stars, the stars get shinier on the file select screen.
Okay. I now have 5 stars. I know exactly how you get the last 2, and essentially the first 3.
Star 1: Complete 8-Castle -- credits play,
Special World unlocked.
Star 2:
This was unlocked for me after I rescued Luigi and beat all of Special World 1. I'm not sure if that unlocked it, or if it was unlocked because I beat the entire "standard" game without skipping any levels.
Star 3:
Beating Special 8-Castle adds a ! to the standard 8-Castle. I'm not sure if this star is unlocked by beating Special 8-Castle or by beating the "revamped" 8-Castle after doing so.
Star 4: Get all 3 Star Coins in each level,
INCLUDING the entire Special world
.
Star 5: In addition to having all the star coins (from the previous entry), get a Gold Flag on every level -and- complete every level with both Mario and Luigi.
Once you do so, this will unlock the extra Crown level in Special World 8.
I noticed that once you get 5 stars, the stars get shinier on the file select screen.
im not sure , the star coins seem to be replenishing inside the purplish boxes on the world map. It'll say they are asleep for awhile and then they'll come back? I have 300coins now and i've beaten all levels except the hidden one. i can sworn I've gotten past them before but they are back now.
It says I have 3 Star Medals in every level and I did all that other stuff but I have 303 total Star Medals(Coins).
What am I missing???
Star Medals(Coins) from purple box bonus rooms in some levels????
im not sure , the star coins seem to be replenishing inside the purplish boxes on the world map. It'll say they are asleep for awhile and then they'll come back? I have 300coins now and i've beaten all levels except the hidden one. i can sworn I've gotten past them before but they are back now.
I suppose it's POSSIBLE the Star Coin star requires a certain number of Star Coins from Puzzle Boxes as well... those have been a sticking point. I currently have 310 Star Coins...
95 standard levels x 3 coins per level = 285
8 puzzle boxes on the map = 8 star coins
293 coins? I have 17 more than that.
Maybe there is a certain NUMBER of coins you need? I unlocked it upon finishing all the Star Coin collections, and also on Star Coin # 310.
(Puzzle Boxes do come back each day, and there are extra variations -- not sure how many. I'll see if I get any more)
