Nintendo - 2013 - WiiU
When I was a kid, I always thought about how cool Super Mario Bros. would be if it were multiplayer. Yes, yes, I know, the original Super Mario Bros. was 2 player, but not in the way I wanted. I wanted simultaneous multiplayer where two players could sit down and play through a level cooperatively. I finally got my wish in 2009 with the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It was a great game, but the multiplayer was pretty chaotic, even with just 2 people. Even when you weren't intentionally trying to do so, it was pretty hard not to screw over your partners while playing the game. It was too easy to be bumped into a hole by a friend, eaten by a partner's Yoshi or be hit by a friendly Koopa shell that was intended for an enemy. My friends and I nicknamed it "The Friendship Ruining Game". Thankfully, Mario 3D world fixes these problems... mostly. There will still be times when one player bounces off another's head accidentally, but it's still such a welcome improvement over New Super Mario Bros. since Mario 3D world offers the players so much more room to move around in its large 3D plane. Things can still get hectic at times if you're playing with four players and everyone is scattering to the corners of the screen to do their own thing. But for the most part, this is a very tight platformer where it's more fun to play co-op than by yourself
Super Mario 3D World feels like a return to form for the Mario franchise. It seems as though Nintendo thought about what made each of the previous Mario games good, polished the crap out of it and incorporated it into Mario 3D world. There's the basic level layout with powerups and the flagpole at the end of each stage from the Original Super Mario Bros. There's the four unique characters from Mario 2, each with their own speeds/jumping ability (Toad FTW). There's the world Map from Mario 3 complete with toad houses, hammer bros. battles and other hidden secrets. There's all of the Koopa Kids from Super Mario World, each in their own fortress and each with their own pattern to figure out and conquer. There's the 3D free roaming gameplay from Mario 64 complete with its signature wall jumps, long jumps and somersaults through the air. There's the brilliant level design of the Mario Galaxy games (and even some cameos from Mario Galaxy characters). And obviously, the co-op gameplay from the New Super Mario Bros. games. There's even a nod to the original Mario Kart in one of the levels. Mario 3D World is not without its own identity either. There's a unified theme throughout the game of... cats. Yeah, like kittens. Cats, strangely enough. One of the first new powerups you'll obtain is the cat suit which allows you to climb walls, scratch and pounce on enemies, and most importantly let out a character specific "Meow" at the end of each level which is admittedly pretty adorable.
Super Mario 3D World Video Review
Summary
Mario 3D world is just FUN to play. It's really such a joy. Each level is completely different from the last and has its own unique feel with its own hidden secrets to find. There was so much care and polish put in to this game. It's the full realization of what my dream of what a 3D co-op Mario game could be as a kid. It's also the first 3D Mario game to be in true HD and it looks wonderful. It's the system seller the WiiU so desperately needs and it very well may be the best Mario game to date.
Super Mario 3D World feels like a return to form for the Mario franchise. It seems as though Nintendo thought about what made each of the previous Mario games good, polished the crap out of it and incorporated it into Mario 3D world. There's the basic level layout with powerups and the flagpole at the end of each stage from the Original Super Mario Bros. There's the four unique characters from Mario 2, each with their own speeds/jumping ability (Toad FTW). There's the world Map from Mario 3 complete with toad houses, hammer bros. battles and other hidden secrets. There's all of the Koopa Kids from Super Mario World, each in their own fortress and each with their own pattern to figure out and conquer. There's the 3D free roaming gameplay from Mario 64 complete with its signature wall jumps, long jumps and somersaults through the air. There's the brilliant level design of the Mario Galaxy games (and even some cameos from Mario Galaxy characters). And obviously, the co-op gameplay from the New Super Mario Bros. games. There's even a nod to the original Mario Kart in one of the levels. Mario 3D World is not without its own identity either. There's a unified theme throughout the game of... cats. Yeah, like kittens. Cats, strangely enough. One of the first new powerups you'll obtain is the cat suit which allows you to climb walls, scratch and pounce on enemies, and most importantly let out a character specific "Meow" at the end of each level which is admittedly pretty adorable.
Super Mario 3D World Video Review
Summary
Mario 3D world is just FUN to play. It's really such a joy. Each level is completely different from the last and has its own unique feel with its own hidden secrets to find. There was so much care and polish put in to this game. It's the full realization of what my dream of what a 3D co-op Mario game could be as a kid. It's also the first 3D Mario game to be in true HD and it looks wonderful. It's the system seller the WiiU so desperately needs and it very well may be the best Mario game to date.
