What is there left to say about Mario?
Metroids and Starfoxes will always be gambles. Changes will sometimes overreach and we’ll either get a Prime or an Other M out of it. When the latter happens, hopefully lessons are learned for future titles. But Mario? Even his worse outings are still pretty good. Party’s, Karts, and other spin-offs not withstanding of course.
I don’t mean to brag, but I was behind 3D World from the beginning. I remember naysayers abound when the game was revealed at E3 this year. Luckily, the bandwagon was packed to the hilt before October was over, and nearly everyone was hyped, and for good reason.
Before anything, it should be noted that Super Mario 3D World has finally conquered something that has baffled the Mario series since the Wii: multiplayer. And I tested it in the best and worst scenarios. On one hand, I played with site artist and veteran Mario gamer Alysha. I also played with my five year old niece who usually sticks to Cooking Mama.
In both of these scenarios, multiplayer was a breeze and not a chore much like in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Granted, there’s far more room to operate in when you’re on a 3D plane. Even on Thanksgiving when every controller slot was filled, multiplayer was nothing short of a joy.
The other main thing that sells 3D World is the amount of variety.
Four playable characters with distinct abilities and traits not only adds diversity, but ease of access to new players. Peach is easily easy mode. Luigi, with his trademark floatiness, makes for a small challenge despite his higher than usual jumping skill.
Cat Mario as an ability was as fun as I thought it would be. Climbing walls and scratching at foes is great, not to mention hearing each character say “Meowww” once they beat a level. It’s the small things, folks.
Having a good variety of powerups is a welcome thing, with the Racoon Leaf and Boomerang Suit, and the old standard Fire Flower making appearances. The best power up is easily the Mega Mushroom, which is way better in 3D than it ever was in 2.5D.
The only times you’d hear me groan during this game is anytime levels took advantage of the touchscreen or microphone. They weren’t difficult, but they were annoying and unnecessary. Despite what others may think you don’t have to use all of the Wii U’s capabilities. Still, these levels are few and very far between to make a dent int his gem.
As far as the Wii U library is currently concerned, there isn’t a better title I could recommend you to play. It’s visually stunning, endlessly engrossing, and like Mario games typically are, more reliable than a gosh darned Volvo. If you haven’t gone next gen Nintendo yet, there’s no better excuse than to do so with 3D World.
Buy: Super Mario 3D World, 3D World Prima Guide