[entrement]

Man at that secret level. Everytime I think it is over; there's another crazy section.

Update: Okay I beat with Mario. Does beating it with Luigi do anything?

[ghibli99]

Man at that secret level. Everytime I think it is over; there's another crazy section. Update: Okay I beat with Mario. Does beating it with Luigi do anything?

No, but after all that, don't stop now! ;)

[Anth0ny]

Finally unlocked the final level.

This is not going to be easy without a tanooki leaf. And the shitty 3DS circle pad.

[zigg]

And the shitty 3DS circle pad.

What.

[Togglesworlh]

What.

Some people, ya know?

[entrement]

Finally unlocked the final level. This is not going to be easy without a tanooki leaf. And the shitty 3DS circle pad.

I found it easier without the Tanooki leaf, tbh. Especially the beginning section. The leaf only helps in regards to the extra hits you gain-->Leaf Mario>Super Mario>Mario. You can get Fireflowers instead.

[Anth0ny]

I found it easier without the Tanooki leaf, tbh. Especially the beginning section. The leaf only helps in regards to the extra hits you gain-->Leaf Mario>Super Mario>Mario. You can get Fireflowers instead.

Agreed.

and holy fuck at this difficulty spike. No checkpoints is murder! Where was this during the actual game? dodging falling bob ombs on that green arrow platform thing wasn't in any other stage, was it? Such a cool hazard.

[EvilMario]

I found it easier without the Tanooki leaf, tbh. Especially the beginning section. The leaf only helps in regards to the extra hits you gain-->Leaf Mario>Super Mario>Mario. You can get Fireflowers instead.

Tanooki makes the moving platform section a non-factor, by just going into the statue the entire time, which can be helpful for some people. Last level was great. I hope some people challenge themselves and replay without power-ups at some point, which would change the complexion of the entire game.

[bridegur]

I just beat the first half of the game. This might be my favorite 3D Mario.

[Yagharek]

I just finished it today. Am I correct in assuming 5 stars on the save file is it?

Also, that last level was nuts. So rewarding to get to the end but I was scared I would make a silly mistake right at the end.

[entrement]

I just finished it today. Am I correct in assuming 5 stars on the save file is it? Also, that last level was nuts. So rewarding to get to the end but I was scared I would make a silly mistake right at the end.

5 stars it is. If you want be hardcore, go for the shiny stars if you missed it in this playthrough.

[Yagharek]

How do you get shiny stars? Is it a retry limit?

[lazybones18]

How do you get shiny stars? Is it a retry limit?

Don't die in the same level five times in a row

[Yagharek]

Ha. No chance of that happening, given the final level!

[lazybones18]

Ha. No chance of that happening, given the final level!

You have nothing to worry about. I should have been more specific:

Don't have a super/help item block appear. It will only appear if you die five or more times in a row in the same level. Thankfully, the item doesn't appear in the final level so you can die as many times as you want

[Yagharek]

Ahh that's easy then. I did have it appear once I think, but never used it. Oh well.

[nephilimdj]

Finally 4 stared it, now to replay all the stages
cant believe I have hit 17hours, longest played a mario platform game since old snes days

[Help Me!]

Working on the Special Worlds right now. To unlock every level I have to: Grab all three coins in the levels, beat every level with Luigi, and get yellow flags on every level...is that it?

Game is awesome. For some reason I rushed like crazy to finish the main game, but now I am just playing a few levels a day. Much more fun just to take my time.

[ghibli99]

Working on the Special Worlds right now. To unlock every level I have to: Grab all three coins in the levels, beat every level with Luigi, and get yellow flags on every level...is that it? Game is awesome. For some reason I rushed like crazy to finish the main game, but now I am just playing a few levels a day. Much more fun just to take my time.

Yep, all 3 coins + the M, L, and Flag icons for all stages. Have fun!

[Help Me!]

Yep, all 3 coins + the M, L, and Flag icons for all stages. Have fun!

Oh, I have to beat every level with both M and L. Well, this will take a good bit of time. Thanks!

[Regulus Tera]

Oh My God I just got this game. This is the game I thought Super Mario 64 would be back in 1996.

Super motherfucking nostalgia right now. A bit on the easy side though.

[FieryBalrog]

I love this game. For people saying it's too easy, the difficulty is perfect for a noob like me. Looks like Valve took a master class from Nintendo when making Portal 1 & 2, because the similarities in design philosophy are very very obvious.

Also there are 2 changes from NSMB DS which are a loooooong time coming which make the game way better for me- saving after every level for free (THANK YOU GOD), and "default" Mario is Super Mario (YES!). Those archaic-as-hell mechanics made me want to tear my hair out when beating NSMB DS. Now just waiting for Nintendo to take out the "X lives" holdover from 1984.

On top of that the 3D effect is so beautifully used. I still mostly hate the 3D on other games, but this game made me a believer. I actually leave it on all the time because it enhances the gameplay a LOT, making it way cooler and easier to navigate the 3d environments.

Most fun game I've played in a while. Only complaint is stupid gating content by stars.

[User33]

So what are the main complaints about this game? The controls?

Haven't played it yet, but this pretty much looks like my dream 3D Mario in terms of level design.

[Andrex]

So what are the main complaints about this game? The controls?

Nope. Most complaints are that it's too easy for the first "half" of the game.

[zigg]

Nope. Most complaints are that it's too easy for the first "half" of the game.

That's the complaint I keep hearing too. And even that's really bogus in my view—the whole game is one nice long smooth curve... which IMO is a pretty awesome achievement.

Plus, I think if it were really so easy, I'd be seeing far more sparkly stars in StreetPass. Not everyone who gets this game is already a Mario minor deity.

[Andrex]

Oh hey, didn't even realize this was moved to Community.

[Regulus Tera]

Galaxy 2 > 3D Land > Galaxy, and only because 3D Land is so short. I appreciate the fact that there's no stupid arse "go collect these things so that you can get these other things" missions. It's all pure Mario platforming, going from point A to point B.

I only need to unlock the final level now.

[ghibli99]

Plus, I think if it were really so easy, I'd be seeing far more sparkly stars in StreetPass. Not everyone who gets this game is already a Mario minor deity.

And of those sparklies, I wonder how many are done legit without restarting/reloading?

[zigg]

And of those sparklies, I wonder how many are done legit without restarting/reloading?

Yeah, let's not even go there. :lol

[Agent Unknown]

With NSMB 2 being released in August, is there anything it could learn from 3DLand in terms of level design, power ups, ect? Sure, one is a 3D platformer, the other traditional, but they're both successors to SMB 3 and 3DLand played a lot like a 2D game in a 3D world. If you read Hayashida's recent interview with Gamasutra, one of the keys for taking the series back to its roots was Miyamoto's love for classic four panel comic strips (this interview is a great read overall, btw):

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur..._learning_.php

"But it wasn't really until Super Mario 3D Land that I think I really became a lot more rigorous about enforcing that in level design, where you have a clear concept in the beginning, and that's carried through absolutely all the way. Why do you think that that's important? KH: Well, I think it has a lot to do with the acquisition of a skill, which is something that often appears very similar to the way that a narrative can develop. So, if you take a single gameplay element, let's think about the steps that happen. First, you have to learn how to use that gameplay mechanic, and then the stage will offer you a slightly more complicated scenario in which you have to use it. And then the next step is something crazy happens that makes you think about it in a way you weren't expecting. And then you get to demonstrate, finally, what sort of mastery you've gained over it. It's very similar to a narrative structure that you find in four-panel comics. Something that's talked a lot about in Japanese manga, for example, is a phrase, kishoutenketsu, where you introduce a concept, and then in the next panel you develop the idea a little bit more; in the third panel there's something of a change-up, and then in the fourth panel you have your conclusion. So that's sort of what we try to do with the way people relate to gameplay concepts in a single level. We provide that concept, let them develop their skills, and then the third step is something of a doozy that throws them for a loop, and makes them think of using it in a way they haven't really before. And this is something that ends up giving the player a kind of narrative structure that they can relate to within a single level about how they're using a game mechanic. Did you actually seek to take that concept from manga and apply it to games, or did you just coincidentally realized that it fit after you'd already developed the concept in parallel? It's very similar to a narrative structure that you find in four-panel comics. Something that's talked a lot about in Japanese manga, for example, is a phrase, kishoutenketsu, where you introduce a concept, and then in the next panel you develop the idea a little bit more; in the third panel there's something of a change-up, and then in the fourth panel you have your conclusion." This concept has been introduced to Nintendo by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, who used to draw comics when he was younger, says Hayashida. "He drew comics as a kid, and so he would always talk about how you have to think about, what is that denouement going to be? What is that third step? That ten [twist] that really surprises people. That's something that has always been very close to our philosophy of level design, is trying to think of that surprise."

[Anth0ny]

Galaxy 2 > 3D Land > Galaxy, and only because 3D Land is so short. I appreciate the fact that there's no stupid arse "go collect these things so that you can get these other things" missions. It's all pure Mario platforming, going from point A to point B. I only need to unlock the final level now.

Did we play the same game?

[olimpia84]

With NSMB 2 being released in August, is there anything it could learn from 3DLand in terms of level design, power ups, ect? Sure, one is a 3D platformer, the other traditional, but they're both successors to SMB 3 and 3DLand played a lot like a 2D game in a 3D world. If you read Hayashida's recent interview with Gamasutra, one of the keys for taking the series back to its roots was Miyamoto's love for classic four panel comic strips (this interview is a great read overall, btw): http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur..._learning_.php

Yes, it could learn to use the save feature automatically after you beat each level. In terms of level design I don't think there's much to emulate since they are play differently.

[Regulus Tera]

The Tanuki suit is overpowered. I couldn't get past the balls of fire in the last stage by trying to play it normally. I stacked up on Tanuki suits and beat the level on my first try with Luigi. lol

Do I get anything from beating it as Mario too?

Did we play the same game?

I meant something along the lines of purple coin collecting. What we got is not the same thing.

[zigg]

I meant something along the lines of purple coin collecting. What we got is not the same thing.

I keep forgetting about those stages in SMG. I must be blacking them out.

Thankfully, not all the purple coin stages were atrocities!

[Agent Unknown]

I keep forgetting about those stages in SMG. I must be blacking them out. Thankfully, not all the purple coin stages were atrocities!

Battlerock and Dreadnought purple coins were amazing missions to think of a few off the top of my head.

[zigg]

Battlerock and Dreadnought purple coins were amazing missions to think of a few off the top of my head.

Those were cool. I'm talking about BS like Honeyhive.

[Regulus Tera]

Beat it with Mario!


...now what? :(

[Agent Unknown]

Still need to beat World 8-Crown without Tanooki.

Those were cool. I'm talking about BS like Honeyhive.

Exactly.

Another purple coin mission that I really enjoyed was in the Sea Slide Galaxy. At first I thought, "Oh, open ended level with purple coins, this is gonna be dull." But the fact you have to get a lot of them by skillfully using the Bee Suit in between cloud hopping was really cool and actually expanded the level a bit.

Anyways, Green Stars in SMG 2 were such a huge improvement.

[Socreges]

Still need to beat World 8-Crown without Tanooki.

I want to repurchase 3DL just so I can do this again.

[zigg]

Beat it with Mario! ...now what? :(

Still need to beat World 8-Crown without Tanooki.

I still think it's easier without it. :lol

Another purple coin mission that I really enjoyed was in the Sea Slide Galaxy. At first I thought, "Oh, open ended level with purple coins, this is gonna be dull." But the fact you have to get a lot of them by skillfully using the Bee Suit in between cloud hopping was really cool and actually expanded the level a bit.

Having done that one a few times... I think that eventually, the pacing made it less than it could have been. It ended up somewhere in-between the searching-for-coins stars and the pure acrobatics stars.

[Regulus Tera]

http://i.imgur.com/z7Jqs.png

I beat it with Luigi first cause Luigi > Mario.

[Nub]

I just beat the game with five stars and beat the special level. What a blast.

Just wondering though, how do i get shiny stars? When i went back through with luigi, i beat all of the worlds without dying more than 4 times. Did i do something wrong?

[olimpia84]

I think you have to die less than 5 times with both Mario and Luigi

[Anteo]

Do not get a "Help box" (either the golden tanooki or the p-wing) in any stage before completing it at least once.

So, on your first run with mario, don't die more that 5 times in a given stage.

[Help Me!]

Running through the levels to get all the coins and yellow flags, but I have a few questions:

Do I have to get every coin in the secret world, too, or do I just need to hit all the regular levels?

Also, do I need to do every stage with Luigi? The reason I ask is that there is no confirmation on the world map that Luigi has completed the level.

Game is really great. I cannot wait until NSMB 2.

[Sagitario]

I beat it with Luigi first cause Luigi > Mario.

I beat it with Luigi first because it was harder.

[Anteo]

Running through the levels to get all the coins and yellow flags, but I have a few questions: Do I have to get every coin in the secret world, too, or do I just need to hit all the regular levels?

Yes, every coin counts afaik.

Also, do I need to do every stage with Luigi? The reason I ask is that there is no confirmation on the world map that Luigi has completed the level.

Actually, there is, but I belive you have to beat all the secret levels and then beat bowser again in the regular worlds. After that, you will se a M and/or L in the screen. I can't remember where exactly in the screen but it was in a right down corner in one of the screens.

[Help Me!]

Actually, there is, but I belive you have to beat all the secret levels and then beat bowser again in the regular worlds. After that, you will se a M and/or L in the screen. I can't remember where exactly in the screen but it was in a right down corner in one of the screens.

I can see the "switch" button to change between Mario or Luigi (which you get for beating Bowser in the normal worlds), but it doesn't change when I scroll through the world, if I remember correctly. It's just weird to have it a condition of the game, but not let the player see all aspects of completion.

[radioheadrule83]

Also, do I need to do every stage with Luigi? The reason I ask is that there is no confirmation on the world map that Luigi has completed the level.

It appears on the top screen in the bottom right corner after you've beaten the game... I guess it might be after you get your second gold star or beat the special worlds, but I think I remember the icons being there almost immediately on beating world 8... see this image for help:

http://i.imgur.com/C6LuD.jpg

[BD1]

The final level is the first time in probably almost 10 years where I was ready to throw my 3DS across the room.