• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

LTTP: Super Mario 3D Land

R

RaikuHebi

Banned
super_mario_3d_land_4.png


Just got a 3DS XL last week and have already completed the main quest of this game.

It was a long time coming, I've been craving this game ever since it first released. Back then I was going to go as far as buy the game and borrow a friend's 3DS to play it.

It is such a tight game. I can't think of a better way to explain it. Tight, focused, on point, on a train track of fun. As a Crash Bandicoot fan it's just right and especially in the later levels it was reminding me of those brilliantly designed classics from the Wumpa Islands; Slippery Climb and Stormy Ascent. I was also reminded of the chase levels from Rayman Origins.

This is true platforming. I'm sorry but the open-world Mario games (64, Sunshine and Galaxies) have nothing on this. This game will probably be my gateway drug to a WiiU.

Now I'm on to the special levels, something I've been looking forward to since starting to play. This is where the game is truly begins. I've only played the demo so far :p.

The main reason I bought this console was to play SMTIV. I don't think I'll be getting to for a while, not until I 100% this masterpiece.
 
.la1n

.la1n

Member
Great game but Special World-8 really irked me with the back tracking to collect more star coins just to finish the game. Would it kill Nintendo to go back to standard level progression? Collect x amount of whatever to unlock more levels isn't fun for everybody. It was a major issue with Rayman Origins as well, sailing through the game having a blast then you hit a brick wall.
 
R

Red Liquorice

Member
Loved it except for some frustrating depth issues with jumping it's the best Mario game I've played in a long time, maybe since SMW? I enjoyed it more than both Galaxies and 64, which I was never a huge fan of.

Still need to complete the final, final, final level. One day!
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Amazing game. I love the 3DLand/World return to old school Mario plus 3D. I got a bit tired of the 64/Sunshine/Galaxy conceit.
 
V

Vampirolol

Member
This game has a special place in my heart, not only it was surprising in many aspects but the platformig is better than 3D World thanks to the seteroscopic screen. It also feels faster.
 
T

Tuck

Member
Art said:
Ain't nothing open world about the galaxy games, I wonder why people keep thinking they are lol.
Click to expand...
Galaxy does have a couple open ish levels, to be fair. But yeah overal it is way more linear than 64 and sunshine.
 
W

Waylon Drums

Member
.la1n said:
Great game but Special World-8 really irked me with the back tracking to collect more star coins just to finish the game. Would it kill Nintendo to go back to standard level progression? Collect x amount of whatever to unlock more levels isn't fun for everybody. It was a major issue with Rayman Origins as well, sailing through the game having a blast then you hit a brick wall.
Click to expand...

I've yet to finish the last few levels because of this. Rayman wasn't so bad because I make it a point to collect as much as I can but some of the 3D Land coin locations were completely lost on me.
 
Metallix87

Metallix87

Member
Neifirst said:
I agree if you're talking about single-player - 3D World's levels are necessarily wider to accommodate 4 players.
Click to expand...
I also dislike the powerups from 3D World. That game is fun with four players, admittedly, but the single player is an inferior experience with a bad power up and an underused power up.
 
S

Scooter155

Member
RaikuHebi said:
super_mario_3d_land_4.png


Just got a 3DS XL last week and have already completed the main quest of this game.

It was a long time coming, I've been craving this game ever since it first released. Back then I was going to go as far as buy the game and borrow a friend's 3DS to play it.

It is such a tight game. I can't think of a better way to explain it. Tight, focused, on point, on a train track of fun. As a Crash Bandicoot fan it's just right and especially in the later levels it was reminding me of those brilliantly designed classics from the Wumpa Islands; Slippery Climb and Stormy Ascent. I was also reminded of the chase levels from Rayman Origins.

This is true platforming. I'm sorry but the open-world Mario games (64, Sunshine and Galaxies) have nothing on this. This game will probably be my gateway drug to a WiiU.

Now I'm on to the special levels, something I've been looking forward to since starting to play. This is where the game is truly begins. I've only played the demo so far :p.

The main reason I bought this console was to play SMTIV. I don't think I'll be getting to for a while, not until I 100% this masterpiece.
Click to expand...

Agree with everything OP, it's a great game! Seriously though, just wait until you play 3D World, it's ...I can't even... it's just a perfect evolution of all the concepts from 3D Land. You'll love it. Get a Wii U.
 
S

SoraanTribal

Member
Man, I really wish this game would go on sale (even if it's just a 1-day sale). I want to play this game, but I'd rather pick it up at $20 or so. Nintendo first party games rarely drop in price, though. D;
 
S

SoraanTribal

Member
zigg said:
It's okay, it's worth full price.
Click to expand...

Oh I'm sure it is. I just have this.. thing... about not liking to pay full price for older games (which happens a lot with Nintendo games). Like paying full priced for a 3 year old game is a bit odd to me since other games drop price so quickly nowadays, lol.
 
E

ErrorMacro

Member
Great game. Still haven't beat the last, last level! Have fun OP.

Tuck said:
Galaxy does have a couple open ish levels, to be fair. But yeah overal it is way more linear than 64 and sunshine.
Click to expand...

The linearity is a trend that started with sunshine, and only grew bigger as 3D Mario progressed. Sunshine was much more linear when compared with Mario 64, specially when you consider that most shines were locked to only being obtainable if you chose their mission when entering the stage or even that many shines were locked to the no-fludd substages.

I personally don't mind, but I'd love if there was another branch of 3D mario focused on open worlds, like 64.
 
C

corn_fest

Member
Green Slime said:
Controversial: I still think this game is better than 3D World.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you. Land felt like such a tight, platforming-focused experience, while a lot of World's levels felt like giant open fields.
I also feel like Land had a crisper, higher-contrast artstyle, while World feels kinda washed out.
 
S

SoraanTribal

Member
corn_fest said:
I totally agree with you. Land felt like such a tight, platforming-focused experience, while a lot of World's levels felt like giant open fields.
I also feel like Land had a crisper, higher-contrast artstyle, while World feels kinda washed out.
Click to expand...

Really? It felt like most of 3D World's levels were fairly small and pretty 2D-ish with the exception of that one big giant open field. I would have preferred more open areas in 3D World personally, but I still had a blast with the game.

I really hope the next Mario game goes back to Mario 64-ish roots. I love Galaxy/3D World, but they never quite felt the same to me.
 
A

Alastor3

Member
RaikuHebi said:
super_mario_3d_land_4.png



It is such a tight game. I can't think of a better way to explain it. Tight, focused, on point, on a train track of fun. As a Crash Bandicoot fan it's just right and especially in the later levels it was reminding me of those brilliantly designed classics from the Wumpa Islands; Slippery Climb and Stormy Ascent. I was also reminded of the chase levels from Rayman Origins.

This is true platforming. I'm sorry but the open-world Mario games (64, Sunshine and Galaxies) have nothing on this. This game will probably be my gateway drug to a WiiU.
Click to expand...

Strange! how odd! I love seeing different tastes in gaming, for me, it's exactly the opposite, why I love open world game and hate micro-stage like 3d land
 
dcx4610

dcx4610

Member
I'll be in the minority but I hated it.

The 3D looks great but it's easy to lose focus which is a complaint with pretty much all 3DS games. I didn't want to turn off he 3D since that's a big selling point so it was frustrating to play.

The other problem was that it was just too easy. It wasn't long before I had 35 lives and any lives I lost were mistakes of my own by faulty camera.

I just feels like Mario 64 over and over without breaking much new ground. It was the game that confirmed to me that Mario just wasn't made for me and people my age anymore.
 
C

corn_fest

Member
SoraanTribal said:
Really? It felt like most of 3D World's levels were fairly small and pretty 2D-ish with the exception of that one big giant open field.
Click to expand...

I guess I don't mean literally big open fields, but as someone else said above, that it often felt like there were huge surfaces to stand on and several routes to progress in order to accommodate 4 players. Playing solo, it kinda cheapened the experience.

Even the screenshot from Land in this thread - those single tightropes, that thin platform in the back - you'd never see something like that in World. Made it feel a lot easier and less interesting.
 
J

Jamix012

Member
SoraanTribal said:
Man, I really wish this game would go on sale (even if it's just a 1-day sale). I want to play this game, but I'd rather pick it up at $20 or so. Nintendo first party games rarely drop in price, though. D;
Click to expand...

If you're in the US you could always get it on Target's Buy 2 get 1 free sale.

dcx4610 said:
I'll be in the minority but I hated it.

The 3D looks great but it's easy to lose focus which is a complaint with pretty much all 3DS games. I didn't want to turn off he 3D since that's a big selling point so it was frustrating to play.

The other problem was that it was just too easy. It wasn't long before I had 35 lives and any lives I lost were mistakes of my own by faulty camera.

I just feels like Mario 64 over and over without breaking much new ground. It was the game that confirmed to me that Mario just wasn't made for me and people my age anymore.
Click to expand...

That's fair enough, but I don't think it's fair to speak on behalf of other people your age. I liked this game, but I don't see the Mario 64 influence. In fact I'd rather it went back to it's Mario 64 roots than the pseudo-linear model.
 
R

RaikuHebi

Banned
100%'d it just now. I had 297 star coins at the end so I was like WTF?! one more secret level? But then I remembered I failed a few of the mystery boxes and so I grabbed those last 3 and that was that.

To use a gaming cliche: 10/10. Every single gamer owes it to themselves to play this beauty. Best Mario game since 64 for me.

I also managed to do it without getting a game over once, though I came close at the end, I was on 1 life. Also I never used the retarded invincible Tanooki suit.
 
Hip Hop

Hip Hop

Member
Good game as I also just got it from Gamefly. But there is zero ambition from these games that just feel like small projects and rehashes that could be priced at $20. Didn't like New Super Mario U a lot but I'm somewhat enjoying this. How I dream of a day for an epic story with a beautifully done actual world from the Mario series, something that resembles a Zelda game.
 
D

Disaster Nebraska

Banned
It's quite good, but my main complaint is how frustrating the camera was at some times, whether 3D was on or off (I played it both ways; had no preference).

In hindsight, 3D World uses the exact same camera, with the added provision that it zooms out in multiplayer when players begin to spread out. It has the same habit of snapping the camera this way or that in a pre-determined way (which is okay, I suppose).

And that's the thing. 3D Land's camera was too close. Or maybe it was just the small screen. Either way, there were a lot of sections requiring precision that were difficult for me to play simply because of the small screen/zoomed-in camera. The camera snapping around corners, or up 45 degress, or whatever was disorienting and took me out of the action.

That said, the music was pretty good, and I like how they did the graphics and art style.
 
M

Mlatador

Banned
I've made it to the special world after finishing it and collecting all the star coins.

You won't believe it, but I have one issues with the game that kind of killed the fun for me and therefore puts SM3D Land below the other 3D Mario games in my book.

- The fixed camera that's designed around the 3D effect

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the 3D effect. I find it tiring and uncomfortable, so I played the whole game with 3D off. The problem, however, is that the whole fixed camera perspective is designed in favor of the 3D effect, so when you play it without it, it makes it harder to control Mario through the environment, since missjudging jumping-distances happend to me quite often, especially on those stages that continously move from left to right or even just when jumping on certain enemies. It was really annoying.

I like that its pretty huge because of the whole
new game plus aspect = special words
. I feel the end game is where the game actually gets difficult and really starts for the experienced players, since you have to use all your moves and tricks to get anywhere.

It is great game, but due to the whole emphasis on the 3D effect ultimately just not made for me.
 
S

ShineALight

Member
Hip Hop said:
Good game as I also just got it from Gamefly. But there is zero ambition from these games that just feel like small projects and rehashes that could be priced at $20. Didn't like New Super Mario U a lot but I'm somewhat enjoying this. How I dream of a day for an epic story with a beautifully done actual world from the Mario series, something that resembles a Zelda game.
Click to expand...

The ambition shows in the level design, which is as creative as it's ever been across the Galaxy series, 3D Land and 3D World, all of which are more linear experiences than SM64 and that much better for it. An emphasis on smaller levels that are dense with platforming obstacles is what I appreciate most in the series, an "epic story" in an "actual world" would mean Nintendo compromising the brand's identity to give in to external pressures that games must prioritize narrative and realism to be seen as worthwhile.
 
B

Boogiepop

Member
RaikuHebi said:
100%'d it just now. I had 297 star coins at the end so I was like WTF?! one more secret level? But then I remembered I failed a few of the mystery boxes and so I grabbed those last 3 and that was that.

To use a gaming cliche: 10/10. Every single gamer owes it to themselves to play this beauty. Best Mario game since 64 for me.

I also managed to do it without getting a game over once, though I came close at the end, I was on 1 life. Also I never used the retarded invincible Tanooki suit.
Click to expand...

Did you get all the flagpoles and finish each level as both Mario and Luigi? It's worth doing so if you haven't...
 
M

Marjar

Banned
I liked 3D Land but I felt like it was the weakest of all the 3D Mario games. I just got bored of it. Also I hated those Shadow Mario levels, blegh.

3D World was a HUUUGE improvement, and my favorite Mario platformer.
 
L

Lijik

Member
The Crash Bandicoot comparison nails it. I remember being disappointed because of it at the reveal (I was expecting the next new big idea) but in execution its amazing. Its so hard not to be hooked on playing level after level, they're the perfect length for handheld gaming.

My most played 3DS game by far
 
H

hachi

Banned
Green Slime said:
Controversial: I still think this game is better than 3D World.
Click to expand...

Seconded.

And I'll raise you on the controversy: I also think NSMB2 is a tighter, mostly more enjoyable game than NSBMU. Same reason in both cases--I sometimes dislike these overly wide and spacious courses on the console entries built to support multiplayer.
 
A

Alex_Mexico

Member
To OP:

Super Mario Galaxy (the best Mario game ever made IMO) has more in common with 3D Land than you may think. Short mostly linear levels (yes, even when revisiting the same one for a different star) and a fixed camera surely make them very alike.

SM64 and Sunshine are complete different beasts, though.
 
B

Boogiepop

Member
RaikuHebi said:
Oh god. There's no way I can be bothered to do that.
Click to expand...

It's pretty much just a run through all the levels, so it's actually not too bad since you can ignore the coins and essentially speedrun if you already got them. It's obviously not for everyone, but the reward is definitely worth the effort IMO, especially if you've been having fun with the game anyway.
 
H

Hatchtag

Banned
I'm not really a fan of this game. It just felt really bland and uninspired to me compared to the previous 3D Marios. I wouldn't say I hate it as much as I do the NSMB series, but it's definitely not that great of a game to me.
 
R

RaikuHebi

Banned
Boogiepop said:
It's pretty much just a run through all the levels, so it's actually not too bad since you can ignore the coins and essentially speedrun if you already got them. It's obviously not for everyone, but the reward is definitely worth the effort IMO, especially if you've been having fun with the game anyway.
Click to expand...

Yes I just read what the reward is. I'll do it! As you said it'll be breeze without having to worry about the coins.

The funny thing is I had a feeling finishing top of all the flagpoles would have significance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

LTTP-- Super Mario Bros. 1 Remake
Opinion
7
945
ChoosableOne replied
LTTP: Super Mario Odyssey
LTTP Review 2
75
4K
mayham2199 replied
LTTP : Earth's Dawn (2015) - XONE/PS4/PC
LTTP Indie
4
321
Jack Package replied
Super Mario: Call of Cthulhu. RTTP
RTTP
0
841
64bitmodels replied
Solar Ash - one of the best 3D platformers of all time
LTTP
25
2K
diffusionx replied
Top Bottom