3d Land also was something new though. 3d World completely misses that side of the game by being just a Land rehash. It likely will sell software, but I'm not sure it'll help moving systems any more than NSMB U did.
3d World does have the addition of co-op multiplayer though, like the NSMB -> NSMB Wii transition, but, yet again, it's just reusing something we've seen before. And, really, I think Nintendo hurt its local co-op set up with the Gamepad +Wiimotes, rather than just a single control method. Yes, I know, asymmetrical multiplayer and all that, but I don't think that idea is resonating well with buyers.
Where to start here? I don't write to have a go at you specifically, but rather to address the "SM3DLand rehash" comments and some of the slating in this topic. I feel that such claims are very bad form. I will also break Super Mario 3D World's E3 reveal down, because I feel that this game has been on the end of an undeserved bash and trash.
I will address the NSMB series first. Each entry plays differently. The DS one is about a throwback to the 2D platforming era, and laid the foundations for the genre's revival during the 7th Generation. The Wii one featured a simultaneous multiplayer mode in the main game
for the first time since Mario Bros.. The 3DS one is based around coin collection and sees the return of the leaf. The Wii U one is an extension of the multiplayer, this time allowing the GamePad user to assist or troll the other players, and there are various ways of playing the levels, too. For example,
THIS CLIP of Spinning-Star Sky is sheer brilliance. Sometimes small touches are all that's needed to offer a difference.
For Super Mario 3D World, please, watch the E3 video again, and you'll see that it reveals a great deal in such a short space of time. It's actually very tight and well-crafted. You see Mario uncovering a few secrets on the first level - He deliberately doesn't collect the other power-ups or hit the question blocks, because they want to highlight just how much there is to uncover in one level alone. We also see coins in some clear pipes, and multiple routes to the other side - So, they've thought about racing each other there. This means that in single-player mode, you have plenty to explore. It also means that in multiplayer mode, even where you're beaten to a question block, you can still build up your competitive high score if you know the whereabouts of some of these secrets.
Sliding down slopes remains in the game, then you see 'wheel' platforms, which can affect your speed (for better or worse) - You see a shorter wheel platform with some enemies, and Mario appears to hit a lantern before sliding under them while running. If you watch carefully, there is an arrow leading to a platform above - So, you see an example of where other players might go in a race, or perhaps one of the level's secrets.
Next, he reveals the Cat Power-Up, and appears to roll into a Goomba before jumping and performing Sonic-style homing attacks. It shows a line of Goombas chasing him, so he runs, jumps onto a wall and scales it. So, we can expect that some levels will have this in mind, again for level exploration, secret areas, or maybe performing a pattern of attacks. Also,. note that when he climbs the wall, he can still walk along that platform, and you can see a green pipe quite far in the background, a corridor of coins (he performed the homing attack in front of that), wooden crates, wheel platforms, and an arrow pointing to the left - So, one can see that the levels are very rich in their content, and the different ways in which they can take on a level.
You see a hand on the screen, which hints at GamePad use. It reveals some question blocks and appears to slap and tickle a few enemies. There are more details about the GamePad use in the Developer Directs (It has a Camera Feature, you can use the touchscreen to freeze enemies and platforms, and reveal invisible coins and objects).
You see Toad, Luigi and Peach playing individually. Notice that Toad is quick and has shorter jumps, and is perhaps the best on levels with switches - Remember, in SMB2, he was the best for picking up lots of coins in SubSpace. See how Luigi has a slightly slower speed than Mario, but jumps further and higher, and that Peach floats. Luigi's segment takes place, perhaps in a Ghost House, and you can see staircases, hinting again at multiple routes and secrets - He uses his jumping skills to clear flights of stairs, so, there's a level where he may have an advantage in Racing Modes and Speed Runs. Peach's segment has many smaller platforms in the background, which hints that she will be best for reaching certain areas.
For a few seconds, you see Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach running together in a line - Toad breaks into the lead, Mario and Luigi are seemingly tied, and Peach is trailing, then they jump. Toad has the lowest jump, so, he will hit the ground first and sustain speed. Mario has the second lowest jump, so he has the chance to break ahead of Luigi, unless there is a bigger obstacle in his path, in which case, Luigi has the chance to clear it with a jump (his segment hinted at that). Peach has the advantage on wider obstacles and using the floating skills to avoid landing in a pit of death. Her strengths aren't as obvious until the following segment with the tile platforms. Later in the clip, she uses her float to dispose of a Chargin' Chuck. Also, they run together as Cats, but Mario has the lead on Toad this time, while Luigi and Peach are in the same places. I suspect that this is more coincidental. It's pretty clear that Nintendo have taken some degrees of influence from SMB2, and perhaps the differences between each character can be better appreciated in a 3D environment.
Now, you have Mario and Peach running on a Snow Level - In SMB2, Mario loses some of his jumping ability when he carries an item; See that they're deliberate in showing Peach carry the snowball. She throws it and Mario catches in mid-air, before he throws it at the enemy in their path, before breaking into another jump. Although it doesn't show it, you can carry each other, too. Here, we see that the game allows for a co-operative element, and again, it showcases another way of playing a level. There are many possiblilities for Speed Runs, Battle Modes and Co-operative Multiplayer. You can see a circle of coins on the ice, which they ignore for now. Because a second later, you see the return of the Green Boot from SMB3, but in the form of an ice skate (Mario has his own red one), and they appear to be going for a red ring, which should reveal another secret. I thought Goombas on ice skates was a nice touch
.
There's a waterslide-esque level where your party rides a Dinosaur (Not Yoshi), and you're collecting rings/coins. You can see Toad and Mario (the quickest characters) teaming up to light some colourful tiles and uncover more secrets. Also, one can see the party jumping onto a spring to be elevated onto sliding platforms, which could crush you if timed badly. That requires co-operation, skill and good timing, while in Racing Mode, that's a test of nerves. There's a blocky 3D level, which sees Toad going into some small holes, and the camera being rotated to reveal a moving platform. One suspects that there is more depth and content to this level than meets the first glance.
Another co-operative multiplayer scene shows Mario and Peach using Fire Power-Ups before going through clear pipes. In Racing Mode, one might pick up the Star. It depends on whether you want to reach the end first, or build up a high score - But you're presented with options.
Finally, we see more of the Cat Power-Up in use. Mario scales an enemy before doing a Ground Pound on a plate and following up with a homing attack. So, perhaps there is room for combo moves to build up points, very much in the same way that you could fire a shell at a line of Koopa Troopas to get a 1-Up. Then he is slowed down by a wheel platform, affecting his jump onto the end-of-level flagpole, so he climbs it for the 1-Up - that's deliberate, because when you race each other, every point counts.
I'm genuinely disappointed that members on a site for so-called 'games enthusiasts' can seemingly do no better than view such games on a most superficial level. ESPECIALLY one made by the #1 house in the Computer and Video Game Industry. I don't know why a Super Mario Galaxy 3 would've been celebrated and NOT seen as 'safe', but some people are ragging and slagging this title, notably its graphical style, and calling it everything from a "quick and dirty up-port of a 3DS game" and "not a 'true' 3D Mario game" to a "rehash". Every one of those games had been and has been in development for some time, and they're treated with a great deal of care and passion - In fact, the FIRST THING Hayashida says is in his Direct is that they had the Wii U version in mind when they were developing Super Mario 3D Land, and while it did take inspirations from there, it had plenty of other new ideas.
Here is the Developer Direct for Super Mario 3D World. I haven't even mentioned the Special Stages in SM3DLand - When one considers what is possible on the Wii U, that's more than a mouth-watering prospect.
I don't believe that they should take a break. They're right to continue to make what they want to make, and I hope that they will continue in this spirit for many years to come. Fans get more games to play as a result, and I'll never understand why anybody would ever complain about this.
But Yeah... Just because it has '3D' in the title, and the first part of the reveal shows Mario on a grass stage, it's a 'rehash' of a 3DS title... **Sigh and Roll Eyes... URGH**.
