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Super Mario 3D World
Wii U
Fun and Frustrating in Equal Measure
3/5 stars
A lot of people have called Super Mario 3D World the first must-have game for the WiiU - even going so far as to say this game is a reason to buy Nintendo's floundering system. While I have to say the game was fun (in parts) it's far from the "amazing" experience I was hoping for and, other than the 3D and some new, unique powers, didn't feel much different than New Super Mario Bros. 2. For me, the Mario franchise has been stuck in a rut as of late and I don't think Super Mario 3D World does enough to dissuade me from continuing to think that way. Is it a fun time when you get some friends together and play? Sure. But it's far from the system savior it has been presented as in my viewpoint.
Presentation: The game does look nice. The colors and characters pop, the music is a nice blend of new and old and it does take advantage of the current graphics trend - it's probably one of the best-looking WiiU games out there. The only problem with the 3D experience is that the 3D element sometimes is the worst thing about the game. You often find yourself thinking you're jumping forward, only to find yourself off in the middle of nowhere (often killing yourself in the process). Whether it's the camera angle or just the stage design - this problem comes up again and again.
Story: The standard "kidnap Princess Peach, get saved by Mario (and maybe others" has been slightly tweaked. Bowser is still the main enemy, but this time Peach is not in danger, instead he has kidnapped a group of tool-wielding fairies (to build him.... something?) and, because Mario and Co. are decent people, they decide to stop him (and, of course his plot) and return the fairies back to their rightful home. As far as stories goes, it's still pretty rote Mario. But, hell, half the game takes place after you save the day - and what's that got to do with anything? (other than getting increasingly frustratingly hard). They needed a rogue fairy to take Bowser's side or something - even having a random new character pop up doesn't help things.
Gameplay: We're going a bit oldschool here, people. Each of the playable characters has decidedly different abilities. Mario is your standby "average" in everything character, Luigi is the jumper (and a bit slower), Toad is your speedster (with crappy jumping), Peach is your go-to for long jumps (she can hover) but is the slowest out of the bunch and - spoiler alert - Rosalina the badass - being able to attack (without a powerup) and have a wicked double jump (that can save you in the harder levels). Just be aware that playing to your strengths can be detrimental in multiplayer as fast or high-jumping can leave others behind (sometimes to die) and the camera often follows the wrong character just when you don't want it to - also leading to unnecessary deaths.
The bubbling (aka saving yourself) is back, but because apparently things were too easy, you can't just bubble anytime - if you're falling to your death, sorry, you're dead. Jumping onto deadly lava or spikes and need to bubble? Sorry - you're dead again. In fact, unless you're standing on the ground, you're probably not going to be able to bubble - just keep that in mind. Also a bit of a head-scratcher is the shared life pool. Instead of having 15 guys apiece - now you share the same 15 lives. And in some levels, you can go through those rather fast - you'll be seeing that continue screen often, believe me. For a casual game the whole family can enjoy, it sure does cause a lot of death.
Each level has three green stars and (usually) a stamp to collect. Oh, and to unlock all the "special" levels, make sure you get one character to the top of the end flagpole every time as well. Powerups include the standard mushroom, fire flower and returning Leaf - as well as some interesting newcomers in the form of a Boomerang Flower (a returning projectile weapon), Cherries (that give you up to three clones of your character) and the cute Cat Suit (climb those walls like a champ and scratch those enemies to oblivion). Some levels also let you don an Ice Skate Shoe, Ghost-Cancelling Flashlight, Cannon Hat, Propeller Hat and even a Fake Goomba Suit (which does nothing except give you a free hit). The gimmicks are still there, but at least they are (mostly) fun.
The biggest hits against 3D World was the previously-mentioned 3D camera (which often follows the wrong character) and also the annoying button layout. Maybe you want to throw a fireball at an enemy - but wait, make sure you're not to close to another player or you'll pick them up and launch them at the enemy instead. Or maybe you need to make a running leap to cross a big jump - better hope another player isn't standing there, or you'll grab them, most likely sending you both to the void. On the few top-down levels - it gets extra annoying to control this. Towards the end of the game, levels truly make you test your patience. I hope you love continuing, because if you stick out the game to the end - you'll be doing that a lot - and the extra two "bonus" levels are anything but fun (unless you enjoy punishment). For the true completionist - hope you like doing everything multiple times, because you can't unlock all the collectible stickers unless you pass every level with every character - including the terrible "bonus" stages.
Replayability: There are a lot of things to collect, though once you have them, there is no real reason to go back to any stage (unless you really like certain ones for some reason). Of course you could be the hardcore gamer who goes after each unlockable sticker and play every level with every character (and if you're doing it solo - man, you need to get some friends). Otherwise, this is mostly a one-and-done kind of game.
Overall: For a game that was supposed to raise the WiiU up to new levels and be a compelling reason to buy the system, I was not that impressed. Yet, it was fun to play, but by the end I was ready for it to be over. Too many frustrating challenges made all the more frustrating by the camera and control setup. If you stick to the main story and levels, you will have plenty of fun - heck, you can even clown around if you want. But true gamers ready to get everything will be hard-pressed to enjoy the last few worlds, as tough does not equal good in my books.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 3/5
Replayability: 2/5
Overall (not an average): 3/5
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