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Super Mario 3D Land

Game » consists of 6 releases. First released on Nov 13, 2011

In a merger that makes perfect sense, Super Mario 3D Land mixes 3D and 2D Mario into one cohesive whole that blends gameplay from two dimensions into one.

Super Mario 3D Land Review Thread

#1 Edited by JJOR64 (18131 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Looks like the review embargo has lifted for Super Mario 3D Land. Copy and pasted from the Metacritic page. Reviews go!

  1. Nov 10, 2011
    100
    Is it more imaginative than Super Mario Galaxy? No. Will it revolutionize gaming like Super Mario 64. Hardly. Do either of these questions matter? Absolutely not, and don't let anyone prove otherwise. Super Mario 3D Land is the epitome of fun. Most importantly, it's a shining example of everything that's good and wholesome about video games.
  2. Nov 9, 2011
    100
    I'm literally floored by how much I enjoyed it, and I find it quickly rising in the ranks as one of my favorite Super Mario titles.
  3. Nov 9, 2011
    100
    The tired, princess-saving formula never seems to change, but somehow Nintendo makes every visit to the Mushroom Kingdom feel like the first time.
  4. 95
    EAD Tokyo's 3DS debut is marvelous, and filled with almost endless creativity.
  5. Nov 9, 2011
    95
    With an expertly balanced difficulty progression, dazzling level design and masterful Power-Ups, this is the ideal 3DS experience...As a whole, 3D Land is brilliant and addictive, and should do for 3D-enhanced platforming what the original Super Mario Bros. did for 2D platforming. If you own a 3DS system, you have no choice - you simply must own this game.
  6. Nov 9, 2011
    95
    Super Mario 3D Land isn't perfect, but the few complaints I have (like the lack of variety in boss fights and some re-hashed levels) can't bring down this entertaining mix of nostalgia and innovation. It lives up to the level of quality set by previous entries and is easily the best reason to own a 3DS.
  7. Nov 10, 2011
    94
    Super Mario 3D Land proves that there is still an innovative direction that platforming can take even after the constant innovation seen throughout the history of Mario. This game may not be as creative as Galaxy (really what is?) but the different camera perspectives and depth based gameplay, along with all sorts of platforming styles meshed into one game make for a worthy Mario title for the 3DS.
  8. Conflicted throughout, but still an undeniable 3DS achievement. Wait for it to get its act together and the game soars. Well, flutters.
  9. Nov 10, 2011
    90
    Super Mario 3D Land is indeed a wonderful debut on Nintendo 3DS. The 3D effect is fine and helpful because of some camera issues. Mario fans will love this new experience because of the very cool retro elements.
  10. Nov 10, 2011
    90
    You could wish for 3D Land to be a little more challenging in places, then, but you couldn't wish for it to be any denser, any more imaginative, or any more daring. Most importantly, you couldn't wish for it to be any more playful.
  11. Nov 9, 2011
    90
    A step back and a leap forward. As a gateway drug for those reluctant to embrace Mario in three dimensions, Super Mario 3D Land should be a huge success.
  12. Though it falls slightly short compared to other Mario titles (aka some of the greatest games ever made), it's certainly a release worthy of the character's legacy. It expertly builds on franchise history, has tons of clever ideas, and even with the rare control hang-ups, it stands tall in the realm of 3D platformers, especially compared to the paltry library of games the 3DS currently has.
  13. Nov 9, 2011
    90
    3D Land is a grabby borrower of a game - enemies from Mario 3, music from 2006's New Super Mario Bros., gameplay from Galaxy. Eventually it starts borrowing from itself. It's an excellent game because all of these things work so well together; the only thing keeping it from perfection is that it cries out for more innovations to call its own.
  14. Nov 9, 2011
    90
    And while it takes a while to build up, and lacks the rich variety of secrets you know from games like Mario 3 and Super Mario World, Super Mario 3D Land eventually becomes a demandingly hardcore, addictive platformer. It's also easily the most beautiful game on the 3DS, and one of the best-looking Mario games.
  15. Nov 9, 2011
    90
    It's impossible not to be impressed by the vast number of classic Super Mario elements that have been squeezed into the package, especially given how fresh they all look and feel in their new 3D presentation. If you've been looking for a reason to pick up a 3DS, you've just found it.
  16. Nov 8, 2011
    90
    Really though, Super Mario 3D Land is a triple-A title, and as good a reason as you'll ever have for picking up a Nintendo 3DS if you haven't already. [Nov 2011, p.70]
  17. Nov 9, 2011
    85
    3D Land is a game in which Nintendo shows other developers how they've been doing it wrong since the 3DS launched, and provides a template from which future games ought to be built.
  18. Nov 2, 2011
    85
    The excellent platforming and the 3D images ensure a creative mixture between the old and new Mario. Maybe a less agile Mario than we're used to, but that has it's charm in some ways. Thanks to the extremely varied environments and the succesful usage of 3D, Super Mario 3D Land is by far the best Mario game for the 3DS.
  19. 84
    The levels are incredibly fun to play, but there are omissions likely to leave Mario fans shaking their heads.
  20. Nov 9, 2011
    83
    Super Mario 3D Land's playful reverence for (and references to) the 8-bit days reminds us that Super Mario Bros. 3 truly was an amazing game, but it does so at the expense of its own identity. I have a hard time imagining that, 20 years from now, Nintendo's designers will be looking back at 3D Land as a template for a new game the way 3D Land builds on Mario 3's iconography. Ultimately, that's the difference between a good Mario game and a great one.
  21. Nov 10, 2011
    80
    What Super Mario 3D Land does get right is what every Mario game gets right: a high benchmark for quality that virtually no other platform game series seems capable of matching. There's a level of humour, invention and a sheer sense of joy that you only find in a Mario game.
  22. Nov 10, 2011
    80
    It homes in, with a clockmaker's precision and a playful gleam in its eye, on what Mario does best.
  23. Nov 10, 2011
    80
    Exactly what the 3DS needed to reenergise its fortunes and restate its purpose, and even if it's not as good as Galaxy it's still the best portable Mario since the Game Boy.
  24. Nov 9, 2011
    80
    Super Mario 3D Land eases you in with creative level design and tight controls while leaving plenty of challenging content to be discovered.
  25. Nov 10, 2011
    70
    Quotation forthcoming.
#2 Posted by bwheeeler (320 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

"I'm literally floored by how much I enjoyed it"

...

#3 Posted by AlmostSwedish (460 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Great, another Mario game.

#4 Posted by Slaker117 (4831 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago
@MagikOvenMit said:

"I'm literally floored by how much I enjoyed it"

...

What, you've never fell down from enjoyment of a video game before?
#5 Posted by laserbolts (5130 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

This would probably be the game to finally make me give in and get a 3DS but I'm not sure if it's enough.

#6 Posted by Cincaid (2878 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@AlmostSwedish said:

Great, another Mario game.

Though in this one Princess Peach kidnaps Bowser so Waluigi must save him.

#7 Posted by Jolt92 (1481 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

First or second Jim Sterling review I actually liked.

#8 Posted by AlmostSwedish (460 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@Cincaid said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Great, another Mario game.

Though in this one Princess Peach kidnaps Bowser so Waluigi must save him.

Sadly, I don't think that even that could get me interested in the series again.

#9 Posted by MormonWarrior (1581 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

XGN's review makes no sense. "Super Mario 3D Land is by far the best Mario game for the 3DS." Uh...there are other Mario games on the 3DS? There will be, sure, but I'm pretty sure this is the first. Idiots.

#10 Posted by JJOR64 (18131 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Updated the table.

#11 Posted by washingmachine (91 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Yay! A great original game to get for my 3DS.

#12 Posted by VicRattlehead (1393 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

sweet ill probably pick this up when i go get that awesome looking zelda 3ds...... so many god dam well games to play

#13 Posted by JJOR64 (18131 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Thread updated.

#14 Posted by kishinfoulux (1227 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Gamespot review was such a joke.

#15 Posted by Jolt92 (1481 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@Contro: Yeah, that was something I also reacted to. I played a couple of levels on a demo-station and the 3D really added to stuff that I played at least. I haven't played the game yet, but when other reviews say the opposite and when I personally felt the same way by just playing the game for like 10 minutes, something seems a bit off.

#16 Posted by JJOR64 (18131 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Table updated.

#17 Posted by Hailinel (18138 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@AlmostSwedish said:

Great, another Mario game.

Great, another guy thinking he's clever by posting his indifference in a thread dedicated to the game in a forum dedicated to the game.

#18 Posted by AlmostSwedish (460 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@Hailinel said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Great, another Mario game.

Great, another guy thinking he's clever by posting his indifference in a thread dedicated to the game in a forum dedicated to the game.

Fair enough. Although I would say the term "disapointment" is more accurate than "indifference".

#19 Posted by supermonkey122 (686 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@AlmostSwedish said:

Another great Mario game.

Fixed

#20 Posted by TehFlan (1944 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago
@supermonkey122 said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Another great Mario game.

Fixed

Well played, sir.  

Looking forward to playing this. I'll probably pick it up when I buy Skyward Sword next week.
#21 Posted by JonathanMoore (1858 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Eh, looks like Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros had a lovechild. Not my bag... especially the NSMB side.

#22 Posted by Jolt92 (1481 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

Hmm, will Jeff review this or what?

#23 Posted by xJollyx (9 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

This game is fucking awesome. It plays nothing like NSMB. It feels completely different from other Mario games... I'm almost finished with this game (on world 8) and although it's fairly short, every level feels unique and I'll also go on to say that this game features some of the best level design yet. The 3D is also used perfectly. It enhances the game and doesn't feel tacked on (as it was in OoT).

I've heard there's a secret after you complete the main game which adds much more content... if true, that's great. But I already feel like I got my money's worth.

#24 Posted by TheHT (8151 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

I predict a 4/5.

#25 Posted by me3639 (1319 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

During the QL the level with the panels that flip when you jump looked exactly like the level in SMG 2. It's a Nintendo thing.

#26 Posted by liako21 (494 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

just bought it. im glad to hear about the past world 8 second quest type thing. cant wait to play it!!!

#27 Posted by awadnin (275 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@supermonkey122 said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Another great Mario game.

Fixed

This.

#28 Posted by Haziqonfire (163 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

 This game is super addictive..

#29 Posted by JetPackBobby (6 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

I picked this up yesterday and am really enjoying it so far. Only the second 3DS game I've played as I've mostly been catching up on DS titles. Really happy to play something that makes use of the 3D capability.

#30 Edited by GetEveryone (4448 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@TehFlan said:

@supermonkey122 said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Another great Mario game.

Fixed

Well played, sir. Looking forward to playing this. I'll probably pick it up when I buy Skyward Sword next week.

Goddammit....

#31 Posted by AlmostSwedish (460 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

@GetEveryone said:

@TehFlan said:

@supermonkey122 said:

@AlmostSwedish said:

Another great Mario game.

Fixed

Well played, sir. Looking forward to playing this. I'll probably pick it up when I buy Skyward Sword next week.

Goddammit....

Cheer up. It was a nice attempt.

#32 Posted by liako21 (494 posts) - 1 year, 6 months ago

just came in the mail. the game looks great and plays great. i am blowin past the first couple of levels but it should pick up.

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