Are you enjoying Super Mario Maker?

I love the living hell out of it. But take note that I'm very biased towards anything Mario platforming and building levels with a good interface. Little Big Planet didn't do much for me due to the game's high learning curve and bad controls, but this is totally filling that itch. It's gonna be tough to beat for me once GOTY comes around.

That said, we need more stuffs! More enemies! More environments! Hopefully DLC is coming and hopefully it will be free.

Edit: And I can make do without the unlock system. That's my semi-big complaint about it, but I guess some people don't have that problem? Anyways, doesn't detract from the experience too much.

I'm sure they'll add DLC and I don't have a problem with that.

Enjoying it maybe more than I expected. Making levels is fun, even if I don't expect many people to play them. It's interesting to see so many people share designs - I wish they at least QR coded level sharing. Facing the gampad at a monitor would be dumb but it'd speed it up.

Playing Normal 100-Mario challenge can kick in some fatigue (hopefully levels get ironed out). I assume a lot of it is people bombarding with loads of levels/not having everything unlocked. Hopefully they get some Miiverse level of curation going on.

Every time I feel a bit fed up, I'll put it down and come back to it and be surprised. I've even started to enjoy some New Super Mario Bros levels after playing through the NWC levels.

Bit surprised there isn't any form of ranking/leaderboards on levels. It'd give me some incentive to play through those terrible levels that can appear.

I enjoy it a ton, even playing my own levels can be fun. I suppose just having a set of solid mechanics (that I'm generally already familiar with) and smooth controls helps a ton for my enjoyment even when just casually playing any random stage.

That said, I want more. Give me all of it. Give me slopes, give me vertical levels, give me Boomerang Bros and Boom Booms. Give me Mario 2!

My question is if your someone who isn't super into the creating side what is really here to keep you busy? I mean yes the obvious answer is that there are a bazillion levels that people have uploaded. I guess.. actually I should rephrase my question. Is playing a bunch of one off levels enough to keep those of you who bought the game engaged for a long time? Because while I look at it and think that this is absolutely a brilliant idea (and the WiiU should have launched with this) and one I wished I had a WiiU for I also at the same time think that in about a week or two the novelty would wear off on me.

@demoskinos: I can see myself getting all Mario'd. I mean theres only so many shitty SMB1 underwated levels I can take. Honestly, level making is half the fun and searching for levels could be way better. So my answer is "probably".

@demoskinos: Yeah, it's not infinite, and you can get bored, but the core Mario mechanics feel so good. SO GOOD. I can play Mario levels just like that, without an overarching world, and with some shitty dumb stuff here and there. There's a reason people have been making weird Mario hacks for years and years. Also, the editor is super intuitive and fun. They made the editor fun! That is quite the achievement.

Fun in the same way N++ is fun: Just a shit ton of levels built around extremely solid gameplay mechanics.

I put a bunch of time into N++ and expect to do the same here (without planning on making a single level).

@demoskinos: I've messed around with the creator and the creation side of things will probably never be my forte so I don't know how much time I'll spend with that outside making dumb levels for myself. However, with the gamepad I can see myself playing dozens upon dozens of hours of user created levels while having something on in the background (football or maybe a show) because the mechanics feel so damn good and I can multitask with ease. The gamepad is clutch for me in this case.

Yes I'm enjoying it, but for different reasons than I thought. Creating is more fun than playing right now for me. You get to try your hand at designing some levels from games with arguably some of the best design ever. But it's not perfect.

I think if they add DLC, the first thing they need to address is the no checkpoint rule. I get the logistical problem of troll-y checkpoints, but that can easily be remedied with a "clear the course, then clear it from the checkpoint" thing before you upload. The reason I say that is because I tend to gravitate toward the longer complex levels like in Super Mario World (or even New). Without checkpoints, making those longer challenging levels turns most players off from it the second they die and have to play the majority of it over again. I'm really proud of a (longer) level I made, but everyone except one person who played it never saw the back end of it because they died on the first half and quit.

That also makes me think there should be an incentive to actually try to finish every level. As it is right now, there is literally no point to sticking around on a level that you die in other than self accomplishment. If there was some kind of unlock or progression system for playing and completing levels, or perhaps a reward system for playing less-played levels, then it might incentivize people to try it more than once and give it a fair shot, rather than ditching it after their first death.

I'm also sick, sick, SICK of crappy levels that just throw everything and the kitchen sink at you and the only reason it was able to be uploaded is because the creator knew what was coming. I want challenging, well-crafted ACTUAL MARIO LEVELS, and I see very few. Most of them are gimmicky or random trash. That can be fine in small doses, but I rarely ever see actual attempts at making levels. All of the "popular" levels are autoplay levels or gimmicks, not actual levels you might see in a true Mario game. I want more of those. Until I get those, I won't have as much fun playing it. I think that problem will resolve itself with more time.

But I am enjoying it, despite these flaws and more. It is Mario -- the good ones -- and lots of it. It just needs some time to breathe before it comes into its own I think.

Those auto play levels are kind of bullshit.

There's a LOT of crap. Fully expected. This is LBP1 2008 all over again. Just hit the skip button.

Are people mostly uploading extremely hard levels or outright garbage? Cause that's the main thing kind of holding me back from getting it.

It's a lot of garbage levels right now but that's to be expected. Still a lot of people playing with the tools that don't really know what makes a good level.

I wish there were more "real" levels and less gimmicky stuff, but even just so far I feel like I've gotten my money's worth.

It's super easy to make functional courses, which is great. I do wish there was more to it though on the periphery. You can play Nintendo's courses with a 10 Life limit, or everyone else's with a 100 Life limit, but outside of that there isn't much there...
Hopefully later on down the line they add specific playlists (all castle courses, all underground courses, etc.) or some other way to spruce up the way courses are fed to you.
Also, hopefully after a little while, player courses will be better. It does make the gems shine brighter when you have to dredge them out of an ocean of crap, but all the same I hope the "here's my amiibo course" and the "i don't know I just threw like a million of the same enemy in one small space just because" courses die down a bit.

I'm looking forward to grabbing this in a few months. Usually with these types of creative community based games it really takes awhile before the really interesting stuff starts flowing in.

I actually thought this would play out much like LBP did for me. I made maybe 2 levels, but spent the majority of my time playing other people's. And I was ok with that.

In Mario Maker though, it's been the opposite. I've got 6 levels uploaded now, and playing with making more as the tools get unlocked.

It's probably the best example to date of a user creation type 'game'. Now, if only they would add the mini-boss dues from Mario3, and slopes....SLOOOOPES.

Also, as expected, some of the online stuff is a little "Nintendo". Not having any keyword search (or even any meaningful filtering) is a bit rough

@atomicoldman: Most levels are both as far as I've seen.

Also this is game is surprisingly not grabbing me at all. Played some user levels for a while, played some nintendo made levels, screwed around in the editor...meh. I just couldnt get myself to care and honestly I dont know what they could have done to get me more excited about playing, maybe if all the tools were unlocked from start or if there was some kind of proper search function... but even then. I kinda feel like I've already seen most of the interesting stuff thats possible in prerelease videos. This game did make want to go back to super mario world (never got very far in that game and playing mario maker made me realise it has THE perfect mario physics and aesthetic as far as im concerned), right now, finishing that game seems like a better use of my time than wading through a bazillion poopy mario levels.

Its cool people are enjoying themselves with this game though, the more people play and enjoy mario maker the more enjoyable stuff will probably come from it.

I'll check back in a few weeks probably

Do you guys think, like Jeff said on the Bombcast, that we'll see better levels from the more dedicated people over time?

@lestephan: Well barf then, so much for picking it up tomorrow. I'll have to see in a few months if the quality of content people are putting out has changed. My biggest worry was that people would fart out a bunch of wannabe Kaizo Mario shit, which isn't what I'm looking for at all. Just want some goodass Mario levels.

Guys, if you add wings to a Kuribo's Shoe, you can totally flutter jump like Yoshi. I'M JUST SAYING.

The vast majority of player made levels are really bad and the Nintendo made ones are stupid easy. Unless I'm missing a mode or something this game has very little content.

I've found playing the 100 mario challenge, on normal, is a good way to find some decent user levels.

Not all of them obviously, but deffo some playable fun ones to be found. Stay away from the top starred levels list (once you have seen the obvious stuff from there), and also stay away from "expert" on the 100 mario mode.

I only voted 'Kind of' because before downloading the game I had a stage in mind that I wanted to make, but the limitation of creation tools in the beginning really hampered it. I still made some levels as I unlocked each tier, but I still can't make the level I wanted to in the first place (requires going into pipes to the second screen). Even when process of unlocking was cut down with the patch I still only unlocked 4 tiers. And I won't be able to boot the game up again till next weekend :(

I did post a few stages in the showcase thread. I try to make stages that are not stupid hard, but not stupid easy either. Give me a follow if they're enjoyable.

I knew I would like it but I'm surprised at how much more I'm loving it than expected.

Has the same problem LBP had, in that it's not a game, just a tool for making levels. Where is the story? I don't feel attached to Mario at all this time because he's lost his focus. It's like reading LOTR with the character names replaced with the current trending #hastags from Barcelona, just deprives it of any emotional depth.

@cale: Not sure if serious.

The story in almost all Mario games is someone was taken, go get them back. And they have that here.

Isn't the other new Mario game about revenge and setting up something called 'Outer Heaven'?

It's great fun. Probably the best thing about it for me is my girlfriend will even try and make levels, despite not really being a gamer and not playing Mario games, and then make me play through them. The tools are so intuitive and easy to pick up that literally anyone can make a level.

I'm also following Jeff and Dan and a few other people who're making some great first levels. It shows a lot of promise!

The main problem I'm having with the game is I mainly bought it for the 100 lives mode but without any kind of filters, it's kind of garbage. The rating system is also pretty unreliable since people really like gimmicks.

on the fence about buying this. i thoroughly enjoyed the QL, but have little nostalgia for the older Mario games. i the SNES and N64 games when i was really little but that's about it. i do love games where you 'make' stuff, and obviously messing around with the level creation looks cool. so does that anniversary amiibo that's sold out everywhere!

the game is not very fun if you play levels from the 100 mario challenge or most starred list

the game is pretty good if you play "featured" levels

the game is great if you play levels from friends or anyone with good taste you come across online somehow

the game is amazing if you want to make levels

I've been playing Mario maker, MGSV, and Splatoon all weekend. It's crazy how much fun the levels have been

This is the game, thats gonna make me buy a WIIU, and if it lives on and ported to the NX, will make me trade in my WIIU and rebuy the port on NX

Making levels is super-addictive. I'm supposed to be focusing on my work right now, but I can't help design the next level in my head already. I'm trying to make classic Super Mario levels that would have been possible in the original game, since SMM is already over-encumbered with others' gimmick levels.

Playing other people's levels is a bit of a crap-shoot right now, but I think it will shore up in time. For now, I get the most enjoyment out of playing friends' levels.

I just can't justify $300 on a WiiU for this. I've been watching other people play it and while it is charming AF it just isn't something I'd get a lot out of.

@skullpanda1:I'm basically in the exact same boat now trying to weigh up if there is a enough other games on the system that for me would justify purchasing one.

@randyf: Wow I had no idea there were no checkpoints that is a major downer.

The 100-Mario Challenge is definitely a crap shoot, but one thing you can do is whenever you find a level you like, follow the creator. Do that enough and you should have a pretty steady stream of levels that you're into.

This. I have found some fun levels in 100 Mario Challenge that I wouldn't have otherwise, but it's definitely a case where if I see more than a few enemies on the first screen of a level, I am immediately skipping it. I'm not interested in somebody else's vomitorium of a Mario level.

So i picked up a Wii U for this and a few other things, its great! My only real issue is i wish we could make playlists and they were also shareable. As others said, the 100 Mario challenge is ok, but most of the time it pulls levels that as filled with garbage or are cake walks. Hope they do some updates because i fell like a few small changes and features could make this a game i play daily.

Yes, emphatically! It's the most intuitive and fun level editor I may have ever come across. The user-created content is hit or miss, but I've come across numerous levels that are of Nintendo quality and a few levels a 4 year old probably made.

The only issue I have is the 100 Mario Challenge only because there are a lot of awful level designers out there, especially in the expert category where the asshole creators reside. I tend to like the more traditional levels with few gimmicks and they're more difficult to find at the moment. I mean, the auto scrolling levels and the levels where you just have to run are fine, but I want to see Mario-ass Mario levels.

And I loved me some Mario Paint back in the day and it is very much Mario Paint in styyyyyyyyyyyyle.

I started just playing 100 Mario challenge and wasn't enjoying it much, that thing is real bad, gets me levels with 0-3 plays usually that are awfully designed. So I stopped doing that and tried to look for good creators, through forums and whatnot. Then I started enjoying it much more.

I still think the tools to find levels needs to be MUCH better, the "Up and Coming!" is useless, it shows new levels instead of the ones that people like. The Star one haven't changed and won't change, those damn autoplay levels will be on top forever.

@randyf: Hear, hear!

I've played some great long and hard levels that would've been more palpable with a checkpoint in the middle. Heck, I've probably made at least one of those. The worst part is if I'm trying to get though the 100 Mario challenge on Expert (which I did once and probably never again. Did come across a cool level or two though), I'm even less incentivized to stick with it until the end and lose a bunch of lives when I'm just trying to get through and earn another costume.

Also, screw anyone who just puts down a ton of the random enemies like Lakitu or Hammer bros to add difficulty.

I bought a Wii U for this game on Sunday. The Wal-Mart one that had it as the pack-in + the Amiibo. Make no mistake, I feel like a total idiot for buying a console entering its' final year essentially for one game, but the game is pretty incredible. I'm hardly a course creating genius and the timed unlocks are really starting to piss me off, but those are minor complaints in comparison to how satisfied I am with this game.

Favorite thing I've played this year so far, edging out Mortal Kombat X. I haven't played MGS V yet and Halo 5 isn't out yet, but realistically those are the only things that even stand a chance of coming close to how much enjoyment I'll get out of SMM.

@kanerobot: I don't think you're an idiot for wanting to have fun.

Kind of, I worry the novelty of playing user made levels will wear off quick tho. I wish there was a more substantial game mode other than the challenges.

Best tip I can give anyone after years with LBP if you're serious about wanting to make something good - Make the level. Don't publish it. Start making the next. Jump back to the first previous level because you'll always find something you want to change. Repeat until you're happy about it.

Even with the ridiculously simple creation tools, I have zero actual creativity. I want to make something but I have no decent ideas. Playing the levels is quite fun though. This reminds me that World is the best Mario game.