Super Mario 3D Land

When Mario came to N64 to showcase it's 3D adventure, I honestly wasn't too much a fan. It was still semi fun but I still preferred 2D side scrolling more. And when Nintendo came out with Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 for the Wii, I just didn't like them (also semi fun but I got bored extremely quickly). And then 3D Land released for the 3DS. I was skeptical at first due to my experience with those other Mario games, but I needed something for this system, so I bought it.

I.love.this.game.

Gameplay: It's a mixture of it's 2D side scrolling roots and part of it's 3D counter part. It's like Paper Mario but with 3D graphics. The camera changes views as you progress through the levels and it does so fluidly. It does it so well you sometimes don't even notice the change in perspective. The action itself is typical Mario. You run through the level, jump and stomp on enemies, collect coins (100 provides an extra life), and when at the end of the level, you jump onto a flag pole (in reminiscence of old school Mario which I love).

There are 8 worlds to go through to save Princess Peach with average 6 levels per world and 1-2 special locations where you can get a free item or an extra level. To access these extra levels, you need to have a certain amount of star coins which you can find through your adventures in the levels (3 per level). Though it seems short, it's perfectly suited for a hand held game. At the end of each world is a boss character (either a mini Koopa or Bowser himself). The final boss fight against Bowser was just pure epic.

Like all Mario games, there are power ups that you gain throughout the levels. These provide Mario the abilities to ease the level progression. Being able to float in the air using the leaf power up was definitely my favorite.

Graphics: As I mentioned before, it's a mix between 2D side scrolling and 3D platforming. The graphics are clean and look great. The special part to note is that, because it's on the 3DS, the screen is actually projected in 3D. It looks great. The random floating blocks, the enemies, the moving platforms, it's all extremely well done using the 3DS hardware. There are two different 3D views but I couldn't tell the difference really so I just kept it on the default. If it gets too much, you can turn off the 3D and put it to standard view. I just have to say that there were a few times I missed some platforms because of the 3D view but I wasn't really upset about it. I just laughed.

Sounds: Mario games always had great sound effects and music. Stomping on enemies heads, gaining powers, the voice acting, it's all on point. Even with the new music of this game, there are still parts where you hear classic Mario tunes which is a big welcome.

Replayability: With only 8 worlds, it seems like a short game. But once you beat Bowser, 8 special worlds appear which add more hours into the game. These may be the same worlds from the original 8, but certain platforms and enemies have changed and now there are power ups that actually have negative effects on Mario. Run from the mushrooms, they track you down! Like the special levels of the first 8 worlds, you'll need a certain amount of star coins to access some of these levels. You also now have access to play as Luigi. Though it doesn't change the gameplay (he doesn't do anything different as far as I know), it's funny to see this plumber running around. You can even bring him to the original worlds to play again as.

Special note! Beat all 16 levels with both Mario and Luigi and an extremely special world appears!

Multiplayer/Online: As far as I know, there aren't any but that's ok.

Overall: 9.5