Nintendo Selects: Super Mario 3D World

Ótima compra, conforme o anúncio e entregue no prazo.

In 1996 I was absolutely dazzled when I first saw a Super Mario 64 demo at Electronics Boutique and I had to own the system. The game did not disappoint and to this day I still distinctly remember levels like Jolly Rogers Bay, Tall, Tall Mountain and Tick Tock Clock. There were only 15 levels and each needed to be revisited up to seven times but they were cleverly designed and created a sense of scale I had never before seen in a video game. Other N64 games like Banjo Kazooie carried on the tradition of levels with majestic scale and I expected things to only get better. Although Mario Sunshine received some criticism I adored it and it improved considerably on the visuals and sense of grandeur. In this case there were only seven “Locations” but this may be my all-time favorite Mario game. Sometimes less is more.Mario Galaxy saw another leap forward in graphics and a nuclear explosion in the number of levels and I barely remember any of them. Rather than go bigger Nintendo decided to go small and many. Players just plow through level after level. Mario Galaxy 2 carried on the tradition and the two games are now the number one and number three games of all time, across all platforms on gamerankings website. Clearly the reviewers were fine with quantity over quality. Unfortunately Super Mario 3D World has carried on the tradition of high level volume. I can generally get three stars and a stamp with a couple of run-throughs per level which leaves little to no reason to revisit them besides the fun of playing (which is certainly not a terrible reason to revisit a level).It would be a lie to say that Super Mario 3D World isn’t a magnificently produced game with stellar production values. The Wii U is clearly more powerful than the Wii and the graphics are likewise an improvement over the two Mario Galaxy games. There are tons of new, inventive game elements to keep the series from getting stale including the Cat Suit which I absolutely love. What the levels don’t have is the major WOW factor and that takes more than a powerful processor; it takes creative level design. Most of the levels are very narrow bordered by drops into oblivion. You need to make it from point A to point B in a specific amount of time so exploration always comes at a risk. Why does a Mario game on the Wii U have to feel more constrained than one that came out three console generations prior?There were a few levels that showed the potential of the true massive scale that is achievable but it felt like the level designers really wanted to keep things small. Having dozens and dozens of small or medium sized levels is more in line with the early pre N64 games but I think it’s time for the designers to think big. It’s still a fantastic game and the control is damn near perfect. It hits all the Mario staples including ice levels, desert levels, ghost houses, water levels and adds some new wrinkles like Captain Toad levels. It does require the use of the gamepad for a lot of the levels so I had to give up my pro controller which I feel more comfortable playing with.Regardless of any issue I may have in the game not reaching its potential this is a marvelous game and having it at $19.99 is a fantastic price. I was proactive and bought the game before it jumped in price (wish I had done that with more Nintendo Selects games). I’m sure the price will drop back down once more become available so my advice is to be patient.

Still have the game to this day

This is probably the most accessible 3d mario game in the series. The majority of levels in each world are easy or moderate in terms of difficulty. But every once in awhile you will encounter a level that is pretty difficult. The great thing is that if you fail a course a few times that game will give you an invincibility power-up. You can still die from falling into lava or a bottomless pit but regular enemies die upon contact or in the case of bosses, can push you back but not inflict damage. The game also has time limits and lots of hard to reach stars and stamps so even those who do not care for easy games will find something to enjoy.My only issue with the game is that a few levels require you to have a certain number of green stars in order to access them. This wasn't really a problem until world seven. It's not too hard to earn stars but certainly presents a roadblock to those who do not go out of their way to collect extras in games. Other than that the games is pretty much flawless and one of the best 3d platformers.

Super Mario 3D world is another solid first party game from Nintendo. Another variation on Mario's "rescue the distressed against the evil Koopa" story, Mario and his companions (Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad) travel to another land to save fairy's against King Koopa. I have to say a Wii U gamepad is NEEDED to play certain levels. If one isn't there, some levels will not be available to play which will hamper the player experience. This will not prevent a player from completely advancing, just leading to missed opportunity until a gamepad is available. While the Nintendo Switch version solves this gamepad problem, the Wii U version is far easier on the wallet pricewise. So if someone has both systems and is contemplating getting the Switch or Wii U version consider this: Switch($50-$60)/Wii U($20)