by Kingo96 Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:00 pm- Spoiler:
Super Mario 3D Land is a 3D platformer for the 3DS. It was released around fall 2011, making it one of the first real games worth getting on the 3DS. I find it to be a pretty excellent game, borrowing many concepts from Mario Galaxy. The game doesn't really have any new power-ups, but instead focuses much more emphasis on the Tanooki suit from SMB3 for some reason. The 3D is also a big emphasis, as some puzzles require it too see past and in dimensions, which is a pretty cool gimmick, if you ask me. While it is a 3D Mario game like its counterparts such as Super Mario 64, and Sunshine, it does not follow the same formula as these games do, straying from the "get 8 different stars in the one world in different ways" and goes for a simpler approach the older games follow, with a linear point A to B method. This works well for a portable game, and it can be played in short sessions. While this is true, it is still a very short game, but there is replayability in getting the star coins hidden in each level and the secret world which takes all of the levels from the first playthrough and gives them twists or changes them outright. With its already short length, it pains me to say that the game is also very easy, and while it is a joy to play, the added difficult, or rather lack thereof, is extremely noticeable, especially in the later worlds, when it should be much more difficult than it is.
SUMMARY
Sound: Music is atmospheric and not very varied, but some tunes are very memorable.
Graphics: The game looks great in 3D, and runs at a solid 30 frames per second throughout its detailed, lush, and colorful worlds.
Controls: Tight and responsive controls, its rarely your fault if you die, but you will be holding down the Y (run) button for the whole game.
Entertainment Value: High, you will rarely be doing the same thing twice throughout its many worlds.
Replayability: Medium-High, depending on what you want out of a game
Score:8/10
Pretty much what you would expect out of a linear 3D Mario game, missing the difficulty. a must buy for the 3DS, in my opinion.
