GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Nintendo Land: Mario Chase impressions

Oh man, I'm killing myself here. I can't stop thinking about Wii U, which is making the days go by oh-so slow. I need to stop being so excited this far out! I sure hope I'm not the only one. See you in a few, short hours!

Mario Chase could very well be the simplest game in the entire Nintendo Land collection. It's basically a game of tag...that's it. While it may sound like a bare-bones experience, I also believe Mario Chase is one of the most fun experiences in Nintendo Land. I haven't found a Nintendo Land attraction that I don't enjoy, but Mario Chase's easy gameplay and addictive nature make it very hard to put down.

As I said, Mario Chase is a very simple game to play. Up to 4 players take on the roles of characters that are trying to capture Mario. The Mario player is playing on the GamePad. The 4 TV players have to run around the map and find Mario. The GamePad player has to keep away from the 4 chasers and run down the time limit to zero. That's really all there is to it!

I'm telling you, if you get the right group of people together, Mario Chase is going to be a blast. It'll be an attraction you keep coming back to. I lucked out and played with a bunch of great people with my latest hands-on impressions. I took on the role of both the GamePad player and the TV player, with both sides providing for completely different experience.

When you play on TV, you have to work with your 3 teammates to track down Mario. The only real indicator you have is the meter on your screen that shows how close/far you are from Mario. The closer you get, the lower your distance number gets. The further away, the higher the number climbs. Other than that, you can look at the other player's screen sections to see what's going on with them.

The real key to success if you're playing on TV is to call out information to the other players. If you're close to Mario, you can shout out details to your teammates. The maps offer up colored sections that make it easy to send out details. You can tell your teammates that Mario is in the green section, but is on his way to red. You can say that you're currently right on Mario's back while in the yellow section. Shouting out these details is how you'll win. Without communication, you're going to be screwed!

The GamePad player has a completely different experience. As seen in the image above, you have an overhead map that shows player icons that move in real-time. You'll get to see where these people are in relation to you. Obviously, the GamePad player should be looking away from the TV to make for a fair fight. The overhead map does a great job of showing you just how close you are to getting caught.

The other key GamePad feature is the mini-window that shows you the real-time action. This is what you need to look at when the other players get close to you. This allows you to get a better look at the action in order to avoid their tackles and plans. You better get ready to sway in and out of players if you want to last the full time limit. The combination of both the zoomed-in and overhead views should help lead you to victory.

There are different maps to play in as well. They reminded me a lot of the battle maps in the Mario Kart series. One map was a slightly elevated angular maze that let you run high and low. Another map I played on had muddy trenches that would slow you down when you ran into them. You can also be on the lookout for power-ups like stars that let you become invincible for awhile. The mixture of map ideas, players and tactics is going ot make each game of Mario Chase completely different.

Nintendo seems to have found the key to making simple-yet-addictive experiences in Nintendo Land, with Mario Chase being one of the best. You'll keep coming back to this one time and time again. It gets your blood pumping, it gets your friends in on the action and the gameplay is super simple for any player. Don't judge the fun based on the screens alone. When you go hands-on with this gem, I promise it'll click in a big way.