There are games that define a system, and Super Mario 3D Land is exactly that for Nintendo's 3DS. Not only it is yet another spectacular platformer from the same creative minds responsible for Super Mario Galaxy, but it simultaneously made the case for 3D being more than just a visual gimmick that tires your eyes. The 3D in Super Mario 3D Land actually enhances the player's ability to assess the world around them, and provides useful information for the game's trickiest moments. You won't encounter the most dastardly of those sequences until the second half of the game, a curious design choice that might lead someone to write the game off too early. Everything before the second half is fun to play, but it lacks a certain edge.
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Super Mario 3D Land is fun and all. But it could've been better.
I'm glad that Nintendo made NSMB2 so people could see just how terribly lazy a Mario game could be and so now 3D Land is starting to get the praise it deserves.
I thought it was the perfect blend of classic 2D Mario and 3D exploration Mario with perfect-sized levels and a great sense of speed complete with in-game time tracking.
The Galaxy games can start to feel very dragged out and 3D Land was a great middle ground.
Lazy, sure, but I am addicted to coin rush mode.
3D Land is truly incredible.
The 3D was wonderful, but I never really felt that it made platforms any easier to judge; nothing really sticks out in my mind there except the very clever "puzzle" that you can play at the start screen, I don't remember exactly where. The one where you have to turn the 3D on to tell where a certain block is, I'm sure you know the one.
Eh. I don't really like the GiantBomb crew when it comes to this stuff. They just don't get it.
But hey, if they get to right end then can we complain about the means?
Didn't that come out last year?
Oops, my bad!
re-read the title
Sure it could have but it was Nintendo's first attempt at making the 3D games more like the 2D ones and it felt super fresh as a result. The level design was pretty damn good too.
Well deserved.
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