Mario 3D Land First Impression It is what it is... Nov 13, 2011 4:55PM PST

After a long wait I finally got my hands on 3D Land.  I saw the score (B+) that Sir Parish gave it, read a few paragraphs of the review, and can say that what I read there is spot on.

I just finished World 3.  Without even trying, I already have 50 lives in stock.  I still have a ways to go, but what I experienced so far is pretty tame, difficulty-wise.  I've been able to collect all three Star Coins in most of the levels my first time through.  It feels smaller than previous Marios, and perhaps that's the way a deliberate handheld iteration should feel.

The game is fun, though, and it's what you'd expect from Nintendo's Mario.  The graphics are colorful and vibrant.  The control is tight.  Levels are filled with nostalgic throwbacks, reminding us that Mario never strays too far from his roots.

Ultimately, 3D Land is an excellent demonstration of what the 3DS is capable of.  That's what this game feels like to me: a grand playable tech demo marketed as a game to help prove the 3DS's worth.  IMO, this is the game that makes the 3DS relevant over the DS, not so much in and of itself, but as proof of its visual superiority (in 3D or not) over the DS, and the potential for the future.  It should have been available on launch day.

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Comments (10)

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• After World 8

  Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  MrSnippy
  

  That's when things are supposed to get challenging. At least according to IGN. I want to run through this game, but I'm probably going to play Assassin's Creed Revelations and Zelda first.

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  • I heard that as well.

    Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Raised_on_Nintendo
    

    I makes sense, because right now it's a cakewalk.  

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• Mario

  Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Cary Woodham
  

  I got it, too.  It is pretty easy, I'm already on World 6 after an afternoon of playing.  But I don't gripe about easy games.  I do like the play control and a lot of the references to classic games in the series.

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  • Not griping.

    Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Raised_on_Nintendo
    

    Just stating the facts.

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• Dave

  Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  BrokenH
  

  The thing I liked about Mario is it always had a lot of worlds with their own themes and a lot of secrets. Save for the first 2 games I never found the ones after that overly difficult. SMB 3 and Super Mario World were cakewalks once you figured out a few cheap ways to circumvent the more frustrating parts. (Aka warp whistles,P-wings, and the Star Road)

  I never played a Mario game for the difficulty. It was more an obcession to see what crazy new power-ups and outlandish new scenery Nintendo would come up with next!

  This one actually seems rather true to the nostalgic roots of my childhood and a "B+" to me is a great score.

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  • It deserves a B+

    Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Raised_on_Nintendo
    

    It's definitely a good game.  It's feels clipped, though, smaller, like I said.  I do like how each level is it's own unique level, and I think that's what makes it feel smaller area-wise, as opposed to 64, Sunshine and Galaxy where multiple levels take place on one landscape. 

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• I just beat the first bonus world

  Posted: Nov 13, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Epic Greenman
  

  And it does get a lot tougher after that. Game is a lot of fun, not quite sure if I'd say it's worth getting a 3DS over, but definitely a must buy if you own one.

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  • I agree

    Posted: Nov 14, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Raised_on_Nintendo
    

    Though the graphics are a noticeable imrovement over DS.

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• I'm also playing 3D Land and I have to agree...

  Posted: Nov 14, 2011 12:00AM PST by  JOTERO
  

  ... with Jeremy's criticism's and especially how the life system has become a weird carry-over of the Mario formula. That said, I'm amazed at how good this game looks on 3DS -- both with and without 3D. 

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• I was just telling a friend...

  Posted: Nov 14, 2011 12:00AM PST by  Raised_on_Nintendo
  

  that 3D land is the best looking Nintendo handheld game I ever played.