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Discussion How do you feel about Mario 3D land?
- Thread starter Steve
- Start date
3D Land is the comfiest 3D Mario, in that I can pick it up on a whim, play one level, and leave the couch feeling like I got a classic dose of Mario. It's basic in a sense, but for this function, being basic isn't a drawback.
What comparisons that call Super Mario 3D Land the NSMB of 3D Marios are missing is that we got, what, four of those? And they still followed the template for 2D Mario design, since 2D Mario didn't vary its approach from entry to entry near as much as 3D Mario, which tries to reinvent how to distill the essence of Mario into movement in three dimensional space each time. Super Mario 3D Land is the only one of its type we got. Even the nominal, bigger and better, successor Super Mario 3D World was heavily invested in the new thing of finally trying multiplayer Mario in 3D that it's lost a lot of Land's simple concept of translating 2D platforming into 3D levels as closely as possible.
What comparisons that call Super Mario 3D Land the NSMB of 3D Marios are missing is that we got, what, four of those? And they still followed the template for 2D Mario design, since 2D Mario didn't vary its approach from entry to entry near as much as 3D Mario, which tries to reinvent how to distill the essence of Mario into movement in three dimensional space each time. Super Mario 3D Land is the only one of its type we got. Even the nominal, bigger and better, successor Super Mario 3D World was heavily invested in the new thing of finally trying multiplayer Mario in 3D that it's lost a lot of Land's simple concept of translating 2D platforming into 3D levels as closely as possible.
ceres15
Downy Snagret
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Glad I'm not alone in this thought. I have always enjoyed 3D Land more than 3D World.
Romancedawn
Tektite
I love 3D Land! When it first hit I loved that it brought the classical Mario look to 3D! Oddly enough by 3D World I had enough of that classical Mario look. While it isn't bad looking by any means, it's a look in my head that I regard as Vanilla Mario. Super Nintendo World takes this look as well and I'm not totally in love with it.
Still I absolutely loved this game. I played the absolute heck out of it and was only disappointed that the return of the Tanooki didn't come with flight of some form.
Still I absolutely loved this game. I played the absolute heck out of it and was only disappointed that the return of the Tanooki didn't come with flight of some form.
- Pronouns
- he / him
It always seemed like the worst of both worlds to me. 8-way movement and two movement speeds in a 3D world of fixed camera angles neither allowed for the tightness of the 2D games nor the precision of the 3D games. World lessened some of these restrictions and with multiplayer at least added a good enough excuse for more limited camera angles.
Theorymon
Rattata
Super Mario 3D Land is a fine Mario game with good level design, but my biggest issue with it is that its post game seems much better on paper than it actually is: the game goes NUTS with the course reuse, to the point that there's at least one course that's reused an extra two times!
So that leaves it pretty short compared to other 3D Marios in terms of new stuff. To be clear the post game is a fun remix of the game! But its a remix of a pretty short game.
Again, I think the level design is mostly good: a lot of courses have some sort of central idea they expand on (though weirdly I think it's sometimes a bit less focused than 3D World in this respect, especially in the early game). There just isn't enough of it.
Conceptually though I think the game nailed it: it's a great blend of 2D Mario concepts with 3D, and the 3D gimmicks are cute too. The most important aspect of it for me though is that it led to Super Mario 3D World, which legit was my favorite non-Mario Maker game until Super Mario Bros Wonder (yeah after doing my yearly playthroughs, 3D World finally beat Galaxy 2 for me last year)!
I also have to give it credit, compared to New Super Mario Bros on the DS, which also established great concepts for 2D Mario like the expanded moveset with the wall jump + ground pound and star coins being a more focused take on Dragon Coins / Yoshi's Island Flowers / Advance Coins, 3D Land got the level design part down much stronger earlier, while New Super Mario Bros really didn't nail the level design until its sequel, New Super Mario Bros Wii imo!
EDIT: If it it makes where I stand on the game any clearer... I might as well post where I rank it right now in terms of 3D Mario (though that might change later this year!)
Super Mario 3D World > Super Mario Galaxy 2 > Super Mario Galaxy > Super Mario Odyssey > Super Mario 64 > Super Mario 3D Land > Bowser's Fury > Super Mario 64 DS (assuming no fan patch with analog controls, otherwise it actually beats 3D Land for me with that patch!) >>>>>>> Super Mario Sunshine
Sure it's in the bottom half of my rankings... but that's more because there's too many good Mario games, so the competition gets tough, rather than 3D Land being bad or anything like that! Honestly I don't even hate Super Mario Sunshine despite the fact that it's by far my least favorite mainline Mario made by Nintendo (Gotta say that cuz of Super Mario Bros Special lol).
So that leaves it pretty short compared to other 3D Marios in terms of new stuff. To be clear the post game is a fun remix of the game! But its a remix of a pretty short game.
Again, I think the level design is mostly good: a lot of courses have some sort of central idea they expand on (though weirdly I think it's sometimes a bit less focused than 3D World in this respect, especially in the early game). There just isn't enough of it.
Conceptually though I think the game nailed it: it's a great blend of 2D Mario concepts with 3D, and the 3D gimmicks are cute too. The most important aspect of it for me though is that it led to Super Mario 3D World, which legit was my favorite non-Mario Maker game until Super Mario Bros Wonder (yeah after doing my yearly playthroughs, 3D World finally beat Galaxy 2 for me last year)!
I also have to give it credit, compared to New Super Mario Bros on the DS, which also established great concepts for 2D Mario like the expanded moveset with the wall jump + ground pound and star coins being a more focused take on Dragon Coins / Yoshi's Island Flowers / Advance Coins, 3D Land got the level design part down much stronger earlier, while New Super Mario Bros really didn't nail the level design until its sequel, New Super Mario Bros Wii imo!
EDIT: If it it makes where I stand on the game any clearer... I might as well post where I rank it right now in terms of 3D Mario (though that might change later this year!)
Super Mario 3D World > Super Mario Galaxy 2 > Super Mario Galaxy > Super Mario Odyssey > Super Mario 64 > Super Mario 3D Land > Bowser's Fury > Super Mario 64 DS (assuming no fan patch with analog controls, otherwise it actually beats 3D Land for me with that patch!) >>>>>>> Super Mario Sunshine
Sure it's in the bottom half of my rankings... but that's more because there's too many good Mario games, so the competition gets tough, rather than 3D Land being bad or anything like that! Honestly I don't even hate Super Mario Sunshine despite the fact that it's by far my least favorite mainline Mario made by Nintendo (Gotta say that cuz of Super Mario Bros Special lol).
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Pretty decent, could have used a sequel on the 3ds with the more constrained single player level design. Iterating and adding way more new gameplay ideas and powerups. It was perfect fit for handheld pick up and play gameplay. I'd love to see a "Mario wonder" version of 3d land.
I like World a bit more, but that's mostly the more powerups/presentation and such.
Like it about the same as NSMB DS and way more than any of the later entries.
I like World a bit more, but that's mostly the more powerups/presentation and such.
Like it about the same as NSMB DS and way more than any of the later entries.
I think I liked it more back in the day.
It's the worst 3D Mario just by the fact of how safe it is. There was some novelty of it being a blend of 2D and 3D Mario for the first time back in 2011 and a handheld 3D Mario that wasn't a butchered port (Mario 64 DS) But now in 2024 There really isn't much there besides the remixed levels post playthrough, but even those are fairly meh, and the first playthrough is a slog due to simplistic levels. Nothing in 3D Land really stands out if you literally played any other 3D Mario or Mario game in general tbh. The Stereoscopic 3D has to be the gimmickiest new feature a 3D Mario games has ever been attached with because it doesn't expand gameplay at all. It's just a visual feature but not a mechanical one. Everything else was done better in other Mario games both past and future.
I might play it over Mario 64 DS but that's a low bar.
It's the worst 3D Mario just by the fact of how safe it is. There was some novelty of it being a blend of 2D and 3D Mario for the first time back in 2011 and a handheld 3D Mario that wasn't a butchered port (Mario 64 DS) But now in 2024 There really isn't much there besides the remixed levels post playthrough, but even those are fairly meh, and the first playthrough is a slog due to simplistic levels. Nothing in 3D Land really stands out if you literally played any other 3D Mario or Mario game in general tbh. The Stereoscopic 3D has to be the gimmickiest new feature a 3D Mario games has ever been attached with because it doesn't expand gameplay at all. It's just a visual feature but not a mechanical one. Everything else was done better in other Mario games both past and future.
I might play it over Mario 64 DS but that's a low bar.
Kartina
theprocessbroke
- Pronouns
- He/him
I really don't know, I'll probably go back to playing it this week and see what I think but overall it's has been completely overshadowed by 3d World + bowser fury for me, and since that's my favourite mario game ever I don't think I will ever see 3d land more than just a weaker version of that game. Of course it's still a 3d mario game so it's still good.
BDGAME
Shriekbat
Fun game with a good 3D, I like it a lot. A safe Mario, but a good Mario. Better than New Mario, for sure.With the game being the least talked about, i'm curios what's everyone opinion of this game is, since it's probably the safest Mario game of the 3D Mariop line up, but somehow, it's one i think about sometime, with it being the saviour and the killer app of the 3DS.
Like despite the game not doing anything special, somehow i feel extreme nostalgia for it.
GoedHeiligMan
Cappy
Mediocre. I bought the 3DS specifically for Mario Kart 7 and Mario 3D land. I loved Mario Kart, I finished 3D land but I never touched it again.
I thought the game was pretty weak in comparison to NSMB, SM64DS etc.
I thought the game was pretty weak in comparison to NSMB, SM64DS etc.
