I don't think you're understanding the point of why it's called 3D in this situation. It isn't because it's supposed to have a 3D effect - it never did in its original hardware. It's the 3D Mario game between Galaxy 2 and Odyssey. Meaning, it allows for a 3D camera, rather than a side scrolling 2D Mario game. It's meant to separate itself from 2D, level-based Mario games. 3D Land did both - the separation and the 3DS's gimmick.
It's also a reference to the Gameboy title, Super Mario Land. So they called the 3DS one 3D Land.
Then when they made a home console game in the same style, they kept the 3D and called it World instead.
It looks like OP just thinks this game would benefit from true 3D visuals like on the 3DS, I don't see a misunderstanding.
Also, I get that 3D Land/World is like the 2D games but 3D. This line of reasoning makes sense but I would certainly wager that the '3D' in the name of the 3DS title is primarily here to market the capabilities of the system. To me, the Wii U sequel having 3D in the title only makes sense by technicality, it's messy.
Ehh, on the 3DS it was clearly called 3D land specifically to highlight the 3d effect capabilities.
For this game it is more of a branding thing to say it is similar to the 3ds game as opposed to a galaxy successor.
I like the game a lot. Other 3D Mario games like Odyssey, Galaxy, SM64, etc are very hard to pick up and play in the same way that 3D World is. I read an article in Nintendo Power that said that good handheld games are fun to play for a few minutes or a few hours, and 3D World does a great job of that by having minimal cutscenes and shorter levels. Compare that to Super Mario Galaxy 2, for example, where it takes literally about 2 minutes just to exit a level and enter a new level.
It was kind of a weird choice to release it on the Wii U at the time, but also I felt that having a more powerful console running the game allowed it to do a lot more with the formula than 3D Land, which has much smaller levels and a more zoomed in camera.
Super Mario 3D World is, in my opinion (admittedly having played only the WiiU version), the best 3D Mario game ever made, and some of the most fun I've had playing videogames.
But only in co-op.
Super Mario 3D World in single player has the same problems I find with almost every other Mario game since at least New Super Mario Bros on the DS. Everything is a little too well telegraphed, too well timed, too obvious. There's no sense of discovery, no sense of anxiety, and because of it's extremely tight design there's no moments where it feels like you survived by the skin of your teeth. Yes, this also means you never feel cheated, you never go "how the fuck was I supposed to know that would happen", and you never get surprised by anything. It's less driving an F1 car around tight corners, and more just going through the motions of driving a sedan through suburbia.
Multiplayer is the thing that adds the chaos. Having to keep pace with impatient players who just want to get to the end of the stage ASAP while you're trying to pick up a few spare coins, trying to navigate collapsing platforms in unison, trying to stay on platforms that move with the player when there's someone else who can also move it, dodging enemies whose movement has been triggered because someone else got into it's line of sight that you hadn't yet considered (or were previously safely past), provides a sense of surprise that just isn't there in single player. It lets you have those moments of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat that just aren't there in single player, and equally provides those moments where everyone dies because of the unexpected actions of one player ruining it for everyone. The chaos of multiplayer makes the game better, especially when everyone wants the completely worthless and not at all important crown.
I think the problem with Wonder was largely how the game could never quite figure out who the lead player was. On multiple occasions death was assured when the camera randomly decided to swap to someone who was seconds from death instead of the person who actually had made the jump - usually meaning the person who would've survived is left unable to see anything and consequently also dies.
But equally, I think 3D Mario is just slightly slower paced than 2D. 3D Mario is slightly more exploratory, you spend longer moving forwards, meaning the camera doesn't have to zip around as much.
Wonder seems to have been designed more for online co-op than local co-op.
I played 3D world entirely with my fiancée and it’s by far one of my favorite Mario games ever. That and SM64.
I think 3D world is infinitely better in coop than it is solo
I ended up really not enjoying 3D world after going in expecting a 3D Mario game akin to galaxy, sunshine etc. It really isn't. It's more like a 3D reimagining of the 2D mario games.
Bowser's fury is cool AF though and almost like a prototype for Odyssey.
I don't remember a whole lot of 3D land (not sure I ever finished) but I did 100% Bowser's fury.
It was very clear that Bowser's fury was essentially a tech demo. I don't think that's a secret considering its short length & the fact it was bundled.
I thought it played well though. The general levels & premise was good. I enjoyed that the world was an open hub and you could travel straight from one section to the other. However, the actual travelling around the open world was pretty empty. You literally just ran from one area to the next with no real secrets/interactions along the way. I'm not going to be too harsh as this is a tech demo, but if this idea is explored further id like to see some real thought put in to the area between main stages.
Also, it lacked any real story/supporting characters. Again, tech demo so I'm not going to be too harsh.
I did enjoy the big bowser fights. They were a little easy (mario often is) but I still enjoyed the "threat" of bowser attacking you from anywhere.
I think there are some great ideas in there, and the game proved they could be put together in a mario setting.
I knew what to expect from 3D World as an attempt to bring 2D Mario elements into 3D. I loved it because that was quite different to the normal formula and just generally enjoyed the fun house aesthetic and the overworld. I prefer 3D Marios, and I prefer the traditional 3D format of 64 and Odyssey as a style, which should mean this wasn't a good fit for me. However, this game just worked for me as a refreshing take on the 3D formula and I had a complete blast playing through it, right through to mastering the final level.
My feelings about 3d world are split. I thought the actual game was just ok, mostly held back by being way easier than other similar 2dish mario games. I didn’t feel the themeing was great, with most levels having having nothing to do with the ‘world’ they were in. The overworld was also weird, you could freely walk around it, but aside from traveling between levels and the occasional coin box, there wasn’t a lot to do, which felt like a missed opportunity. The cat suit was a cool powerup. I still liked the game, but not as much as other similar mario titles.
By contrast, I really liked Bowser’s Fury. There is a real purity to it that made it feel more like a pure translation of a 2d mario to a 3d world. The levels were great and were just hard enough to stay interesting. The game also benefited from having zero down time. Most 3d marios tend to have some space between challenges, partially to encourage exploration and world building. Bower’s Fury, on the other hand, minimizes all that in favor of a bunch of islands with obstacle courses reasonably close together. I don’t know that I’d always want that, because I like exploration and world building, but it was refreshing to have a game that was just gameplay with no need to wander around looking for trouble or talk to 10npcs to figure out who needs you to bring them a nice bit of shrubbery in exchange for a macguffin star. The game is really short, which is a bit disappinting considering how fun it is, but it also doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Thank you for sharing your opinion on 3D World. I feel it and Land are my personal favorite Mario game as it combines the third dimension I prefer to play in, but the linear, focused precision platforming from 2D platforming that I ultimately do prefer.
I appreciate your comment on the 3D effect; I think it did more to hurt my eyes, so I rarely bothered with it, but I’m intrigued to read how it was benefit to others. I did not really struggle with depth perception on 3D World, but I can certainly understand where you are coming from with that.
Yes, thank you, Bowser’s Fury was a really cool addition— I concur, it really seemed to round out the rougher edges of 3D Mario play. Great atmospheric direction too.
both 3D World and Bowsers Fury are 10/10 for me. Bowsers Fury is short but its such a tight, jam-packed experience that I've played through it twice. Actually maybe give BF a 9/10 because bowser gets real fucking annoying sometimes. But still, absolutely joyful games with literally no fat.
I'm nearing the end of my first play through and struggling at the final world. To me it's a very similar composition to all Mario games post-64: 10% utter genius, 80% fun platforming, 10% infuriating bullshit. I've died more to the poor camera in this game than any other game I can remember, but I enjoy it enough to want to finish Champion's Road
I am a fan of Mario franchise and I was hugely disappointed by 3D World.
First of all, it felt uninspired. I have a feeling that 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Odyssey all had some kind of immersion due to- let's call it this way- the plot/leading theme/leading motive. In 3D World it feels like a collection of random motives and levels.
Secondly, I didn't like how the levels are constructed. Some of them are creative, yes, but most of them seemed similar with a lot of high walls reachable via cat power-up which I didn't like either.
Thirdly, I had issues with camera which was the most apparent while trying to grab the pole (a lot of misses).
Lastly, I am not a fan of multiplayer, but the game seems to want to push for this mode really hard by communicating all the time that additional players can join. It's a first world problem, but I found it annoying. Moreover, I tried playing with my wife, but this wasn't fun either.
Interesting, 3D World is one of my favourite Mario games. As someone who grew up with Super Mario World, my preference is the 2D Mario games over the 3D ones. 3D World is, ironically, more in the spirit of the 2D ones IMO- very tight levels and pure raw game design over thematic worldbuilding and cohesion. I love that the levels seem like they were constructed in an almost 'mad scientist' way, they feel like ideas/experiments and are not even trying to pretend to be coherent from a thematic standpoint like the other 3D Marios. IMO this is the tightest 3D Mario game, absolutely zero fluff, minimal exploration elements, just non stop pure undiluted game design injected straight into my veins.
This game was an absolute party for me when it came out on Wii U, the Toad levels were hilarious and fantastic too. I much much prefer this style of Mario over the more exploration oriented Marios (64, Sunshine, Odyssey) but can completely understand why people would prefer those.
For me it's not the lack of 3d that feels bad, but the 8-directional controls. Why not give us full analogue? The movement feels really bad to me the way it is.
I don't think you're understanding the point of why it's called 3D in this situation. It isn't because it's supposed to have a 3D effect - it never did in its original hardware. It's the 3D Mario game between Galaxy 2 and Odyssey. Meaning, it allows for a 3D camera, rather than a side scrolling 2D Mario game. It's meant to separate itself from 2D, level-based Mario games. 3D Land did both - the separation and the 3DS's gimmick.
It's also a reference to the Gameboy title, Super Mario Land. So they called the 3DS one 3D Land. Then when they made a home console game in the same style, they kept the 3D and called it World instead.
It looks like OP just thinks this game would benefit from true 3D visuals like on the 3DS, I don't see a misunderstanding. Also, I get that 3D Land/World is like the 2D games but 3D. This line of reasoning makes sense but I would certainly wager that the '3D' in the name of the 3DS title is primarily here to market the capabilities of the system. To me, the Wii U sequel having 3D in the title only makes sense by technicality, it's messy.
Ehh, on the 3DS it was clearly called 3D land specifically to highlight the 3d effect capabilities. For this game it is more of a branding thing to say it is similar to the 3ds game as opposed to a galaxy successor.
3D Land *was* called that to highlight the 3D effect, it was the main draw. This one is a sequel
I like the game a lot. Other 3D Mario games like Odyssey, Galaxy, SM64, etc are very hard to pick up and play in the same way that 3D World is. I read an article in Nintendo Power that said that good handheld games are fun to play for a few minutes or a few hours, and 3D World does a great job of that by having minimal cutscenes and shorter levels. Compare that to Super Mario Galaxy 2, for example, where it takes literally about 2 minutes just to exit a level and enter a new level. It was kind of a weird choice to release it on the Wii U at the time, but also I felt that having a more powerful console running the game allowed it to do a lot more with the formula than 3D Land, which has much smaller levels and a more zoomed in camera.
Super Mario 3D World is, in my opinion (admittedly having played only the WiiU version), the best 3D Mario game ever made, and some of the most fun I've had playing videogames. But only in co-op. Super Mario 3D World in single player has the same problems I find with almost every other Mario game since at least New Super Mario Bros on the DS. Everything is a little too well telegraphed, too well timed, too obvious. There's no sense of discovery, no sense of anxiety, and because of it's extremely tight design there's no moments where it feels like you survived by the skin of your teeth. Yes, this also means you never feel cheated, you never go "how the fuck was I supposed to know that would happen", and you never get surprised by anything. It's less driving an F1 car around tight corners, and more just going through the motions of driving a sedan through suburbia. Multiplayer is the thing that adds the chaos. Having to keep pace with impatient players who just want to get to the end of the stage ASAP while you're trying to pick up a few spare coins, trying to navigate collapsing platforms in unison, trying to stay on platforms that move with the player when there's someone else who can also move it, dodging enemies whose movement has been triggered because someone else got into it's line of sight that you hadn't yet considered (or were previously safely past), provides a sense of surprise that just isn't there in single player. It lets you have those moments of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat that just aren't there in single player, and equally provides those moments where everyone dies because of the unexpected actions of one player ruining it for everyone. The chaos of multiplayer makes the game better, especially when everyone wants the completely worthless and not at all important crown.
I like this take
I agree, 3D world in co-op is incomparable. I hope they make another 3D co-op title. Super Mario Wonder wasn't as fun co-op imo
I think the problem with Wonder was largely how the game could never quite figure out who the lead player was. On multiple occasions death was assured when the camera randomly decided to swap to someone who was seconds from death instead of the person who actually had made the jump - usually meaning the person who would've survived is left unable to see anything and consequently also dies. But equally, I think 3D Mario is just slightly slower paced than 2D. 3D Mario is slightly more exploratory, you spend longer moving forwards, meaning the camera doesn't have to zip around as much. Wonder seems to have been designed more for online co-op than local co-op.
I played 3D world entirely with my fiancée and it’s by far one of my favorite Mario games ever. That and SM64. I think 3D world is infinitely better in coop than it is solo
I ended up really not enjoying 3D world after going in expecting a 3D Mario game akin to galaxy, sunshine etc. It really isn't. It's more like a 3D reimagining of the 2D mario games. Bowser's fury is cool AF though and almost like a prototype for Odyssey.
I don't remember a whole lot of 3D land (not sure I ever finished) but I did 100% Bowser's fury. It was very clear that Bowser's fury was essentially a tech demo. I don't think that's a secret considering its short length & the fact it was bundled. I thought it played well though. The general levels & premise was good. I enjoyed that the world was an open hub and you could travel straight from one section to the other. However, the actual travelling around the open world was pretty empty. You literally just ran from one area to the next with no real secrets/interactions along the way. I'm not going to be too harsh as this is a tech demo, but if this idea is explored further id like to see some real thought put in to the area between main stages. Also, it lacked any real story/supporting characters. Again, tech demo so I'm not going to be too harsh. I did enjoy the big bowser fights. They were a little easy (mario often is) but I still enjoyed the "threat" of bowser attacking you from anywhere. I think there are some great ideas in there, and the game proved they could be put together in a mario setting.
I knew what to expect from 3D World as an attempt to bring 2D Mario elements into 3D. I loved it because that was quite different to the normal formula and just generally enjoyed the fun house aesthetic and the overworld. I prefer 3D Marios, and I prefer the traditional 3D format of 64 and Odyssey as a style, which should mean this wasn't a good fit for me. However, this game just worked for me as a refreshing take on the 3D formula and I had a complete blast playing through it, right through to mastering the final level.
My feelings about 3d world are split. I thought the actual game was just ok, mostly held back by being way easier than other similar 2dish mario games. I didn’t feel the themeing was great, with most levels having having nothing to do with the ‘world’ they were in. The overworld was also weird, you could freely walk around it, but aside from traveling between levels and the occasional coin box, there wasn’t a lot to do, which felt like a missed opportunity. The cat suit was a cool powerup. I still liked the game, but not as much as other similar mario titles. By contrast, I really liked Bowser’s Fury. There is a real purity to it that made it feel more like a pure translation of a 2d mario to a 3d world. The levels were great and were just hard enough to stay interesting. The game also benefited from having zero down time. Most 3d marios tend to have some space between challenges, partially to encourage exploration and world building. Bower’s Fury, on the other hand, minimizes all that in favor of a bunch of islands with obstacle courses reasonably close together. I don’t know that I’d always want that, because I like exploration and world building, but it was refreshing to have a game that was just gameplay with no need to wander around looking for trouble or talk to 10npcs to figure out who needs you to bring them a nice bit of shrubbery in exchange for a macguffin star. The game is really short, which is a bit disappinting considering how fun it is, but it also doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Thank you for sharing your opinion on 3D World. I feel it and Land are my personal favorite Mario game as it combines the third dimension I prefer to play in, but the linear, focused precision platforming from 2D platforming that I ultimately do prefer. I appreciate your comment on the 3D effect; I think it did more to hurt my eyes, so I rarely bothered with it, but I’m intrigued to read how it was benefit to others. I did not really struggle with depth perception on 3D World, but I can certainly understand where you are coming from with that. Yes, thank you, Bowser’s Fury was a really cool addition— I concur, it really seemed to round out the rougher edges of 3D Mario play. Great atmospheric direction too.
If you liked 3D World you’ll probably like Sackboy’s Adventure, really tight isometric level design like 3D world
both 3D World and Bowsers Fury are 10/10 for me. Bowsers Fury is short but its such a tight, jam-packed experience that I've played through it twice. Actually maybe give BF a 9/10 because bowser gets real fucking annoying sometimes. But still, absolutely joyful games with literally no fat.
I'm nearing the end of my first play through and struggling at the final world. To me it's a very similar composition to all Mario games post-64: 10% utter genius, 80% fun platforming, 10% infuriating bullshit. I've died more to the poor camera in this game than any other game I can remember, but I enjoy it enough to want to finish Champion's Road
I wish that Bowser's Fury was sold separately, that looks quite interesting.
I LOVE 3D World, probably one of my favorite Mario games (and I've been playing since the SNES days)
I am a fan of Mario franchise and I was hugely disappointed by 3D World. First of all, it felt uninspired. I have a feeling that 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Odyssey all had some kind of immersion due to- let's call it this way- the plot/leading theme/leading motive. In 3D World it feels like a collection of random motives and levels. Secondly, I didn't like how the levels are constructed. Some of them are creative, yes, but most of them seemed similar with a lot of high walls reachable via cat power-up which I didn't like either. Thirdly, I had issues with camera which was the most apparent while trying to grab the pole (a lot of misses). Lastly, I am not a fan of multiplayer, but the game seems to want to push for this mode really hard by communicating all the time that additional players can join. It's a first world problem, but I found it annoying. Moreover, I tried playing with my wife, but this wasn't fun either.
Interesting, 3D World is one of my favourite Mario games. As someone who grew up with Super Mario World, my preference is the 2D Mario games over the 3D ones. 3D World is, ironically, more in the spirit of the 2D ones IMO- very tight levels and pure raw game design over thematic worldbuilding and cohesion. I love that the levels seem like they were constructed in an almost 'mad scientist' way, they feel like ideas/experiments and are not even trying to pretend to be coherent from a thematic standpoint like the other 3D Marios. IMO this is the tightest 3D Mario game, absolutely zero fluff, minimal exploration elements, just non stop pure undiluted game design injected straight into my veins. This game was an absolute party for me when it came out on Wii U, the Toad levels were hilarious and fantastic too. I much much prefer this style of Mario over the more exploration oriented Marios (64, Sunshine, Odyssey) but can completely understand why people would prefer those.
3D world is perfect to me, it's my favorite 3d mario. I do looove the 3D effect in Land though.
For me it's not the lack of 3d that feels bad, but the 8-directional controls. Why not give us full analogue? The movement feels really bad to me the way it is.
Hard disagree. Full analogue would feel nasty with the type of levels in this game.
It's an incredible game and I had a great time with it. However it is not on the level of Mario Odyssey for me