Super Mario 3D Land

by Nintendo

• Mario can perform a rolling somersault attack or run fast with a dash move. Or, as Tanooki Mario, he can use his tail to hover, perform floating jumps or attacks.
• New enemies include Goombas with tails, tall stacks of Goombas and a Piranha Plant that spits ink to obscure a players view.
• New and familiar abilities add unique game-play strategies to the adventure
• 3D visuals make it easier for players to judge the depths and distances in their environments. Players can more accurately judge the jump to the next platform or how far Mario is from a question block.
• The Circle Pad gives players complete control to confidently move Mario through fun and challenging environments.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002I092MM
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches ; 2.4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 13, 2011
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (349 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #4 in Video Games > Nintendo 3DS > Games > Action

Product Description

Past Mario games have let the blue-suspendered hero roam around fully rendered 3D landscapes. Now, for the first time, players can see true depth of their environment without the need for special glasses. Super Mario is a 3D evolution of classic Mario platforming featuring new level designs and challenges.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 111 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully Simplistic yet Fun! November 13, 2011

By skatastic425

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

I'll begin by saying that this game has exceeded my expectations. Upon watching online videos, I figured this would be a watered-down Mario Galaxy title, but boy, was I wrong! The videos DO NOT do the game justice. I didn't think Nintendo would have been able to do it, but this is by far the first Mario game in a long time that has retained the uniqueness and charm of the series as I remember it on the NES. New Super Mario Bros. Wii came really close, but Super Mario 3D Land does it for me.

~ First, the power-ups:
The Tanooki suit's revival in this game is genius. You can hover with Mario's tail for a while and tail-strike enemies just as you can in Super Mario Bros. 3. I'm a little bummed you can't actually fly this time around, but I'm guessing it wouldn't have worked as well in this title anyway. Fire Mario feels great, too. I haven't played far enough into the game to obtain the Boomerang Bros. suit or Statue suit, but I'm sure they will be awesome too based on what I've seen thus far.

~ Second, the levels:
While at first I thought the levels in this game seemed vacuous and dull and too similar to the levels in the Galaxy series based on online videos I've seen, my first hands-on experience with this game proved my initial thoughts to be WAY incorrect. The level designs are brilliant. The designers have packed so many obstacles, enemies, warp pipes, music note blocks, and hidden areas into the levels that the game stays exciting throughout. Also, the levels are not too long since you are timed. Thus, you can get through a level in a few minutes, but if you need more time there are stopwatches you can collect along the way to add valuable seconds to your overall time limit for the level. These come in handy if you want to do some exploring for the three hidden coins in each level. If you're like me and occasionally grow tired of some of the longer levels from Galaxy, then you'll be happy with the quickness yet depth of the levels in 3D Land. The levels look AND feel like actual Mario levels in their design. To top it all off, you'll recognize remakes of some classic Super Mario Bros. 3 tunes, as well!

~ Third, the controls:
Mario's signature moves are back: crouch, backflip, long jump, side somersault, wall jump, and ground pound. There is also a new move - the roll - in which Mario can roll forward from the crouching position. The only move that hasn't been brought back is the triple jump, but I don't feel as though it would've been useful in this style of Mario game anyway. The moves are easy to execute with the layout of the 3DS's thumbstick and buttons. Furthermore, controlling Mario feels completely natural. For instance, running with Y and tail-striking enemies along the way is both easy and fun to do! As I mentioned earlier, the Tanooki suit's signature moves are back, too, such as hovering and tail-striking, both of which feel great.

~ Fourth, the graphics and the 3D:
The graphics in this game are on par with, if not better than, the graphics in the Galaxy series. Mario, the enemies, and the levels all look stunning. The 3D effect in the game looks stunning, too, and it's awesome to see Mario in full 3D for the first time. The 3D also helps with depth perception, and, as anyone can guess, the ability to see in 3D certainly comes in handy for a platforming title such as Mario in which you have to make perfectly executed jumps. Also, in addition to the 3D slider bar, you can also control the 3D effect by choosing from two 3D options while playing that will provide either a shallower or deeper depth of field, so the 3D is more customizable in this 3DS game than in any other.

FINAL THOUGHTS
If you don't own a 3DS yet but want one, then this is the time to get it. Super Mario 3D Land, maybe aside from Zelda: OoT or Star Fox 64 (both of which are remakes, anyway), is the best original game on the 3DS, hands-down, and it combines everything gamers adore from Super Mario Bros 1 and 3, and Super Mario 64. From the controls to the level design, every aspect of this game retains the fun and charm of the original NES Mario titles that I remember so fondly but have not seen in any Mario title in recent years.

51 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mario Mania November 13, 2011

By Michael Kerner HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

There is no question about Mario. He has not only been the most influential video game character of all time, but has had honestly the most definitive impact on how we play great platform games that have never lost their luster. Over 25 years after Super Mario Brothers debuted, people still love to go for the flag, and try to knock Bowser off his perch all to save Princess Toadstool from the claws of the king. The game franchise has never honestly gotten old, and has stayed just as strong today for every Nintendo era. The last Mario platformer for the go handheld was New Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo DS. It really was fun and entertaining for the DS, and Mario's Wii games like Super Mario Galaxy have changed the way we play with Mario in zero gravity. But now with the Nintendo 3DS which came out just last Spring, they haven't yet had a definitive Mario platformer. Well, they are about to have one now, and a little treat for the fans young and old of the past 25 years too.

Super Mario 3D Land, is a new and exciting Mario game that still shows how amazing the Mario games have never gotten old. The game brings in a new twist on the classic 2D platformers by bringing back some of the amazement from the classic Super Mario Brothers 3. Just like what New Super Mario Bros. Wii did by bringing back the forgotten Koopa kids and giving them a hard-hitting challenge against Mario. This time it is the beloved tanooki racoon suit returning to the mix from Mario 3 returns, as shown in the story of the game, as well as the classic foe Boom-Boom. As Bowser not only captures Peach, but steals a bunch of tanooki leaves giving Bowser, and his cohorts tanooki powers to try and stop Mario from his wrath on the Mushroom Kingdom. It is challenging as characters like the classic goomba and Boo now can go against Mario with tanooki racoon tails to try and swat you. But that isn't just it alone, Mario also has new elements of power at his side too: including the tanooki leaf, the classic mushroom, as well as the new Boomerang power-up, which Mario can throw boomerangs at his foes and they will come back to him at his side, just like the classic Boomerang Brothers from Super Mario 3.

The gameplay takes all the elements from the classic Mario games in both 2D and 3D like Super Mario 64, and giving them a 3D twist by having you race against the clock trying to make it to the goal before time runs out. There are also classic items to be found including the bonus coins, and warp pipes, as well as a few new treats as well. The gameplay is very addictive from start to finish, and has shown that they haven't gotten old. The controls are also very simple and easy to master on each level, as you leap from block to block, and hopping in pipe to pipe, all trying to make your way to the goal. The sound is also classic Mario as well, by not getting old, and remaining distinctive as before. It takes timing and a lot of guts to master this new adventure, but honestly die hard Mario fans will definitive love this new challenge, as well as new ones too.

All in all, Super Mario 3D Land is a definite must buy game for the Nintendo 3DS. It truly has shown that no matter what the gaming universe has to come around, Mario has still been a great constant in the gaming universe that continues to evolve and be just as fun today as it did back then. I definitely love the challenge this game has, and I know this will be a great game for you to play on the Nintendo 3DS (and only available on the Nintendo 3DS.) There haven't been a lot of definitive games for the Nintendo 3DS since last Spring, but this is definitely one of them that I absolutely recommend.

Graphics: A-

Sound: A-

Control: A

Fun & Enjoyment: A

Overall: A-

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Handheld Mario at Its Finest November 13, 2011

By S. Rhodes TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

Back in the days of the original Gameboy, the Super Mario Lands were hailed for being relatively different from the usual Mario experience. Sure you were still stomping and such, but you faced wildly different enemies and got some very different power ups. Super Mario 3D Land is not a sequel to those games in anyway. But like the Super Mario Land games, it takes a different approach to the Mario formula while keeping in sync with what has made it successful. Here the change is mostly the fact that it plays like the 2D side scrolling games in a 3D world. And for the most part it actually works.

Mario has never been a game anyone has picked up for story. We all know what it's about. Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser and it's up to Mario to go and save her once more. It's pretty standard stuff. As mentioned earlier it harkens back to the 2D Mario games in a way. There's a straightforward overworld map to go through and you'll begin in level 1-1 before moving on to 1-2 etc. At the end of each world is either a castle or an airship with a boss waiting in wait. It seems traditional all around and like it offers up absolutely nothing until you're actually playing the levels themselves. For a handheld game, 3D Land offers players quite a bit to experience.

The levels here are well designed. Each one ends when you find the flagpole at the end, but getting there isn't always an easy feat. You can roam around in full 3D instead of side scrolling. For the most part you can roam just about anywhere. Throughout each level there are a lot of hidden goodies as well. There are blocks that house powerups and plenty of enemies to stomp, but each level also has little goodies hidden off the beaten path. There are secret 1UP mushrooms and hidden areas to explore in just about every level. Each level is also uniquely different from the previous one. The game often throws new challenges at you to keep you on your toes.

The stages themselves are pretty short, however. This is obviously due to it being a handheld and being on the go. But there is usually reason to go back and play each one. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, there are three Star Coins in each level. For players who want to experience everything that Super Mario 3D Land has to offer, you'll want them as they unlock challenging levels later in the game.

Mario 3D Land also uses the suit system found in Super Mario Bros. 3. For the most part there's fire Mario and Tanooki Mario, but there are times when you'll find something to help Mario out in different ways. For example, Mario can now find a powerup that allows him to throw boomerangs. Much like the 2D games, Mario doesn't have a health meter or anything like that. Rather it's done based on his power ups. Taking one hit makes him lose his power, a second makes him small and a third does him in. Super Mario 3D Land isn't a terribly hard game, but if you happen to fail too many times the game is more than willing to help you out by either giving suit that makes you invincible or by skipping it out right. While this may seem like handholding, those who go about it this way will literally miss out on half the game by doing so. As well as several secrets. You DON'T get Star Coins by skipping a level. On the other hand, keeping your lives in supply is rather simple. There are 1UP mushrooms everywhere. Each level also has a checkpoint. Super Mario 3D Land can be challenging, but it certainly is in no hurry to punish the player.

Up until now the 3D on the 3DS has seemed somewhat like a gimmick. It isn't quite that way in Super Mario 3D Land. While you can most certainly play through the game with the 3D off there are times when having it on will actually make a difference in the ease of play. Certain rooms that contain Star Coins are actually puzzles where you must try and figure out the optical illusion. With the 3D on it actually really helps. You CAN solve these puzzle like moments without the 3D effect but it's much more difficult to do so. The 3D is also done rather well in other ways. Up until now a lot of 3DS games have either been obsessed with having things "pop out" at the player or making the game look more dynamic. But here the 3D actually adds depth perception to the game itself. Where you actually get a sense of just how far away a particular platform is or even how close an enemy in the background really is to getting to you. It may not seem like much from the outset, but it certainly makes the 3D much more than just a gimmick here. But the game is still enjoyable should you decide you don't want to play with the 3D on at all.

In terms of visual appeal, Mario 3D Land looks absolutely amazing. It is very similar to look and feel of Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. There is certainly enough here to give you a sense of what the future of technology on the 3DS can be. There's a lot of detail to each level. It's just easy on the eyes overall. What may not bode well for the player all the time is the lack of control over the camera. For the most part the camera sticks with you pretty well and moves perfectly in tune with where you are and where you need to go. There are times, however, when the lack of being able to move the camera yourself can leave you baffled on where to go next. It won't cause you to die much, but it will make certain platforming moments slightly more difficult simply because you aren't sure right off hand where the next platform actually is.

Super Mario 3D Land doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it takes the best of the 2D games and combines them with the best of the 3D games and somehow makes it work. The levels may be short but they're plentiful and there's a ton of replay value here. For those dying to invest some time in a 3DS game, Super Mario 3D Land is well worth that time.