The Nintendo 3DS was released in March of 2011.
Until this past November the system subsisted on ports as well as mediocre and fair original content. That all changed with the release of Super Mario 3D Land. The 3DS had finally gotten its killer app. Mario opened the floodgates and ended the drought for fans of handheld games.
Super Mario 3D Land represents the marriage of the two conflicting schools of Mario game design. The game is played out entirely in 3 dimensions, but the level design is clearly inspired from 2D Mario games. And, the game incorporates lots of elements from past Mario games. The only complaint that I have is that the game is too steeped in Mario lore, if one can even cite that as a complaint.
This game stands as the finest title on the 3DS and will prove to be a very difficult champion to dethrone. And as one of the best Mario games ever, it’d be hard to deny it from any “Best of 2011” list.
No Comments