super mario 3d land – Jean Snow [.net]

I’d been wanting to play this for such a long time, and last week’s eShop sale gave me the perfect excuse to do so. This game is just so much fun, and I’m constantly wowed by the entire presentation, particularly the sound design – it’s an absolute joy to hear Luigi hum the soundtrack, as it’s playing. The only criticism I would have is that even though the “levels” aren’t particularly long – around 20 minutes or so – if you do die near the end, it can be a bummer to have to redo the whole thing (but it does go a lot faster when you know exactly where you need to go). This is easily one of the best 3DS experiences out there, and I would rank it as my 3rd favorite game on the system (following The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D Land).

So yes, just over a week ago, I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Wii U (and big thanks to my friend who made that possible). Despite the dismal news on the health of the console, I always knew I would eventually get one, and was just being patient, waiting for the games that I absolutely wanted to play to come out. Well, when I saw Super Mario 3D World in action, I knew it was time, and playing through it has been an absolute joy – and it means I have to update yet again my list of “Favorite Media of 2013.” The thing with a Mario game is that while I’m playing, I have a big stupid grin on my face the whole time, due to the joyous gameplay, the music – which my wife actually occasionally dances to – and the colorful aesthetics and sound effects. I fell in love again with Mario games after I played Super Mario 3D Land on 3DS last year, and this love continues. And despite the guts of the Wii U being last-gen, it’s just amazing how good this game looks – unlike the feeling I get when playing PS3 games after spending time on my PS4. And yes, being able to continue playing on the tablet controller when my wife wants to watch TV is as practical as I thought it would be – sure, the screen is not that great, but it’s still incredible useful for someone like me. Lastly, my request to Nintendo: please release HD remakes of the 2 Super Mario Galaxy games, that I can play with a regular controller.