Well, it’s finally here. The 35th anniversary of Mario may soon be ending with a Thanos-style snap of the fingers for Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35, but before we mourn them, Nintendo has one final release to celebrate the big three-five, and this one’s sticking around for good. Super Mario 3D World is one of the last major Wii U games still to get the Switch port treatment, and now it’s finally here with an all-new adventure called Bowser’s Fury along for the ride, too.
The main event in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is obviously still Super Mario 3D World itself, the 2013 release that ended up becoming the Wii U's second best-selling game but still sold less than nearly every other major Mario platformer because… well, it was on the Wii U. This is the game’s second chance to shine, but for many players, it’s going to be a brand new experience – so forgive us for a second if you’ve already played it, because we need to bring everyone else up to speed.
One night Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad find a clear pipe outside Peach’s Castle. After Mario and Luigi fix the pipe (yes, they actually do some plumbing for once) out pops a little fairy called a Sprixie. The Sprixie starts to tell them that Bowser is kidnapping her friends when, right on cue, Bowser pops out, nabs her and heads back into the pipe. The foursome decide to head into the pipe themselves, where they end up in the Sprixie Kingdom, and if you haven’t figured out that the aim is to rescue the Sprixies from Bowser then you must be new to this video game lark.
Much like its 3DS predecessor Super Mario 3D Land, at first glance Super Mario 3D World appears to be a free-roaming game similar to the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and Odyssey, but is actually more of a linear platformer like the 2D Super Mario Bros. series. While you’re free to run in eight directions and some stages have open areas, each stage still has a clear path from the start of the stage to the flagpole at the end. The layout is similar to the 2D games, too; you’ve got a world map that lets you travel between levels, and each level has a set of collectables (in this case three green stars and a stamp) to encourage you to explore their nooks and crannies to ‘complete’ them 100%.
As in the best Mario games, Super Mario 3D World is absolutely packed with ideas. Each of its individual stages is guaranteed to introduce at least one new mechanic or enemy to ensure the player isn’t just playing the same thing over and over again. Even when a stage seems to bring back a mechanic you saw earlier in the game – such as a certain type of platform gimmick – they’ll mess around with it by placing it in a new scenario or giving you new power-ups to deal with it. We’ve said this about other classic Mario games, but you know you’ve got a good one when it dedicates just one level to a concept that lesser studios would build entire games around.
Those who’ve already played through Super Mario 3D World won’t notice too many changes in how the game plays and feels. Running speed is probably the most obvious one; all four characters now move a bit quicker (it’s actually more noticeable when walking), meaning the game doesn’t quite have that pedestrian pace it did at times on Wii U. Other changes are less notable; the Cat power-up lets you climb a little higher before its effects wear off and you slide back down, and your roll move can now be performed in mid-air (though is so non-essential that we didn’t even notice it was a thing until after we’d already beaten the game).
The bigger additions to the main Super Mario 3D World mode, then, are the extra features that have been included for the first time. The first of these is a Photo Mode, which can be triggered at any point mid-game by pressing Down on the D-Pad. Much like the Photo Mode in Super Mario Odyssey, this lets you move the camera around and apply filters as you see fit. It’s not always as flexible as Odyssey because some stages are set along a fixed plane and Nintendo obviously doesn’t want you swinging the camera all the way around Mario because there’s no scenery on the other side. Think of it as a sort of cross between the Photo Modes in Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Odyssey – the camera movement of the former with the features of the latter.
One new feature in this Photo Mode that you don’t find in Odyssey, however, is the ability to place stamps on the screen. Back in the day when Miiverse was a thing, Super Mario 3D World’s stamps were designed to be collected and used to add flair to your posts. Since Nintendo’s idea of a chat room Wii U-topia no longer exists on the Switch, the stamps are instead used in the Photo Mode here. You can toggle between them with the D-Pad and place them directly onto the floor or wall. It’s not implemented perfectly; since you have to flip through them with the D-Pad, by the time you’ve reached the end of the game and you’ve got a huge collection of stamps it can take ages to find the one you want, whereas a pop-up menu showing them all would have been much easier. Still, it’s fun to mess around with regardless.
The other main addition in Super Mario 3D World is wireless multiplayer, both locally and online. The Wii U version allowed for local co-op for up to four players, but every player had to use the same console. Now, if a bunch of people in the same household (or elsewhere, once the world isn’t like Mad Max) have their own Switch, you can easily set up a local wireless connection by hitting the R button on the map screen. This brings up a menu that lets you create a room (meaning everyone will use your save file) or join an existing one. Up to four players can take part locally, and each Switch can handle two players in this mode (so you could theoretically set up two Switches in tabletop mode to prevent four people huddling around a single tiny screen).
Online multiplayer is handled the same way – by hitting the R button and creating or joining a room – but it’s strictly limited to people in your friend list; you can’t just join a random game. You can also add a password, in case you want to play with specific people one night and don’t want to have your session infiltrated by that guy you used to talk to on a Rick & Morty forum once and added to your Friends List three years ago, and you just haven’t gotten around to removing him yet because who watches Rick & Morty anymore? Anyway, the point is, you can make a password so he can’t just jump in uninvited and shout “WUBBA LUBBA DUB-DUB” (not that he could anyway, since there’s no voice chat).
It has to be said, though, that our experience with online multiplayer wasn’t quite as smooth as we’d hoped. We already explained in our preview of the game that our initial four-player multiplayer session had a lot of stuttering because one of the four players had a bad connection, and since then we’ve tried playing two-player online with another journalist we know to have a much more stable connection. Even with this set-up there were issues; at the best of times there was some subtle lag (nothing major but enough to mess up the timing of some jumps) and at the worst of times there was more stuttering.
The Beep Block Skyway stage, in particular, is noticeably affected; because this level revolves around blocks that appear and disappear to the beat of the music, this stage literally slows the music down to cater for the sub-optimal performance: it’s distracting, to say the least. We aren’t saying the game is unplayable like this; if you have a few friends online who you’d love to play Mario with, you’re still going to have a good time for the most part. It’s just worth bearing in mind that it isn’t going to be the optimal Mario experience you’d expect to have playing couch co-op or even local wireless. Expect there to be niggly moments, which in a game that often requires fast reactions and good timing, isn’t ideal.
Online aside, then, Super Mario 3D World is just as fantastic as it always has been. Anyone who’s played it before already knows what to expect – the new additions aren’t enough to dramatically change anything – and anyone who missed it the first time around is in for an absolute treat with arguably one up the best games in the linear Super Mario series. And that’s the end, so let’s go to the verdict.
...okay, we’re joking. We all know that the most speculation with this release is surrounding Bowser’s Fury, the new bonus mode that offers a more free-roaming adventure. Ever since it was revealed we’ve seen all manner of over-the-top predictions and assumptions covering all ends of the spectrum, from some who thought it would be a new Odyssey-sized game to those who were almost automatically offended because they assumed that Nintendo was insulting everyone with something that would only last 20 minutes.
The reality is somewhere in the middle. If you’re trying to do the bare minimum and just reach the ending of Bowser’s Fury you’re talking around 3-4 hours depending on how much you like to explore. You’re then probably looking to double that if you want to complete it 100% with all the Cat Shines. The Cat Shines, you see, are Bowser’s Fury’s equivalent of the Stars, Moons and such you would expect to collect in games like Super Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy and Odyssey.
The story goes that Bowser has somehow turned into this new Fury Bowser alter-ego, and only the power of the Giga Bells can stop him. These bells are out of action, though, and you’ll need the power of the Cat Shines to make them work again. In this sense, they work like the various doors that guard the Bowser battles in Super Mario 64, in that each encounter is blocked off until you earn a certain number of trinkets.
The Shines are dotted around Lake Lapcat, a body of water that serves as the game’s map and is populated with umpteen smaller islands of various sizes (it’s an archipelago, if you want to get all nerdy about it). Each of the larger islands acts like a separate ‘stage’, if you will, and each of these have five Shines to collect through various tasks. This could involve turning on the island’s lighthouse, collecting the five Shards hidden on the island, using a key to unlock a caged Shine, or what have you. Get all five Shines on an island and its lighthouse will fully shine, helping to repel Fury Bowser.
In a sense, it’s sort of like what you’d get if you took a Super Mario 64 or Odyssey, shrunk its worlds down to tiny islands and put them all in a single large area, with no loading times or ‘hub world’ to separate them. It feels almost like a proof of concept test to do to Mario what Breath of the Wild did with Zelda, by making one large location to explore with no transitions. Of course, Bowser’s Fury is nowhere near the size or scale of Breath of the Wild, so don’t go thinking we’re trying to say it’s remotely close; it’s just that the general ‘one world, go wherever you want’ concept feels similar.
Accompanying you on your quest in Bowser’s Fury is Bowser Jr., who may be an unusual choice for a companion but is a fun one nonetheless. He’s also concerned that his dad is behaving a bit nastier than usual, so, knowing that Mario is usually the only person who can stop him at the best of times, he reluctantly offers to team up with his old man’s nemesis to see if they can get him back to regular old ‘bad’ Bowser.
Bowser Jr. follows you around as an AI companion, and usually fights enemies and collects coins on your behalf (though if this bothers you, you can change the settings so that he only interacts with something when you manually point at it with a gyro-controller cursor or the touchscreen). Alternatively, a second player can take control of Bowser Jr.; he’s fun enough to play as and his flying controls are intuitive (simply hold the jump button to go higher), but it’s definitely an assistant role rather than a co-star one, because the camera always focuses on Mario. If you’re playing as Bowser Jr., then, expect to go off-screen a lot, though you can always hit the shoulder buttons to respawn.
Every now and then the sky will go dark and Fury Bowser will appear, raining flaming obstacles from the sky and breathing fire at you. This raises the difficulty level up a notch, especially when you’re trying to actually complete a Shine mission at the same time, but his presence is actually necessary to get some of the Shines since his fire breath can destroy the Fury Blocks that are hiding a Shine on each island. There are times when you’ll actually be standing around and waiting for him to appear, then, though if you have a Bowser amiibo (any one will do) you can use that to trigger him instantly.
Bowser’s Fury is a fun little side adventure, but it does have some drawbacks that we’d hope would have been worked on had it been a full game release rather than a bonus adventure. For starters, there isn’t enough variety in the Shine missions. Although each island has five Shines to collect, you almost always know what to expect from three of them: reaching the lighthouse, collecting five Shards and breaking the Fury Blocks hidden somewhere on the island. This repetition extends to the other Shines that can be found dotted around Lake Lapcat itself and aren’t part of any specific island. These too repeat themselves: there are numerous Shines where you have to get through an obstacle course on Plessie, or chase a rabbit, or help a cat find its kittens. There’s nothing inherently wrong with them, it just feels uncharacteristically repetitive for a series that prides itself on packing its games with variety.
The performance in Bowser’s Fury also leaves a bit to be desired in handheld mode. While the main Super Mario 3D World mode runs at a solid 60 frames per second almost all of the time, Bowser’s Fury struggles more because of its open-world nature. Playing it docked, you’ll get 60fps most of the time, but you will definitely see noticeable stutters here and there, especially when you swoop the camera around from a high point and see all the other islands in the distance. Play it in handheld, though, and that drops right down to 30fps. This isn’t terrible in itself – plenty of open-world games are 30fps – but it’s a bit jarring if you switch over from docked.
At this point, it may appear that we’re sticking the boot into Bowser’s Fury, but that really isn’t the case; we still had a fun time playing through it and when you consider it’s essentially a ‘bonus’ mode to the main event of Super Mario 3D World itself, criticisms of its slightly repetitive content should probably be considered with the greater picture in mind. If this mode is a test by Nintendo to see if a full-sized game of this nature would work, we’re absolutely up for that because the concept is sound; we’d just expect more variety if that was to happen. Still, as a 5-6 hour bonus, we had fun with it regardless.
The overall package, then, is a fantastic one. Super Mario 3D World was an incredible game on the Wii U and that hasn’t changed seven years down the line. Its online multiplayer may not be the most stable, but its couch co-op and local wireless are perfect (besides, this is really the sort of game that benefits from having other players near you). If you’re the completist type who doesn’t consider a game fully complete until you’ve collected everything, it will take you an extremely long time to get all the stamps in the game because you essentially need to beat every level with every character to do so. Crucially, it doesn’t feel like a chore despite this.
Bowser’s Fury, meanwhile, is a fun little mini-adventure that experiments with taking the Mario series in a new direction and succeeds for the most part. It’s not the longest mode and there’s certainly more repetition here than there is in the main game but it’s still one of the better, meatier added bonuses we’ve seen in a Mario game, especially compared to other re-releases like New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and Pikmin 3 Deluxe. Naturally, you’re going to get the most out of this one if you’ve never played the Wii U version. If you have, and you have no interest in playing it again, you really shouldn’t be dropping full price on it for Bowser’s Fury alone; it’s very much the short cartoon you get before the full-length Pixar movie in the cinema. If you’re still planning on playing through Super Mario 3D World too, though, then the two combined provide a wealth of content to play through.
Conclusion
Super Mario 3D World remains one of the better linear Mario games, and anyone playing it for the first time is in for an absolute treat. Add to that the curious bonus adventure that is Bowser's Fury and you've got a package that provides great value for money. It isn't without its flaws, but most of these (online multiplayer, repetitive missions in Bowser's Fury) relate to the new additions; the main game itself remains as pure and perfect as it was seven years ago. Had it just been Super Mario 3D World on its own, we'd be thoroughly recommending it anyway; Bowser's Fury is just the cherry on top.
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Comments 259
Not like I needed a review like this to make me decision for me.
But great pun in the subtitle. You know you couldn't make a 3D World review without a cat pun.
Thank god this isn't going to get thanos snapped out of retailers stock on march 31st.
I'm going to be busy with Persona 5 Strikers for the rest of the month but I do intend on getting this game
I missed out on it as a result of not being one of 3 people who owned a Wii U but I've heard nothing but good things and I still really like Super Mario 3D Land
I knew it'd get a high score here but a 10/10 is still a little surprising. I think 3D World is a really fun local multiplayer game but that comes at the expense of the single player experience which I find a little boring which brings it down a few points for me. I'd be curious to try Bowser's Fury at some point but not for anywhere near full retail price when I don't want to replay the main game.
AWESOME! Amazing game.
The review on Bowser's furry does not match the 10 score. If anything you should have given both a separate score
Bowser's Fury basically sounds about roughly what I thought it would be. No need to buy, certainly not now at full price.
If you never played the Game on Wii U, by all means, this is a good game. My personal least favourite of the 3D Mario games, but it is a Mario game so... shrug still good.
Now that this is releasing, hopefully Nintendo will announce something new soon?
What is the resolution of bowsers fury docked?
I found that I didn't have as much fun replaying this game as I did 3D Land because the levels felt more designed for multiple players, but I'm hoping maybe the speed increase makes it feel a bit more energetic. Also I'm getting it for my brother in law for his birthday so we can play online together.
@scully1888 Does online support more than one player per console? I'd really like to play online with my brother in law and my sister who play on the same Switch. Or is it like you can only have one player per Switch? Just curious how it works.
Do you need to finish 3D World to play Fury?
A perfect 10/10 for a game that, according the review, has imperfections
Never change NL!
Still, great game. Looking forward to playing it again.
Great review and day one for me.
Wow, a 10 outta 10. I was already getting the game before, but I'm glad that I have something else to cement my opinion on a game I already know that I will love.
cmon...how come you gave the game a 10/10 when the game has 4 serious issues...
Great game, but not worth 10/10, maybe 9?
For the record, a 10/10 doesn't necessarily mean a game is perfect, but the faults are so miniscule that it's meaningless.
I think 3D World with the addition of Bowser's Fury more than qualifies.
For anyone mad at the 10 score, sometimes the good things about a game are enough to overcome the bad things to the point where the reviewer stills feels like the game deserves a 10.
The review text is satisfyingly critical. Pity that doesn't extend to the review score.
8/10 game on its own. Tack on +2 for it being published by Nintendo, I guess.
@JuiceMan_V The flaws mentioned in the review aren't really miniscule, though.
I'm sick of mario games! I want Metroid,F Zero,Starfox! Dear nintendo...if you want my money stop with mario!
@Low_ink
They have played it and judged it a 10/10. Why suggest a different score (especially when you likely haven't played it)?
Is the bowser fight a head jump or actual paw vs. Claw?
If its a 10/10 it should have zero cons
@Mdhoover
10/10 doesn’t mean perfect.
It means ‘ 10 - Outstanding
Of course no game is ever truly perfect, but a score of ten indicates that it is an outstanding example in the current climate of games. We don't dish this score out lightly, this is a genre defining game that we absolutely feel you should own.’
https://www.nintendolife.com/scoring
@Radbot42 They're part of the same package, so it's pointless giving Bowser's Fury a separate score. That would be like giving the battle mode in Mario Kart its own review.
That Rick and Morty paragraph was... something. Excited for this.
@scully1888 Despite being short, Bowser's Fury seems like a separate game, though, with independent mechanics, narrative, extremely different level design, etc. That's the impression I've gotten from footage and the way people have written about it.
This isn't a 10 for me, not convinced any hd redo/upscale/remake in this vein deserves a 10.
Afterall, they have most of the work done and there already.
Does anyone else feel that Nintendo's own titles keep getting 10/10 for rehashed older games? I bet this is more of a 7 or 8 for those who've played Mario games before.
Might wanna revise the screenshots that spoil a certain post-game unlockable character... I remember that was a huge surprise when I beat the game in 2013 and I would've hated to have that spoiled for me. Just a thought.
I owned a Wii U for a few months back in 2014 just to play Super Mario 3D World and eventhough I eventually sold the Wii U (wasn't the biggest fan of the hardware) to fund an Xbox One purchase it was still worth it to play this masterpiece. Can't wait to have it in my collection again and really looking forward to the Bowser's Fury content.
@Mdhoover,
10/10 does not mean perfect, as no game would ever be totally without minor flaws, it means an outstanding title.
@ryu_san having completed this game 7 years ago I agree
Can't wait to play this again. It's my second favorite Mario game after Galaxy.
@Ralizah
Online mode isn't the most stable? As compared to what?
The game isn't the best in handheld mode? People said the same about XCDE, but upon playing it myself, I thought it was fine.
Browser's Fury is short? I mean, I didn't expect it to be 30 hrs long, so it's like the Cherry on top a delicious sundae.
Either way, the quality speaks for itself.
YOU just don't like 3D world that much and have an issue with the 10/10 score.
I'll pick it up eventually. Maybe when the price goes down a little.
Just to reiterate what others have pointed out, a 10 doesn't mean perfect, otherwise no game would ever get a 10 and we might as well score games out of 9 instead (sort of like Spinal Tap in reverse). A 10 simply means it's one of the most essential games in the console's library and we reckon everyone should get it. As I say in the actual review, we'd be thoroughly recommending it anyway had it just been 3D World because it's one of the best linear Mario games made. Bowser's Fury may not be up there with Odyssey etc but I certainly had fun with it regardless and it's added value to an already fantastic game. A game can have negative elements but still be considered essential: some people don't like finding all 900 Korok seeds in Breath of the Wild but I'm sure they'd still have no hesitation in recommending the game anyway.
There's no bumping of the score because it's Nintendo or any nonsense like that: it's a fantastic game and I've thoroughly enjoyed the three weeks I've spent rinsing both modes to completion. Hope that helps explain it a bit so we don't get a million comments from people focusing on the two digits at the end instead of the 2500 words before it
With love
Chris
I must say, this review didn't read like a 10/10. Based on the issues described, I was expecting the score to show 8 or 9 tops.
Good game 8/10
@JuiceMan_V Repetitive game design, unstable online multiplayer, subpar performance undocked (in Bowser's Fury, at least), etc. are real issues with the game, regardless of your own low personal standards. They merit extensive discussion in the review, and should be reflected in the final score. If review scores don't reflect what's written in the preceding text, then they're pointless, frankly.
Mario 3D World by itself is a straight 10 out of 10 game. Anyone who thinks different? Meh I don't care, do what you want.
"when you consider it’s essentially a ‘bonus’ mode to the main event of Super Mario 3D World itself"
I don't understand how a game that was already known for it's 4 player couch co-op on Wii U added online multiplayer and table top multiplayer for it's main game, then added on "such a big deal it made it's way into the title" mode that is really only a single player game w/ an assist. How does that happen?
Mom and dad gather the kids around the tv for the 4 player main game, finish that, then the kids are all excited to get to Bowser's Fury and mom is like "Sorry kids, time for bed, only daddy will be playing that one." Come on man.
Bowser's Fury obviously should have been a $20 Odyssey DLC - see Splatoon 2 - or stand alone, but Nintendo wanted people to pay $60 for a port of a $20 game so...
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-mario-3d-world-wii-u/
If this was SM3DW 2, a sequel like Galaxy had, it would be day 1, probably even 2 copies to play online w/ my son at college, but not buying this for more than $20. Single player add-on to a 4 player game, puh-lease.
#spoiler...Can't wait for Switch ports of Wii Music and Superman 64 as the big ticket games this year!
Looking forward to playing this with the wife and kid! What's all this nagging about 8, 9 or 10? If 10 means 'outstanding' on this site, than 10 is what it'll get. Can't wait!
Have any of the people that are saying the score should be lower actually played this version of the game? I doubt it.
Nintendo Life has judged it and they have given it a 10 based on their criteria. You can disagree, but it doesn't make them wrong.
@Ralizah If Bowser's Fury didn't even exist this would still have been a 9 or 10. The criticisms I have of what's essentially bonus content aren't enough to bring down the value of the entire package. 30fps in handheld is disappointing but it isn't a flaw as such, otherwise everyone would hate Breath of the Wild or any of the countless other open-world games that run at 30.
I played this game on Wii U until the crazy 80's Bowser world (You know what I am talking about.) How much content is after that?
@lighteningbolt79
6 million people played this game 7 years ago.... even the review admits there is no significant difference aside from the bonus
yes it looks awesome, yes I can't wait to play it on Friday (providing it arrives) and yes I'm sure it is probably worth a score of 10?! However, it's about time we had a new Mario game and a new MK!! Come on Nintendo, a large number of us here had a WIIU and have played all these re-releases before, so lets have some NEW games please
@electrolite77 @johnvboy I get all that. But the review doesn't read like its building up to a 10.
I dont really mind about their score (I expected it to come in high anyway) and I was tongue in cheek hence the smiley face. I know the game is great from the wii u.
Seems like this is using the same or similar netcode as Smash and Mario Maker 2, so accurate but gets laggy and choppy at any connection instability or fluctuation.
Come on Nintendo what are you waiting for to improve your online codes wtf just hire people or something it's ridiculous.
I had the game on wii u but played it so much that I couldn't finish it because the disc was buggered so I guess i'm buying this
I still need to finish Sunshine. It threw my controller down in frustration, back in the GC days, and walked away from it. Replaying it on Switch was a reminder as to why. 3D World and Sunshine are the only Mario game’s I have not beaten. While playing the remaster, I only got to chasing the metallic Mario (the first time) and was THROUGH! Originally, I got to the amusement park and was THROUGH! 😂 Once I pick it back up and beat it, I’m going to get this game. I was near the end of 3D World and had to sell my WiiU. Looking forward to replaying it!
The original was already a 9.5/10 game, imo, so with all this content it should get very close to the perfection.
cool ill just pop into the city next to us to buy it. Oh wait swiss lockdown gamestop non essential. Carzy when they were allowed to be open the restrictions ment you could only have two people in it anyway
How is this a perfect 10 with all the cons?
And with it being a mere port? Other ports usually get downgraded scores.
It also doesn't address if its enough to warrant full price if you already own it.
Too bad the online part has a few hiccups. Still definitely getting this. The main game on Wii U that I wanted for Switch is finally here.
Sure wish that they would give us Bowser's Fury separately as they did with Star Fox Guard. 'Cause I sure as heck ain't shelling out $60 for 3D World. A game that I squeezed dry of the content it had offered.
@scully1888 There is 100% bumping of the score here.
Plenty of other games got switch ports that got reduced scores for no reason other than being ports.
@iulis84
The 7 year old game runs at a rock solid 60fps.
The 30fps is for the NEW open world bonus game and only in handheld mode.
@scully1888 If you can play each without ever touching the other, then they are effectively two separate games that happen to be published in one package, making it far from pointless to review them separately. And please don't argue that they can't be bought separately, because no proper review factors in price anyway.
So eurogamer and digital foundry confirmed bowsers fury is in fact 720-790p in docked mode.
Even the regular game is running dynamic resolution.
I’m just happy a switch pro or switch two will likely be able to boost these resolutions.
@gojiguy
Because 10 doesn’t mean perfect
@Ralizah
You’re right, review scores are pointless. Just read the text.
Dispatched... Looking forward to playing this (again.) Have it on my Wii U but bought it for my son. I'm sticking to that excuse.
@Mdhoover
I’m with you. I don’t get the obsession some have with Review scores. Plenty of more valuable info you can use when deciding whether to buy a game or not.
My only point is 10 doesn’t mean perfect like some posters seem to think. If it was you’d never use it and have a 9-point review score.
@karatekid1612
Thing with that is yes, plenty of people on this site have played it. But it sold 5.86 million copies. Switch has sold 80 million. So I can see why they’re releasing stuff like this.
@Mdhoover
10/10 isn't perfect. I used to wonder how people could think that, but a few years of reading all the whining constantly about everything and anything ... I'm starting to get it.
10/10 is "as good as it can be". It means in the reviewer's opinion that game meets every reasonable expectation.
Shouldn't that be self evident? It's like calling the best day of your life 9/10 because you didn't get a unicorn. I agree, in a prefect day, you totally would get a unicorn. Why have a 10 point scale is 10 is literally impossible? And a game without flaws is impossible.
By that logic the best possible score a game could ever get is 9/10 with the flaws "no inklings. Off the hook and Squid sisters don't do the music". And splatoons would get a 9/10 for "no Toadette". No one wins!
@lighteningbolt79 Uh, I have played it lol. I'm not saying that's what I would give considering it's been a few years, just that the cons seemed pretty big for a 10/10. Base game only, on couch co-op though, I could see a 10/10.
I have it on the wii u and literally just started learning the tricks to speedrun it yesterday, as a note to all of you who say the game isn't fun in single player try speedrunning the game it makes it WAY better in single player
WOW A ten out of ten, I didn't think that would happen.
I'm going to have to pick this game up at some point but for now I'm getting crash 4 and I still have such a backlog.
Super Mario 3D World is a 10/10 game on its own. Bowser's Fury is just the icing on the cake.
This review reads like it’s trying to sell me, rather than inform me. It’s also strange that it had around 6 paragraphs dedicated to negatives, yet the reviewer felt the need to give it 10/10.
Can’t approve that
@Ralizah
What you don't seem to quite understand, because you dislike 3D World, is that the base game itself, regardless of Bowser's Fury, the online mode and handheld mode, is already a 9/10 by most standards and reflected by it's metacritic score.
Now tack on those modes and improve performance, what you have now is a 9.5-10/10 game.
The score wouldn't suddenly go down because of the perceived flaws by most observers.
I feel that you're not a 3D World fan and that's fine too, but you should state that.
"Handheld performance in Bowser's Fury is disappointing"
"Bowser's Fury missions can get a little repetitive"
Outstanding 10/10.
Hmm, those are two big things to me.
Fury should not be repetitive as new content for a nealy 8 year old game, sounds kinda poor, so, I'll go with an 8 out of 10.
EDIT: FYI, i loved 3D world on the WiiU
@readyletsgo to be fair its not that long so it probably wont get too repetitive but idk i haven't played it
As a thought experiment, let’s say there exists a local-multiplayer-only game that (for the sake of argument) is considered ‘perfect’ and everyone agrees it’s a 10/10, or 5/5, or 1000/1000, or whatever.
Now let’s say you add a slightly iffy online multiplayer mode to it. Does is now deserve a 9/10 for being ‘imperfect’? Is it now a ‘worse’ game, despite being no less of a game than the one it expanded on?
Counting backwards from 10 based on perceived negatives always seems a bit weird to me. Few of the games that have really knocked my socks off have been ‘flawless’, but they’ve been so stuffed with goodness that the faults seems insignificant.
And those who believe ‘no game warrants a 10/10’, you can just mentally increase the denominator by one. Then you can have your ‘perfection does not exist’ edginess and the rest of us can have a scoring system that actually gets properly used.
I was looking forward to online multiplayer. I knew I was gonna double dip as soon it came out, I love this game. The review and the final score have nothing to do with each other but that doesn't affect me either way
Looking forward to playing this weekend with the kids! SM3DW on the Wii U was the first game we ever multiplayer-ed. They were so little then that we never came close to completing it, but Mario Super World (as we dubbed it) was always cute and very fun to play together.
Long live the 4-character selection a la Super Mario Bros 2! I love having that variety when playing through stages.
@MikeHiscoe No they can both be selected on their own on the main menu of the game at any time.
@bozz I’m surprised no one else besides you noticed the Rick & Morty mention. To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick & Morty...
@gojiguy Such as? I've rarely (if ever) personally dropped a game's score "for no other reason than it being a port", and if I had done it with this it would have been to a 9 if it had been a straight carbon copy with no changes made whatsoever. A completely new side-game shows that it's more than just a mere port, so I'm not really sure what the point is. Bowser's Fury adds to the package, it doesn't subtract from it.
Can't wait. Missed this the first time round so it's all new to me!
Was relieved to see the reviewer pull the trigger on the 10/10 because this is Mario at its finest. When a game is made so competently and thoughtfully, a critique should reserve pretension and make the full recommendation.
I had around 500 hours in Super Mario 3d world on Wii U so I'm definitely getting this day one. I think Super Mario 3d world is one of the most underrated Mario games. I love all the 3d Mario games and this one is great as well. Yes its more linear levels but it has SO MANY DAMN LEVELS and the music is just INCREDIBLE and on Wii U it just felt so good to play and control ( as mario anyways) its a 10/10 game for me and now that I can have it on the go, and Bowser's fury which looks amazing. I understand some people not caring about this but this is such a monumental release for me I just cant wait!
It deserved a 10. This is well worth the full price. Nintendo is starting the year off with a bang. Next up, Ghosts N Goblins!
Also, an extra quest with over 8 hours of new content does make this worth the price. Give it a try before you say it is not worth full price or not.
I will say, some on here said they would not start with the "it isn't worth sixty bucks thing" and I see some of them here. SO much for keeping your word eh?
@MS7000 I agree, for some odd reason this game just didn't click with me. It's like pizza, where even bad pizza is still good. I just feel that it meshes the two styles of Mario well enough, but there's just something about it that didn't stick for me.
But idk the 10/10 feels very inflated when we compare this to the perfection that was odyssey.
10/10 doesn't mean perfect. Come on - why is this still a point of contention in 2021?
@westman98 I think for most of that we know this, but 10/10 games in my opinion (and maybe others) are innovative and extremely polished games which experiences are unmatched for it's time.
I can't say that this game was that for me. Even when it came out for the Wii U it was a very safe for the most part conservative Mario game building off the structure of 3d Land on the 3DS. Nothing about it stuck out as a 10/10 game. That being said it is a great game, just not a 10/10 imo.
Got the posting confirmation from the Nintendo online shop this morning, so fingers crossed that this (and the plush Bowser I inexplicably ordered with it) arrives tomorrow
@michellelynn0976 I mean it has backwards compatibility and upscales resolution and many of the large scale games get a boost in fps. Many from 30fps to 60fps. I for one have a ton of games on my Ps4 to complete. I'd kill for a PS5 rn, especially with how good Ghost of Tsushima looked on the ps4
@scully1888 I think they've got it in for you.
Why does Nintendo always do something stupid when it comes to online play? Why can’t we play with friends or randoms online? They want to add value to NSO but they have no clue how to do it right.
“ Online multiplayer is handled the same way – by hitting the R button and creating or joining a room – but it’s strictly limited to people in your friend list; you can’t just join a random game.”
@Mdhoover If it's like a 9.8 for example, you just round up, not down.
I can't wait to play it, but a 10 for a game that isn't graphically intensive, but has noticeable stutters? Come on now.
@iulis84 mostly every other game site is giving this over an 8.5 to an 9+ besides ign reivew which the reviewer gave it a 7 which doesnt add up.
@Chunkboi79 Well, that does not excuse the lack of new releases. The Wii U had backwards ckmpatability, but that did not matter. Also, PS5 controllers are drifting and Sony wants people to pay shipping.
Great review, can’t wait xx
@Chunkboi79 I think I saw someone else comment that it is better in multiplayer than single-player, so perhaps that might have contributed for me, as I have only ever played it in single-player. But I guess the problem I had was that the level design did not feel as interesting to me as 3D Land, nor did the new gimmicks feel particularly well executed to me. Still enjoyed it more than New Super Mario Bros 2.
@gojiguy All WiiU ports except for NSMBUDX, Pikmin 3DX and now SM3DW+BF got better metascores than the original versions.
Definitely getting this game. Missed out on it once, not gonna happen while I still have a Nintendo Switch. This review has gotten me even more excited. Only 2 or so days left at the time of writing.
"Meow that's what we call value"
Only on a Nintendo fan site will you see a game like this called a "value" - a port of a 7 year-old game with what is effectively a tech demo tossed in as an after-thought.
I'd feel differently if this were a $30-40 game, or if Nintendo gave a discount to those who have this game digitally on Wii U.
It is just a testament to how lazy Nintendo has been this generation. When a 7 year-old port is one of their big first party games of the year, you know things are pretty weak.
My favorite 3D Mario game, and the only reason the WiiU gets turned on from time to time here. Buying this day 1
Wow. Main game is ace, but surprised to see this package score 10 given how many caveats I noticed as I skimmed the review.
We bought our Wii U to play this game when it was originally released. We were not disappointed. To this day, it's one of my family's favorite Mario games. It's a unique entry into the 3D Mario series. It feels like a 3D version of Mario 2 and Mario 3. You can pick between 4 characters that control differently like in Mario 2 but with the overworld and character of Mario 3. If you have family or friends that are into Mario, this game becomes one of the best Mario experiences ever. Being able to play local multiplayer with 3 other people working together to finish each level and collect each stamp is a blast. Also, how can you forget that this game spawned a completely different game series; Toad Treasure Tracker! It's packed full of content, and I can't recommend it stronger to those who skipped this on the Wii U. For me and my family though, I don't think there's enough for us to revisit it again. We played through the original multiple times already.
Psyched 3d world is finally here. I didn't have a wii u.
@1ofUs Don't give them any ideas!
@gojiguy it would be difficult to say whether it’s worth paying full price or not- that’s purely subjective. The review discusses in some detail how the package differs from what was released on Wii U, but fundamentally it’s still Super Mario 3D World, so if you don’t see the value in playing that again with a few tweaks, you probably know whether or not you want to pay £50 for it.
@LegendOfPeach "we should get a discount because we already own the game" is the stupidest argument, if you already have the game then just play it
If they patched momentum I won't buy it, at least not day 1, but if they didn't i will
@Beatrice Every game has flaws
@Chunkboi79
I actually agree with your points - I don't think 3D World is a 10/10 game. I'd personally give it a 9/10 or 9.5/10; the game is absolutely amazing but not as innovative or inventive as the other 3D Mario platformers.
With that being said, a lot of the comments here are complaining that a game can't be 10/10 unless there is nothing listed in the "Cons" list at the end of the review. Some are taking things a step further by implying that the reviewer is some fanboy who is artificially inflating the score because the game is developed by Nintendo. I take issue with that.
@OnlyItsMeReid yeah that Wii U discount business is nonsense, it's as if they expect to be rewarded for their valiant efforts.
@westman98 I knew this would happen. Same old same old, you can set your watch by it.
The rating IMHO is way too exaggerated. a 8/10 or even a lower 7/10 would be a better vote in my opinion. If this is a perfect ten, then we should rate games like Mario Odissey and Mario Galaxy a 13/10 in comparison IMHO.
@LegendOfPeach It's not "effectively a tech demo tossed in as an afterthought". That's wide off the mark.
Even if it wasn't, tech demos aren't inherently bad: look at Astro's Playroom.
At the end of the day, it takes 6-7 hours to clear 100%. There are full games that nearly last that long: The Medium (which I like, incidentally) was just released on Xbox One and takes around eight hours to beat. Bowser's Fury is close to that, and it's 'just' a bonus side-game, not the actual main event. That's not "tossed in as an afterthought", that's an extra mode that's had care and attention put into it.
I can't wait to replay it! One of the few games I really missed when I sold my Wii U.
This won't be day one since I played SM3DW extensively on the Wii U, but perhaps I'll pick it up down the line. The Bowser's Fury mode, despite the mentioned repetition, sounds fun and worth another purchase...on discount.
For those who haven't played this game at all, I highly recommend it! It is very much worth your time and, while not a fully kitted 3D Mario game, has plenty to offer.
@Giygas_95 it's 4 player local on one switch just like the wii u original! I used to have on wii u and its a blast certainly a better multiplayer experience than the chaotic Mario bros u multiplayer. Enjoy!
I indulge in all the bickering for review scores and review scales, some things never change. I was about to say "as if only the score at the end of a review mattered" but that's actually probably true. If review scores have to be as important for the industry as they are nowadays, then I really think there should be a standardized review scale for every site whose opinion is valued by aggregates and the like — two people may enjoy the same game to the same amount, while recognizing it has several flaws, but one may give it a 10 and the other go as low as an 8 for two different, yet both seemingly valid reasons. Who is in the right? This applies to review of ports or remasters in particular, whose scoring tends to be a grey area to many.
That aside, I read the whole review and found it to be well-written. The reviewer clearly falls on the more lenient side of giving out higher scores but again, there is nothing intrinsecally wrong with that. It is not afraid to list out the areas where the game falls a bit short compared to the standards set by other titles or the rest of the package, and the score lines up with the review scale he chose to use — any game whose positives far, far the negatives in the opinion of the reviewer gets a 10. As someone who has already played the Wii U original, I am disappointed to hear that Bowser's Fury is not quite up to par with the main part of the game, but it is what I was expecting from the start. It is a really good idea whose execution leaves unfortunately much to be desired, but I hope that this will serve as a testing ground for something that's yet to come. A full game with the same basic premise as this, but a totally fleshed-out execution, would have a lot of potential methinks.
@markypickard Thanks for your reply, but it's the online multiplayer I'm wondering about specifically. I'm wondering if my brother in law and my sister can play online with me at the same time or if it would have to just be one of them playing online with me at a time.
Edit: I just found my answer on the website for the game. It's up to two players per system when playing online. So it sounds like I can play online with them!
I honestly preferred Rayman Legends on the Wii U at the time so we’ll see if this endears itself on a second playthrough.
@Giygas_95 ah I see. That's good to know actually
can't wait for my copy
Not a value at all for a game I have already played. Pass.
@michellelynn0976
Yawn.
Go on to your precious Push Square if you want to rant about the PS5.
Also share the names of the people who gave you their word they wouldn't complain about price. Go on, name and shame!!
Cool!! This and Whooly world always gave me the idea my wiiu was worth its money.
3d world was so much fun in local co-op! You and a buddy exploring and looking for stars is the best!
It's my absolute favourite non-kart Mario game. Glad to hear all that about Bowser's Fury. Happy to stick with the Wonderful Wii U version.
I enjoy Nintendolife reviews, they're well written and they don't take anything for granted.
But i'm curious how a game with pros and cons can get a 10/10.
Mmh debatable
@teo_o My logic is if base 3D world is say, a 9 out of ten, then if you add all the extras and Bowsers fury it gets bumped up to a 10/10 but the problems with bowsers fury can't make the game go down to an 8 because you still get the 9/10 exprience + extras
This is my favorite 3D Mario game. I had fun playing it 7 years ago. I will buy it again this weekend!
@michellelynn0976 Nintendo launched with only one game and a few third parties. Joycons are drifting, and nintendo wants me to pay $60 for wii u ports.
Same song and dance here.
10/10? I think you guys are overreacting
@Chunkboi79
Do yourself a favour and don't engage with that person. Setting yourself up for a headache!
Hey Nintendolife you can’t give a 10 then list a load of issues.
Online multiplayer isn't always reliable
Bowser's Fury missions can get a little reptitive
Handheld performance in Bowser's Fury is disappointing
@TheFullAndy You sure get defensive over this. You really show your true intentions. Go fix your broken, drifting PS5 dual sense, that Sony makes you pay to get fixed.
@Tyranexx
Discount? A Nintendo title? You can wait like.. you know, a couple of years.
I played this game in the WiiU and I loved it. Before Odyssey, it was my favorite Super Mario game. I will buy this with no doubt, SM3DW on the go.
@michellelynn0976
I don't have a PS5 yet unfortunately.
Now name and shame, name and shame!
@Chunkboi79 @Chunkboi79 Hardly. Marko Kart 8DX, Arms, and Splatoon 2 in the first 4 months.
But, if you want a PS5, go ahead and get one. Have fun with it.
Anyway, I will stick to the topic. My apologies.
@TheFullAndy A lot of people don't have it. Scalpers. Wow, you are upset. Grow up.
@TheFullAndy But, you are engaging with me. OK.
@TheFullAndy If you do not like my comments, you do not have to reply.
I do agree with you that this game is a 10 out of 10.
@OnlyItsMeReid makes sense! i haven't read the original now that you mention it.
Damn it, I have to double dip. Don't I?!
@TheFullAndy What is your problem with me? I am allowed to speak my mind, if you do not like it, move on.
Hey! I watch and rewatch Rick & Morty to this day! Still eagerly awaiting next season too.
But seriously, I'm actually going to buy this. I hadn't bought any reheated Wii U titles other than Breath of the Wild before this. But Bowser's Fury is more than enough to justify this. I enjoyed the hell out of 3D World back when it first came out.
Just got an email that my copy was despatched yesterday, I can't believe I've never played this game despite having a WiiU 🤷🏻♂️
What more can you expect from a Nintendo only site. 10/10 for an over priced port with a cherry on the top.
A game is never the same on a second play through, you know what's round every corner and the element of surprise and discovery are not there.
Of course us Wii U owners can take a back seat, Nintendo and Nintendo Life are playing to the new comers, those who forgot to buy a Wii U and who think this is a new game, which to them it is.
This is why I don't trust NL reviews. They say it's value for money. Not if you have to pay twice it's not.
@michellelynn0976 While most next gen games are coming to PS4 (with a free upgrade unlike the Wii U to Switch), are we really going to sit here and act like Nintendo didn't have a shortage of systems all last year?
@zool Everyone has given it high reviews because it's a wonderful game, regardless of if one of the two games included came out on another console once before.
God is a Geek- 10/10
NintendoLife- 10/10
VGC- 10/10
Vooks- 10/10
Destructoid- 10/10
Digitally Downloaded- 10/10
GamesBeat- 10/10
The Sydney Morning Herald- 10/10
Power Up Gaming- 9.8/10
Game Informer- 9.25/10
GameSpot- 9/10
Screen Rant- 9/10
Twinfinite- 9/10
Critical Hit- 9/10
GamesRadar- 9/10
Video Chums- 9.2/10
TheGamer- 9/10
The Digital Fix- 9/10
TheSixthAxis- 9/10
My Nintendo News - 9/10
IGN Italia - 9/10
Metro GameCentral- 9/10
Stevivor- 9/10
Atomix- 9.8/10
Areajugones- 9.5/10
SpazioGames- 9.3/10
Vandal- 9.2/10
Multiplayer- 9.1/10
Press Start Australia- 9/10
Trusted Reviews- 9/10
GameSpew- 9/10
Switch Player- 9/10
NWR - 9/10
PCMag- 9/10
COGconnected- 8/10
EGM- 8/10
Cubed3- 8/10
CGMagazine- 7/10
IGN- 7/10
@TheFullAndy dually noted lol
@Clyde_Radcliffe Nope, not good enough, they're all wrong...
@Cyrax77 I highly recommend the game to those who haven't played the title previously; it is very much worth owning. However, I don't double dip often or lightly lol. Plus, with how my backlog currently is (only picked up a Switch in late 2019), waiting two years sounds about right! XD
10/10 games deserve sequels.
Friday night will be busy for sure! Can't wait.
Chris cannot seem to grasp the reason for the negative overall reaction to his review score.
So many small and some larger issues must surely equate to something below a maximum score.
It obviously doesn't sit well compared to the overall tone of the review.
This'll be a birthday present for me, which means i have to wait a week to play it, can't wait !
On the topic of Bowser's Fury potentially preluding a new Mario game, i honestly think it could be hinting towards a Sunshine sequel, think about it, one seamless world that leads to smaller worlds/islands would fit Sunshine closer than any other 3D Mario game, you could always see other parts of Delphino Island in the distance during Sunshine, imagine being able to just head towards them at any point.
I'm probably just thinking this way because i've always wanted Sunshine to get a sequel, it has so much potential i think, more nozzle types, using liquid other than water in FLUDD etc but it's probably not going to happen................then again Bowser Jr does have his paintbrush back..........and there is black goo all over the place in Fury...........nah, it won't happen xD
The game still supports 4-player couch co-op correct?
@sixrings The UI is 1080p, but the game is 720p.
@sixrings : Even if there were to be a "Switch Pro", all games that have been designed to run on the original hardware will still run at their original clock speed (like DS games running on DSi and most 3DS games running on New 3DS) unless they have specifically been programmed (and/or updated) to take advantage of the improvements in the new hardware.
Even after releasing the DSi and New 3DS systems, Nintendo continued to neglect the improvements in their new hardware. For example, the Fire Emblem and Pokémon games were still plagued with performance issues on 3DS (though they did make SOME effort to improve performance in the latter franchise). Quite pathetic, really.
I mean, I was already 100% on-board with this game anyway. A Mario game I've not played before and a crazy open world 6 - 8 hour game on the side.
Sounds incredible
@nimnio shonky online, performance problems and the issues mentioned with the new additional game (his words not mine) would suggest there is plenty of room for improvement with this release.
That being the case, surely a 10 doesn't correlate with his review.
@electrolite77 yep and I was one of those 80 million, however as stated, Nintendo also need to be making new games as well as remastered WIIU games I'm sure you will agree?
@karatekid1612
Yeah, which they have made many of
@X68000
I can think of a few reasons for people reacting negatively to a review score but I don’t feel like being nasty tonight so I won’t post them
@Clyde_Radcliffe I understand your point, eight reviewers have given it a 10 and two went as low as seven. So the average I guess will be 9, unless more lower scores arrive.
The 10's have reviewed this as a new game for a new console, for gamers who have not played it before. But it is an old port selling at full price.
I take the average score from three site reviewers and for the most part the average is what I would give. An 8.6.
If you were the reviewer and gave it a 10 because it was a good game, regardless of it being an old port, then I guess you would score a lot of 'good games a 10'. But that would not leave much room for the very good or excellent new, better value games.😱
@electrolite77 that's a shame, would love to hear them.
@electrolite77 That's right Nintendo have made a number of new games but do the maths with regards to how many original brand new games. You will find if you take time out, that there are actually not that many new Mario games for the Switch. Lots of remastered, which have been done very well, but not as you say 'which they have made many of'. So your argument does not stand up and is inaccurate. However (as stated previously) I'm sure you (and millions) will agree, we are long overdue a new Mario game and a new MK game as after all it is Mario's 35th birthday. And if a new Mario game and MK game does come out in the near future, I'm sure you will be first in line to buy both?
It's a little difficult to justify Nintendo charging us to play online, when online features in their own flagship titles are so poorly implemented.
What was the last big, new first party game Nintendo released? Animal crossing? Is it time to admit that, for us Wii U owners, Nintendo hasn't really delivered on switch thus far?
This is a great game, though! I'm sure lots of people will love it.
@luke88
It was actually Hyrule Warriors back in November.
Looking forward to playing it! My only issue with this review is the Rick and Morty comment, that was unwarranted. Rick and Morty is awesome.
Getting this agay to play online with friends
@KryptoniteKrunch That's not a "first party" title. It wasn't developed by Nintendo, unless I'm mistaken?
@Chunkboi79 No one said that. However, Sony will go over 6 months before another noticable title. How many would give Nintendo a pass for this?
Y'know, I fell for the 10/10 rating back in the Wii u days for this game, but I'm not falling for it again. 3d World was a 7/10 game for me. Not knocking against those that find it as a 10 though. I don't really think the Bowser's Fury content could really raise the rating for me.
I have two problems with the game and the 10 score.
One is that the game is a slap in the face for Wii U owners who have already bought this once for full price. You know, MS and PS are right now making all your existing PS4 and XBox One games work (and work better) in the new consoles. They are addressing this crucial customer pain point, while Nintendo just cynically grabs your money for the same thing a second time. I really hope that with whatever hardware Nintendo are releasing next, they will be just forced to follow the lead of MS and PS in this.
The other is that it seems the whole world is getting too crazy about re-releases in general, be it video games, music, often also films. Since the re-releases work is considered a masterpiece (often only in hindsight), and nostalgia is so warm and cosy, critics feel compelled to give 100% scores. The end result is that we are getting copies of works (maybe with a certain extent of polish) instead of real new creations, and we are even hyped into being happy about it.
From the moral side, this also means throwing your money at all the publishers and rights holders, without supporting actual creators, I mean the real people who work on making a new game or new music release, etc, happen. (OK, I know that there is a little bit of new content in this one, but it's not that great according to the review.) So, basically, you just make the rich middleman even richer, and those who should actually get (most of) your money get even less, or nothing.
Nintendo Life really struggles to hide its bias on the Mario reviews, doesn't it?
If you didn't play this on the Wii U and you are looking for a co-op local multiplayer game, I would recommend it just based on my time with that game.
I played through it on the Wii U with my better half, and we had an absolute blast with the game then.
I would imagine the added Bowser's Fury content is like icing on the cake, or something to that extent, at this point? The game was packed with content and levels on the Wii U, and I don't think we even finished 100% everything after we bear the main levels/story.
@michellelynn0976 Sony makes a system powerful enough to attract third party developers which make up the rest of Sonys library. By Nintendo underpowering their system they are basically taking full responsibility to be the main providers of the games.
@sixrings @RainbowGazelle Yeah, those great 3rd party microtransactions and bug-riddled games like Madden, COD, and Cyberpunk.
Now, the Switch is getting its great exclusives from 3rd parties.
IGN gave it a 7 lol
@michellelynn0976 Keep doing what you are doing. yes this game is 60 dollars, but this is a new system and switch has sold much more than wii u ever could. if all those people would have bought the wii u, they wouldn't had to worry about nintendo remaking this game.
@michellelynn0976 I have a bunch of great third party games on my PS4 that aren't riddled with bugs and either don't have micro transactions, or they're harmless and easy to ignore (DMC V and FarCry 5). If you to the absolute minimum of research before you buy a game, it's easy to avoid the trash.
The sad part of this is, giving a great game a 10/10 brings out the angriest of the bunch. If it was a 7/10 no one would care. But a 10?! Liar!!!
@TheFox That is Capcom though. And, no, most of the big western games now are MT, bug-riddled messes. But, that is true. You do the research and it is easy to get past the trash, so good for you on that.
@Ralizah Only in the bonus mode are there non-minuscule flaws. "Super Mario 3D World" itself is still a 10/10 game, so adding extra bonus content that's still pretty good shouldn't detract from that.
Personally, I don't think Bowser's Fury sounds very fun, but I've already got the Wii U version, so it just makes it an even easier decision for me not to double dip once I eventually get a Switch.
@ekwcll Thank you. All some do on here is complain, I can smell trolls a mile away. They are trying to bring down the hype for the Switch and SM3DW.
@michellelynn0976 Not sure why you tagged me in this discussion?
Reading the review, a 10/10 score seems incorrect. But definetly a must-buy for those who never played when the game originally released to Wii U.
I am re-buying it sheerly for the fact that it is my kids' favorite Mario game (and mind you they 100% ODYSSEY). There is a pure joy to the music, platforming, and twitch moment to moment gameplay in these courses that recalls the best of 2D era Mario. Also, the multiplayer aspect is fantastic.
Site review scores are ultimately subjective. Not everyone is going to like the game at the same level. People need to chill.
@karatekid1612
I meant new games in general, which they’ve made many of. The Switch-nearly 4 years old-has a new 3D Mario and new Mario Maker. This port has a decent sized chunk of new content.
It’s just about being realistic. They’re a business. Their last system was terrible apart from some of the exclusive games dripped out for it. Hardly anyone bought it. They’d be insane not to port and upgrade those games for the Switch especially as it’s portable and they have still been releasing lot of new games. They won’t get away with it forever but for now (shrugs).
I feel like I'm missing something with this one. Never played the original and just don't see why it's earning such a great review here? I've seen others less favourable. If it was all in the mould of Bowser's Fury I'd be more interested but I've always preferred the more open Mario games to the Linear ones. I'll wait.
@gergelyv
“ The other is that it seems the whole world is getting too crazy about re-releases in general, be it video games, music, often also films. ”
That isn’t a new thing though. People savour their favourite films, albums, paintings etc over and over. They’re also willing to buy them again on new formats that enrich the experience. They aren’t one and done. There’s no reason to think Gaming should be any different. It’s just that as the industry matures (and it should be noted, development of new product gets more time consuming and expensive which isn’t the case with a lot of other types of entertainment) there’s more old content to be re-experienced or introduced to new audiences.
I've 100% completed this on Wii-U.
If Super Mario Bros. 2 on NES & Super Mario World on SNES had a baby, this would be it.
One of the best 3D Mario's i've ever played. And also one of the few 3D Mario's with a actual full-blown co-op multiplayer.
I've since read quite a few positive reviews from non affiliated Nintendo sites. Think I'd dig Bowser's Fury but not sure about 3D world. My wife is CRAZY about Mario and is finishing All Stars. This just might do her birthday present!
@MS7000 lol just lol and no Nintendo first party ever goes on sale lol
@michellelynn0976
You are the one who keeps bringing up the PS5 in Nintendo topics.
Sort yourself out.
@Jedge396 if you played the game you would understand why this game is praised lol
@gergelyv whatever floats your boat buddy
When it's all said and done the sales figures will prove the trolls wrong.as of yesterday it was #2 on the eshop best sellers.and that's just for eshop preorders lol
@Darkyoshi98 I hope you're right as my wife just text me asking how to download it lol. Just never been a fan of more linear Mario games so hopefully this suprises me.
@TheFullAndy as of right now the ps5 and new xbox sucks no games
@Darkyoshi98 Yes, I am aware. That was kind of the point I was trying to make? That I probably will never buy this? I'll make sure to dumb it down next time.
@Jedge396 check the eshop best seller.it truly is a great game I had it on the wii u
Of course my opinion
@MS7000 you do that then
@Darkyoshi98
No they don't.
Well I think we have met an impasse so let's move on.
@electrolite77 My original post was about Mario games only not in general. If you include Paper Mario as well, we have 3 new Mario games for a console that is extremely popular around the world and now 4 years old. Again, I'm sure you will agree that if Nintendo did make a new Mario game and MK, it would sell millions around the world and both you and I would be purchasing copies of both. When all said and done, I'm impressed with the remakes we have received and I own every one of them and don't regret buying them. Being realistic I appreciate Covid has delayed many a plan, but, we are still overdue an original new Mario game and a new MK. Here's hoping for either later this year or 2022 and these 2 new games given priority over any more remakes. This is my opinion shared by lots of others and you are entitled to your opinion shared by others as well.
@karatekid1612
Fair enough. I’m always hopeful there will be new stuff on the way but remaining pretty philosophical about it.
Well, any self-respecting Switch owner will be getting this. One of the last wii u games that needed to be lifeboat
@Jedge396 It's really fun co-op, if you and your wife can play together.
I've never played this before, but having spent plenty of time with SM3DL on 3DS, and being a lifelong fan of the series, pretty excited for this.
And I'd still give Super Mario World a 10/10 on Switch too, despite it having a few things that annoy me. Great games deserve great scores.
No online matchmaking In a multiplayer game, 30fps handheld and poor performance but NL still give it a 10 just because its a Mario game.
This will sell really well (because there's nothing else coming out in the foreseeable apart from MH) and Nintendo will take that as a cue to keep porting games and charging full price - they are becoming greedier than EA.
If Nintendo doesn't include full Backwards Compatibility in the next system I'm done with this shady publisher.
@TheFullAndy I am bringing up PS5 because the PS5 is in competition with the Switch. I got myself sorted out. Do the same for yourself.
@michellelynn0976
Do you have split personalities or something?
@TheFullAndy No, I am just passionate. I do not see what your problem is with me. I have no problem with you.
@Mr-Fuggles777 Did they give NSMBUD a 10? Look at Death Stranding and LoU2. Both had so many flaws I lost count, but a lot of the reviewers still gave them a 10. And, 30 FPS is not a reason to take away from a game.
@NintendoByNature IGN gave it a 7/10. Go see their review on YouTube. The like/dislike ratio speaks for itself.
@michellelynn0976 when the new features added don't work properly (poor online connectivity and disconnects) it's a poor showing - especially when it was these features that a lot of people were looking forward to.
I played it to death on wii-U and was looking to play with friends online, which I can't unless they patch the service (looking at Smash I doubt that's going to happen), so how is that a "perfect" game - its almost a game breaking flaw
@Mr-Fuggles777 The performance online is pretty good. So, that is not something not working. I do not know why Nintendo did the no stranger online, but they gave it a 10 because of the experience. It deserves a 10, you do not think so, oh well. To say NL gives a game a 10 just because it is Mario, that ignores all the games of Mario they did not give a 10 to.
@michellelynn0976 every review site gives Nintendo massively inflated review scores regardless - just look at the discrepancy between critic and user scores on metacritic, especially on Nintendo's newer releases (but I assume you will simply reply that they were review bombs and not people voicing genuine concerns about Nintendo's choices at which point you have lost my interest in this conversation).
@Mr-Fuggles777
Metacritic is just a collection of a bunch of peoples opinions on a game. Who cares? I mean Resident Evil 4 isn't even the no.1 game which shows how pointless that website is!
My opinion of a game is all that is important to me. 3D World on Wii U was a straight 10 out of 10 to me so the same game with increased speed and an extra bonus game mode means it will still be a 10 out of 10 on Switch.
Stop getting hung up on people liking a game more or less than you whether they be reviewers or someone else.
@JoeyTS too many angry people in the world! It's Vidya games! They make people happy.
@TheFullAndy aggregate sites give a clearer view on whether a game is worth picking up or spending money on something else - especially in this case when it's a full priced port of a game I've already played with a broken online component.
@NintendoByNature Not round these parts, vidya is very serious business. Even more bizarre is when you look at the imagery of the game - vibrant, fun, bright - and then see all the raging and bedwetting in the comment section.
@Mr-Fuggles777
So you already know you don't need the game so why care how others score the game.
@WiltonRoots I mean. I get just as angry as the next guy when I play colorful games that remind me of my childhood. But, at least I go into an open field and scream at the top of my lungs instead of spamming the NL comment section about a 10/10 game! Lol
@TheFullAndy because it bothers me that they called something that the reviewer knew was broken (he admitted it in the review) perfect.
Its damaged his credibility for me when reading a review of any future games I was unsure about. What is the point in visiting a news site with reviewers you can't trust?
@Mr-Fuggles777
Awk well, I am sure you can find someone who aligns with your views on the game.
@TheFullAndy it's not about aligning with views, I want a reviewer to be honest and as unbiased as possible and give a score reflecting what was played in game.
Look at this review, the game is a port with modes that don't run fully or are poorly optimised to run in handheld (Mario Odyssey 60FPS, Bowzer Fury 30FPs) yet receiving a score that says there is no room at all for improvement.
The reviewer is either so biased he can't view the game objectively, or he is saying this is as good as it's going to get on Switch - even the lead developer can't get an in house developed minigame to run optimally on it's own hardware.
@Mr-Fuggles777
Again, who cares?!
You aren't paying for his review or anything like that.
Get over it.
@TheFullAndy if you are so apathetic about the content why bother reading the review and then take time commenting about it in the first place?
@Mr-Fuggles777
I like reading.
My first comment #42 I set out my stall.
@BenAV from what I played so far bowser's fury is the real deal.
Liked:
Cons:
i wonder...is that "Luigi Bros." NES game that was unlockable on the Wii U version present in this version too? or has that been replaced by the new stuff in this version?
@kirbygirl That's our plan for tonight. She's gonna play some while I'm at work but then It's Mario, Wandavision and maybe a glass of wine
But does it still have Luigi Bros in there, or has that been cut?!?
Loving it all over again
@michellelynn0976 Um most people? Nintendo has pumped out almost nothing in 2020 outside of Wii U ports and a few very casual experiences.
I guess on the playstation side they don't have to pump out so many games because third parties usually put their major outings on their systems. Nintendo pigeon holes themselves into having to make multiple first party titles due to the differences in hardware.
@LUIGITORNADO Honestly, not a bad score for what it is. I find it more believable to be a 7 than a ten.
@Mr-Fuggles777 it isn't a port.
@Chunkboi79 wait? What? Age of Calamity, ACNH? XCDE? Rung Fit Adventure is fun. You can get 3rd party games on PC too. So
@michellelynn0976 xenoblade is a remake, animal crossing was for casuals, and muso games are massively uninspiring. Ring fit adventure came out in 2019
Never played this on the Wii U, due to when it came out originally I had already sold the U and wasn't gonna buy another just to play this. But i did watch YouTube playthroughs of it and it looked like good old Mario fun.
But definitely gonna get this for my Switch, look forward to playing it.
Absolutely love it and I agree with your score. I can't give it a 10/10 either cause some levels should have been tweaked a bit better. Like when you're on a dinosaur on a water slide and you can collect 8 red coins, but the controlling is off. The other complaint is the Bowser Statue level in World 3 with the moving fences and you have to balance on clouds. I failed a lot there as it was extremely frustrating that you have no camera control in the level and I'd accidentally jump off the cloud in the background while avoiding the moving fences. Overall though, it has been amazing so far. Bowser's Fury is absolutely incredible too. 9.7/10 is spot on
@Chunkboi79 FC was new. Uh, AC can be for anyone and AoC was still a good game. PS5 has nothing.
@michellelynn0976 idk what fc is. However, since we are comparing Nintendo's outings to games on the ps4 we got doom eternal early last year, ff7 remake, ghost of tsushima, last of us part two, and genshin impact which can all be played on the ps5.
Guess nintendo fans aren't used to games that are backwards compatible tho. So it makes sense that you think there's nothing on there.
@Chunkboi79 DS was backwards compatable, Wii U was, wow. Also, FF7 was a joke, LoU2 was crap GOT was a by the numbers Zelda clone, well Doom Eternal was awesome. PS5 can't play all PS4 games. Bad trolling.
@michellelynn0976 I know the retro systems were backwards compatible. But nothing like paying for $60 Wii u ports now a days huh?
But yeah ps5 isn't completely backwards compatible but I don't think anyones missing out on joe's diner lol but nice troll right? I'll cry myself to sleep over the 5 games I can't play backwards compatible. Hitman go will have a special place in my heart
Id continue to argue but you're fangirling to hard for me to take you seriously.
This is not a 10 imo, for the most part a remake. And then some issues here and there. 8/10 at best for me.
@LatsaSpege
"I played this game on Wii U until the crazy 80's Bowser world (You know what I am talking about.) How much content is after that?"
(wishes the author of this message would explain this "80's Bowser world")
@MikeHiscoe nope!
Guessing world 8, as world 7 seems the traditional style that world 8 usually is.
I completed Bowser's Fury last night with 51 stars so was very pleased to see there is 100 to collect (although most of the larger challenges are already done I think.)
Unless 3D World has more content after world 8, i'd give the package an 8.8/10 - excellent, but short. A lot shorter than Odyssey.
If you are not excellent at Mario then it would be a 10/10 - for me I got the 3 stars and the stamp on the first run through on 85%+ of levels so far. Would rather have to go back and play every level two or three times rather than one per world.
The placement of the right thumb stick made parts of 3D World infuriating because I would accidentally nudge it and throw off my camera angle. I had to learn to reposition my hand for the game.
My gripe with Bowser's Fury and Odyssey is the lack of replay value and I really hope Nintendo doesn't continue this with future Mario games. In older games I could still redo most previous tasks including boss fights - Odyssey makes the collected moons worthless (except health and coins) and it would be at least nice to see a caption for the name of that moon or or something along those lines.
He’s also concerned that his dad is behaving a bit nastier than usual, so, knowing that Mario is usually the only person who can stop him at the best of times, he reluctantly offers to team up with his old man’s nemesis to see if they can get him back to regular old ‘bad’ Bowser.
This comment just cracks me up
performance during the first boss was choppy. framerate was dropping like flies
Have to say I really enjoyed this and I got 100% completion on Bowser's Fury. Fury can get a little melty though when Bowser's end game is triggered. I had to go through with it a few times just to get on with the game.
@scully1888
Chris, there's false information in your review. You state that the game isn't compatible with voice chat, but voice chat is available automatically using the Switch app.
@Rez um. . .about Metroid and Fzero. . .
Also, Star Fox kinda stinks.
@aros2k 3D World has 12 worlds
Which I hope you figured out by now.
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