Super Mario 3d World: A Step In The Right Direction?

[ElectroYoshi]

Anyone who watched Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation knows that the upcoming Wii U title "Super Mario 3D World" caused quite a stir among fans everywhere. And not in a good way either. Many of them (myself included) wanted to see a collect-a-thon like 64 or Sunshine and were greatly disappointed to see that it was a follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land. This led many of them to just dismiss it as a lame Wii U port of 3D Land.

Back when it was announced I would've agreed with this, but after seeing more footage of it in the latest Nintendo Direct and reading this GameSpot article about it, I've started to think differently. When they unveiled Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in the E3 Direct, I thought it looked like a proper sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns. I'm beginning to develop that same mentality toward Super Mario 3D World. It's still not the epic collect-a-thon I wanted to see, but now that I've looked past its similarities to 3D Land and looked at its differences, there's a lot more of them than I would've expected.

So here's my question: Mario has been caught in a redundancy curse for awhile now. Does Super Mario 3D World look like it may steer the series out of this curse?

EDIT: Just to clarify, I am not saying it will be amazing. I am saying I think it will get the series at least partly back on track.

[Newah]

I'm sure it will be a decent game, with decent controls and decent graphics, and decent levels...but it probably won't be outstanding. My reaction to the initial announcement was a resounding "meh", not so much because I think it will be bad...but rather decent.

I kind of miss the older Mario games that had major innovation with each new released title. Mario 3 added in overworlds and new gameplay mechanics and powerups, Yoshi's Island was a completely brand new experience, Mario World was refined, beautiful and let you explore in many directions, Mario 64 took it to the 3rd dimension with open levels with multiple possibilities, Sunshine brought the series in an entirely new direction with a new setup, and a huge game changer, FLUDD, Galaxy brought a new environment that led to endless new setups and charming level design....and then Galaxy 2 did the exact same thing. And then there was New Super Mario Bros. Wii which was the DS version with multiplayer coop. And New Super Mario Bros 2 which was the exact same thing except on the 3DS. And New Super Mario Brothers U which was the exact same thing except on the Wii U.

Super Mario 3D Land refreshed things a little. But only kind off, it's basically a nostalgia fest for people who remember all the old powerups and level designs, and it seems this new game is the exact same.

I want new environments and original ideas! Not the same old rehashing over and over.

[Miniike]

*opens mouth*

*sees Newah's post*

*shuts up*

[Sebastian Lawe]

Personally, I'm still waiting for a game to come out that makes me wish I had a Wii U. Its the exclusive titles that make a console even more successful, and the Wii U has yet to provide one I would shred through anything to get.

[ElectroYoshi]

I want new environments and original ideas! Not the same old rehashing over and over.

I'm not saying it's completely original and fresh. Like I said, I was incredibly disappointed when I first saw the trailer during the E3 direct.

Let me draw a parallel. The New Super Mario Bros. series started out great in my eyes. I got the original for the DS the week it came out and absolutely loved it. I got NSMB Wii a couple months after its release and loved it too, albeit to a lesser extent than the DS one. NSMB2 and U... Meh. I did end up buying both of those, but mostly because I didn't really have anything else to play that was coming out any time soon, and although I did enjoy both games they didn't feel nearly as distinct from the rest as NSMBW did.

That's because neither game really played out like a sequel should. New Super Mario Bros. Wii had a lot of new elements going for it that just really got me thinking I couldn't get the same experience in its predecessor. The other two games didn't have nearly as much effort put into them. The point is, I think SM3DW looks like a much more proper sequel in comparison. I'm happy to explain why if you want me to, but I think the guy who wrote that Gamespot article could explain it a lot better than I could.

[Prime]

Personally, I'm still waiting for a game to come out that makes me wish I had a Wii U. Its the exclusive titles that make a console even more successful, and the Wii U has yet to provide one I would shred through anything to get.

two words
"smash bros"

Yea sure I think it'll be good. I'll get it. It PROBABLY won't be amazing or anything but it will still be good. The new direct actually piqued my interest, I might be looking forward to it