"Nothing lasts forever, and some day the Miiverse servers will go offline" Funny, when I heard this I never thought they'd go down just two years after this video.
I think the movement is 8-directional because it removes worry about drifting off course when running on a straight path. the game often plays out very much like a 2D Mario game, especially in the little flagpole challenges. these often use coins to get you to line yourself up with the flagpole and then never (or rarely at least) encourage you to stray from that straight line. because of the 8-direction locking, there's little need to worry about falling off this path
Yes! All the levels look designed around it. Limiting control means you can be more precise within those limitations. Just imagine trying to beat the harder 3d world levels with the mario 64 controls.
"The day Mario is in trouble... is a bad day for all of us." I'm gonna hold that quote close to my heart. I feel actually frightened thinking about a main series Mario that gets bad reviews all around. The day I finish a main series Mario, and can confirm I didn't have fun with it, will be the day gaming goes for it's lowest low. And that's saying something. I was there for "Cinematic" 2014.
Leonard Ababio "The day I finish a main series Mario, and can confirm I didn't have fun with it," For some of us, that day has already come, multiple times. Sunshine, 3D Land, and 3D world are kind of mediocre
But all three are still liked on an overall basis. I just can't play Sunshine anymore (too many bad memories) but even so, there are many people who treasure all three of those games, some wanting a Sunshine HD or Sunshine 2. I don't personally, but then again, it's not hurting anybody if they decide to go that route.
+Alex Ruiz I'd assume because it's too safe. music, graphics, level design, it all seems too safe. Like familiar territory. Yet it's fun and engaging enough to keep people interested and happy.
I can't prove anything of course, but I wonder if the simpler control scheme was tied into the multiplayer? If all four characters had as complex a moveset as Super Mario 64, it would have been even more chaotic, and would have raised the skill ceiling a fair bit. If a family was all playing together, younger siblings would probably have a rougher time performing the more complex manoeuvres, especially with four characters on screen.
+ShayMay It seems to me Matthewmatosis does think that is the reason if I understood his comments correctly. But I disagree simply because the control scheme is pratically unaltered from Super Mario 3D Land, which is a single player game. My theory is that the simplified controls is not just a way to make the skill floor lower, but also to allow the game designers to desing levels more easily. Since the movement is locked to 8 directions, 2 speeds and there's no triple jump, it's significantly easier for both the players and the designers to predict Mario movements. The game designers used that to their advantage to craft very challenging although linear levels based on platforming. In contrast, the previous 3D titles were generally more forgiving if you made an incorrect jump, because the freedom of movement, variety of speed and options of jump made Mario movements much more unpredictable. With that said, I would be more than happy to see 3D Mario back to the Mario 64 style, but I respect 3D World for making the best in what it was trying to achieve.
Prince alucard It's likely because of how linear it is. 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are built with an open-world aesthetic in mind, while 3D World is more like a side-scroller. It's not really the timer or the flagpoles that give it that feel, although they do help.
***** That has nothing to do with my point, and those elements do not make a Mario game a Mario game. What's the difference between a flagpole and a star? Or the green stars/star coins to the star? Or the overworld and the map screen? Or even the health system, since both involve collecting common items to replenish. In all actuality, very little. 3D world is much more linear and designed with the 2D games in mind, but they still function like the 3D games. In a way, they're a cross between the two.
***** The only thing that really sets 3D World apart from the others though is the lack of open-worldness, but even the open-worldness itself is equal or less in the Galaxy games.
Mindy's Hit-cave That's how I see it too. In many ways, 3D World is the true translation of a 2D Mario game into the third dimension. It has all the same basic elements but now there's a z-axis. In a parallel universe, this could have been the first 3D Mario game.
@Robert S The original was a locked 60 frames but the swtich version will surely be at 1080p this time instead of the WiiU's 720p resolution. I'm keen to play the new version though because Mario apparently runs faster which could add some extra challenge
It probably has the best Bowser final boss in the 3D series history, as it utilized platforming as a way of defeating Bowser, and not really directly fighting him. His utilization of Mario's power-ups was the icing on the cake and great storytelling through visuals. .
I think I just found the best game reviewer out there, it's amazing how you never seem to state how amazing or how bad a game is, you just show us the good and the bad in order for us to decide for ourselves. And the effort you put into these shows on the quality of the reviews.
It's no wonder sunshine struggles with its levels: The more freedom you give the player, the less challenge you can impose on them to make for interesting restrictions. If the player can do anything, why do what they're told, let alone how they should? Freedom still feels good, though.
I don't understand how he didn't see that the octagonal movement was obviously implemented to make it easier to navigate the isometric areas, which this game does a lot, it's a lot more precise and consistent that way.
Man, I am surprised you were so positive about 3-D World. Anyways, I loved this sort of retrospective you did. An insane amount of effort must have gone into every single video and I truly adored it. It made me rethink what was great and bad about 3-D Mario games, and never at all bored me. As it stands, each time a new video comes out, I go back to the previous ones and rewatch them. I cannot stress how entertaining and thought-provoking these reviews were. You did a really spectacular job.
Matt is my beacon of hope and light, after a decade of depression his soothing voice quelled my demons. Based Matt. I can't wait for more Souls videos and I haven't even played one, that 2 hour commentary was better than Gone Girl
I disagree. the 3D Land/World games are obviously intended to be a mix of the elements of the Galaxy games and the 2D games. I think the triple jump worked well in the New Super Mario Bros. games, so what's wrong with it being in here? maybe i misunderstood your statement. could you re-word it?
I love 3D World, it's probably the most fun I had with a Mario game since 64. To say that the controls are a downgrade from that game and even Galaxy I think is a bit of a disservice. Being able to play as different characters with unique abilities and the addition of a proper power-up system give the game a sense of depth and subtlety rivaled only by 64, with the added benefit of being really simple to pick up and play, and its something I didn't really notice until the very final level where every game mechanic was build up and highlighted brilliantly into one final package.
I might be late to the party but I got to say I totally agree with you. I was surprised by this review. I just finished the game for the first time and I really believe this is a masterpiece of game design. Nintendo at its best.
I think 3D World is my favorite Mario game for one simple reason: it gets rid of all the filler. Since Mario 64, Mario games had a lot of content that felt tacked on, and I'm glad that this series could return to simple platforming. I'm not the type of person who enjoys revisiting the same levels over and over. Exploration might be nice, but levels in 64 and Sunshine were way too small for that, so you would fully explore most of the levels in 2-3 stars. Galaxy fixed that, but added some mini-games, repeated content and levels that were basically tutorials (getting the shell in the Beach Bowl comes to mind). 3D World feels like a return to Mario 3. It's simple, pure platforming. You don't need to revisit levels (unless you just NEED those hidden stamps), and no levels force you to play bowling mini-games or teach you how to swim. Simple controls are a double-edged sword. You don't control as well, but you also can't skip half a level. Controls weren't hard in previous 3D games (maybe aside from Mario 64, since it was first 3D game for many people), yet devs assumed that everything aside from jump is some kind of advanced technique, so games were never really built around that. It was more of an option. You could do a long jump, and skip half the challenge, or play the boring way, but actually dodge some stuff as intended. I feel smart when I discover a cool way to break the game in Mega Man by using the right weapon. I don't feel smart when I do a long jump for the fiftieth time. I just feel like I'm cheating, because Nintendo thinks most people are too dumb for simple button combinations. Given the evolution of recent Marios, it seems like Nintendo wants to concentrate on platforming more, and that's fine. I just hope they don't step too far in that direction. I would love to see something like 3D World in environments that aren't that boring. I think nobody wants New Super Mario Bros 3D series, so I hope Mario games will continue to evolve, even if it means a step back sometimes.
I totally can relate to the exploration thing you mentioned. I love exploring. But to me, that activity needs to be adventurous. And like you said, the levels in Mario 64 and Sunshine are WAY too small to feel adventurous. Levels should be big if they a meant to be explored...I'm talking HUGE! Like, Elder Scrolls, or Fallout HUGE! When it comes to exploration in video games, Nintendo really needs to understand just how big the levels need to be if they want players to enjoy exploring them in such a way.
Crippled Gamer Thing that bugs me about the idea of huge levels in something like Mario is that you can really easily lose the vibe of the game. Having insanely huge levels will either give player a bit too much freedom to walk past challenges or won't provide enough of them. Having some kind of big overworld would lead to padding, and levels that huge will never be as tightly constructed. Platforming design is a bit trickier than just making an open world, after all. I think this type of exploration is more suited for Zelda. With Mario what comes to my mind is something like 1-4 from the original game. The spinning bar corridor where player should jump between rotationg bars can be replicated with something like SM3DW formula easily, and only somewhat will lose its challenge with other 3D games due to controls and possible open space. With something even more open and exploration focused those tight spots will be almost gone, unless you really wnat a Bowser corridor or Tick Tock Clock equivalent that's like 3 miles long. It's a really, really fine line and I really hope Nintendo won't jump one way or the other too hard. I'm perfectly fine with Mario 3 in 3D with some collectibles, maybe some more openness to it, but leaning too hard to either direction could easily make the game not Mario at all
They're going back to their 3D roots with Odyssey. Thank goodness. I was so sick of being bored in every Mario game after Galaxy and Super Paper Mario with all the classic tropes and the samey art style. I also like those parts of 64 and Sunshine because it's Mario +. It feels more like an adventure game as well as a platforming game which is a lot more interesting than level by level hubs in my opinion.
I like 3D World more than Odessy for these reasons: filler moons everywhere, repeated moons in different kingdoms (dogs, seeds, ground pounds, out in the open, etc.) and it just gets so boring for me. 3D World is just so much more fun in my opinion. Though Odessy does have great controls.
And now I think I've watched all your videos and I've gotta say you really deserve a lot more views and subs. There are very few channels on youtube that I can go back to and this is definitely one of them. Looking forward to your next video, whatever that might be.
I always come back to these hoping you'll drop an odyssey review out of nowhere, specially with the note you end this on... Just feels like it needs to happen, much like the Breath of the Wild one did...
To me, 3D World was the game that fused the 2D and 3D games together, as the title suggests, it's a lot like Super Mario World, but in 3D, on level design (stages, timer) and movement (limited, like the exclusion of triple jump), but it still borrows a lot from the 3D Mario titles, like characters and level themes. As a person who generally enjoys 2D platformers more, I personally liked this game more than the Galaxy titles.
One of best games in this current lackluster generation if you ask me. You really have to appreciate how much variety and ADD the game throws at you but somehow manages to stay fun and consistent through out the whole game. Well done Matthewmatosis!!!! I've enjoyed every video. Like I said before....The only gripe that I have is that you can't release more videos quicker. with that being said..... YOU SIR GET A GOLD STAR!!!!!!!
I'd be sold on 3D World by this video, if I had a WiiU. It just looks like a really comfy game. I also like how inviting the lit-up levels look, like the circus/carnival levels. Like playing inside a christmas tree.
***** I usually do too but the stupid comments are hysterical from time to time. Especially in WW when Nintendo takes a couple of minutes before taking down even weirder posts.
I love that the timer often pushes me to enjoy mario at a quick and fun pace, and in turn gives me an incentive to replay each level and find everything. Each level is so good that this ends up being awesome.
You forgot to mention the only upgrade regarding Mario's movement - the roll! Combined with a long jump it makes some sort of roll-flippy-longjump that's actually quite speedy. Otherwise great review!
I loved this game; but I started playing on the original NES and Super Mario Bros. 3 is still one of my top 10 games of all time. SM3DW comes across like a love letter from Nintendo to the all of the people who grew up playing the original 2D platformers. That's not to say I don't also enjoy the more open world 3D entries in the series. I remember buying an N64 on release and being blown away by Mario 64; but they're a different type of game. 64/Sunshine/Galaxy 1&2 are more about exploration/puzzle solving and enjoying it at your own pace. Super Mario Bros 1/3/World/3D World are more about pure platforming. It comes down to preference. My introduction to Mario was in pure platforming so I think that's where my heart will always be; but I can understand how people who started playing the games post-64 would think 3D World was a step back.
Hear hear. I'm old enough to have grown up with NES Mario, and as a matter of fact I haven't played Marios since the N64. Now i wanna give Mario another chance and play one new game (M64 or newer). Like you, I prefer the linear-ish platforming style over the more open world maps (like apparently Odyssey?). I don't like choice but challenges in video games. Should I give SM3DW a try on Switch or do you suggest another Mario title? Thanks in advance.
This is simply one of the best analysis I've ever seen/watched. The attention to detail made me realize how much subtle attention to detail are in my favorite games. It really makes me love the series more, and makes me want to watch more!
One year. This was released over 1 year ago. I just can't believe it. I remember when I was waiting for this to finish to he could move on to his Dark Souls commentary
Yes! I think so too. It's so solid, so fluent, so downright gorgeous. Everything on the other consoles is so damn drab and you're never far away from a shoddy texture. It feels like the games are constrained by the hardware ALREADY, whereas here, the game is 'above' the hardware - the hardware limitations are redundant. You forget how powerful, or not powerful, the system that it's running on is. And that's a beautiful thing.
That is the difference between ascetics and graphics. Graphic are nothing more than the quality of paint in the painting and ascetics is the quality of the painting itself. you can give a half rate artist the best paint in the world but, the painting won't be that great. you can give a amazing artist horrible paint and they can still rise above and make something great.
A lot of that, if not all, is down to the cartoonish visual, and as Matt aside the simple geometry. This doesn't use much of the systems power so can use that on visual effects to make it look pretty. A lot of devs these days (I hate that phrase but couldn't think of another way of putting it) have no concept of resource management and are constantly hitting the wall on graphics. Plus none of them seem to want to get the most out the hardware with any technical wizardry like they used to. TheGamingBrit made a video about how if devs downgraded the graphics a bit, not only would all the technical problems be fixed, but they would have more time for more important things like gameplay.
That's the thing about a lot of Nintendo games, because they use older technology, unlike PS4 and XBOX One which want to have the latest and most recent technological advancements, they can utilize it to its fullest capabilities, which in my opinion actually makes it look significantly better in comparison.
I'm part of the crowd who adored this game even over the other 3D Mario titles and I must say this series of reviews has been incredible. These are truly well thought out, informative and overall interesting videos to watch.
"The day Mario is in trouble, is a bad day for all of us" Man that was such a sad thought, imagine if Mario becomes a franchise like Sonic, I would be devastated to see my favorite plumber struggle
All around an enjoyable series, it's always nice to understand the perspective these things give. I personally enjoyed this game probably a bit more than I should have. Entire weekends fallen victim to completing everything in this game. I regret nothing. I look forward to your next series.
I don't usually comment on videos, but this series has been excellent, and probably the best series I've seen on youtube. The fact that you do this for free amazes me - good job, Matt.
This review was outstanding. 3D World is my favorite Mario game, and my 2nd favorite game overall. (My first favorite is Kirby Superstar). 3D World feels like a basically perfect blend of the elements from earlier games, and such outstanding music on top of that, such a damn good game. :D
So since you are finished with that series, i'd like to make some suggestions on what you may do next. You probably already have a follow up you are working on... but i just want to get it out of my system. You are currently my favourite UA-camr. No one else puts this much effort in a review and puts them out quite frequently. I only know a few spin off reviews that are that good, and one german UA-camr who makes a video like ervey 8 months. Keep up the great work. Now to my suggestions: As a filler until your next big review series would best be 1-2 Game(s series). Biosock 1 & 2 would work since you have already reviewd Infinite. System Shock, at lest the 2nd one is a masterpiece. Half Life, if you put the spin offs & episodes together with their main game. Bayonetta, since you already have done the Wonderful 101. Darksiders. And Portal. And for single games: Viva Pinata or Mirrors Edge, i love these game. Okami, would fit with Ico & Shadow of the Colossus. Return to Castle Wolfenstein, named one of the last great shooters from the golden age of shooters. South Park: The Stick of Truth, a milestone of "how to make a franchaise/lisence into a game". Minecraft, FTL or Binding of Isaac, if you want to do something with indie games. Psychonauts, Oddworld: Stranger Wrath or Beyond good and Evil, if you want to do something with great games that were a commercial failure. Planetside 2, the best Battlefield since BF2. Path of Exile, the best action RPG since Diablo 2. For whole series, first the ones i'd love to see: Time Splitters, my favourite shooter series, it got better with every entry, and you have no shooter series yet. Jak & Ratchet and Clank. R&C has probably a few too many entrys to revew everyone, but Jak defenitly has a good number with 3 main games, 2 spin offs. I'd also would like to see Tomb Raider, but, like with Ratchet & Clank, there are too many games. The golden age or Rare games, 007 Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad fur Day. For shooters, since you have now review series of those: Deus Ex, Serious Sam, Rainbow Six or Doom. -Halo would work aswell but there are too may games. The only eastern RPGs i know are Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, and i have only played FF6, 7, 13. Also FF has too many games to review. And of corse Pokemon, but... yeah... no need to write a reason there. Only a good idea if you ocmbine them into one video or by generations. 6 generations. Western ones: Fallout, Diablo, Elder Scrolls, it't funny to imagine a 20hour review of Daggerfall. Mass Effect RTS: Warcraft, Starcraft. -Command & Conquer, too many games. Steath: Hitman, Thief, Splinter Cell And some others that would be possible: Assassins Creed, Gears of War, Devil may Cry, Resident evil, Silent Hill, Sims or the Suda 51 games. Sonic or Megaman have too may games to review. I tried to take as many games with a diffenrt approach to their genre per genre. Since all the reviews you've done currently are eastern games and you have done a Stealth 3d person game, a RPG and a Platformer, so you used a different genre every time the most likely that you'd riview Devil May Cry with 5 games. But it doesn't matter what game series you'll review next. I'll watch it, i I'll most likely like it. Have fun and keep doing what you are doing.
This, Wind Waker HD, and Pikmin 3 are the perfect Wii U single player trifecta. If I were a few years younger and the Wii U was my first console, these three games would probably make me love video games forever.
Hell i will always love games but for some reason these ( and alot of nintendo ips ) remind me why i love games in the first place. To me nintendo is one of the last devs who make "true" videogames as i always thought of them. Fun gameplay, amazing music and focus on game feel rather than a B level story
Daniel Callahan 3D World is only the worst 3D Mario game (it's far from the worst Mario game overall since the NSMB games exist XD) when viewed in the context of the other games and how much it borrows from them. Matt himself said, if Mario 3D World is your very first experience with the Mario series, it may be one of the most consistently varied and engaging game experiences you ever have. Wind Waker HD is also far from a weak port, and improves on the original in a variety of ways (plus I like the new visuals more than those of the original, bite me). I'm much less inclined to defend Pikmin 3 but I still think that it's a great introduction to strategy-based gameplay.
@Galaxy Spirals Yea, but WIndwaker HD is worse visually than the original Windwaker. Not to argue, I also just think graphical-remakes are bad in general and need to look much better to warrant their existance. Windwaker HD was a money grab, and used bloom to make commercials for the game look better. Some people might like how it looks, the majority of us, do not. No problem either way however, I just look down at it from a gaming perspective.
Jesus, man, why do you have to be literally everywhere? Ah well, at least it explains why you transitioned from Sonic to Metroid: Other M in your collab with Roger
I think the debate over whether or not this is a 3D Mario game is flawed in that it assumes the answer is a yes or no. I, personally, think this is the 3D translation of the 2D mario franchise. While this was originally Super Mario 64, I think this is a more faithful translation. That's not to say this game is better than 64, but if the 4 previous games in this series had never existed, this would be what most people would think a 3D Mario would be like, not 64
Heh, I thought you would post exactly one month after your Mario Galaxy 2 Review since February and March have the same dates on the same days. You really did an excellent job at breaking down the Mario games bit by bit through the last five months. Here we have over 2 and a half hours of 3D Mario analysis that will definitely be recognized by thousands and hopefully by the developers that make the Mario games. Bravo Matthew.
32:10 "I believe the best elements of each could be mixed into something even greater than the sum of its parts. With the Switch..." The Switch... The Nintendo Switch..!!?
Yeah it would be interesting to see him tackling a series that's pretty consistently bad. Pretty much all of his videos are about critically acclaimed games but there's plenty to learn from mistakes too.
Cian I agree completely. A retrospective on 3D Sonic games would be exactly the opposite of a retrospective on 3D Mario games; but I feel there is just as much too learn. Of course it would be kind of funny to hear him tell people, "You should probably play Sonic '06 before the review if possible"
I was personally thinking a retrospective of the classic era, but figuring out what does and doesn't work in the 3D era would be pretty cool too. I assume he'd review these 5: -Sonic Adventure -Sonic Adventure 2 -Sonic Heroes -Shadow the Hedgehog -Sonic the Hedgehog(2006)
I follow Matt on twitter and I actually remember him saying that he pretends those games don't exist anymore. It seems he only does retrospectives on series he still enjoys or perceives as having the potential to improve.
3D World is by far my favorite 3D Mario game, don't care what people say. Such a fantastic and in-depth review of the 3D Mario games! Loved every episode! Can't wait to see your review on Odyssey!
I HAAAAAAAATE the lack of the triple jump. Moving and jumping around feels so bland without it...I'm so used to it at this point. It was even in the 2D games from New Super Mario Bros. onward. Super Mario 3D Land started that lack of the triple jump, and I really miss it. Besides that, I don't think the side somersault, backwards somesault, and long jump are that bad...I guess if you want more height, than you can play as Luigi, and if you want more distance, plays as Toad. Although I wish the backwards somersault had some backwards horizontal momentum - as it is, it only flings the player straight up. I didn't notice the lack of full directional control, but now that I think about it, it probably would have been nicer to have that. I don't mind the addition of a run button - and I do like that after a while the characters get a big boost of speed. I would have liked that in Super Mario Galaxy.
Thanks for the outstanding review videos! It’s been so insightful hearing your take on some of my favourite games over the years! I hope you do an Odyssey review, as I think you’d have some great things to say about it 😊
Matthewmatosis: "Super Mario 3D World is a bit like being given a prescription for fun. You'll be sure to have a good time but only in the exact way you're supposed to." We've officially found the best analogy for 3D World.
3D World was the first 3D Mario I had played since Sunshine (I never had a Wii), and I absolutely adored it. Straight forward, bursting with fun, and great challenges make it an absolute joy to play. It's currently my favorite Mario game, even after getting to go back and play the Galaxy games, and I think for me it comes down to the focus on progressing through an individual level here and there in 3D World versus progressing through the game as a whole in it predecessors. Picking the game up and just romping through a few levels in 3DW is always a good treat.
Hey, how about reviewing the Mario Party Franchise? I'm pretty sure these games have a lot of game design philosophy to be discussed when you look closely.
Sam Hanson No, it isn't. Althoug there's definitelly a delta of randomness, the rating systems, the placement of spaces on each board, the FEELING of there being a story and most important of all, the MOSTLY skill based minigames are all to be apreciated, in my eyes.
Thanks for your hard work Matt, your videos simply amazing. These are top caliber reviews which have been a joy to watch. Please keep up the production of these series! Thanks again!
I have only ever played about an hour's worth of Sunshine and never touched any of the other titles, not even let's plays. I have, however, watched every single one of these reviews. You did an excellent job on all of them Matt, and I look forward to what you do next.
I liked the Galaxy games better, especially the first. It's probably because of nostalgia, since Galaxy was my first game, but I feel like there's more to it than that. Galaxy gave off this vibe that encourages exploration. A star can seem like it would be in x spot, but until you explore, you realize it's in y spot. 3D World feels like what it intended to be: 3D Land on the Wii U. The only difference is that they tried way too hard to make co-op work, and it shows in the final product.
+nerd of now Based on some of the level gimmicks, you'd Nintendo didn't try to make co-op work so much...I mean, there are some levels that are really annoying to play with multiple players.
As always, amazing job on the reviews, Matthew. This series in particular came across as very cohesive, with each review transitioning very smoothly into the next. I doubt every point you brought up in this review has been in your mind since 64, but it certainly feels that way when watching them all in succession. I admire your style and attention to detail, and commend you on never ceasing to amaze and evolve with each new video.
That section at 5:10 on multiplayer, oh God the things that I missed by not having a WiiU, that looks like such a nightmare, me and my friends would die of laughter going tru that.
This game was really enjoyable, to me, mostly because I never really enjoyed many of the 3D Marios, generally because of his moveset when I played 64 and Sunshine as a kid. I find a lot of it comes down to the level design, though, and Galaxy and 3D World really stuck with me for the "gimmicky" stages that love to throw new interesting ideas and challenges at you.
Prince alucard this is the least original and most restrictive so far of the 3d Mario games, that's why it feels disappointing. It's nice to look at and fun to play but Matt's statement at the end about controlled doses of fun could not be more correct. This is the Mario game for people who probably couldn't wrap their heads around the gameplay and adventure aspects of the earlier ones. They like playing a game almost how they like watching a movie.
***** I didn't like how the objective were set up or the controls worked in the games prior to Galaxy. Galaxy's sense of adventure and good level design was nice. (I liked this game mostly for the 2D level/objective based Mario elements it added which I greatly prefer.)
Literally the only thing that sets this apart from the pre-3D Land games is the staging. People focus far too much on the presence of a story and the use of stars instead of flagpoles to decide whether a game is a "main" Mario game or not.
And the camera and level design. Which are kind of a big deal. I still think it's justified in including it with the others, but the staging is far from "literally the only thing."
superuber27 A lot of Galaxy stages could have been done with this same camera. The stages also feel like refined and more cohesive Galaxy 2 stages. To me, 3D World definitely feels like a derivative to Galaxy 2 with less presentation fluff like Galaxy 2 was to Galaxy.
i raise my glass to your reviews sir. you put across an intelligent well thought out and unbiased viewpoint on the games you review. i have to say your reviews are the best i have come across on youtube. thank you for taking the time to make them and keep on doing what you do :-)
This is my favorite 3D Mario game, no contest. It's 3D, but plays like a 2D platformer. It's pretty much all I've ever wanted. 3D Land of course came first, but it was pretty lackluster. This game was just a dream to play. I think the people that say this isn't a "true" 3D Mario game are insane. In my opinion, this is the truest 3D Mario game, since it plays so much like the original 2D Mario games. Simple, smooth, and polished platforming. The whole sub-genre of collectathon platformers just wasn't for me.
I agree (except I preferred Land over World). 3D Land and World have made me very happy because I felt like 3D Marios have all gone downhill from Mario 64. It was very refreshing to see Nintendo return to a more pure and straightforward gameplay style. Mario 64 is still the best of the 64/Sunshine/Galaxy style of gameplay, so now my hope is for Nintendo to revisit that style and bring us a Mario in that vein that blows all of them away.
I've always felt 64, Sunshine and Galaxy did a decent job with the collectathon design choices but the games that killed that genre were Rare's. It baffles me people praise those games so much. I guess different strokes for different folks.
DeadEye935 I couldn't disagree more. I think a lot of it for me comes down to what Matt said at the very end about the controlled doses fun. There was just so much more imagination, creativity, and adventure involved in the gameplay and problem solving with the first couple of 3D games, 64 in particular being my favorite. I really do think that this is the 3D Mario game for people who are a little less critical thinking and a little more passive in how they enjoy entertainment, like someone who will just go and enjoy a giant CGI blockbuster no matter what it is.
DeadEye935 also it's not good because they gave you complete freedom in 64 and just taken a lot of that away, this game feels very restricted in many ways.
Although I'm a little disappointed you didn't talk about the effect of the isometric perspective the whole game had -- specifically in how it harmed the platforming in many parts of the game -- I think you did another good job with this review! You always focus on the really nitty-gritty parts of game design that no other reviewer ever seems to explore.
This is a pretty good game. I only played it at my cousins when there were 2-3 of us. I think we lost more lives on the final level then the rest of the game combined.
I would love to see a retrospective on the original Ace Attorney trilogy. I think it would offer an interesting challenge analyzing how the games try to guide the played with their story. Keep up the great work Mr. Matosis!
pewdiepie plays 5NAF and screams a lot: 500 million subs Matt pours his heart and soul into 30+ minute deep video game analyses: 67k subs HOW CAN LIFE BE SO UNFAIR
Life is perfectly fair. Pewdiepie is an excellent idiot barometer. His purpose is to tell you when someone isn't worth sharing time with based on their subscriptions. Like the slime on a slug telling you that it isn't worth eating.
Thank you, these series are amazingly detailed and the fact that you show every game in the series helps put each one of them in perspective, great job.
And plain, and no character of its own, and dull visuals, and very little charm. Bullshit is good in videogames and is a huge part of why i love 64, sunshine and galaxy, and why i found 3d world to be so forgettable.
***** The suits work exactly how they did in the older 2D games, and the new suits serve a purpose in this game such as reaching new areas or collecting green stars/stamps and generally giving you a unique attack or ability to collect items (boomerang). Gameplay mechanics botched? Please explain yourself here. You haven't explained your criticism of this game at all.
Matthewmatosis I'm surprised with how well thought out all your points are in this episode, yet you didn't seem to grasp how the 8-direction movement was actually a really smart move, and even an improvement. It would be easier to show you but I'm going to have to explain it in words only, so I hope I can properly explain it. The 8-directions and the blocky level design go hand-in-hand obviously, but even if it didn't like the Galaxy games (for the most part) it still worked to help gauge what direction to press no matter where the camera was. See in the Galaxy games, there were a lot of areas where you couldn't change the camera angle and where the camera was wasn't always the best and many times you would press in the direction you wanted and would notice Mario wouldn't go in that exact direction, because you weren't exact in the direction you pressed so you would have to correct yourself if you wanted Mario to follow the center of the road exactly. In many areas this would lead many to accidentally jump into the background off stage, thanks to the camera showing the stage from a imperfect isometric view. The way the left stick worked in that game is that wherever you pointed it would move in that direction is based off the camera view, but in 3D World it moves in the 8 directions based off the stage orientation to the camera. This means if the camera shows that the stage wants you to go at a general upper right diagonal if you hold that direction you would go perfectly in conjuction with the stage, even if the camera moves slightly. This was a big problem in the galaxy games when the camera moved slightly the direction you would have to press would also move, which would make you have to focus on adjusting direction instead of platforming, this would also mean that the camera couldn't adjust to show you more as you went without it interfering, which it did at times. Imagine one of the UFO things in Battlerock in the first game, when you get under one and Mario is upside down try walking exactly to the side of it, you will know you did it if Mario follows that same path at least twice around, you will probably instead notice him going to side and then change directions, this emphasizes how hard it is to go in the correct direction without Mario deviating slighty normally. Now try walking around normally while upside down and you will probably find it difficult to go exactly where you want, since movement upside down is new to you and can be confusing, this is how new players feel when moving Mario even when he is not upside down. Now imagine if you had the controls of 3D World on that UFO, when you press left, Mario will navigate that UFO down the middle repeatedly with no deviancy. This makes it easier to navigate as both a new player and as an expert player, and lets you focus on platforming without the camera getting in the way, this allows the camera to be placed in almost any angle (that still shows you on the stage) and still allow you to follow the stage perfectly. Because of this the developers are able to make stages like the Champions Road knowing that the player can beat it without unfair deaths because of a bad camera angle. I hope I didn't forget anything and was able to properly explain, sorry for the long post. Now Matthew, try playing some levels in Mario Galaxy (ones where the camera is not behind Mario like in previous games) and press in only the 8 directions and not in any specific direction between those and then play some 3D World levels afterwards, you will find yourself being faster and more exact in your platforming in 3D world.
Man it really irks me that your videos don't get more widespread attention, your attention to detail is outstanding and even when I know I'm never going to play certain games you review I'm always happy to see when you've posted a new video because I KNOW its going to be good. Theres not a lot of people on youtube who I can say that about. P.S you should do a collaboration with MrBtongue :)
I was absolutely destroyed when they revealed this game lol. To this day I can't get over the complete and utter disappointment of seeing '3D Land in HD' at that E3 after spending over a year expecting either another Mario Galaxy or something completely different for 3D Mario. Saying that it's still a great game and I absolutely adore 3D Land on 3DS because unlike 3D World it actually surpassed what I was expecting out of the hardware. I do wonder where they'll go next with the series on NX.
Every time. Every damn time. I see your video's up and ready, and I just *have* to drop everything. I absolutely love the analysis you do for each series. It's all so well thought-out and carefully put together, and just plain good. After that Dark Souls commentary you've been planning, maybe we can see you give Metroid a good look? That would be wonderful.
Mario Gameplay remains interesting, but visually it's becoming stagnant. Everything looks like New Super Mario Bros. Too clean, almost sterile, saved only by ingenious color use. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, I just think we have been looking at it long enough and could use a change. Not likely to happen considering the value of Mario brand recognition.
"Super Mario 3D World is a bit like being given a prescription for fun" Amazing one liner. Also this review of the modern Mario games has wrapped up nicely in time for Bloodborne which I hope you're doing next.
Already dissected and loved this whole commentary, but came back just to seek that 'Mushroom-Toad-Pipe' moment Matthew commented about on one of his livestreams. It just made this whole video more enjoyable. Gracias.
Kennedy Renn If I remember correctly, he actually confirmed that it would come out on/before the release of Bloodborn, and, if he didn't make it on time, it would be top priority.
Yeah...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this was not meant to be the 8th gen flagship Mario title (like Sunshine and Galaxy were to generations 6 and 7, respectively), but rather meant to be a successor to 3D Land, which itself is meant to be a 3D game in the vein of the NSMB series. I don't know if there will even be a flagship 8th gen Mario game, but I'm almost positive that this is not it.
There probably is a decent argument for removing the triple jump and simplifying Mario's moveset when you consider the other characters would need to have these moves as well, in which case they either would be clunky to play or insanely broken. This is mainly the case with Peach, as I can imagine her triple jump being a nightmare to pull off without accidentally floating instead, and furthermore, being able to float on top of having a triple jump, or a longer long jump, would give her such an incredible advantage over the others that there'd be absolutely no point in using ANYONE else.
"Nothing lasts forever, and some day the Miiverse servers will go offline"
Funny, when I heard this I never thought they'd go down just two years after this video.
I think the movement is 8-directional because it removes worry about drifting off course when running on a straight path. the game often plays out very much like a 2D Mario game, especially in the little flagpole challenges. these often use coins to get you to line yourself up with the flagpole and then never (or rarely at least) encourage you to stray from that straight line. because of the 8-direction locking, there's little need to worry about falling off this path
Astute observation
Yes! All the levels look designed around it. Limiting control means you can be more precise within those limitations. Just imagine trying to beat the harder 3d world levels with the mario 64 controls.
Oh Matthew you're just so intelligent and smart and attractive with your game design sensibilities.
I know right?
Hes a Chad.
Wyj$56!8
What the!?
"The day Mario is in trouble... is a bad day for all of us."
I'm gonna hold that quote close to my heart. I feel actually frightened thinking about a main series Mario that gets bad reviews all around.
The day I finish a main series Mario, and can confirm I didn't have fun with it, will be the day gaming goes for it's lowest low. And that's saying something.
I was there for "Cinematic" 2014.
Leonard Ababio "The day I finish a main series Mario, and can confirm I didn't have fun with it,"
For some of us, that day has already come, multiple times. Sunshine, 3D Land, and 3D world are kind of mediocre
But all three are still liked on an overall basis. I just can't play Sunshine anymore (too many bad memories) but even so, there are many people who treasure all three of those games, some wanting a Sunshine HD or Sunshine 2. I don't personally, but then again, it's not hurting anybody if they decide to go that route.
+MCHellshit I disagree 3d world is so much better than the galaxy/64 why do you think it is mediocre?
+Alex Ruiz I'd assume because it's too safe. music, graphics, level design, it all seems too safe. Like familiar territory. Yet it's fun and engaging enough to keep people interested and happy.
Lol I was scrolling down the comments, and I literally saw this comment as Matthew said it lol
Super Mario Land: GameBoy (Handheld)
Super Mario World: SNES (Console)
Super Mario 3d Land: 3DS (Handheld)
Super Mario 3d World: Wii U (Console)
:D
Exactly
It makes sense that way.
bruh
ya didn't realize that?
@@Gadget-Walkmen didnt you realize i realized that after i wrote down an explanation for it 5 years ago?
I can't prove anything of course, but I wonder if the simpler control scheme was tied into the multiplayer? If all four characters had as complex a moveset as Super Mario 64, it would have been even more chaotic, and would have raised the skill ceiling a fair bit. If a family was all playing together, younger siblings would probably have a rougher time performing the more complex manoeuvres, especially with four characters on screen.
+ShayMay It seems to me Matthewmatosis does think that is the reason if I understood his comments correctly. But I disagree simply because the control scheme is pratically unaltered from Super Mario 3D Land, which is a single player game.
My theory is that the simplified controls is not just a way to make the skill floor lower, but also to allow the game designers to desing levels more easily. Since the movement is locked to 8 directions, 2 speeds and there's no triple jump, it's significantly easier for both the players and the designers to predict Mario movements. The game designers used that to their advantage to craft very challenging although linear levels based on platforming.
In contrast, the previous 3D titles were generally more forgiving if you made an incorrect jump, because the freedom of movement, variety of speed and options of jump made Mario movements much more unpredictable.
With that said, I would be more than happy to see 3D Mario back to the Mario 64 style, but I respect 3D World for making the best in what it was trying to achieve.
3:04 he says that
This is the sequel I expected to come after super mario world, being in a 3rd dimension with a timer and a flag pole to reach. Only took em 13 years.
Prince alucard It's likely because of how linear it is. 64, Sunshine, and Galaxy are built with an open-world aesthetic in mind, while 3D World is more like a side-scroller. It's not really the timer or the flagpoles that give it that feel, although they do help.
***** That has nothing to do with my point, and those elements do not make a Mario game a Mario game.
What's the difference between a flagpole and a star? Or the green stars/star coins to the star? Or the overworld and the map screen? Or even the health system, since both involve collecting common items to replenish.
In all actuality, very little. 3D world is much more linear and designed with the 2D games in mind, but they still function like the 3D games. In a way, they're a cross between the two.
***** The only thing that really sets 3D World apart from the others though is the lack of open-worldness, but even the open-worldness itself is equal or less in the Galaxy games.
Mindy's Hit-cave That's how I see it too. In many ways, 3D World is the true translation of a 2D Mario game into the third dimension. It has all the same basic elements but now there's a z-axis. In a parallel universe, this could have been the first 3D Mario game.
@Robert S The original was a locked 60 frames but the swtich version will surely be at 1080p this time instead of the WiiU's 720p resolution. I'm keen to play the new version though because Mario apparently runs faster which could add some extra challenge
It probably has the best Bowser final boss in the 3D series history, as it utilized platforming as a way of defeating Bowser, and not really directly fighting him. His utilization of Mario's power-ups was the icing on the cake and great storytelling through visuals.
.
Too bad it was pathetically easy like every Mario boss ever.
I think I just found the best game reviewer out there, it's amazing how you never seem to state how amazing or how bad a game is, you just show us the good and the bad in order for us to decide for ourselves. And the effort you put into these shows on the quality of the reviews.
Man, I hope he makes another one of these for Odyssey. The analysis is fantastic.
5 years ago
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It's no wonder sunshine struggles with its levels: The more freedom you give the player, the less challenge you can impose on them to make for interesting restrictions. If the player can do anything, why do what they're told, let alone how they should? Freedom still feels good, though.
"The day Mario is in trouble is a bad day for all of us"
I've never felt so intimidated.
Then Mario gets in trouble and it's treated like the gaming world version of global warming.
I don't understand how he didn't see that the octagonal movement was obviously implemented to make it easier to navigate the isometric areas, which this game does a lot, it's a lot more precise and consistent that way.
I don’t think there’s any confusion about *why* it’s there.
Odyssey review when?
never
@@CultsofFate xD
it's no masterpiece
@@HSPTheShow fuck you
Check out the 100% comprehensive, ongoing Odyssey analysis series on my channel if you're interested in one.
Man, I am surprised you were so positive about 3-D World. Anyways, I loved this sort of retrospective you did. An insane amount of effort must have gone into every single video and I truly adored it. It made me rethink what was great and bad about 3-D Mario games, and never at all bored me. As it stands, each time a new video comes out, I go back to the previous ones and rewatch them. I cannot stress how entertaining and thought-provoking these reviews were. You did a really spectacular job.
I 100% agree. Matt is a god.
Matt is my beacon of hope and light, after a decade of depression his soothing voice quelled my demons. Based Matt. I can't wait for more Souls videos and I haven't even played one, that 2 hour commentary was better than Gone Girl
how do you watch all the same videos I watch
I disagree. the 3D Land/World games are obviously intended to be a mix of the elements of the Galaxy games and the 2D games. I think the triple jump worked well in the New Super Mario Bros. games, so what's wrong with it being in here? maybe i misunderstood your statement. could you re-word it?
Boy I hope u do a series about the Paper Mario games
I love 3D World, it's probably the most fun I had with a Mario game since 64. To say that the controls are a downgrade from that game and even Galaxy I think is a bit of a disservice. Being able to play as different characters with unique abilities and the addition of a proper power-up system give the game a sense of depth and subtlety rivaled only by 64, with the added benefit of being really simple to pick up and play, and its something I didn't really notice until the very final level where every game mechanic was build up and highlighted brilliantly into one final package.
I might be late to the party but I got to say I totally agree with you. I was surprised by this review. I just finished the game for the first time and I really believe this is a masterpiece of game design. Nintendo at its best.
@@NicolasMontchery Me too, for me, a much better game than Odyssey. The best part : the map, and not a confusing hub.
Always nice coming back to this review about Tree Dee World
I think 3D World is my favorite Mario game for one simple reason: it gets rid of all the filler.
Since Mario 64, Mario games had a lot of content that felt tacked on, and I'm glad that this series could return to simple platforming. I'm not the type of person who enjoys revisiting the same levels over and over. Exploration might be nice, but levels in 64 and Sunshine were way too small for that, so you would fully explore most of the levels in 2-3 stars.
Galaxy fixed that, but added some mini-games, repeated content and levels that were basically tutorials (getting the shell in the Beach Bowl comes to mind).
3D World feels like a return to Mario 3. It's simple, pure platforming. You don't need to revisit levels (unless you just NEED those hidden stamps), and no levels force you to play bowling mini-games or teach you how to swim.
Simple controls are a double-edged sword. You don't control as well, but you also can't skip half a level. Controls weren't hard in previous 3D games (maybe aside from Mario 64, since it was first 3D game for many people), yet devs assumed that everything aside from jump is some kind of advanced technique, so games were never really built around that. It was more of an option. You could do a long jump, and skip half the challenge, or play the boring way, but actually dodge some stuff as intended. I feel smart when I discover a cool way to break the game in Mega Man by using the right weapon. I don't feel smart when I do a long jump for the fiftieth time. I just feel like I'm cheating, because Nintendo thinks most people are too dumb for simple button combinations.
Given the evolution of recent Marios, it seems like Nintendo wants to concentrate on platforming more, and that's fine. I just hope they don't step too far in that direction. I would love to see something like 3D World in environments that aren't that boring. I think nobody wants New Super Mario Bros 3D series, so I hope Mario games will continue to evolve, even if it means a step back sometimes.
I totally can relate to the exploration thing you mentioned. I love exploring. But to me, that activity needs to be adventurous. And like you said, the levels in Mario 64 and Sunshine are WAY too small to feel adventurous. Levels should be big if they a meant to be explored...I'm talking HUGE! Like, Elder Scrolls, or Fallout HUGE! When it comes to exploration in video games, Nintendo really needs to understand just how big the levels need to be if they want players to enjoy exploring them in such a way.
Crippled Gamer Thing that bugs me about the idea of huge levels in something like Mario is that you can really easily lose the vibe of the game. Having insanely huge levels will either give player a bit too much freedom to walk past challenges or won't provide enough of them. Having some kind of big overworld would lead to padding, and levels that huge will never be as tightly constructed. Platforming design is a bit trickier than just making an open world, after all.
I think this type of exploration is more suited for Zelda. With Mario what comes to my mind is something like 1-4 from the original game. The spinning bar corridor where player should jump between rotationg bars can be replicated with something like SM3DW formula easily, and only somewhat will lose its challenge with other 3D games due to controls and possible open space. With something even more open and exploration focused those tight spots will be almost gone, unless you really wnat a Bowser corridor or Tick Tock Clock equivalent that's like 3 miles long.
It's a really, really fine line and I really hope Nintendo won't jump one way or the other too hard. I'm perfectly fine with Mario 3 in 3D with some collectibles, maybe some more openness to it, but leaning too hard to either direction could easily make the game not Mario at all
They're going back to their 3D roots with Odyssey. Thank goodness. I was so sick of being bored in every Mario game after Galaxy and Super Paper Mario with all the classic tropes and the samey art style. I also like those parts of 64 and Sunshine because it's Mario +. It feels more like an adventure game as well as a platforming game which is a lot more interesting than level by level hubs in my opinion.
I like 3D World more than Odessy for these reasons: filler moons everywhere, repeated moons in different kingdoms (dogs, seeds, ground pounds, out in the open, etc.) and it just gets so boring for me. 3D World is just so much more fun in my opinion.
Though Odessy does have great controls.
And now I think I've watched all your videos and I've gotta say you really deserve a lot more views and subs. There are very few channels on youtube that I can go back to and this is definitely one of them. Looking forward to your next video, whatever that might be.
I always come back to these hoping you'll drop an odyssey review out of nowhere, specially with the note you end this on... Just feels like it needs to happen, much like the Breath of the Wild one did...
To me, 3D World was the game that fused the 2D and 3D games together, as the title suggests, it's a lot like Super Mario World, but in 3D, on level design (stages, timer) and movement (limited, like the exclusion of triple jump), but it still borrows a lot from the 3D Mario titles, like characters and level themes. As a person who generally enjoys 2D platformers more, I personally liked this game more than the Galaxy titles.
One of best games in this current lackluster generation if you ask me.
You really have to appreciate how much variety and ADD the game throws at you but somehow manages to stay fun and consistent through out the whole game.
Well done Matthewmatosis!!!! I've enjoyed every video. Like I said before....The only gripe that I have is that you can't release more videos quicker. with that being said.....
YOU SIR GET A GOLD STAR!!!!!!!
I'd be sold on 3D World by this video, if I had a WiiU. It just looks like a really comfy game. I also like how inviting the lit-up levels look, like the circus/carnival levels. Like playing inside a christmas tree.
The beyond stupid miiverse posts when playing this and Wind Waker (actually most Wii U games) make the console worth it.
*****
I chose to turn Miiverse off for almost all of my playthrough :P
***** I usually do too but the stupid comments are hysterical from time to time. Especially in WW when Nintendo takes a couple of minutes before taking down even weirder posts.
Looks like he sold you on a WiiU then.
Diabolic Tutor! What are you doing here?
I love that the timer often pushes me to enjoy mario at a quick and fun pace, and in turn gives me an incentive to replay each level and find everything. Each level is so good that this ends up being awesome.
It'd be great to have a new one of these for Super Mario Odyssey. I love this video style.
You forgot to mention the only upgrade regarding Mario's movement - the roll! Combined with a long jump it makes some sort of roll-flippy-longjump that's actually quite speedy. Otherwise great review!
Anyone rewatching this after 3D World came to the Switch?
That’s me
I just noticed the flagpole with wings running away from Mario, literally moving the flagpole.
I loved this game; but I started playing on the original NES and Super Mario Bros. 3 is still one of my top 10 games of all time. SM3DW comes across like a love letter from Nintendo to the all of the people who grew up playing the original 2D platformers.
That's not to say I don't also enjoy the more open world 3D entries in the series. I remember buying an N64 on release and being blown away by Mario 64; but they're a different type of game. 64/Sunshine/Galaxy 1&2 are more about exploration/puzzle solving and enjoying it at your own pace. Super Mario Bros 1/3/World/3D World are more about pure platforming. It comes down to preference. My introduction to Mario was in pure platforming so I think that's where my heart will always be; but I can understand how people who started playing the games post-64 would think 3D World was a step back.
Hear hear.
I'm old enough to have grown up with NES Mario, and as a matter of fact I haven't played Marios since the N64. Now i wanna give Mario another chance and play one new game (M64 or newer). Like you, I prefer the linear-ish platforming style over the more open world maps (like apparently Odyssey?). I don't like choice but challenges in video games.
Should I give SM3DW a try on Switch or do you suggest another Mario title? Thanks in advance.
This is simply one of the best analysis I've ever seen/watched. The attention to detail made me realize how much subtle attention to detail are in my favorite games. It really makes me love the series more, and makes me want to watch more!
One year. This was released over 1 year ago. I just can't believe it. I remember when I was waiting for this to finish to he could move on to his Dark Souls commentary
This comment was over 2 years ago... wow.
@@kingdingring9719 this comment was over a month ago wow
@@milboxr9772
This comment was over 2 years ago... wow.
This comment talks about the switch version!
It blows my mind how good this game looks compared to the PS4 and Xbox One titles.
Yes! I think so too. It's so solid, so fluent, so downright gorgeous. Everything on the other consoles is so damn drab and you're never far away from a shoddy texture. It feels like the games are constrained by the hardware ALREADY, whereas here, the game is 'above' the hardware - the hardware limitations are redundant. You forget how powerful, or not powerful, the system that it's running on is. And that's a beautiful thing.
That is the difference between ascetics and graphics. Graphic are nothing more than the quality of paint in the painting and ascetics is the quality of the painting itself. you can give a half rate artist the best paint in the world but, the painting won't be that great. you can give a amazing artist horrible paint and they can still rise above and make something great.
A lot of that, if not all, is down to the cartoonish visual, and as Matt aside the simple geometry. This doesn't use much of the systems power so can use that on visual effects to make it look pretty.
A lot of devs these days (I hate that phrase but couldn't think of another way of putting it) have no concept of resource management and are constantly hitting the wall on graphics. Plus none of them seem to want to get the most out the hardware with any technical wizardry like they used to.
TheGamingBrit made a video about how if devs downgraded the graphics a bit, not only would all the technical problems be fixed, but they would have more time for more important things like gameplay.
That's the thing about a lot of Nintendo games, because they use older technology, unlike PS4 and XBOX One which want to have the latest and most recent technological advancements, they can utilize it to its fullest capabilities, which in my opinion actually makes it look significantly better in comparison.
***** It could even just be a 3rd console alongside the WiiU and 3DS
This is my favorite 3D Mario! Every level is unique and creative and the multiplayer rocks!
I'm part of the crowd who adored this game even over the other 3D Mario titles and I must say this series of reviews has been incredible. These are truly well thought out, informative and overall interesting videos to watch.
"The day Mario is in trouble, is a bad day for all of us"
Man that was such a sad thought, imagine if Mario becomes a franchise like Sonic, I would be devastated to see my favorite plumber struggle
Man, what a ride! Sort of sad to see this review series end but that just means I get to look forward to your next one. good job!
All around an enjoyable series, it's always nice to understand the perspective these things give.
I personally enjoyed this game probably a bit more than I should have. Entire weekends fallen victim to completing everything in this game. I regret nothing.
I look forward to your next series.
I don't usually comment on videos, but this series has been excellent, and probably the best series I've seen on youtube. The fact that you do this for free amazes me - good job, Matt.
This is a wonderful game and woefully underappreciated. Thanks for showing people what's so cool about this game.
This review was outstanding. 3D World is my favorite Mario game, and my 2nd favorite game overall. (My first favorite is Kirby Superstar).
3D World feels like a basically perfect blend of the elements from earlier games, and such outstanding music on top of that, such a damn good game. :D
3D World was kind of a daring move especially after how well received Galaxy was, but I feel it paid off as the experienced is well polished.
So since you are finished with that series, i'd like to make some suggestions on what you may do next. You probably already have a follow up you are working on... but i just want to get it out of my system. You are currently my favourite UA-camr. No one else puts this much effort in a review and puts them out quite frequently. I only know a few spin off reviews that are that good, and one german UA-camr who makes a video like ervey 8 months. Keep up the great work.
Now to my suggestions:
As a filler until your next big review series would best be 1-2 Game(s series). Biosock 1 & 2 would work since you have already reviewd Infinite. System Shock, at lest the 2nd one is a masterpiece. Half Life, if you put the spin offs & episodes together with their main game. Bayonetta, since you already have done the Wonderful 101. Darksiders. And Portal.
And for single games: Viva Pinata or Mirrors Edge, i love these game. Okami, would fit with Ico & Shadow of the Colossus. Return to Castle Wolfenstein, named one of the last great shooters from the golden age of shooters. South Park: The Stick of Truth, a milestone of "how to make a franchaise/lisence into a game". Minecraft, FTL or Binding of Isaac, if you want to do something with indie games. Psychonauts, Oddworld: Stranger Wrath or Beyond good and Evil, if you want to do something with great games that were a commercial failure. Planetside 2, the best Battlefield since BF2. Path of Exile, the best action RPG since Diablo 2.
For whole series, first the ones i'd love to see:
Time Splitters, my favourite shooter series, it got better with every entry, and you have no shooter series yet. Jak & Ratchet and Clank. R&C has probably a few too many entrys to revew everyone, but Jak defenitly has a good number with 3 main games, 2 spin offs. I'd also would like to see Tomb Raider, but, like with Ratchet & Clank, there are too many games. The golden age or Rare games, 007 Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad fur Day.
For shooters, since you have now review series of those:
Deus Ex, Serious Sam, Rainbow Six or Doom. -Halo would work aswell but there are too may games.
The only eastern RPGs i know are Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, and i have only played FF6, 7, 13. Also FF has too many games to review. And of corse Pokemon, but... yeah... no need to write a reason there. Only a good idea if you ocmbine them into one video or by generations. 6 generations.
Western ones: Fallout, Diablo, Elder Scrolls, it't funny to imagine a 20hour review of Daggerfall. Mass Effect
RTS: Warcraft, Starcraft. -Command & Conquer, too many games.
Steath: Hitman, Thief, Splinter Cell
And some others that would be possible: Assassins Creed, Gears of War, Devil may Cry, Resident evil, Silent Hill, Sims or the Suda 51 games.
Sonic or Megaman have too may games to review.
I tried to take as many games with a diffenrt approach to their genre per genre. Since all the reviews you've done currently are eastern games and you have done a Stealth 3d person game, a RPG and a Platformer, so you used a different genre every time the most likely that you'd riview Devil May Cry with 5 games.
But it doesn't matter what game series you'll review next. I'll watch it, i I'll most likely like it.
Have fun and keep doing what you are doing.
DRAMATIC RECREATION
@Boy dodo 6:45 at the screen it says that.
I'm really happy you talked about the music- I think it's one of the best things 3D World did for the series.
This, Wind Waker HD, and Pikmin 3 are the perfect Wii U single player trifecta. If I were a few years younger and the Wii U was my first console, these three games would probably make me love video games forever.
Hell i will always love games but for some reason these ( and alot of nintendo ips ) remind me why i love games in the first place. To me nintendo is one of the last devs who make "true" videogames as i always thought of them. Fun gameplay, amazing music and focus on game feel rather than a B level story
Daniel Callahan Come on, don't pretend like Mario or Zelda, or at least something influenced by them, didn't introduce you to games as a kid too XD
Daniel Callahan 3D World is only the worst 3D Mario game (it's far from the worst Mario game overall since the NSMB games exist XD) when viewed in the context of the other games and how much it borrows from them. Matt himself said, if Mario 3D World is your very first experience with the Mario series, it may be one of the most consistently varied and engaging game experiences you ever have. Wind Waker HD is also far from a weak port, and improves on the original in a variety of ways (plus I like the new visuals more than those of the original, bite me). I'm much less inclined to defend Pikmin 3 but I still think that it's a great introduction to strategy-based gameplay.
The windwaker was the game that made me lookout to new zelda releases.
@Galaxy Spirals Yea, but WIndwaker HD is worse visually than the original Windwaker. Not to argue, I also just think graphical-remakes are bad in general and need to look much better to warrant their existance. Windwaker HD was a money grab, and used bloom to make commercials for the game look better. Some people might like how it looks, the majority of us, do not. No problem either way however, I just look down at it from a gaming perspective.
Entertaining and insightful video as usual. Thanks for taking the time to make and put these up!
"There's nothing quite like running from an angry Luigi trying to mow you down with a giant snowshoe to steal your crown" Heh xD
Ooooooohhh boy. This is gonna be worth the wait, I just know it.
Hey! Fancy seeing you here!
I see you everywhere...
Jesus, man, why do you have to be literally everywhere? Ah well, at least it explains why you transitioned from Sonic to Metroid: Other M in your collab with Roger
You watch somecallmejohny
FriskyFatty
Yes.
I think the debate over whether or not this is a 3D Mario game is flawed in that it assumes the answer is a yes or no.
I, personally, think this is the 3D translation of the 2D mario franchise. While this was originally Super Mario 64, I think this is a more faithful translation. That's not to say this game is better than 64, but if the 4 previous games in this series had never existed, this would be what most people would think a 3D Mario would be like, not 64
Heh, I thought you would post exactly one month after your Mario Galaxy 2 Review since February and March have the same dates on the same days.
You really did an excellent job at breaking down the Mario games bit by bit through the last five months. Here we have over 2 and a half hours of 3D Mario analysis that will definitely be recognized by thousands and hopefully by the developers that make the Mario games.
Bravo Matthew.
32:10
"I believe the best elements of each could be mixed into something even greater than the sum of its parts. With the Switch..."
The Switch...
The Nintendo Switch..!!?
i just cried a little after finishing the video with those emotional sentences... :'(
Those*
i cried even more after i looked at the comments after finishing the video
Clout Gang Or just a joke... I am not sure though...
2:46, after 10 years, I now discover that trick
When Matthew showed 64. I also never knew about spinning to the snowman and making him fall.
That was mind crushing.
A brilliant end to a brilliant series! Always love hearing your insights!
Great reviews. I'd personally like to hear your thoughts on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in the future.
Yeah it would be interesting to see him tackling a series that's pretty consistently bad. Pretty much all of his videos are about critically acclaimed games but there's plenty to learn from mistakes too.
Cian
I agree completely. A retrospective on 3D Sonic games would be exactly the opposite of a retrospective on 3D Mario games; but I feel there is just as much too learn.
Of course it would be kind of funny to hear him tell people, "You should probably play Sonic '06 before the review if possible"
I was personally thinking a retrospective of the classic era, but figuring out what does and doesn't work in the 3D era would be pretty cool too. I assume he'd review these 5:
-Sonic Adventure
-Sonic Adventure 2
-Sonic Heroes
-Shadow the Hedgehog
-Sonic the Hedgehog(2006)
I follow Matt on twitter and I actually remember him saying that he pretends those games don't exist anymore. It seems he only does retrospectives on series he still enjoys or perceives as having the potential to improve.
In one of his livestreams he said he hasn't beaten a Sonic game since the Genesis/MegaDrive era. The series sucks ass anyways.
3D World is by far my favorite 3D Mario game, don't care what people say. Such a fantastic and in-depth review of the 3D Mario games! Loved every episode! Can't wait to see your review on Odyssey!
I HAAAAAAAATE the lack of the triple jump. Moving and jumping around feels so bland without it...I'm so used to it at this point. It was even in the 2D games from New Super Mario Bros. onward. Super Mario 3D Land started that lack of the triple jump, and I really miss it. Besides that, I don't think the side somersault, backwards somesault, and long jump are that bad...I guess if you want more height, than you can play as Luigi, and if you want more distance, plays as Toad. Although I wish the backwards somersault had some backwards horizontal momentum - as it is, it only flings the player straight up. I didn't notice the lack of full directional control, but now that I think about it, it probably would have been nicer to have that. I don't mind the addition of a run button - and I do like that after a while the characters get a big boost of speed. I would have liked that in Super Mario Galaxy.
***** Was there no wall jump in Super Mario 3D World? I never noticed that.
Thanks for the outstanding review videos! It’s been so insightful hearing your take on some of my favourite games over the years! I hope you do an Odyssey review, as I think you’d have some great things to say about it 😊
Matthewmatosis: "Super Mario 3D World is a bit like being given a prescription for fun. You'll be sure to have a good time but only in the exact way you're supposed to."
We've officially found the best analogy for 3D World.
3D World was the first 3D Mario I had played since Sunshine (I never had a Wii), and I absolutely adored it. Straight forward, bursting with fun, and great challenges make it an absolute joy to play. It's currently my favorite Mario game, even after getting to go back and play the Galaxy games, and I think for me it comes down to the focus on progressing through an individual level here and there in 3D World versus progressing through the game as a whole in it predecessors. Picking the game up and just romping through a few levels in 3DW is always a good treat.
Hey, how about reviewing the Mario Party Franchise? I'm pretty sure these games have a lot of game design philosophy to be discussed when you look closely.
Sarcasm at its finest.
Sam Hanson No, it isn't. Althoug there's definitelly a delta of randomness, the rating systems, the placement of spaces on each board, the FEELING of there being a story and most important of all, the MOSTLY skill based minigames are all to be apreciated, in my eyes.
Thanks for your hard work Matt, your videos simply amazing. These are top caliber reviews which have been a joy to watch. Please keep up the production of these series! Thanks again!
Where are the Odyssey and BOTW Reviews? We need them!
Check out the 100% comprehensive, ongoing Odyssey analysis series on my channel if you're interested in one.
I have only ever played about an hour's worth of Sunshine and never touched any of the other titles, not even let's plays.
I have, however, watched every single one of these reviews. You did an excellent job on all of them Matt, and I look forward to what you do next.
"It takes a lot of effort and skill to make the simple act of walking from one place to another engaging" *cough* *cough* the order...
Loved the "dramatic recreation" and "I can't draw" bits.
Thanks for the great series of videos, Matt.
Matthew for best UA-camr ever! He's been name-dropped by TB on the Co-op podcast, and on GameGrumps.
Too bad his videos are way too long and in depth for him to become mainstream
gamegrumps? when have they brought him up?
Harchier Spebbington
Arin gave him a shout out in one of the first Mario 64 videos.
Harchier Spebbington First episode of the Super Mario 64 playthrough. Should be in the first few minutes
Running away from a bloodthirsty Luigi in an ice skate sounds like a harrowing experience.
I liked the Galaxy games better, especially the first. It's probably because of nostalgia, since Galaxy was my first game, but I feel like there's more to it than that. Galaxy gave off this vibe that encourages exploration. A star can seem like it would be in x spot, but until you explore, you realize it's in y spot. 3D World feels like what it intended to be: 3D Land on the Wii U. The only difference is that they tried way too hard to make co-op work, and it shows in the final product.
+nerd of now
Based on some of the level gimmicks, you'd Nintendo didn't try to make co-op work so much...I mean, there are some levels that are really annoying to play with multiple players.
As always, amazing job on the reviews, Matthew. This series in particular came across as very cohesive, with each review transitioning very smoothly into the next. I doubt every point you brought up in this review has been in your mind since 64, but it certainly feels that way when watching them all in succession. I admire your style and attention to detail, and commend you on never ceasing to amaze and evolve with each new video.
Hey Matt, are you planning on doing a review of super Mario odyssey? Would really like to hear what you think of it.
That section at 5:10 on multiplayer, oh God the things that I missed by not having a WiiU, that looks like such a nightmare, me and my friends would die of laughter going tru that.
This game was really enjoyable, to me, mostly because I never really enjoyed many of the 3D Marios, generally because of his moveset when I played 64 and Sunshine as a kid. I find a lot of it comes down to the level design, though, and Galaxy and 3D World really stuck with me for the "gimmicky" stages that love to throw new interesting ideas and challenges at you.
Prince alucard this is the least original and most restrictive so far of the 3d Mario games, that's why it feels disappointing. It's nice to look at and fun to play but Matt's statement at the end about controlled doses of fun could not be more correct. This is the Mario game for people who probably couldn't wrap their heads around the gameplay and adventure aspects of the earlier ones. They like playing a game almost how they like watching a movie.
***** I didn't like how the objective were set up or the controls worked in the games prior to Galaxy. Galaxy's sense of adventure and good level design was nice. (I liked this game mostly for the 2D level/objective based Mario elements it added which I greatly prefer.)
gimmicks aren't bad at all.
This series of videos was done extremely well. You've sold me, I look forward to watching your other videos.
I saw this as more of a spin off title, it doesn't feel like the main 3D titles.
same, but it's still a great game nonetheless
I didn't mean that in Derogative way, sorry if it came off as that.
Literally the only thing that sets this apart from the pre-3D Land games is the staging. People focus far too much on the presence of a story and the use of stars instead of flagpoles to decide whether a game is a "main" Mario game or not.
And the camera and level design. Which are kind of a big deal. I still think it's justified in including it with the others, but the staging is far from "literally the only thing."
superuber27 A lot of Galaxy stages could have been done with this same camera. The stages also feel like refined and more cohesive Galaxy 2 stages. To me, 3D World definitely feels like a derivative to Galaxy 2 with less presentation fluff like Galaxy 2 was to Galaxy.
i raise my glass to your reviews sir. you put across an intelligent well thought out and unbiased viewpoint on the games you review. i have to say your reviews are the best i have come across on youtube. thank you for taking the time to make them and keep on doing what you do :-)
This is my favorite 3D Mario game, no contest. It's 3D, but plays like a 2D platformer. It's pretty much all I've ever wanted. 3D Land of course came first, but it was pretty lackluster. This game was just a dream to play. I think the people that say this isn't a "true" 3D Mario game are insane. In my opinion, this is the truest 3D Mario game, since it plays so much like the original 2D Mario games. Simple, smooth, and polished platforming. The whole sub-genre of collectathon platformers just wasn't for me.
I agree (except I preferred Land over World). 3D Land and World have made me very happy because I felt like 3D Marios have all gone downhill from Mario 64. It was very refreshing to see Nintendo return to a more pure and straightforward gameplay style. Mario 64 is still the best of the 64/Sunshine/Galaxy style of gameplay, so now my hope is for Nintendo to revisit that style and bring us a Mario in that vein that blows all of them away.
I've always felt 64, Sunshine and Galaxy did a decent job with the collectathon design choices but the games that killed that genre were Rare's. It baffles me people praise those games so much.
I guess different strokes for different folks.
***** Yes! Someone else who preferred Land to World! *bro fist*
DeadEye935 I couldn't disagree more. I think a lot of it for me comes down to what Matt said at the very end about the controlled doses fun. There was just so much more imagination, creativity, and adventure involved in the gameplay and problem solving with the first couple of 3D games, 64 in particular being my favorite. I really do think that this is the 3D Mario game for people who are a little less critical thinking and a little more passive in how they enjoy entertainment, like someone who will just go and enjoy a giant CGI blockbuster no matter what it is.
DeadEye935 also it's not good because they gave you complete freedom in 64 and just taken a lot of that away, this game feels very restricted in many ways.
Although I'm a little disappointed you didn't talk about the effect of the isometric perspective the whole game had -- specifically in how it harmed the platforming in many parts of the game -- I think you did another good job with this review! You always focus on the really nitty-gritty parts of game design that no other reviewer ever seems to explore.
I guess if he didn't include that sentiment, then that means he doesn't share it with you, in which case being disappointed would seem odd.
This is a pretty good game. I only played it at my cousins when there were 2-3 of us. I think we lost more lives on the final level then the rest of the game combined.
I would love to see a retrospective on the original Ace Attorney trilogy. I think it would offer an interesting challenge analyzing how the games try to guide the played with their story. Keep up the great work Mr. Matosis!
pewdiepie plays 5NAF and screams a lot: 500 million subs
Matt pours his heart and soul into 30+ minute deep video game analyses: 67k subs
HOW CAN LIFE BE SO UNFAIR
Look at the comments. 80% of the people typed out what they had to say without even looking at the video.
***** I think he meant that rhetorically, not actually looking for an explanation.
Life is perfectly fair. Pewdiepie is an excellent idiot barometer. His purpose is to tell you when someone isn't worth sharing time with based on their subscriptions. Like the slime on a slug telling you that it isn't worth eating.
Scrath Folchester thats a very interesting way of looking at it, thank you for the perspective.
Stephen O'Brien
You're welcome.
Thank you, these series are amazingly detailed and the fact that you show every game in the series helps put each one of them in perspective, great job.
This is the best 3D Mario. No padding, no added bullshit, just pure platforming fun.
Why the heck are you responding to every comment here, Prince_alucard? You Matt's second alt?
*****>doesn't browse /r9k/
>Le ebic frogpost avvy
Literally stupid.
And plain, and no character of its own, and dull visuals, and very little charm. Bullshit is good in videogames and is a huge part of why i love 64, sunshine and galaxy, and why i found 3d world to be so forgettable.
***** The suits work exactly how they did in the older 2D games, and the new suits serve a purpose in this game such as reaching new areas or collecting green stars/stamps and generally giving you a unique attack or ability to collect items (boomerang). Gameplay mechanics botched? Please explain yourself here. You haven't explained your criticism of this game at all.
I forgot how fucking amazing the music in Nintendo games is. So fucking whimsical.
Matthewmatosis I'm surprised with how well thought out all your points are in this episode, yet you didn't seem to grasp how the 8-direction movement was actually a really smart move, and even an improvement. It would be easier to show you but I'm going to have to explain it in words only, so I hope I can properly explain it.
The 8-directions and the blocky level design go hand-in-hand obviously, but even if it didn't like the Galaxy games (for the most part) it still worked to help gauge what direction to press no matter where the camera was. See in the Galaxy games, there were a lot of areas where you couldn't change the camera angle and where the camera was wasn't always the best and many times you would press in the direction you wanted and would notice Mario wouldn't go in that exact direction, because you weren't exact in the direction you pressed so you would have to correct yourself if you wanted Mario to follow the center of the road exactly. In many areas this would lead many to accidentally jump into the background off stage, thanks to the camera showing the stage from a imperfect isometric view.
The way the left stick worked in that game is that wherever you pointed it would move in that direction is based off the camera view, but in 3D World it moves in the 8 directions based off the stage orientation to the camera. This means if the camera shows that the stage wants you to go at a general upper right diagonal if you hold that direction you would go perfectly in conjuction with the stage, even if the camera moves slightly. This was a big problem in the galaxy games when the camera moved slightly the direction you would have to press would also move, which would make you have to focus on adjusting direction instead of platforming, this would also mean that the camera couldn't adjust to show you more as you went without it interfering, which it did at times.
Imagine one of the UFO things in Battlerock in the first game, when you get under one and Mario is upside down try walking exactly to the side of it, you will know you did it if Mario follows that same path at least twice around, you will probably instead notice him going to side and then change directions, this emphasizes how hard it is to go in the correct direction without Mario deviating slighty normally. Now try walking around normally while upside down and you will probably find it difficult to go exactly where you want, since movement upside down is new to you and can be confusing, this is how new players feel when moving Mario even when he is not upside down. Now imagine if you had the controls of 3D World on that UFO, when you press left, Mario will navigate that UFO down the middle repeatedly with no deviancy. This makes it easier to navigate as both a new player and as an expert player, and lets you focus on platforming without the camera getting in the way, this allows the camera to be placed in almost any angle (that still shows you on the stage) and still allow you to follow the stage perfectly. Because of this the developers are able to make stages like the Champions Road knowing that the player can beat it without unfair deaths because of a bad camera angle.
I hope I didn't forget anything and was able to properly explain, sorry for the long post. Now Matthew, try playing some levels in Mario Galaxy (ones where the camera is not behind Mario like in previous games) and press in only the 8 directions and not in any specific direction between those and then play some 3D World levels afterwards, you will find yourself being faster and more exact in your platforming in 3D world.
Man it really irks me that your videos don't get more widespread attention, your attention to detail is outstanding and even when I know I'm never going to play certain games you review I'm always happy to see when you've posted a new video because I KNOW its going to be good. Theres not a lot of people on youtube who I can say that about.
P.S you should do a collaboration with MrBtongue :)
I was absolutely destroyed when they revealed this game lol. To this day I can't get over the complete and utter disappointment of seeing '3D Land in HD' at that E3 after spending over a year expecting either another Mario Galaxy or something completely different for 3D Mario. Saying that it's still a great game and I absolutely adore 3D Land on 3DS because unlike 3D World it actually surpassed what I was expecting out of the hardware. I do wonder where they'll go next with the series on NX.
Back to its roots! :D
Weird, I was browsing UA-cam to watch something while I had dinner. Then this popped up in my sub box. Fantastic.
I've never heard "crown" pronounced like "crayon" before...
+OuroborosChoked You're absolutely brilliant. Thank you for the laugh!
Every time. Every damn time. I see your video's up and ready, and I just *have* to drop everything. I absolutely love the analysis you do for each series. It's all so well thought-out and carefully put together, and just plain good. After that Dark Souls commentary you've been planning, maybe we can see you give Metroid a good look? That would be wonderful.
Mario Gameplay remains interesting, but visually it's becoming stagnant. Everything looks like New Super Mario Bros. Too clean, almost sterile, saved only by ingenious color use. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, I just think we have been looking at it long enough and could use a change. Not likely to happen considering the value of Mario brand recognition.
And we eventually did
"Super Mario 3D World is a bit like being given a prescription for fun"
Amazing one liner.
Also this review of the modern Mario games has wrapped up nicely in time for Bloodborne which I hope you're doing next.
I'm surprised you liked this game so much, it feels like such a regression from galaxy. It's such a chore to complete.
Already dissected and loved this whole commentary, but came back just to seek that 'Mushroom-Toad-Pipe' moment Matthew commented about on one of his livestreams. It just made this whole video more enjoyable. Gracias.
And now, Souls games.
He has a 3 hour Demon's Souls commentary and a ds2 critique. Just missing dark souls 1 and he had confirmed he'll be doing a video on that one.
And bloodborne after that, of course.
Kennedy Renn
If I remember correctly, he actually confirmed that it would come out on/before the release of Bloodborn, and, if he didn't make it on time, it would be top priority.
Swiggity Krinks Honestly, with the gameplay footage of Bloodborne I've seen so far, It wouldn't be unfair to consider it part of the souls franchise.
***** It's basically faster paced dark souls with no shields. different world, but same gameplay mechanics.
You are truly the most critical and in-depth reviewer ever. These mario reviews are masterpieces. I hope you make more of them.
23:32 "Although these sequences never quite managed to reach their full potential" ever heard of Captain Toad Treasure Tracker?
Yeah...I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this was not meant to be the 8th gen flagship Mario title (like Sunshine and Galaxy were to generations 6 and 7, respectively), but rather meant to be a successor to 3D Land, which itself is meant to be a 3D game in the vein of the NSMB series. I don't know if there will even be a flagship 8th gen Mario game, but I'm almost positive that this is not it.
There probably is a decent argument for removing the triple jump and simplifying Mario's moveset when you consider the other characters would need to have these moves as well, in which case they either would be clunky to play or insanely broken. This is mainly the case with Peach, as I can imagine her triple jump being a nightmare to pull off without accidentally floating instead, and furthermore, being able to float on top of having a triple jump, or a longer long jump, would give her such an incredible advantage over the others that there'd be absolutely no point in using ANYONE else.
You couldn't triple jump in 3D Land either, and there you could only play as Mario or Luigi.
Also Dorrie's music is from Mario 64; The Bullies return from 64; as well as the beach levels definitely resembling Sunshine