Everyone has been asking for it and the Big 'N' delivered. During their Nintendo Direct today, Iwata dropped bombs in the format of trailers, showcasing the Wii U in a light rarely ever seen: as a fun gaming console with fun games designed to be fun. One of those games happened to be Super Mario 3D World.
Global president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, popped onto the screen earlier today to address the giant visceral mass of people known as the internet and he brought plenty of news and updates for upcoming Wii U and Nintendo 3DS titles with him. Super Mario 3D World was one of those games, featuring an action-packed trailer containing just over two-and-a-half minutes of unadulterated, uncensored, unbarred gameplay.
3D World brings with it a lot of what was introduced in New Super Mario Bros. for the original Wii, which was a cooperative side-scrolling game that featured many of the classic Mario gameplay elements along with a few new ones. The challenge of playing with multiple people was great and the classic difficulty and colorful worlds brought to life in a fun and intuitive way was brilliant.
With the upcoming title for the Wii U, Nintendo branches on the concepts introduced in New Super Mario Bros. while also combining elements from Super Mario Galaxy and the game that really helped put Mario on the “next-gen” map way back in the day, Super Mario 64. The overworld map is still present, but the gameplay has changed enough to warrant it as more than just another “cash-in” Mario title that some people like to throw around when talking about Nintendo properties.
Unlike Super Mario Galaxy the new title on the Wii U doesn't rely or focus on the near four-dimensional aspects from the Wii titles where players could go around, through and over platforming areas in ways never before seen in a platform game. Instead the environments in Super Mario 3D World are a little closer to Super Mario 64 with traditional platforming and exploration being present. However, the game doesn't just retread – it also takes elements from New Super Mario Bros. such as the fast-paced scrolling segments and challenging platform puzzles and elevates those concepts to the next level. It looks amazing.
New powers are present, new worlds and new ways to play. Nintendo really knows how to keep a game feeling nostalgic.
Whether or not Super Mario 3D World will be the game that finally picks the Wii U up and forces SKUs to start moving the way Nintendo has been moving the 3DS is another story for another time, but we'll find out once the game launches in late November next month exclusively for the Wii U.
