I had purchased a 3DS a month ago solely so I can buy this game (and a couple of other Nintendo exclusives). Having the idea of a possible throwback to Super Mario Bros 3 intrigued me, as this was the first video game I played the most of as a kid. In a sense, Mario 3 started my hobby into gaming nearly 20 years ago. (Man, I'm old… ) After finishing every level and collecting every star coin that was cleverly hidden, I've met with mixed feelings regarding Super Mario 3D Land.

First of all, the gameplay is simply what you can expect of a Mario game, fantastic visuals with engaging gameplay and at times challenging platforming segments. What more could you ask for? But for me there was something amiss with this title that didn't satisfy my gaming appetite.

The best way I could describe this Mario title is that it grabbed gameplay elements from previous Mario titles and blended them together. Take the flag pole and Bowser defeating of the first Super Mario game, add the power ups of Mario 3, and add in Mario 64's 3D movement and abilities. (Oddly enough, no nods to the original Mario Land game.) This may sound great in theory, but each Mario game conflicts with another, especially 3's and 64's.

In Super Mario Bros 3, the game was a solid experience where Mario went through level after level within a set path. A point A to point B with several obstacles in the way including a time limit. However, in Mario 64, that time limit was gone and Point B was less defined, as you have to explore and figure out what the star hint meant when entering each painting. This different gameplay mechanics conflict with each other in 3D Land as I wanted to explore but couldn't as I had a set time to actually do such a thing. I think the game would have been a bit better if it stayed 2D like the 2 New Super Mario Bros games.

Once I completed this game, I was a bit surprised to learn there were 8 additional worlds to tackle once you've beaten the main game. These worlds offer a bit of difficulty to transverse through as additional obstacles are placed in order to overcome them. On the plus side of the additional worlds, the tanooki suit with the ability to transform into a statue becomes immediately available and the option to play as Luigi once you completed the first additional world. Being able to play as Luigi is purely cosmetic as playing either character offers no real difference in gameplay mechanics, though Luigi sounds funnier when he falls off a stage. Beyond that there isn't much else once you finished the special worlds other than have a couple stars appear on the save file. (Woohoo.)

This is a solid title that will most likely move 3DS's off stores shelves but the content is lacking in my eyes. The world's I was talking about is usually only 5 levels long and all follow an extremely linear path. Some variety in the maps would have been nice and having an overall theme to each world like the original Mario 3 game. One level has snow, the next is has lava pits and then a underwater level, what is going on here?! And one more thing, where are the kooplings? They debut on Super Mario Bros 3, yet are absent in the game that pays tribute to this title. Instead we have the mini-boss of Mario 3 and his female version counterpart. I shake my head in shame for this lack of inclusion since they finally reappeared in New Super Mario Bros Wii.

The 3D aspect of the game is a plus as it enhances the visuals to make everything, well pop out in terms of the level designs. It definitely makes the gameplay more appealing but makes some of the jumps harder to line up. Expect to fall to your doom time after time again thanks in due to this.

Well this ends my review/rant on the game. I just gotta take this with a grain of salt and appreciate that Nintendo made another superb Mario title and just let it be. I just feel that the content they added suffered when they are paying homage to one of the best selling gaming titles of all time (and not to mention beloved too). Still Mario games will always have a bit of nostalgic flare to them so even a nod to a previous title is always appreciated to us old fogies. But if they are going to give a nod to nostalgia, I just hope they give more than the bare-minimal in terms of content.