Super Mario 3D Land Party & Game Review

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We were recently invited to a wonderful event in Times Square in New York City to celebrate the release of the new 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land. This party included a full real life recreation of a few staples from the game, including Piranha flowers, bouncy blocks, question bricks, and even a slide. The best part was the jumpy blocks played the Mario jumping sound, and one of the Piranha flowers spit at you, while you were behind a clear shield.

Before everyone had their chance to play in 3D Land there were some parkour performers dressed as Mario that flipped, jumped and flew around. It was very neat- and I love to watch this in person there is a certain level of excitement when watching someone hop around in ways that seem to stretch reality a bit.

If you were one of the lucky peeps, you also received a Tanooki tail and ears to complete your Mario experience. No, they did not let you float slower while jumping, but they did look really cool and would make a good travel pillow because they were so soft and the perfect size. There is a new product line for you Nintendo! Tanooki tail travel pillow- feel free to use that one (LOL).
There was also mushroom pizza available for the low price of a tweet with a #Hashtag. Didn’t have magic properties but sustenance.

Ok ready, set- PLAY! Here is everything you have to know if you are a Mario fan. This is a very good Mario game. Get it, you will not be disappointed, I promise you this.

Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS is the most recent Mario game in a long line of superb games. For every system Nintendo releases they also release at least one Mario game, this is the first one for the 3DS. In Mario Land you take on the role of Mario, our Italian hero in blue and red as he tries to save the princess from the clutches of Bowser, and his cohorts Boom Boom and Pom Pom.

The first level of 3D Land acts as an introduction to the first 3D platforming Mario game ever. I will admit, at first I was apprehensive on a 3D Mario game. Mario is best known for his side scrolling adventures jumping from turtle shell to block, shooting fireballs and swinging his tail along the way. Within that first level I fell for it. Great fun, the 3D is seamless and absolutely great. It is so well done it actually brought a smile to my face because of its ingenuity. One of the first of them was when jumping about in a pipe room. At first glance it appears to be a stepped pyramid going up in one corner but once you actually jump around a bit you realize the blocks aren’t actually one solid shape but many blocks floating around, this gets you used to changing the perspective of the scene a bit, with the touch of a button.

There is a lot of jumping and maneuvering in 3D Land, which is made easier by the 3D aspect of the game and also by the Tanooki costume. The powers have been modified a bit from the classic version, instead of a running jump where you can fly for a bit, the costume now lets Mario glide slowly, making landing those difficult jumps a little bit easier.

Another costume in 3D Land is the boomerang flower. This flower is just like the fire flower except, yep! you guessed it, you throw a boomerang. The boomerang flies straight in the direction Mario is facing until it turns around and comes back. This is an especially fun weapon when there are lots of enemies on a screen at once. Mario can throw a boomerang and start bouncing around on enemies while the boomerang zips around, making for a fulfilling experience when done correctly. Throughout each stage of the level there are three large coins to collect, which are either hidden or take a bit of brains to get to. These coins add a nice challenge to those who would like to collect them, but aren’t necessary to collect.

The level design in 3D Land is spot on and challenging. From the flying boat ships, to the deserts, to the winter mountains- all are gorgeous. As Mario progresses on his quest, the levels get more difficult, but with enough trial and error or (as is often the case with myself) put it down and come back to it later, every level can be tackled.

Now, GO grab this game! Within a few levels you will smile, you will enjoy this game if you are any kind of gamer, from the most hardcore to the easy going. If you enjoy a good challenge or are just along for the ride. Also check out the website, there are sweet wallpapers and videos there as well.

Happy Gaming!