I give this game four controllers, which besides my 3DS review, is the highest I have though of a game on a review to this point.
Plot
The main plot overall bothered me a bit. That's the main overall plot. The idea is that there are eight different princess you have to rescue (non of which are peach), which kind of takes away the feeling that it's a long journey towards one final goal. It kind of makes it feel like it has a bunch of little tasks you do, and doesn't really make you feel like it's all towards one final accomplishment, which I always have liked about the franchise. Secondly, not having princess peach as the person you have to say kind of messes with the plot that I've always liked, so it was a little strange, but I do like a break from the same old thing once and a while, so I can't say I didn't like it. I just wish we could have seen a little background on the characters before we see browser grab a bunch of fairies and take off. BUT, I do kind of like how they turned princess peach into one of the players you can choose from, instead of just shoving her off to the side. It's nice to she the treat her like someone who can defend herself and not always be a "damsel in distress" idea that must be rescued by the male characters, which Nintendo has a bad rep for. Plus, if my little sister couldn't play as a girl, I'm not so sure how much she'd like it as much. The last thing that bothered me was the bosses. Each area had its own theme enemy that you would battle against, and then have a boss themed after them, instead of the browser like ones in the New super mario bro's game that I really like.
Overall, aside from really messing with the plot that Mario fans have come to know and love a little too much, and from making the whole game seem like a bunch of small tasks instead of one final goal, I'd give the plot a 3.5 star count.
Graphics
Amazing. To summarize in one word, that's the one. It has amazing HD, which I have never even come close to seeing in any home gaming system ever. There is no way this could improved-period. They designed it just perfectly, and I hope they never change them. But, aside from just the pretty-ness of it, I think they did a great job with the look of the world to, and how the portrayed the 3D. The did a great job of making the 2D platformer come alive with the 3-Dimensional aspects like being able to run back and forth and items looking nearer or farther, and being able to adjust the camera so you can see however you like and spin around. You know what, I can't really put this into words well, so how about I just show you:
This games graphics for sure get a whooping 5 stars!
Funness
This game is TONS of fun. It has lots of puzzles to solve, challenging bosses to defeat, and very diverse and crazily creative worlds. And it can be enjoyed by the whole family too! Co-op has been greatly improved by allowing the player who is behind teleport to the player ahead. This was before implemented, but never worked nearly as well. Before there was a long delay before the behind player actually was put into a bubble, so if a player got too far ahead the one behind would typically die and frustrate everyone. But with SM3DW, it makes playing with your friends fun- and even be an advantage. But the overall funness, with or without friends, is beyond words. Five stars for sure!
Age
As for the content, ESRB rates it as Everyone, which I agree with. The definition of "Everyone", according to ESRB is 6+. While I do not believe there is much of any violence or anything inappropriate for a younger child, like 5 or so, but the difficulty level makes it to where I would recommend it to ages 6+ because of the the simple puzzle work, problem solving, and a tad of "fighting skills" required. I never think that a hard video game is very fun for kids, and can even discourage them. But, I do think Nintendo has done a great job of making this a fun game for all ages by incorporating a few things. The first and most notable would by the white raccoon power up. If you fail a course several times, then a shiny golden box will appear where you first spawn. The power up inside not only gives you a raccoon power up, but you're invincible!
You can charge right through enemies and eliminate them! The only way you can die is if you fall off the map or into a harmful liquid such as purple slime or lava. This gives younger gamers a fun challenge, without the frustration. And for advanced gamers and old time Mario fans it is packed with great stuff for you as well. In every level there is a cool, hidden, hard-to-get, collectible stamp somewhere on the map. And there are lots of Green Stars in each level, three to be exact, which, while they are out in the open, are typically hard to get, but lots of fun to collect too, which can add some challenge to the game for players who find the main game to be a bit dull. I defiantly think they scored a 5 star on the age!
Click here for full ESRB official ratings on the game.
Conclusion
Overall, I believe this is a great game that any Wii U owner should buy and play for some Mario fun!
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