EDGE has provided the first review of Super Mario 3D Land in its December 2011 issue. While it received a fairly high score – 8 out of 10 – it’s still the lowest grade the magazine has handed out for a “3D” Mario game.
Super Mario 64, Galaxy 1, and Galaxy 2, all received perfect scores. Super Mario Sunshine earned a 9/10. Another recent Mario title, however, only obtained a 7/10. That game was New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It’s predecessor, New Super Mario Bros. (DS), received an 8/10.
Still, an 8/10 is a perfectly acceptable score, and EDGE definitely had great things to say about Mario 3D Land. Below are a few select quotes.
“Super Mario 3D Land is a magpie of a game, but it fuses its 2D and 3D influences to make a Mario that feels fresher than an handheld Mario in years. It’s not a new Galaxy, but it’s an ideal companion piece to EAD Tokyo’s Wii games. Whereas they pushed up against the edge of the universe to show us what an unfettered Mario can do, Super Mario 3D Land does the opposite. It homes in, with a clockmaster’s precision and a playful gleam in its eye, on what Mario does best.
“But there’s a joyousness here that wins out, a simple delight in the basics of running, jumping, collecting coins and bouncing into the air that leaves these mild disappointments behind, and a creative blending of Marios past and present that makes the unabashed retread that was New Super Mario Bros appear almost cynical.”
