Super Mario Maker (2015)

This was a dream come. There will never be a wave of nostalgia that hit harder than the moment this was revealed. Jesus, just all the ideas I had from the past years just came flooding back. Super Mario Maker is a surreal experience, even if you have this one vision, get this game please.

Super Mario Maker is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in Nintendo history, and the process of making the level is as enjoyable as playing it. I never expected that. The UI makes it so enjoyable to create your levels and there’s basically a ton of stuff to work with. I absolutely adore that you can change the styles of the levels and seeing all different Mario games represented is just...wow.

I keep on saying that this game is surreal and amazing, but truly, what else can I actually say other than that? It’s so fun to discover that you can place mushrooms on items or enemies to make them bigger, or shake them to discover new things.

Blockquote Part of the journey is the ride.

As nobody says, but still, discovering stuff like the Mario challenges and working your ass off to complete each of the challenges without losing a single life, each are extremely well-made levels that could actually be actual Mario levels.

Of course, with any other online level/game makers (one I’m thinking of is Dreams), there are very bad levels, some of them do suck ass, but, like always:

Blockquote There is a yang for every yin.

Damn, some of these levels are high quality enough to be in an official Mario game, there are so many creators that are well, creative. And it’s sad that they won’t be able to do that anymore, man RIP.

Also, can I just gush about the costumes? Oh my god, every single one is so fun to look at. There are levels that just are all about the costumes and theming and I love that. The amount of detail but in these aesthetic choices is unreal. I cannot think about any flaws about this game except for the fact that:

1. It’s on the WiiU.The best Nintendo console.

2. Nintendo needs to learn how to make an enjoyable online interface.

3. Some creators need to go take a shit man. Don’t make me rate a game lower because of you.

Putting that aside, 9.1/10. If you’re a Nintendo fan in any capacity, heck, if you just want to create stuff for people to enjoy online, please go get this game. Or maybe the sequel. Probably the sequel though.

This was a childhood dream coming true.

I used to draw out Mario levels on my parents' driveway. They were 100% lava. You would have to jump on cheep cheeps' heads to get through the level. My parents would nod politely when I would show them because they truly loved me.

It is the kind of game they can update, but it almost deletes the need for new Mario side-scrollers. In order for a new Mario side-scroller to be successful in a post-Mario-Maker world, it would need to have crazy high levels of innovation.

Like if Toadette could turn into Peach. Something really revolutionary like that.

Super Mario Maker was the reason I plugged my Wii U back in. Making levels for friends has been a lot of fun for me, as level creation has always been something I've enjoyed. I don't have any friends with a Wii U, so they come over to play my latest creations. I've made everything from a world building fundamentals for a friend's girlfriend who never played games as a kid, so insidious levels that even I have trouble getting through. I think the couch gaming aspect of it is really where it shines. Seeing my friends brows furrow in frustration at my creations is fun, but seeing them cheer and high-five each other when they get through it is simple joyful. Playing other people's levels can be fun, too, but the spread of good to bad is pretty wide. Some levels are interesting, using props like I've never seen. Some are horrific and literally unbeatable.

You don't have access to all of the enemies and tiles from the start, though. You'll unlock them over days (yes, days). It takes little over a week of casual playing (maybe 10 minutes a day) to unlock everything. This might sound annoying but it works in your favor. Start by making Super Mario Bros. levels with just some goombas and pitfalls. In a couple days you'll open up Super Mario World, and get to play within that set. Eventually you'll unlock all map types (overworld, ghost house, underground, castle, underwater) and all four Super Mario game types (Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros.). Yes, you can even make a ghost house in Super Mario Bros., a game that didn't have them. This leads to some fun new ways of looking at the older games. The gameplay changes when you go to different games. The leaf from SMB3 turns into a feather when you go to Super Mario World, and you can't use them interchangeably. Meaning, you can't have the feather (and subsequent cape) in Super Mario Bros.

Is Super Mario Maker a neutered Little Big Planet? Yes, but that's great. The limitations of Super Mario World keep you focused and creative. The platformer formula is a time tested one. Getting from the left side of the map to the right side without dying is to gaming what one-point-perspective is to painting. If you have a Wii U and friends willing to play your levels, pick up Super Mario Maker. You'll enjoy their looks of happiness more than you'll enjoy playing it yourself.

Let's get my one criticism of Super Mario Maker out of the way up-front: It's really hard to find good levels. Autoscrollers ("don't do anything") and insultingly easy courses dominate because they make it faster/easier to beat the "100 Mario Challenge" mode, which results in unlockables. Nintendo should step up their curation efforts in future updates, or consider loosening the popularity requirements that cap how many levels a typical user is allowed to upload.

All that said, I absolutely adore this game.

I actually find it difficult to get into "building" games like LittleBigPlanet, Minecraft or Terraria. As someone who actually makes games (Ramps, Lotsa Blocks), they tend to feel too much like the actual work of making a full-fledged game with few of the same rewards.

This game isn't like that. The UI is so intuitive, so fun and inventive, that the act of designing levels feels frictionless. I might start experimenting with only a notion of what the level might be, and before I know it I've lost hours experimenting and building an ambitious course.

I've also learned many lessons about the importance of building game elements that can be used in a variety of ways. Prior to playing Super Mario Maker, I often wondered how Nintendo has managed to crank out so many Mario games over the years. Now, I wonder how they haven't released twice as many.

Complaints aside, this has quickly become my favorite game for the Wii U, and will most likely become an all-time favorite of mine.

Here are the two levels I've made so far that I'm happiest with:

• Big Bob-omb's Ceaseless Plight: B942-0000-0048-EAD8
• Who Wants to Be a Mushroomaire?: BC61-0000-0045-1099

If you're on Super Mario Maker, comment with one of your level codes so I can follow you!

9/10

Full review: http://wp.me/p55m9h-RN

Basically... endless Mario. It's fun to watch Nintendo have fun with their own mascot in the remix levels and whatnot, and the game makes it incredibly easy to make your own. Just place them on the screen, and shake them for alternatives. Plus there are sound effects/visual effects and you can record your own sounds! I mean, the game is exactly what it needed to be.