Eric Neigher, Contributing Editor: Hey man, so you got to play Super Mario 3DS while you stuck me with Luigi's Mansion 2, thanks a lot! So, just to clarify before we get started here: This is a completely new Mario game, yes? It's not a remake of that water-squirting one or anything, right?
Ryan Scott, Executive Editor: Yep, it's a completely new 3D Mario platformer -- though it's got a lot of Super Mario Bros. 3 imagery, such as the leaf power-up and the Tanooki suit. And hey, Super Mario Sunshine was not a bad game at all!
Eric Neigher: Wasn't implying that it was -- just saying that the water-squirting-Mario game was a game I could see being remade here. So, how does the 3D look with regard to the gameplay? Is it well-integrated, or sort of eye-piercing? It's cool that they're bringing back some of the Mario 3 paraphernalia -- any other new or remade features that fans should know about?
Ryan Scott: I'll be honest: I turned the 3D off within about 15 seconds of starting the game. That stuff messes me up, man. Anyway, I played what could be described as pretty standard Mario fare. I played a few stages, the first of which was an airship (more Mario 3 imagery!) with Boom-Boom as the end-of-level boss (Mario 3's fortress boss!). Even the side-scrolling levels -- such as this one -- have a 3D plane that you can move up and down in, which is cool. Oh ,and I should also note that "standard Mario fare" is usually pretty damn fun, and it certainly was in this case.
Eric Neigher: Good call. I hate that 3D effect, too -- and the games are helped exactly zero by enabling them. Your Mario knowledge never ceases to impress -- how do you move up and down in the 3D plane? And how would you say the difficulty level was here? Mario games (especially on the DS) have a reputation for being very hard. Did you breeze through it, or was that just a function of the fact that it was a demo level?
Ryan Scott: The 3D plane is just an up/down motion on the analog stick like it is anywhere else -- nothing fancy. As for the difficulty, I had a pretty easy time, because I'm good at games (fun fact: no I'm not). And I had the most animated, positive E3 booth babe in the world cheering me on the whole time. It was crazy. Anyway, this doesn't seem to be as difficult as, say, New Super Mario Bros. -- but I feel like 3D Mario games are always fundamentally easier than 2D ones. That's just the nature of 'em, I think. Although I did encounter some tricky platforming, with those switches that you hit, which cause a pathway of blocks to appear, and then slowly disappear behind you, causing the inevitable death plummet. I always mess that stuff up.
Eric Neigher: I am also a master of death plummeting, so I feel your pain. So did you get a look at any alternative game modes? Any multiplayer included here, like 3DS-to-3DS stuff?
Ryan Scott: Nah, it was a pretty thin vertical slice of the game, obviously set up for demo purposes. I suspect some kind of multiplayer component, but I didn't glimpse anything of the sort here at E3. But, I'll reiterate -- jumping around and throwing fireballs and doing Mario stuff is fun. Maybe I'm just a sucker for the Nintendo same-old same-old, but I liked it.
