Super Mario 3D All-Stars Reviews
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is video games in 2020. It’s messy but deceptively ambitious. It’s confused about what it is, but there aren’t any good answers anyway. It was built in alien surroundings during a global disaster. The corporate machinations around it don’t make any practical sense. Nobody truly knows how it was made, but is an expert on how it was made. And yet if you’re the right person playing it at the right time, it’s magical. Now I have to score this. Mamma mia.
The All Star Collection is a wonderful time travel through the 3D Mario universe, but it does not reach its full potential.
Review in German | Read full review
So where's that leave the whole package? That's the tricky part. As a set of games, these are great, right? If it's your first time playing these, or just your first time in like 20 years, you're gonna have a great time. The emulation is solid, I never had anything truly go wrong, and the stylization means these games hold up way better than a lot of their contemporaries. Sunshine's water effects still look absolutely gorgeous to this day, for instance, and even 64 has a bold, stylish charm that holds together.
Whether your new or a veteran fan, you’ll have a blast with the Super Mario 3D All-Stars’ timeless classics
There are some obvious omissions, including special features typical of anthologies like this and, most glaringly, Super Mario Galaxy 2, but the greatness of the included games shines through.
It’s crystal clear: Super Mario 3D All-Stars includes three groundbreaking experiences which effortlessly explain the level of quality, polish and originality we’ve come to expect from the series. As such, it’s undeniably a great addition to the library of Switch owners, especially if they’ve never played these games before. However, these games are great in this collection simply because they always have been. The improvements made to them are not as meaningful as we hoped them to be, which associated to a scarcity of bonus content and a series of questionable decisions leaves us with a sour feeling of wasted potential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Super Mario 3D All-Stars offers the best versions available for Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy, introducing them to new players on the widely adopted Switch and helping to keep the games around for posterity. It’s a bit of a downer that Super Mario 64 isn’t the much-improved version we’ve had on the DS, but I’ll take it as a nice nostalgic bonus in what is otherwise an amazing collection of games.
If the collection had gone beyond being a simple port and upping of resolution this could have been an utterly amazing experience, but unfortunately the lack of improvements to the game makes it a lacklustre collection.
Whilst these are great games, this isn’t a great collection. With almost no extras, very little tweaking of the games for the Switch and no Super Mario Galaxy 2 this just isn’t quite what I’d hoped for. I’m still enjoying the games, but for many people this won’t represent particularly great value. If you don’t already have the games then get it. If you do, you might want to give it some thought first.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars doesn’t exactly go overboard on making its selection of games seem overly new, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that three of the greatest 3D platformers of all time have come together in one star-studded collection.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars shows the young generation what the evolution of Nintendo's mascot has looked like. Starting with an edgy 3D representation with camera problems, up to a wonderfully designed plumber, who is looking for his princess in space. Even nostalgics will enjoy the collection. You may return to your childhood and experience Mario again. You only have to give deductions in the implementation of the games. That in Super Mario 64, no 16:9 aspect ratio was inserted, is a sad fact. Also the price of 60 Euro was chosen very high for a remaster which was not really remastered. All in all, you will have fun with Super Mario 3D All-Stars, no matter if you accompany Mario on one of his 3D adventures for the first time or if you have already experienced them several times.
Review in German | Read full review
"Three classic games with graphical upgrades."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Super Mario Galaxy has aged like a fine wine, but one that is occasionally inconvenienced by controls that can feel odd for those who played the Nintendo Wii/Wii U version and that make it harder than necessary to get some of the stars. In fact, the HD makeover given to all three titles is definitely a good reason for playing them. Surely, one or more of the games will bring back fond memories for some and create new ones for anyone lucky enough to experience them for the first time. It’s just slightly disappointing that the games won’t feel the same as their originals and the lack of any proper extra content makes for a no frills collection.
Thanks to Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is an essential purchase for Nintendo Switch. Even if you can’t get to grips with the ageing Super Mario 64’s controls, and if you never bother to so much as load up Super Mario Sunshine, Galaxy holds its value and is still worth paying full-price for to this day. Of course, it’s a bonus if you have nostalgia for one or both of the other two games, and their modern enhancements will help those glasses of yours feel just a little less rose-tinted.
Even Super Mario Galaxy alone is a big reason to buy this pack.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
And between the three of them for completionists, we're talking at least 100 hours of gaming, but really, probably more.
GOOD - Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a (lazy) collection of some of Mario’s best 3D ventures and some of the best video games ever made. Is it an obvious cash grab? Yes. Will you buy it? Probably.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is certainly rough around the edges as far as a classic collection is concerned, but there is no denying the impact of all three games. The omission of Galaxy 2 and the questionable ports are certainly head scratchers, but that doesn’t change the fact that this collection will deliver hours of fun for Mario players old and new. Another solid title for the Switch lineup. Now make sure to snag it before Nintendo removes it from sale…at least until they break it up and sell them individually that is.
This impressive collection of games boasts updated HD graphics and improved resolution as well as controls optimised for the Nintendo Switch. Most excitingly out of the 3 titles included is the chance to be able to use the joy-cons in Super Mario Galaxy to mimic the original movement controls utilised by the Wii-mote. As if this wasn’t enough the icing on the cake for this plentiful offering is the inclusion of the OG soundtracks for the games being featured as well. Plenty for fans both old and new to sink their teeth into but the proof is in the pudding.
While it's missing a few bells and whistles, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a wonderful collection of some of Nintendo's most beloved classics.