Super Mario 3D All-Stars Reviews
Two of Nintendo's finest, and one of its most interesting, come together in a compilation that isn't worthy of their greatness.
Super Mario 3D All Stars' package of three of the best 3D Mario games are just enhanced and tweaked enough to be an enjoyable revisiting, but without removing the classic charm.
If anything, Super Mario 3D All-Stars shows the breadth of what a 3D Mario game can be, and much of that is truly excellent.
Despite its minimal trimmings, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a worthwhile collection of some of the plumber's most memorable adventures.
Although I have my qualms with this collection—strange inconsistencies in the Super Mario Sunshine port chief among them—it does what it set out to do: chart Mario’s evolution from a bushwhacking pioneer to the inimitable mascot of 3D platforming.
The Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection could stand a few more extras. Customizable controls would be great, as would sound options, design documents, or artwork. When you think about everything the original All-Stars offered-three graphically upgraded Mario games, plus a "lost" game-3D All-Stars is a bit lacking. That said, the games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars still hold up today. I'm surprised how fun Super Mario 64 still is, and Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the heroic plumber's best outings. As for Super Mario Sunshine, well, that's still up to personal taste.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars, as barebones as it might be as a compilation, is a great way to experience (or re-experience) these games all over again. It was a joy running through all three of them even if they weren't strictly upgraded. That goes double for Mario Galaxy, as this is going to be my preferred way to play it from now on.
If you’re a Nintendo fan, you’re going to want to get Super Mario 3D All-Stars. However, just because the games are good doesn’t mean that these ports are great. They’re adequate, which has to be enough, I guess.
Three fantastic games -one that feels a little old, one that still in good shape and another that is the same masterpiece- together in a somewhat lackluster compilation.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Much like an actual 35th birthday party (I assume), Super Mario 3D All-Stars just feels a little halfhearted. It bundles together three great platformers, all of which benefit from the bump up to HD resolutions, and Nintendo have done well to adapt the varying controls to suit the Nintendo Switch, but there's a squandered opportunity to enhance and go beyond this in a meaningful way. Maybe Nintendo are saving themselves for the big five-oh in 2035?
So if you missed these classic Super Mario games when they were originally released, then you should pick this collection up. However, if you loved these games as a kid and were expecting Nintendo to pull out all the stops and give them the technical update they deserved, you will feel a tad disappointed.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is frustrating, because it could be more. It could be so much more. But even with Nintendo phoning it in, the games themselves are such classics that they're still worth putting in your Switch library. Just make sure you add it before it goes away forever.
Buy it if you missed out on any of these classic games the first time around or if you want to relive them again in a more convenient form.
I still think Mario deserved a more lavish birthday celebration, but the classic titles in this collection really can’t be diminished.
Nintrendo packed some truly unforgettable classics in a single pack. And forgot to celebrate them the way they deserved to.
Review in Italian | Read full review
This special package includes Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. All games have been updated for Nintendo Switch and feature high-definition graphics, controls adapted to the Joy-Con controllers and a music player that includes the epic soundtracks of all three games.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Whether the year it was released has affected the way Super Mario 3D All-Stars came together, we'll probably never know, but it still comes with a wholehearted recommendation simply due to the quality of the games.
The collection as a whole might not bring much to the table beyond the games it transfers to a newer console in better shape than before, but when the games are this good that is enough.
It's tough because you should play the games, but this collection is only a must-have if you've never played them or have no means of playing the copies you own. Otherwise, the included soundtracks are not enough to make this 35th anniversary package feel special enough to warrant a buy.
As Nintendo's famous plumber reaches his 35th birthday, the Japanese gaming giant has dusted off three of his defining achievements in one celebratory package.