Super Mario 3D World - Wii U

When Mario made an enthusiastic leap into the third dimension in his Nintendo 64 debut, few could have predicted what an influence the game would have as the years rolled by. The plumber's magical journey spawned plenty of hopefuls vying for his coveted cloth cap, yet not one of them could touch the mustachioed plumber.

Since that memorable 1996 adventure, Mario has appeared in several wonderful platform capers, including the superb Mario Galaxy games on Wii, but it's taken until now for him to make his glorious big screen return to 3D in Super Mario 3D World.

The game moves away from the fabled Mushroom Kingdom and the expanses of starlit space and instead takes place in the Sprixie Kingdom - a place where Bowser has kidnapped the realm's fairies and plonked them in bottles to indulge his evil whims - something Link has been doing for years without anyone batting an eyelid. It's all utter nonsense, of course, and just a loose framework to hang the game's spectacular action on. And spectacular it certainly is, with the game boasting amazing level design, sublime visuals and yet another glorious soundtrack. In fact, the game has more fun crammed into its first hour than most games with a 12-hour campaign can boast.

The game sets out its stall before the player dives into the action, with the ever-changing title screen showing Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad gleefully scampering around, showing the player all the moves that can be pulled off in the game. It's a glorious opening and one which serves to whet the player's appetite for the action to come.

Once the player takes the plunge into the game proper, a world of wonder opens up, with Nintendo's latest brimming with fresh and playful ideas. Chief among these is the ability for the main character to slip into a cat-like onesie, complete with impossibly cute ears and tail. This snug-fitting new suit is a wonderful addition and not just a visual gimmick. It enables Mario to scuttle up vertical surfaces for a limited time, where coin stashes and emerald stars are squirreled away in the magnificent environments. It's also utterly adorable and it's impossible not to smile as Mario gambols along with cat-like agility, swiping and leaping at enemies with gusto.

Of course, it's not just Mario that is open to the player. Toad, Peach and Luigi can also be selected and each has their own particular trait which serves to help the player navigate their way through the brilliantly thought-out levels.

The new twists and turns don't end there either, as Nintendo have decided to get fruity with the arrival of the double cherry. Chomp down one of these, and a clone of Mario appears and it's possible to have multiple characters rampaging around the screen at any one time - all controlled simultaneously. Some levels have been crafted with this transmogrification at their very core, allowing the player to spread themselves out and activate switches which opens up even more hideaways.

Nintendo have clearly worked long into the night not only devising Super Mario 3D World's delicious levels, but in the look of the game. This is Mario's first perspective shifting romp on Wii U and the detail is stunning. Bloom is used liberally throughout, giving the game a wonderfully soft feel, while the patterns and textures used are glorious. Giant springy gelatinous orange blocks that wobble to life when Mario leaps on them are a personal favourite.

As Mario opens up new locations a few other surprises lie in store. Self-contained mini levels where the player controls Toad are a highlight, with the player tilting and rotating the cube-like settings in an effort to snaffle all the precariously placed stars before the time runs out. Because of the bite-sized nature of these stages, this would make an excellent standalone game on 3DS and the possibility of dozens more portable levels is certainly something I would like to see.

Control - as you would expect - is impeccable, with Mario and chums responding smoothly to button prompts and stick movements. It's also possible to play with all the Nintendo controllers since the launch of the Wii, and you are going to need them all if you want to take part in the game's riotous multiplayer mayhem. It's a madcap dash to the finish line and with up to three others and on a crowded sofa, Super Mario 3D World shines. That said, the single player mode is where the majority of players will find themselves and rest assured - played solo, this is still a wonderful experience.

Super Mario 3D World might not innovate as much as the splendid Mario Galaxy games, but it's still light years ahead of the competition and showcases Nintendo at its playful best. Utterly glorious, packed with an abundance of sparkling content and an absolute joy to play, Super Mario 3D World was the best game I played throughout 2013. A rare and precious treat.

 

Mari0 - PC

I love Portal. I also love Mario. So what better way to celebrate two of gaming's finest experiences than by combining them and producing a cracking 2D platform game? Well, that's exactly what the team at Stabyourself are doing with Mari0 and it looks great.

Check out this video to see the game in all its space-shifting glory

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Wii

The original Super Mario Galaxy rocketed our favourite plumber into orbit on an epic gravity-defying adventure quite unlike anything we had seen before.

Now, two years later, Mario is back in another star-grabbing, mind-twisting platformer, which improves on the original at almost every glorious turn, jump, leap and spin.

Of course, creating a sequel to one of the greatest videogames of all time is no easy task, but with Shigeru Miyamoto once again at the helm, Nintendo have delivered an astonishing piece of software by which all other platform games will now be judged.

While at first glance the game might seem nothing more than a by-the-numbers update to the original, there is far more to Mario's second galactic adventure than initially meets the eye.

Yes, the background story is the usual nonsense about evil Bowser kidnapping the hapless Princess Peach, but such is the joyous way new ideas and gameplay styles have been introduced, that you simply won't care.

Nintendo have gone to great lengths to streamline Mario Galaxy 2, re-introducing the familiar map which makes moving between star systems a much simpler and less time consuming affair than before.

What hasn't changed, though, are the tight controls, excellent camera system, and the ease of navigating Mario through the devious, but brilliantly realised levels.

Every new planet on Mario's adventure conjures up fresh gameplay twists as Nintendo constantly throw out new ideas challenging the player's perception about what to expect from a platform game.

While Nintendo have clearly raised the bar for level design, part of the game's magic lies in the various suit power-ups at Mario's disposal.

His bee, fireball, ghost and spring suits return, but his range of new abilities - and the way they have been woven into the fabric of the game - are equally special. Cloud Mario can conjure fluffy platforms to reach high points, while Rock Mario transforms into a rolling ball of destruction.

However, chief among his new powers is Yoshi. Mario's loveable dinosaur sidekick makes his long-awaited return to the 3D arena, having last been spotted at the end of the 1996 classic Mario 64.

Jumping on his back lets the player target enemies before unleasing Yoshi's sticky tongue to eat them. But that's not all - in one glorious level Yoshi samples the delights of a hot red pepper, causing the green dinosaur to rampage through a rollercoaster level full of twists, turns and gravitational challenges. Yoshi can also eat blue fruit, which inflates him, and a yellow fruit which turns him into a walking lantern.



Super Mario Galaxy 2 is slightly tougher in places than the original game, but younger players needn't worry.

There's a generous amount of handholding thrown in to help Mario novices. Optional tutorials lead the player through the finer points, while the option for the game to complete sections is also available should the player fail a task multiple times. Your end reward for this computer-controlled assistance is a bronze star rather than a shiny gold one, but it at least shows players where they are going wrong.

Many people like to have a pop at the Wii due to its lack of graphical grunt, but Mario Galaxy 2 is a riot of bold, colourful visuals. It is a stunning looking title and also boasts dazzling water effects.

The soundtrack is more varied than the first game, with a brilliant arrangement of quirky tunes. Older gamers who remember the classic Super Mario World will grin like idiots when they hear some of its classic tracks again, while riding Yoshi is accompanied with the dinosaur's traditional bongo drum beat.

Super Mario Galaxy is quite an incredible achievement. It's jam packed with outstanding moments and trumps the original game thanks to its new power-ups and stunning level design.

It's not only the greatest platform game ever made, but it's quite possibly the finest game ever to appear on a home console. Recommendations don't come higher than that.