Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World is the sequel to Super Mario 3D Land. It was released in North America on November 22, 2013. It was announced during E3 2013. This is the first 3D Mario game to have full multiplayer. The playable characters include Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad and Rosalina  . This marks the first time the latter two have been playable in a mainstream Mario game since Super Mario Bros. 2  in 1988. which was 25 years earlier.

Plot
The story starts with Mario and crew taking an evening stroll when they discover a clear pipe. When examining it, a green fairy-like creature called a Sprixie. Out of nowhere, Bowser comes out of the pipe and grabs the fairy in a bottle. The four of them chase after him into the pipe leading them to Sprixie Land where they must stop Bowser and rescue the 7 Sprixie princesses from the clutches of Bowser.

Gameplay
The game plays fairly similar to Super Mario 3D Land. You move with the left analog stick or directional pad and there is a dedicated run button. However, now the running has 2 phases, a faster run which leads into a sprint with smoke behind the player before going even faster. It's a bit hard to control at this phase. The run button also serves as the pickup objects button so to pick up an object like a baseball, you cannot be running. The game is playable up to 4 players and each player is a different character that plays differently. Like the New Super Mario Bros. Series, players can interact with each other like picking each other up or bouncing off each other. Also from New Super Mario Bros., is the return of bubbling where off-screen players are put in a bubble to catch up with the rest of the players. This can also be triggered within range of the other players by using the shoulder buttons. The invicibility from a Star is passed through just touching each other this time. The entire team shares lives in this game.

There are several new power-ups in this game. There is the Super Bell that has the power for the player to turn into a cat and with this form, you can crawl up things like the flagpole at the end to get a high score. Other power-ups like the Goomba Mask can turn you into one of the enemies to deceive them. Also, this game includes a magic cherry that is the Double Cherry power-up. Simply put, it will double the player. With each one you find, you will receive another clone of the player.

Plessie
Some of the levels have this new dinosaur named Plessie. These levels or even portions of levels play drastically different from the rest of the game. The players are riding down a river, directing Plessie's movement with the stick. Each of the players influence its movement so, cooperation is necessary to get through them and get the collectables.

Gamepad Functionality
The game is almost completely beatable without the use of the Wii U gamepad. The first function of the gamepad is that it can move the camera around a bit. It is helpful in looking for Green Stars.

The second functionality is using the touchscreen similar to co-star mode from Super Mario Galaxy 2 in that it stops enemies. It can also be used to defeat certain enemies if the timing is right. It can also hold switching platforms in place and activate switches. It is also used to send out certain platforms.

The third functionality is blowing. The blowing can activate certain moving platforms, push away smaller enemies and reveal hidden blocks which can be made visible with rubbing.

Characters

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Peach
 * Toad
 * Rosalina
 * Captain Toad

List of Power-ups

 * Super Bell
 * Lucky Bell
 * Super Leaf
 * Fire Flower
 * Invinciblity Leaf
 * Double Cherry
 * Super Mushroom
 * Mega Mushroom
 * Boomerang Flower
 * Super Star

Support items

 * Cannon Boxes
 * Coin Boxes
 * Propeller Boxes
 * Light Boxes
 * Goomba Mask
 * Potted Piranha Plants
 * Ice Skates
 * Baseball
 * Bob-ombs
 * Koopa Shells
 * Golden Shells

External link

 * Official site at Nintendo @ E3