I didn't know how much better it could've gotten than finally being able to make my own official Mario levels in SMM1 ---- and then they drop this game. A new game style, new editor elements, new story mode, an entire mode dedicated to making your own world-by-world games ---- SMM2 is everything the OG was & more. This probably sounds lame, but the first Mario Maker was a dream come true for me, and this game is even better.
Controls better on Wii U, and this version lacks the cool amiibo costumes. But, the single-player campaign is pretty fantastic, containing excellent levels, and cute and quirky animation in the overworld.
I set up to create my own mini Mario game, with my own Super World with at least 6 or 7 worlds full with my own levels made specifically for it.
I was really determined to do this but one day halfway through like...World 4, I realized that I really didn't have the amount of free time I needed for the amount of effort I was putting into each of these. I was kinda sad, but it didn't seem like it was worth it, considering I'm no level designer and some of these were not exactly great when looking back to the earlier ones.
So yeah, I abandoned the project and I don't really think I will finish it at this point. I'm sure 8 year old me would be very disappointed.....
Other than that, game good!!!
I was really determined to do this but one day halfway through like...World 4, I realized that I really didn't have the amount of free time I needed for the amount of effort I was putting into each of these. I was kinda sad, but it didn't seem like it was worth it, considering I'm no level designer and some of these were not exactly great when looking back to the earlier ones.
So yeah, I abandoned the project and I don't really think I will finish it at this point. I'm sure 8 year old me would be very disappointed.....
Other than that, game good!!!
Good for what it is.
I set a lifetime goal to play through every single Mario level conceived by Nintendo, just beaten the Story Mode - however there are easily 40+ more levels for me to play and many thousands more online (of differing quality).
Enjoyed my time with the single player, the 3D World stages are fun and have variety in the foes, final boss is comparable to a NSMB boss as much as is possible.
7/1/24 - Completed Story Mode, my favourite level might be Stone of Despair.
User Courses/Profiles I recommend:
Solarhorse VY4-KLS-C2H
Enjoyed my time with the single player, the 3D World stages are fun and have variety in the foes, final boss is comparable to a NSMB boss as much as is possible.
7/1/24 - Completed Story Mode, my favourite level might be Stone of Despair.
User Courses/Profiles I recommend:
Solarhorse VY4-KLS-C2H
Bowers big bean burrito
It's really fun and the link update was amazing
Ehh not a fan of the story because its just levels and princess peaches castle is building couldve been a 4 star if they made it so we can build princess peach's castle to our liking
They added slopes
Improves upon the original Super Mario Maker in almost every department, though the removal of Mystery Mushroom costumes hurts me personally. The level editor is somewhat clunky to work with in comparison to the Gamepad, but functions.
prefiero ver a Zeta
A great sequel, but weirdly, I still prefer the original game, with the amiibo costumes, the 100 Mario challenge and the genuinely better controls for creating levels.
my second most played game only overtaken by Minecraft which ironically is one of my least favorite games
This review contains spoilers
i remember the first thing that i did when i got this game was recreate 9/11
fun ++
Mario Maker 2 is an overall improvement on the first game in most ways that count, but at the cost of Costume Mario. I do get it - renegotiating all those licenses would've been a total nightmare, and especially doing them for something as trivial as a palette swap could not have felt like an ideal use of time. Sadly, as someone with only the most casual connection to the Mario Maker scene, this means that the one thing I really cared about in the long run isn't there, and I kinda prefer the original by consequence.
But there's a good deal that's been added, too, so let's not dwell on what's missing. A new suite of level archetypes is nice to see, plus nighttime to add a new layer of depth. Slopes were conspicuous in their absence last time, so they're very welcome here. A ton of other things feel like game changers, too, like On/Off Switches, additional checkpoints, and keys. New enemies are always appreciated, and the Lemmy's Land Tourist in me will always appreciate the Koopalings being relevant.
Super Mario 3D World's inclusion as a special level archetype is a curious one. I think adding something new to proceedings is cool, but it seems weird to convert an explicitly 3D Mario entry into purely 2D design. But (1) it comes with its own suite of power-ups/enemies/obstacles and (2) the mechanics are a bit different, so it makes for a pretty decent complement as its own thing. I do think it's strange that 3D World is the only game presented as this sort of Extra Style; I had Super Mario Bros. 2/USA pegged as an Extra Style that'd be added in a patch, but that never really shook out. Though we got SMB2 controls later as a unique power-up, so... I guess it evens out?
Speaking of power-ups as theme consolation prizes - the Superball Flower and the Master Sword feel like this, too. Obviously the Master Sword is way more interesting, since turning into Link gives Mario a wildly different moveset. From what I've seen, Link levels tend to be a lot more puzzle-oriented by consequence, which feels like a very accurate expression of Zelda's whole thing in the template of a Mario game. I would've loved to see other character-based movesets like this (Samus, maybe?), but just the one is neat.
...but Superball is cool, too! Definitely not something I would've ever expected to see come back, since I figured Superball was just poor man's Fire Flower. Super Mario Land is probably the only other obvious pick for an Extra Theme, since Yoshi's Island/Wario Land is a bit too removed from standard Mario and all the other New Soups/Mario Advances would feel redundant with what's already in-game (and Super Mario Land 2 is mostly just a slower Mario World). So it's neat to see SML repped in its own way.
I didn't spend much time if any with the course creator, but I did have a ton of fun running through the game's campaign. I'm sure the story mode is mostly just your in-road into the creative side, but I love the little story they make for these characters. Toadette as the strict forewoman of a construction project is... not at all a role I would've pictured, but I kinda love this take on her? Toad the Toad being relevant is always nice, and I like all the little character details you can pick up on if you read between the lines of the "anonymous" course creators. For example, Bowser gives his son a weekly 40-coin allowance! When else are you gonna learn something like that?
Like I said at the top, I probably like the first Mario Maker better for what it represented, but Mario Maker 2's at least as good in its own right. By now, almost every major Wii U game has been reincarnated on Switch, and I gotta respect that Ninty did more than just opt for a (second) port of the previous game. I don't expect we'll be seeing another Mario Maker any time soon, but I'm glad they let people experiment once again.
But there's a good deal that's been added, too, so let's not dwell on what's missing. A new suite of level archetypes is nice to see, plus nighttime to add a new layer of depth. Slopes were conspicuous in their absence last time, so they're very welcome here. A ton of other things feel like game changers, too, like On/Off Switches, additional checkpoints, and keys. New enemies are always appreciated, and the Lemmy's Land Tourist in me will always appreciate the Koopalings being relevant.
Super Mario 3D World's inclusion as a special level archetype is a curious one. I think adding something new to proceedings is cool, but it seems weird to convert an explicitly 3D Mario entry into purely 2D design. But (1) it comes with its own suite of power-ups/enemies/obstacles and (2) the mechanics are a bit different, so it makes for a pretty decent complement as its own thing. I do think it's strange that 3D World is the only game presented as this sort of Extra Style; I had Super Mario Bros. 2/USA pegged as an Extra Style that'd be added in a patch, but that never really shook out. Though we got SMB2 controls later as a unique power-up, so... I guess it evens out?
Speaking of power-ups as theme consolation prizes - the Superball Flower and the Master Sword feel like this, too. Obviously the Master Sword is way more interesting, since turning into Link gives Mario a wildly different moveset. From what I've seen, Link levels tend to be a lot more puzzle-oriented by consequence, which feels like a very accurate expression of Zelda's whole thing in the template of a Mario game. I would've loved to see other character-based movesets like this (Samus, maybe?), but just the one is neat.
...but Superball is cool, too! Definitely not something I would've ever expected to see come back, since I figured Superball was just poor man's Fire Flower. Super Mario Land is probably the only other obvious pick for an Extra Theme, since Yoshi's Island/Wario Land is a bit too removed from standard Mario and all the other New Soups/Mario Advances would feel redundant with what's already in-game (and Super Mario Land 2 is mostly just a slower Mario World). So it's neat to see SML repped in its own way.
I didn't spend much time if any with the course creator, but I did have a ton of fun running through the game's campaign. I'm sure the story mode is mostly just your in-road into the creative side, but I love the little story they make for these characters. Toadette as the strict forewoman of a construction project is... not at all a role I would've pictured, but I kinda love this take on her? Toad the Toad being relevant is always nice, and I like all the little character details you can pick up on if you read between the lines of the "anonymous" course creators. For example, Bowser gives his son a weekly 40-coin allowance! When else are you gonna learn something like that?
Like I said at the top, I probably like the first Mario Maker better for what it represented, but Mario Maker 2's at least as good in its own right. By now, almost every major Wii U game has been reincarnated on Switch, and I gotta respect that Ninty did more than just opt for a (second) port of the previous game. I don't expect we'll be seeing another Mario Maker any time soon, but I'm glad they let people experiment once again.
Aside form losing amiibo costumes in Mario Maker 1, 2 is just a better game in every aspect. Slopes being added was also a huge boon! I recreated Mario World but with like some interesting twists here and there and it was a blast! I wish I had more time to make levels but there's just so much to play. Great level creator regardless.
I'm not very creative, though I enjoyed this one more than the first because of the story mode.
Infinite Mario
Pretty good
That's because you're a dog, Luigi
making mario levels has never been easier!
Infinite Mario… what more could you ask for?
also they added slopes
also they added slopes
even if I didn't play the first Mario Maker, while some omissions do hurt (rest in peace mystery mushrooms), I think Super Mario Maker 2 is "on an objective level" a better game creation tool than its predecessor, but, while it offers more, more isn't always better.
the level creator has so many options, leading to a game that can truly feel endless at times, like, if 2D Mario is YOUR thing then this will make you busy for ages. and yeah a lot of the most popular levels are really similar in concepts but if you search outside the game and get curious, you can find some rare gems! (I do wish the course search had more options and was more ergonomic).
the overall multiplayer experience leaves... a lot to be desired. the game can slow down to a halt making playing against friends/randos online frustrating (and don't forget the classic you get penalties for leaving when the online sucks!!!) and local multiplayer seems like an afterthought for how tedious it is to get going and how hard it is to find levels that are actually designed around it.
but I also really love the inclusion of things like the Story Mode and the Super Worlds, like honestly I think the single player modes are better than ever if you aren't the creative type and just wanna play some levels.
so in the end I'm positively mixed on Mario Maker 2, the concept is so solid that it's hard to call it a bad game, but I also truly wish the game was a lot better.
the level creator has so many options, leading to a game that can truly feel endless at times, like, if 2D Mario is YOUR thing then this will make you busy for ages. and yeah a lot of the most popular levels are really similar in concepts but if you search outside the game and get curious, you can find some rare gems! (I do wish the course search had more options and was more ergonomic).
the overall multiplayer experience leaves... a lot to be desired. the game can slow down to a halt making playing against friends/randos online frustrating (and don't forget the classic you get penalties for leaving when the online sucks!!!) and local multiplayer seems like an afterthought for how tedious it is to get going and how hard it is to find levels that are actually designed around it.
but I also really love the inclusion of things like the Story Mode and the Super Worlds, like honestly I think the single player modes are better than ever if you aren't the creative type and just wanna play some levels.
so in the end I'm positively mixed on Mario Maker 2, the concept is so solid that it's hard to call it a bad game, but I also truly wish the game was a lot better.
This game proves to me that some people shouldn't be level designers.
The premise is great, I really tried to make real levels. But when playing levels, everything ended up hijacked by autoscrollers and things that may just as well have been created by unborn fetuses.
Please stop making auto levels. They are not fun.
Too many hours of my life spent on this game! The review is after the final major patch update.
I was really looking forward to this game once announced and excited to design and play. With each update, the game has grown to something wonderful. I enjoyed making levels and enjoyed the world building feature. However the game has some issues that mildly annoy me:
- The main menu interface I feel is not over intuitive. Why my maker profile and my costume selections in completely different areas of the game? Me checking and customizing my profile should be in one spot.
- I cannot search levels using words like "Bowser" and getting Bowser named levels as a filter option
- I cannot copy and re-upload my levels if I want to make a change. Have to delete and re-upload the same level with a change instead of having two levels uploaded, really don't like that.
-No 100 lives challenge. Having endless mode you don't get a finale and your progress seems empty.
I had fun playing the game but my passion faded as I feel 90% of user levels were... less desirable, but that has little to do with the game itself. I recommend buying, playing and learning some mechanics. This game, at least, upskills you in gaming in general
I was really looking forward to this game once announced and excited to design and play. With each update, the game has grown to something wonderful. I enjoyed making levels and enjoyed the world building feature. However the game has some issues that mildly annoy me:
- The main menu interface I feel is not over intuitive. Why my maker profile and my costume selections in completely different areas of the game? Me checking and customizing my profile should be in one spot.
- I cannot search levels using words like "Bowser" and getting Bowser named levels as a filter option
- I cannot copy and re-upload my levels if I want to make a change. Have to delete and re-upload the same level with a change instead of having two levels uploaded, really don't like that.
-No 100 lives challenge. Having endless mode you don't get a finale and your progress seems empty.
I had fun playing the game but my passion faded as I feel 90% of user levels were... less desirable, but that has little to do with the game itself. I recommend buying, playing and learning some mechanics. This game, at least, upskills you in gaming in general
En teoría debería ser mejor que el primero. Tiene más opciones, herramientas, mundos, estilos, mejoras de calidad de vida y la opción para crear tus propios mundos juntando todos los niveles que has creado.
Pero, por alguna extraña razón siento que el primero tenía más personalidad y encanto. La falta del gamepad también no ayuda a la facilidad que antes se tenía para crear niveles.
Sin embargo, sigue siendo un excelente juego que fomenta mucho a la creatividad y la experimentación. Una serie que espero Nintendo siga desarrollando a lo largo de los años.
Pero, por alguna extraña razón siento que el primero tenía más personalidad y encanto. La falta del gamepad también no ayuda a la facilidad que antes se tenía para crear niveles.
Sin embargo, sigue siendo un excelente juego que fomenta mucho a la creatividad y la experimentación. Una serie que espero Nintendo siga desarrollando a lo largo de los años.
Fantastic, even better than the first game