1) Yeah, I definitely have to replay it to see how it goes. Maybe this was fixed on the Switch port?

2) Yeah for sure, and I don't think an either/or scenario- Nintendo should create a Mario game where some worlds can be wandered in, others structured by levels. You're right that Galaxy (especially Galaxy 2) went heavy into individual levels.

3) Well, I don't like the comment about skill issue as there are legit problems that shouldn't be masked under "get gud". Regarding the Hotel Level, again, I can't agree. I'll have to replay it, but I do remember there being plenty of indications of what to do, like the leaky water in the bathroom telling where to jump, or the pianta guests giving hints as to what needed to be done. The hardest part was ascending that stupid boo staircase at the end haha.

4) Feels like cheating? Lol come on man, Nintendo designed the game with it in mind. Maybe most levels were vertically-inclined, but it's also just not true that Hover is barely used - I used it extensively in every world except Sirena Beach. If you weren't using Hover much, perhaps that's part of the reason the game frustrated you? You weren't engaging with a core mechanic of the game?

5) Yeah well said. My least favorite was the Mecha Bowser fight ironically enough - was a pain in the ass to aim those stupid water rockets haha.

Well technically there were more encounters with Bowser Jr., though I won't spoil them for potential readers haha.

But I was either way fine with their diminished role. You pointed this out excellently in the second paragraph of your review, and it's a problem I had with Wonder, which is that Bowser is just so overused in this series haha. Like come on, every other Nintendo franchise except the Super Mario branch manages to change things up.

Wow, that actually makes it a relatively different game. Reminds me of the different versions of Spider-Man 3 on Xbox vs Wii vs PS3 haha

This is one of my childhood favorites, so I acknowledge upfront that nostalgia afflicts me. You do raise some great points, like the inconsistent difficulty between levels and the spike on those Delfino ones haha. You could also be right about the fast acceleration/low attraction, though personally I don't remember having issues with that, more-so the depth perception and camera could get bad. And yeah, the Pachinko level sucks.

But I disagree with a number of other things you say. For starters, I don't get the criticisms about slippery grounds when Mario 64 was infinitely worse in this department. Also personally, I never liked that you could gather different stars from the same level as it led to diminished individualization.

Secondly, by third level on Sirena Beach, surely you're not talking about Mysterious Hotel Delfino? The level that literally had no enemies outside of stationary boos? How could that possibly be your grand example of a difficult stage when things like the Sandbird, Corona Mountain, and the FLUDD-less levels exist lol?

Lastly, you don't talk about how much of a life saver FLUDD can be. Yes, you may miss a jump or accidentally do a mistake, but in a lot of those cases you can recover thanks to the hydro pumps.

Also, and I'm curious what you think, but IMO this game had the best boss fights of the entire 3D Mario series. There was a genuine uniqueness to them compared to the other games where it was more your standard "run up and hit the guy 3 times".

Did the DS version fix the awful flying controls?

Did they ever make the tombs longer?

@Zguvat - hey man, different strokes; different folks. If we all liked the same thing, the gaming industry would be very boring haha.

Ahh yeah, I can definitely see that being frustrating haha. Still, I'll call it an upgrade over ALTTP where, on multiple occasions, you were given no indication on how to open/access a dungeon haha.

@Zguvat - yeah, seems like we had similar mindsets, just different scales to judge them off of.

Uhh, I guess recently, but I've definitely given far more high ratings than to just those two.

@Zguvat - This is why I hate numerical review scales haha. Mathematically yes, but qualitatively no. For me, a 2.5/5 = Mixed meaning it has good & bad aspects so I don't recommend nor NOT recommend it.

Tbh, it would've been a 3/5 were it not for the bugs.

Idk man, playing it myself it was still pretty stagnant in spite of the visual variety.