With moving from being 2D to being 3D, Mario has definitely made his impact in the new Super Mario 3D Land. Everything from Goomba stomping to looking at my shiny new keychain, this new installment in the Mario series is epic (And I have just played through the first 3 worlds so far).

* There are no spoilers with this, just a review of information about the game from my perspective. *

Super Mario 3D Land upon first run requires a system update. This update is contained in the cartridge, so no WiFi access is needed. This leads in to some exciting news! There is some content within the game for the StreetPass feature. For more information on the StreetPass content, play the game! It will tell you what content there is.

Much of the music is improved from previous Mario games, yet still the same music. Be prepared to rock out to well known tunes while playing!

The graphics, of course, are very well done. The 3D aspect is very unique and definitely fits well with the worlds. The depth of the 3D can be changed by using the up and down directions on the arrow pad.

Having to compare the gameplay to another Mario game, I would say this is a cross between the linear progression levels in Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World (Or I guess New Super Mario Bros. Wii, too, for the kiddies that haven't played the classics.) and the environment of Super Mario 64.

Overall, I would recommend getting this game. Not just because it is a Mario game, but because it will make you a better person for playing! Seriously, though, it's been awhile since there has been a good, solid Mario game without special backpacks that do all the moves Mario should do by himself. I would say out of the Mario games, this would be tie for second place: Super Mario 64 - 1st, Super Mario World and Super Mario 3D Land 2nd, and the rest fall in some other weird order after that.