Now, virtually everyone has already played the three titles in this collection. So, I’m not going to waste your time and review each of them separately. Instead, I’m simply going to list for you my main likes and dislikes about the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very hard for me to come up with my dislikes. That said, I still enjoy the collection, as a whole. But enough small talk, let’s get into the beef.

What I Like: Super Mario Galaxy

Alright, so let’s get this out of the way first. Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite platformer out of the three in this pack. It’s actually not even close, either, as it’s arguably my favorite 3D platformer of all-time. However, after I finally upgraded to a QLED, 55-inch, 4K HDTV, I noticed that 480p, Wii content doesn’t look too amazing.

So, no doubt, this is the game I was looking forward to the most. Outside of the utterly amazing visuals (seriously, Galaxy literally looks breathtaking in this collection), the reworked controls are actually very nice. I never had an issue with the motion control in the original, as I thought it was executed very well.

Yet, I have to admit, using the Pro Controller to play this game is a wonderful experience. Sure, there’s still motion control required, but remapping the spin/shake to a button was a brilliant idea. To me, it worked out better than I could’ve imagined.

What I Don’t Like: The Bare Bones Menu

Oh boy, I knew the menu system was going to be lazy, but even I was surprised. I know complaining about the menu seems to be nitpicking, but I think it’s fair game. What I was hoping for was some type of overworld to explore. In this overworld, in my mind, you would have the three games in different locations. Heck, this could’ve even included a museum celebrating the history of the franchise.

Instead, Nintendo did what Nintendo does. They slapped a bland menu system with the ability to select between the three different titles and their respective soundtracks. Yippee, so freaking exciting.

What I Like: The Visuals

This was touched on with Galaxy, but really each of the three titles here look fantastic. Nintendo nailed that aspect of this collection, which was one of the main points of doing it. Some people have complained that Super Mario 64 wasn’t expanded to a 16:9 aspect ratio. To me, though, it’s not too big of a deal because the game plays well at 4:3.

What I Don’t Like: Little to No Improvements

As much as I want to say that the 3D Mario games are flawless, they really aren’t. Even Galaxy has its camera issues. Super Mario 64 still feels like the same clunky and somewhat irritating platforming experience. Nintendo could’ve done a couple of things. One, they could’ve at least attempted to fix the awful camera a little bit. Secondly, they could’ve made Mario feel smoother and more modern. Really, the same problems could’ve been fixed for Sunshine too.

Look, some will say that not doing this is a good thing as each game retains the same feel. This still could’ve been achieved with the addition of improvements. Yet, Nintendo went the lazy path again. Boy, that’s a real shocker.

Bottom Line: It was a Cash Grab

Yep, this game was a cash grab. With the limited availability added on to the fact, it becomes even more apparent. However, do I regret the purchase? No, I don’t. Despite the complaints I have, the collection is still pretty darn good. You get three of the most famous Mario games of all-time on one, modern platform. They all look really good, and you can even play them on the go now. More should’ve been done, but it’s still nice that Nintendo did deliver on them.

As for me, I have spent many years playing this game and even bought it (it was a gift) when it was being released in stores. I was back and forth with whether I hated it or loved it for many, many years. It’s all too clear to me now, however; I highly dislike Super Mario Sunshine.

FLUDD is Not Even the Reason

Ironically, the FLUDD mechanic is not why I take issue with this game. To this day, I actually somewhat enjoy the gameplay presented by it. From the different nozzles to the platforming capabilities, it makes the game unique. For the most part, the mechanics of it are also well-executed. The main hover nozzle responds and functions very well.

The Lack of Major Areas

Alright, so now let’s get into why I don’t like this entry. For starters, when you strictly count the main areas you explore (not counting the main hub and the few smaller locations) there are only seven “worlds” that you can access. Yes, they are quite large in scale but more on that later.

The problem is each world centers around water (some of them are pretty much nothing but water). Sure, FLUDD’s main gimmick is that it needs water to function so it makes sense. However, underwater Mario levels are infamous for being despised. So, when you factor in that virtually every level is a water stage, you can see the lack of interest build.

Admittedly, I actually like Ricco Harbor and Noki Bay. But, after a while, the level design gets a little old.

Blue Coins

This game didn’t introduce blue coins, but they function in a unique way. Instead of giving you five regular coins, you need to hunt them down to trade them in for shines. Cool concept, right? Well, the execution is horrendous and here’s why…

Firstly, there are 240 of these suckers throughout the game (factoring in there aren’t very many main stages). Secondly, and most importantly, they are in random (extremely random) spots. Some require you to spray water at specific locations to unlock them. Unless you go around spraying water everywhere, you probably won’t find them all.

Oh, what’s worse? Some are only available in certain stages of each world. To say that collecting them becomes monotonous is an understatement.

The Soundtrack and Linearity

I love Mario music and there have been some epic scores throughout the years (Super Mario Galaxy anyone). Yet, in this game, outside of a few locations, I never dug the soundtrack. It matched the environments (which is a plus) but lacked the flair that other games had.

Wait, did I just call this game linear? This is my number one pet peeve with this game. So many people claim it is open-world, but it really isn’t. While you can access levels in different orders, each level is linear in its progression. Outside of some minor exceptions, each level shine must be completed in the same order every single time.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t mind linear games. If there were more areas to explore this wouldn’t be an issue. But, alas, I feel it is with this game.

Not Up to Par

For those who adore this game, I can respect that. Video games appeal to people in different ways and for some, this may be their favorite 3D Mario game of all-time. For me, it will always be my least favorite.