The 4 (or 5 if you cound sm64 ds) main 3d mario games are very similar to each other while being very different from the 2d mario games. (except maybe yoshi's island). They have basically taken out the fast paced action of the 2d games, and replaced it with puzzle elements. The 3d mario games have more emphasis on exploring the same levels multiple times to find various stars. this underlying gameplay is in all 3d mario games. while they are great games, they lack that fast paced actioney gameplay that made tens of millions love 2d mario. they will never be more succesful than they are now until they do something about this underlying gameplay.

my question is will there ever be a 3d mario platformer thats not starfinder mario? that has many more levels that you only play through once? that has more arcadey gameplay? what would that game look like? could it be done?

just want some discussion.

3d environments require more disk space to store and man hours to create, Nintendo choose to have multiple stars in each world in 3d Mario because it means they can put huge amounts of detail and thought into each world without meaning that the game takes too long or costs too much to make, and I doubt this will change next gen when Ninty are making HD games

They could do that and I'm interested to see how that would work, but if they keep it how it is now then they can come out with new 2D and 3D Mario games. The same can't be said if they change how the 3D Mario's play.

Super Mario Galaxy was basically a linear flagpole finder like SMW, except the flag was a star.

That's what I got out of it, at least.

Well, if not stars, how would you do it?

I honestly have no idea what would work better.

That's true. Besides, I think it's hard to fully explore the advantages of 3D on a simple "run to the end of the level" way.

Yes, I was wondering that sometime ago. I would really like one.

Or at least with just one star per level!

in 1985 Mario saved a princess

in 2010 same deal

dont expect that much evolution from the series

I think it's inevitable. They're going to try and reconcile the desires of the developers and of the masses who quite clearly favor 2D mario. They're going to extract the magic and put it in 3D

I hope so