LogFAQs > #914273415

The first thing I noticed with SMW is that it's significantly slower than its forebear. Both in terms of obstacle speed and the freedom to blitz through a level, SMW forces you to really pace yourself in comparison. The dev team surely had logic behind this--given the branching paths, secrets, and the addition of new actions you can perform, it's necessary to allow the player to take the time to explore and figure things out for themselves. But at the end of the day, this doesn't feel as fun for me as building my expertise and pushing myself to finish a level as quickly and flawlessly as possible. SMB3 is far more challenging from a platforming perspective, so you get an even bigger rush when you finally are able to fly through a level perfectly.

And speaking of flying, another downside to SMW is the power-up system. Nothing felt better than getting a feather or Tanooki suit in SMB3 and flying into the sky to see what kind of weird bonuses you could get up there. In SMW... you fly up, you fall down. You get frustrated when the gliding doesn't go your way. I also really enjoyed the inventory system of SMB3--being able to hold onto power-ups to help you through difficult levels added an element of strategy. But it was also more than this. While SMW had a clear "replayability" factor due to the secret exits, I found it incredibly fun to see how the various power ups could help you clear a level. You start to realize things like "hey, this hammer suit will let me get past this obstacle in the water level way better than the frog suit" or "the flying ability isn't going to help me here." This was a more cerebral element that was missing from SMW. And the fact that your power-ups (and lives) do not carry over after you save and quit is unnecessary and annoying, I might add.

I clearly think Super Mario World is an amazing game--I ranked it in this elite tier, after all. However, it is no longer a debate for me: Super Mario Bros. 3 > Super Mario World. I welcome your dissent.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
8. Super Mario Bros.
7. Donkey Kong Country

Excellent
6. Super Mario Bros. 2 (US)
5. Super Mario World

Spectacular
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3.

All-timers
2.
1.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso