Super Mario 3D World’s lack of online play explained
The multiplayer mode in Super Mario 3D World is pretty great, it’s a not only a ton of fun but also much better fun than the Mario-multiplayer included in the New Super Mario Bros. series.
Nintendo however have always expressed the fact that the game would never have online play right from the beginning. Sure it has online elements like Mii ghosts and Miiverse support but online play just seems something Nintendo isn’t interested in, and now we know why.
In the latest issue of Game Informer, Super Mario 3D World producer Yoshiaki Koizumi has stated that the reason the game doesn’t have online play is quite simple. “With this title we really wanted to deliver an experience that you can share with family, friends, or your boyfriend or girlfriend in the same place like you did with the original NES. We really want players to have fun in front of the TV, talking while they help each other out or get in each other’s way”.
There’s hope though as Koizumi also revealed that they’ve been ‘testing’ online multiplayer since the days of Super Mario Galaxy.
His explanation really follows on from Nintendo’s initial intentions for the Wii U: To bring everyone together in the same room and interact with one another. I think the decentralisation of online play goes against their design philosophy.
Of course, it could also easily be written off as an excuse not to implement an online system comparable to other major console makers. And one might be correct in that assumption.