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Super Mario Maker Review Roundup

Here's what the critics are saying.

45 Comments

Super Mario Maker arrives on store shelves next week, but reviews for the Wii U game started showing up today. To help you decide if it's worth your time and money, we've collected some review scores and editor opinions for the game, which lets you build your own levels and more.

You can also watch GameSpot's in-depth "Now Playing" segment for Super Mario Maker below.

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Super Mario Maker review scores and editor opinions follow below the image gallery.

  • Game: Super Mario Maker
  • Developer: Nintendo EAD
  • Platforms: Wii U
  • Release Date: September 11
  • Price: $60
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GameSpot -- 9/10

"The first time I discovered that not only could I make a giant, flame-spewing piranha plant, but I could also make it fly, I cackled with horrible glee at the possibilities. And for the first time in a creation-focused experience, I look forward to returning again and again for more than just the amazing levels I know other people will create. I want to keep making my own levels better. The game won't necessarily turn you into the next Shigeru Miyamoto, but you can almost feel a little bit of that magic rubbing off every time you upload a new creation." - Justin Haywald [Full review]

NintendoLife -- 10/10

"Super Mario Maker is so much more than a simple level creation tool, as Nintendo has clearly invested great time, resources and thought into making it greater than its core concept. The user interface, the creativity of the tools that feed the player's imagination and the overall polish are a testament to the development team's efforts.

"Whether creating, exploring or just playing, Super Mario Maker provides an exceptional experience. If you've ever enjoyed a 2D Mario game and have a creative, playful spirit, then you should have already decided to buy this. It has plenty of tough competition, but this is the definitive Wii U game." - Thomas Whitehead [Full review]

IGN -- 9/10

"Super Mario Maker is a great way to mark Mario's 30th birthday, but it's not concerned with being an overwrought history lesson. Instead, it's a celebration that folds three decades of Mario into one accessible, powerful creation suite. The perpetual joke at the end of every 10 Mario Challenge run informing you that the Princess is in yet another castle hints at Super Mario Maker's bigger promise: There will always be more levels to play thanks to the online creation community, and a virtually endless pool of challenges to overcome." - Jose Otero [Full review]

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Kotaku

"I keep coming back to the idea that Mario Maker shouldn't exist. It gleefully flies in the face of Nintendo's controlling nature, and gives players the means with which to theoretically render every subsequent 2D Mario game obsolete. But Mario Maker is also a sign of Nintendo's confidence. The world will never stop wanting that special Nintendo magic, and Nintendo knows that. Nintendo just want to give us a chance to make our own fun for a change and, in the process, learn to understand what they do a little better." - Patricia Hernandez [Full review]

Destructoid -- 8/10

"Super Mario Maker is a charming little creation tool, and I'm sure fans will come up with some amazing levels for years to come. However, it feels a bit more constrained than it needs to be, and is in dire need of updates or DLC to keep it going long term." - Chris Carter [Full review]

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