It does, in fact, undercut much of what makes Super Mario Maker such an incredible and addictive creative venture. Let there be no question, though: The loss of proper sharing features sucks. Much to my surprise, now that I've played it, my feelings for this adaptation have swung back over to 'enthusiasm.' With Super Mario Maker for 3DS, Nintendo has put together, without question, its finest console-to-handle conversion ever.

So it was with something akin to dread or resentment that I dove into what would surely prove to be a compromised, ill-considered 3DS overhaul of my favorite game from 2015. Creating levels is all well and good, but as anyone who farted around with level-creation modes in old NES games with no save or network features knows, the joy of creation comes in sharing. I seem to recall Nintendo has said this has to do with technical limitations - the 3DS's more modest processor and RAM making it incapable of juggling some of the more elaborate creations the Wii U game could produce - but whatever the reason, it really seems to undercut the basic appeal of the game. Instead, the 3DS version limits players to downloading 'recommended' courses from Nintendo and swapping their portable creations via Street Pass. That brief candle went out a few days later when they revealed the 3DS version would lack what was by far the most compelling element of the Wii U game: The ability to share level creations online. Nintendo went ahead and announced a 3DS port regardless, though, and I experienced a flicker of excitement. While a 3DS version would be OK, I realized, it doesn't make sense to undermine the Wii U's shining moment by releasing a compromised adaptation of that game. After playing the final game, however, I came to appreciate the fact that it presents the single greatest case for the Wii U game pad ever created.

In the very beginning, I desperately wanted a portable counterpart to the Wii U version I even bugged producer Takashi Tezuka about it.

I have had, shall we say, a tempestuous relationship with Super Mario Maker for 3DS.

Super mario maker 3ds review