Actually ignoring the "what I got" for a moment, when you think about it Mario 64 and Sunshine were pretty unlike more traditional Mario games, which were usually linear level-by-level platformers, where as 64 and Sunshine instead had a smaller amount of levels, but multiple missions to tackle. Both games also lacked traditional powerups like the fire flower.

I'd say Galaxy 1 was like a combo of elements from 2D and 3D Mario (linear and kinda smaller levels, but mission based objectives), but from Galaxy 2 and onward there's been an even greater blending together of the traditional 2D elements into 3D Mario (like bringing back older powerups like the fire flower and tanooki suit, levels are linear but there's more of them, and I'd even say the way Mario moves in recent 3D games is more akin to the snappier movements of the 2D games compared to the more "weighted" controls of the early 3D entries).

Not surprising when you consider Miyamoto himself has said one of his big things as of late with Mario is trying to create games that act as a way for people who prefer 2D Mario to give 3D Mario a try (since whether you like to admit it or not, some older Mario fans were turned off by how "Different" Mario 64 and Sunshine were compared to the 2D games).

D4C approved