Gamespot is at least 6 months late on this news? Pretty sure Nintendo said this shortly after they first revealed the game.

I am guessing that the idea was to slow down decent. But I am guessing the Tanooki suit specifically was due to its past use. I don't buy that slowing down jumping was the only and real reason for the Tanooki suit come back. Nintendo stated they wanted Super Mario 3D Land to be the best of both 3D and classic Mario. To be a New Super Mario 3D, bringing all the best aspects of the past games together into the ultimate Mario adventure.

I'd say the choice of the Tanooki suit was probably made to give the title more of a classic appeal. Also the fact the Tanooki suit is appearing in Mario Kart 7 suggests Nintendo's two teams were working closely together. Miyamoto likely wanted the Tanooki suit to return and this was the perfect excuse he was waiting for.

Saying it was included to slow down jumping is probably simplifying the issue. I'm pretty danged sure that it was a much more thought out addition. The Tanooki suit is a major symbol of Mario and one that everyone remembers from the early days its return is paramount in making Super Mario 3D Land a true Classic/Modern hybrid mixing all the best of current and past Mario.

Clearly, it's designed for those with platforming skill of less than 9000.

I LOVE THIS GAME I cannot wait to play it.... on friday I will have my new console but I am sure that everything they have done is superb!!!!!

Yeah, you get to hover a bit = gives you a chance to alter your trajectory if happen to miss your mark when jumping

Same with fludd in sunshine, and to a smaller extent, the spin in galaxy 1&2

So... it's the hover nozzle from Sunshine? Exact same idea.

So it wasn't to show us that Mario is a cold blooded animal killer? :(

Hmm, i'm only at 150. But that's with half of the special worlds to go

The thing is the suit also makes platforming slower, so if you going for best times you gotta go without the suit.

What, of course not Nintendo thought everyone already knew that geez. I mean this is typical serial killer traits killing turtles for fun by squashing them to death. Wearing the skins of dead frogs and hoping around acting like the amphibian so mercilessly slaughtered, shows real psychological trauma. This sadistic behavior continued with slaughtering Tanooki's which the American public actually thought were racoons. I mean seriously that must have pissed Mario off, all the media getting the facts wrong not giving him the release and gratification of knowing he was being taken seriously.

So of course Mario elevated to killing Penguins and sliding around in their bloody corpses all over the white ice. It must have given him some major kicks but man the media still didn't take him seriously. So like all good criminals Mario returned to the scene of his crimes the scene of the Tanooki Massacre for one last attempt to be noticed, taking the life of innocent Tanooki's yet again. But this time the media figured it out, this whole time Mario's work has gone unnoticed.

Finally Mario can get his rocks off knowing that the world finally realized the truth. All these years of wearing the shells of dead turtles he stomped to death, the years of hoping and sliding around or flying in bloody remains. The countless drug use and self loathing turning to helium and other substances to sooth his sick desires. Finally it was all over, PETA revealed the truth and the whole world has now recognized one of the worlds most beloved characters a symbol of gaming a guy everyone looked up to for saving the Princess.

PETA revealed the truth, better call in the Toad Troops maybe get some CSI Goomba's down to Mushroom Kingdom stat. Before Mario escalates to killing humans......EEEeeeekkkk.

Thanks Peta you have really shed the light on some pretty disturbing things......lo....lol....