It’s a me: Maaario!

Everyone’s heard of Mario by now, right? Of course they have, and as any big fan of him will know, his first and best-selling proper adventures involved the hero going through 2D levels as he jumped across gaps, onto enemies and underneath blocks to uncover their hidden goodies.

Since then, he has spawned further such adventures, but since the days of the SNES in the mid-nineties, his adventures have instead turned to 3D platforming and many a spin-off. In New Super Mario Bros, our hero goes back to his roots, but have his adventures started to age, or have they only grown stronger with time?

Graphics and Presentation

New Super Mario Bros is easily the best looking of all his side-scrolling adventures to date. Mario’s 2.5D look about him as he runs through the levels looks awesome, as do the more detailed surroundings of each stage, which despite losing some of their simplicity still manage to keep the classic, family friendly Mario style.

The fantastic colourful nature of each world, even in the darker castles, never fails to look fantastic, and you’ll never be left thinking that the game looks even slightly dull. It’s also very easy to view thanks to the important information being stored on the top screen, whilst the stuff you’re less likely to look at appears on the bottom screen, including the power ups that you collect each level that have to be touched before you’re able to utilise them. This ensures that both screens are put to good use and doesn’t clutter up one screen with less necessary information.

Sound 

As you’d expect, there are some really catchy tracks on offer here. Just as you’d expect for a Mario game, the tunes never get old and are as great to listen to on your first listen as they are your hundredth, and are a great way to lighten the mood of the game when you’re stuck in a tricky position. All the recognisable sound effects are here as well, from the “brlrl-brlrl-brlrl!” noise indicating you’ve taken a mushroom, to the “doo-doo-doo-du-doo-doo-du-doo-doo” when you’re temporarily invincible. Overall, some great audio work, here.

Gameplay

New Super Mario Bros is easy enough to explain to anyone who’s played it before: you simply move to the far right hand side of a level to reach the end of that stage, and then continue onto the next level. Along your way, you’ll have to jump and dodge enemies and obstacles, all the while collecting coins and defeating foes in order to rack up your total points.

Each level varies in terms of location and setting, and whilst some may have you skipping from moving platforms to pipes, some may instead require you to swim through an underwater scenario. Each one features flawless enemy placement that should rarely make you shout at the screen in wonder of why Nintendo chose to put an enemy where you wouldn’t notice until it was too late, and because of this flawless level design, you’ve not only got one of the best Mario titles on a handheld console in recent years, but you’ve also got one of the best 2D platformers as well.

For more hardcore gamers, it might be a tad easy, but there are plenty of secret locations hidden away in each level, amongst warp pipes that transport you ahead in the game for discovering a secret location and places you’d never dream of exploring unless you had some idea of its existence.

In addition to this, there are also three “star” coins to be collected in each level, which can be used to purchase pathways to extra levels, and of course add to the list of reasons to keep on playing the game after you’ve completed it. This is why true Mario fans will love this game so much, since it will not only add some challenge, but also a sense of nostalgia.

In addition to the single player adventure, there’s also a mini game mode, which features several mini games from Super Mario 64 DS amongst a few new ones as well. These vary from card games to playing whack a mole, and although they have no relation to the single player mode, they are a nice addition nonetheless. They really come into their own in the single player mode, though, which can be played with a single cartridge as you aim to reach a higher score than your friends after a number of consecutive games.

There’s also a multiplayer Mario Vs Luigi mode, where you play on one of four stages as you try to collect more stars than your opponent. During these stages, which loop to the beginning once you get to the end, you can also attack your friend in order to steal stars from them, which all adds up to make a wholly enjoyable game mode, and the most fun you’ll have in the whole game, with the only disappointment being the lack of many levels.

Closing Comments

All in all, this game is a great way to show off the classic Mario gameplay to a newer generation, whilst still keeping the basics intact for older fans to enjoy. The gameplay is flawless, as are the hidden extras and bonus modes.

If you’re a veteran Mario fan, you should buy New Super Mario Bros, if you’re a newcomer to the games, you should buy New Super Mario Bros, and if you’re just a gamer that enjoys having fun, you should buy New Super Mario Bros. Well done Nintendo, it seems that as you leave game series’ a while, they only get better.
New Super Mario Bros release date June 30th 2006.

Free Region Video Games : Beste PS3 Spiele, VideoSpiele, Spil, Juegos, βιντεο παιχνίδια

Billy White - More New DS Games