New Super Mario Bros. for DS

Want to make a gamer feel old? Tell them it's been 15 years since Super Mario World redefined the 2D platform game and gave the SNES a classic title on day one. It's hard to imagine that since that day, there's been plenty of games starring Mario himself, but no traditional 2D side-scrolling adventure in the vein of SMW, and nothing that could even come close to touching its greatness (not even Super Mario 64, kiddies). Until now. While New Super Mario Bros. is not really a showcase for the special abilities of the Nintendo DS, NSMB instead attacks another market of players – those old guys who learned their gaming from hopping Goombas and kicking Koopa Troopa shells around, as well as remind the new school of gamers that without games like these, all the stuff we have today wouldn't exist. If anyone wants proof that Nintendo is really and truly back in the game – New Super Mario Bros. is quite possibly gaming's version of the 2nd coming.

Old-School, With A Twist
For those old-timers who recall the first time they entered world 1-1 and began crushing little walking mushroom guys, NSMB is like the ultimate refresher course – familiar enough that the basics can be grasped immediately, but it's been so long since a game like this has been made that it feels completely fresh. There's no lengthy tutorial to explain the very simple mechanics; instead the game sets the stage of Princess Toadstool/Peach being kidnapped, this time by Bowser Jr., and naturally Mario has to save the day. NSMB could be considered a cross between Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World – the overworld largely resembles SMB3 when you hop from level to level, and many of the stages contain the quirks and hidden secrets that SMW was famous for, like haunted house levels with those same familiar ghosts who will hide their faces when you look at them, but creep up soon as Mario looks the other way.

So many of the stages are clearly inspired by Mario's past; the very first little part of 1-1 should be very familiar to everyone (because if you have not played the original Super Mario Bros., you need to hang up the controller for good), while 4-1 puts you in a battle with the infamous Lakitu and his penchant for tossing Spinys at you, that can only be killed if you have a fireball skill. Many of the stages ring back to those days, but with many quirks – the stages with huge mushrooms for platforms might seem familiar, but once the things start stretching and bending under your weight...whoa. It's downright amazing what they've done with this game – it might sound like a rehash (albeit a rehash of games that are extremely old), but it's done in such a fantastic way. Every time you see something that reminds you of an old Mario game, something else pops up that appears to remind you, but then tricks you by doing something else. The cool factor is off the charts. So is the level variety – there are regular old hop & bop stages without lots of surprises, but plenty others to keep things fresh.

Itsa Me, Retro Challenge!
It would be largely unfair to brand NSMB as 'hard' – yes, there are many tough stages that might end in death many times, but hard isn't the right word. Demanding might be better – if you want to win, you better be sure to learn the ropes fast. Like many older games that made up for the short length with intense challenge, NSMB makes you recognize the stages and their traps, and then memorize them to finally escape. Aside from the initial world 1 levels that gently break you in, every single stage, from under-water exploits to running through a sub-castle or navigating the boss stage itself, there's an almost endless set of obstacles to overcome, whether it's small platforms to be taken one after the other, environmental traps that'll crush Mario if he doesn't get away fast enough, or enemies placed in less-than-ideal places. The game doesn't bother adjusting to you – it says hey, beat me under my rules or expect to get acquainted with the Game Over screen. And that's pretty great.

New Super Mario Bros., as said before, doesn't use the unique abilities of the DS too much, but that's, excusable seeing how well crafted the game is – sure it could have been done on GBA but seeing how Game Boy is beginning it's slow, painless ride out into the sunset, why not use Nintendo's new cash cow? That said, while it doesn't use the DS stuff too much, it does use it. The 2nd screen is a very valuable resource, as you can check remaining lives, your progress through each stage, what special item is in your inventory (which is accessed by touching the panel with the stylus, or more intuitively with this game, your finger), and how many of the large gold coins you've collected in each level. Those large coins are a fun little side-quest within NSMB, as many of them are very well hidden and require intimate knowledge of each stage to reach them. It's not required but very useful since these coins unlock special stages and alternate routes through each of the 8 worlds, though if you play the game straight through all you'll see is 6 of them, accessing the other 2 is a carefully placed secret.

It's New SMB, not perfect SMB
The game is not flawless however – it's pretty close, but ultimately it does have some disappointing aspects. Though NSMB is a challenging, demanding platform game that'll test all your old-school skills, it's still not as hard as those old games, and can be breezed through in a couple days. It has plenty of replay value since there's lots of hidden stuff and alternate routes, but the first time through will be a short time. Oddly, while you can save after sub-boss and boss stages and after you've used 5 star coins to unlock a stage, you have to unlock the save anywhere option by beating the game. That's just weird. While the two new power-ups are nice – Mini and Mega Mario are pretty cool, they're ultimately worthless since they pop up so little and in the case of Mega Mario, clearly scripted. Most often you'll be finding flower or mushroom powerups instead – and no way to fly? That's just not cool. Finally, the addition of the stylus-powered mini-games is a nice touch, but why are 90% of these ripped straight from Super Mario 64 DS?

2D Beauty & Classic Tunes
One of the reasons why DS was chosen for New SMB is because it has far more power under the hood compared to GBA, meaning more could be done. It is of course a pint-sized Nintendo 64 versus a pint-sized Super NES. The game happily merges its 2D origins with more modern game design, that being the use of polygons to design the characters. The result is a beautiful looking game that runs fast and smooth – with a DS Lite the game is downright gorgeous. Almost every world has its own unique theme, such as a desert world, plains, snow, water, etc. Sure it sounds like Mario 3 but Super Mario Bros. 3 never looked this good. When Mario hits the Mega Mushroom, he takes up the whole freaking screen and wreaks havoc all over the place, but the game never slows down to take it all in. It just runs so well and looks so amazing; it's just another testament that unique artistic style wins over total realism any day of the week.

While NSMB doesn't try to simply remix the soundtrack of the original, as there's plenty of original tunes, everywhere you go there's going to be reminders. In some spots, you'll hear a redone version of the traditional Mario theme – you know it. The haunted house might sound familiar. So will the sub-boss castle. But for all those, there's stuff you've never heard that's also fitting to the game. Voice acting is minimalist, with phrases from Mario and occasionally Peach screaming for help, but yeah...whatever, Nintendo doesn't do voice acting much. It's not like the game needs cutscenes with voices telling the tale; everyone knows what's going on and what the motivation for going through all these worlds is. To top things off though, is how well they've maintained all those sound effects, like squishing Goombas, letting the shells fly, and of course, the famous jingle of Mario eating a Mushroom and powering up. It just works.

The Last Paragraph
For many, New Super Mario Bros. will feel like a doozy of a hit on the nostalgia pipe. And it is – but that's how it was designed, in most respects. It was made to show new, young gamers Nintendo's celebrated history of great games not named Pokemon or Animal Crossing, and at the same time remind those of us ancient fossils of how great things were back then and how much fun we had in those good old days. NSMB is a signal of Nintendo's return to form; after years of languishing behind Sony and later Microsoft, it seems they've found their niche again and Mario is once again leading the charge, revitalizing the brand and the company itself. It's a bright new day and I can only imagine what Nintendo has in mind for the next 2D Mario adventure. Well actually I do – Super Paper Mario on the Cube. Mario in 2D, how we've missed thee. Now don't take 15 years between the next classic, y'hear?