"Like gaming sugar - fun in small doses, but don't expect to get a full meal out of it"

I'm not a big fan of platformers. I used to love them when I was little, but now I enjoy deeper games - games with complex stories, gameplay, and requiring 10+ hours to finish.

New Super Mario Bros is not anything like those games. It takes maybe two hours to beat your first time through, but that's if you fly through it. To get more out of it, you have to play each level over and over, collecting the 3 coins hidden in each world. I only replay games if the gameplay is incredibly fun, and that's just not the case here.

It's the same game as the first 3 Super Mario games...minus the awesome additions that made those fun. There's no flying in this game, no frog suits or racoon suits. There's just fireflowers (which show up FAR too much), stars, and 3 types of mushrooms. 4 types, counting the 1-Up mushroom (it's also not nearly as massive as Super Mario World was).

"THREE types of mushrooms?!?" you gasp. Yes. There's the normal mushroom we've known and loved since the NES days. Then there's 2 new types: Mega Mushrooms and Mini Mushrooms. Mega mushrooms turn you into a giant that stomps everything on screen. Very fun, but it only lasts FOR A FEW SECONDS. Mini mushrooms turn you into a tiny dot-like Mario that runs on water and jumps far. But there's maybe a handful of times when the "running on water" trick comes in handy (you could always just swim or jump otherwise), and the only other advantage is that you can access tiny warp pipes and tunnels that the developers have placed for you. Kind of...not too fun. In conclusion: The two new items are too constricting to be much fun

So. There's no real joy in the toys you're given to play with, so what about the gameplay?

The game is mostly played using the buttons, not the stylus - for which I'm very, very greatful. You only use the stylus to tap the item in your inventory (you're allowed to carry one) - it then flashes and drops onto the real gameplay screen for you to use. The controls are fine, of course.

It's just that the gameplay is far, far too easy. I never recieved a "Game Over" once. You can easily wrack up so many 1-Ups that you never worry about your lives again - WITHOUT EVEN TRYING. It's like they shovel 1-Up mushrooms down your throat for the whole game.

And you'll barely use any of them. There's a few tricky situations, and some of the coins can be in pretty challenging places, but the vast majority of the game is smooth sailing. And if you somehow have trouble - they FEED you fireflowers here. They spring up so often, you'll probably be seeing Mario in his white overalls more than the normal ones. And you'll never, ever fear any enemy in the game again.

There's a few "new" gymnastics you can use, taken directly from Super Mario 64. One works, one doesn't. There's the ridculous Triple Jump, which was great in Mario 64 when you're running on a 3D plane, trying to fly. But it really doesn't work well here, for obvious reasons. Run as fast across the screen and get 3 jumps in a row...just for kicks. There's honestly no advantage to this move, other than the fact that it looks somewhat cool.

The other new move is the Wall Slide/Jump - and this one works very, very well. There's sections of the game that require it - jumping up vertical tunnels, or just using it to reach difficult areas (which, odds are, are holding one of those 3 hidden coins). There's some ingenious areas in some levels that require an almost (but not quite, so it's FUN, not frustrating) robotic precision with the move. I just wish more parts of the game had fun challenges like this. Another benefit of the move - if you have quick reflexes, then falling into a pit doesn't mean the end of Mario - you can just wall jump back out again. Very satisfying, especially since, while obviously the developers knew you could do this, it doesn't feel that way. And that shows how well-implemented this move is - you have enough freedom with it that it feels as if you're "playing" with it yourself - discovering new uses and not being constricuted to ones the developers have laid out. This is how the old Mario games were in almost every way, but this is not what we're seeing in this one. Except for this wall jump. It gives us a glimpse of how things could have been.

The multiplayer section of the game is pretty fun, and you don't need another copy of the game to play it! It just downloads onto your friend's DS. Very nice. The mini games especially are a blast to play with someone else. The standard "Mario vs. Luigi" game is all right - you run around small levels trying to grab more stars than the other player. I just liked the minigames better.

The graphics - the DS can barely do 3D. Yet the developers decided it'd be cool to make 3D character models and enemies instead of just keeping everything 2D. Sure, the box art looks cool, but in the actual game you're dealing with blocky, blurred 3D models against a nice 2D backdrop. They did that to make it appeal to the 3D audience of today, but I wish they hadn't. A nice 2D Mario and enemies would have fit nicely. However, the bigger models, with big polygons (like some bosses and enemies) do look nice.

The music - typical Mario music. I was hugely impressed with the music playing during the final castles of each world, though. Otherwise...It won't get annoying when you're listening to it, but you probably won't remember it when the game's shut off. However, I wish they'd mix up the Ghost House music. I have no fond memories of those maze-like houses, and the fact that they remixed just about EVERY tune except that one is..somewhat annoying. Also - the enemies bop in time wit the music. Just a little extra thing thrown in there. I wasn't sure what to think about it at first, but it is a little amusing.

The story, for those who care...well, I was actually surprised at something that happens at the end of the very first world. Sort of...almost SHOCKING if you're a longtime Mario fan (which I'm betting you are if you're reading this). Nah, who am I kidding. While it was fun to see all the old characters again (well, Mario, Peach, and Bowser at least), you won't feel anything close to "shocked" from anything that happens story-wise. I'm sure you won't feel anything, period.

Except nostalgia. That's the reason I bought this game, and I'm betting that's the reason the vast majority of people buy it, too. That's what Nintendo's betting on, as well - "'NEW Super Mario Bros.', for those of you who haven't been keeping up for the past 20 years. It's SIMPLE, not like those complex games they have today!" And that's not a bad thing, but it could frustrate those of us who HAVE been keeping up for the past 20 years, and can handle more than 3 power ups and more than 2 hours of gameplay.

Overall - it's a good game, and like I said earlier - I don't like platformers. So if I got through it and somewhat enjoyed it, then if you're a platforming fan you'll probably love it. Otherwise...there's just better, more fulfilling games out there.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/06