"My second Mario DS game, and my favorite!"

Super Mario Bros. Many of us would spend many of our waking hours trying to get to World 8 on the NES. (Or was it the SNES? I think they even had an arcade version. I played SOMETHING at the dentist when I was 7...) Everybody was hitting every block they could, trying to get that 1-Up Mushroom that would get them to Bowser and save Peach. We all had nostalgia, hoping against hope that those days would return, where we would once again hear the sweet, sweet sound of a Super Mushroom, fresh and new...

Nintendo worked on that nostalgia.

Thanks to Nintendo, this game has been brought to us fresh. It has the best graphics that our DS's can handle, amazing sound quality, and a (sort of) brand new storyline. Not to mention innovative gameplay and good use of the touch screen, compared to other games *coughcoughSpider-Man 2coughcough*. Everyone's favorite plumber is back in the first Mario side-scroller since the original.

GRAPHICS
10/10

These graphics are the absolute best I have seen on my DS. Like every good Mario game, each environment is bright and colorful. For example, in World 1-1, you can see Peach's castle slowly slide away as you move deeper into the level, replacing the building with the classic Mushroom Kingdom spotted mounds, which slowly get smaller in the distance until they reach the horizon. Each world's graphics alone make you feel different. World 1 feels relaxed, with lots of bright colors. In contrast, World 8's colors bring a feeling of dread, as the color scheme is all dark reds, browns, and grays. Enemies all look good, especially Bowser Jr. Every Goomba, every Koopa, every Piranha Plant hiding in a pipe looks absolutely astounding. As for Mario and Luigi (That's right! You can be Luigi in this game. Hold down L and R when you select a game to be the Green Machine.), we couldn't want more. Each of our plumbers are in their common garb, which only changes when they find a Fire Flower. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the power-ups! Each and every power-up looks great. All in all, these graphics are nothing short of incredible.

SOUND/MUSIC
10/10

It's a-me, Mario! The sound in this game is phenomenal. Like I said in the introduction, we can hear the beautiful sound of Super Mushrooms, coin blocks, and the ever-present fireball. Similar to the graphics, the music adds a certain feeling to each level. World 1's music, like the graphics, is bright (Except in the castles, towers, Boo houses, and underground, but that music works out with the graphics too.) and generally conveys a feeling of calmness. World 8's music sounds a bit like it belongs in House of the Dead. The power-ups all sound good. The mini-mushroom's sound is very high-pitched and sounds small, if you know what I mean. The Mega mushroom is loud and proud, with the crashing of everything as you knock it all over with the 1,500 pounds that last mushroom gave you. By the way, did you know those things have 1,640,975,165 calories in them? Instantaneous enlargement! Hold up...I got off topic...hm....oh. Anyway, the sound in this game is extremely well done.

CONTROLS
10/10

Ah, the controls. It has never been easier to make Mario jump, stomp, and...um...jump his way to victory. Every action is one push of a button. No combo's in this game. The touch screen is used more than you would expect in this game. You use it to select which world to go to while choosing a level. During gameplay, it is used to activate whatever item is in your reserve slot. That's about it, I guess. These controls are good.

STORY
7/10

Every Mario game has to have a story. Even DDR: Mario Mix has a story! Nintendo decided to change the story in here just a bit. Here's the story this time around. Mario and Peach are taking a walk in the castle grounds. Suddenly, a cloud materializes above the castle, and starts raining lightning bolts on the roof. Smoke starts to rise from the castle! Mario runs off to keep the Toads running around the castle company, but Bowser Jr. comes and grabs his "momma." Mario spots it just in time to run over and chase B.J., who has grabbed Peach by her hair and is dragging her all over the place. Ouch. Bowser Jr. crunches Mario into that small form thing, which is how you go unless you get any power-up. Mario! You have to save Peach from Bowser Jr.! GO MARIO! GO! SAVE PEACH!

GAMEPLAY
Infinity/10

Well, I guess it's time for the gameplay. I have one word for you-YEAH!

Gameplay in this game is downright astounding. I just have one complaint-you can only save in certain parts! While a few of you would greatly enjoy it, most of us just don't have the time to beat a tower or castle again and again just so we can save. Also, we don't always have 5 Star Coins (larger coins you collect during levels to open new paths) to spend on a path to save. But that's enough about the saving stuff. Let's get onto the other stuff!

Gameplay is just what you expected in this game. There are brand-new power-ups never-before-seen in a Mario game-the Blue Koopa Shell (Wear it to go inside and slide around, just like a real Koopa! Mario, you poser!), the Mini-mushroom (Do I really need to explain it? Fine. IT MAKES YOU SMALL!), and the Mega-mushroom a.k.a. The Big One. This one turns you into a giant about 3/4 of the size of the Godzilla on the cover. You can then demolish anything in your path, from pipes to the flag at the end. Along with those, there are the old power-ups-the Super Mushroom (Turns you into Super Mario, DUH!) and the Fire Flower (Turns you into Fire Mario, who can throw his world-famous fireballs.). That's it by way of power-ups, but there's at least 260 words left, so bear with me.

DIFFICULTY

The difficulty of this game grows at an alarming rate, as you get harder enemies, Bowser Jr. gets tougher, and the levels become larger and longer. Luckily, I have not yet found something I can't beat, unlike Super Mario 64 DS. I would say it starts out as easy, but in the end, it is hard enough to be frustrating.

BUY OR RENT?

Definitely buy. I'm not sure you can rent DS games, but you wouldn't be able to finish in five days unless you played it straight through without stopping. Trust me. This will be one of the best buys you will make this year. Everybody should at least play it once by renting it or borrowing it from a friend. Just play it.

OVERVIEW-This will include the score, as well as closing thoughts about each part.

Graphics-10/10-Beautiful. Nothing like it.
Sound/Music-10/10-Extremely good. Sets a mood in each world.
Controls-10/10-Nothing easier to do.
Story-7/10-Sub-par, but good enough for a Mario game.
Gameplay-Infinity/10-Impossible to describe.
Difficulty-Medium difficulty-Challenging, but not impossible.

CLOSING THOUGHTS (AGAIN)

There you have it. Hopefully, this review, along with the many others posted right now, will steer you to buy this great game. Nintendo has once again created a masterpiece of a game, worthy to be hung in a museum next to the Mona Lisa and "The Scream" (Surprisingly, there is actually a painting named "The Scream." Weird!). This was one of the best buys I have made this year, and I am sure there are countless gamers that will agree with me.

Wow, I reached the end! Anyway, please buy this game. You will not regret it. I sure didn't.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/26/06