"Who's This Mario Dude, Anyway?"

In May of 2006, Nintendo decided to release an all-new game about a skillful plumber named Mario. Despite his slightly obese physical condition, Mario is actually one of the most athletic characters in his nation, known as the Mushroom Kingdom. So, when the famed Princess Peach is incarcerated by an evil plot carried out by the malicious Baby Bowser, it is up to Mario to save the day.

Unlike most modern 3-d games, New Super Mario Bros. sends you back to the 2-d side scrolling form of play. Although this style of play might seem strange, it is very simple and it is also very challenging. The main object of each level is basic: to weave your way through a horde of obstacles to reach the level's end, which is a flagpole.

The obstacles include enemies, bottomless pits, confusing puzzles, environmental barriers, and more. Sometimes Mario will have to swim through water to complete an area, while other times he will have to travel underground. New Super Mario Bros. has a unique and light feel to it, and you will never know what trouble you will encounter as you venture through various realms.

One cool aspect of the game is how diverse the enemies are. There are enemies like Goombas, which walk slowly and will die as soon as you jump on them, and there are foes such as Koopas, which will retreat into their shell when attacked from above. By grabbing the shell and tossing it, you can use it as a sliding projectile against blocks and other enemies.

That's not all. There are Bob-ombs that can detonate obstacles, snow villains that throw deadly snowballs, Chain Chomps that moves around the air and breath fire, bats that swoop down from the ceiling, and Lakitus that reside in moving clouds and drop spiky enemies on you. You will have to learn a variety of maneuvers to avoid and defeat all of the adversaries that you will encounter, and this makes them game exciting (though it is by no means intense).

To aid him on his quest, Mario can access a plethora of moves. These vary from simple moves, like running and jumping, to complex moves, such as the wall jump and the ground pound. Each of these moves can help him overcome obstacles or even decimate enemies.

Beyond standard moves, Mario can also collect various powerups to enhance his already spectacular abilities. The main powerups are the Super Mushroom and the Fire Flower. The first makes Mario turn into Super Mario, which is a taller version of Mario who can withstand two direct enemy blows before collapsing, and the second gives Super Mario the ability to hurl balls of fire at his infamous foes.

But, there are even more powerups that lie in wait for Mario, though they are underutilized in the game and it is hard to locate them. The Mini Mushroom shrinks Mario down to a fraction of him regular size, allowing him to sneak into small areas or run across water, while the Blue Koopa Shell allows Mario to wear a shell. By running, Mario can slip into the shell and plow through enemies. Finally, the last item is the Mega Mushroom, and it only lasts a limited amount of time. During the time you do use it, however, you attain a gargantuan size and the ability to smash through virtually everything in your path.

With Mario's full array of power, players will be able to overcome any obstacles they encounter and proceed through the game, which features eight worlds with distinct themes such as ice, fire, or water. Most of the levels are fairly simple to overcome, so the first time through your main focus will be on enjoying the unique levels and trying to finish the game.

Once you beat the game for the first time, you will probably feel discouraged. After all, you can finish the game in a matter of hours. Fortunately, that's where the replay value in New Super Mario Bros. will kick in. Hidden inside each of the game's 80 levels are three large coins. These coins are not only hard to locate, but they are also hard to obtain as well.

So, when you are done with the main game, you can still squeeze out several more hours of enjoyment by trying to finish the game one hundred percent and collect everything. Or, because the levels are so entertaining to play, you can merely go back and play around just for fun! New Super Mario Bros. has dozens of secret areas, and they are really fun to try to find and explore. The replay value is not the best, but it is still decent.

Aside from the main game, there are also 18 touch screen mini-games that help to round out the experience. Most of them were taken from an older 3-d platform game on the DS known as Super Mario 64 DS, but there are a couple new ones. The mini-games are only about playing for fun and getting high scores, so it is easy to whittle away several hours of your life while striving to improve your record.

Single player itself is awesome, as it has dozens of levels, quality gameplay, and several hours of potential replay value. But, if you have a friend with another DS, then multiplayer is also an excellent way to decimate the hours. New Super Mario Bros. is one of the most diverse and entertaining multiplayer games for the DS, making it great to play with friends.

First, there is a game mode known as Mario vs. Luigi. In this, one player assumes the form of Mario, while the other player takes over Mario's brother, Luigi. Using the same gameplay mechanics that are included in single player, both combatants will have to collect and steal stars in order to win. It is fast paced quality that many players will love, especially when you factor in the many items you can use to seal your victory.

The multiplayer mini-games are where the game truly shines, though, as there are so many of them! These vary from Mario versions of 3-d Pong, Reversi, Speed, and Memory Match all the way to brand new games made especially for New Super Mario Bros. Even most of the single player mini-games have been thrown in, only with minor adjustments to make them playable with more than one person. The genre range they encompass is very diverse, making multiplayer a superb experience whether you are sharing it with hardcore gamers or even non-gamers. Frankly, if you have someone who you can play against frequently, the multiplayer is worth the money alone; it is just too bad that it lacks Wi-Fi.

Of course, every game has graphics and sound, and these aspects also factor in to determine whether this Mario fellow truly delivers in his DS adventure. As far as the graphics go, New Super Mario Bros. does well. The environments are all in 2-d, and they look beautiful -- while they are not extremely detailed or anything, they still get the job done well.

Also, all of the character models are done in 3-d. That might sound weird since they are set in 2-d landscapes, but once you see it you will realize how fitting it actually is. The enemies, players, and powerups all look wonderful. You will be hard pressed to find a 2-d platformer with better graphics than this.

Now, in the sound area, New Super Mario Bros. has great sound effects. Although they are not very realistic, they do an excellent job of complementing the actions they accompany. In fact, it is easy to mistake them as lifelike sounds because they are so well done. As far as sound effects go, this game is good.

Along with the sound effects, it also has awesome music that is very light, upbeat, and fun to listen to. In fact, the songs are so good the enemies will occasionally start to dance to them (no joke). However, it still scores low in the sound category, and there is a reason why.

There is not enough music. The music that is certainly excellent; unfortunately, the game only features 4-5 songs for the main levels and a few other musical scores for the mini-games. While it is fun to listen to catchy tunes over and over and over, there comes a point when you just want something new.

Despite the lackluster song choice and the game's short length, New Super Mario Bros. is still a worthy buy because it is fun. Few games offer a wide assortment of levels with varying enemies and unique challenges, which makes New Super Mario Bros. special. It sticks out among tradition games as a result of its entertaining playing style, and it can provide some much needed relief from your typical everyday game. Although it will not last you forever, it is still very enjoyable to play. With gaming, that is what matters.

Storyline: 7.5
Controls: 8.8
Gameplay: 9.0
Graphics: 7.4
Sound: 8.3
Replay Value: 7.4
Multiplayer: 9.5
Overall: 8.7

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06