"A not-quite-perfect classic..."

Few video game characters are really as prominent as Mario. Although he had briefly appeared in a couple of games on systems as early as the Atari 2600, he's best known for his roll in the Super Mario Brothers games, as well as the many, many other spinoff games, such as Mario Kart, and the Mario Party games. Point is, he is a prominent character who's been around since nearly the beginning, and this has boosted him to the status of being less of a video game character, and more of a cultural icon.

Though he's been in many games, Mario's popularity skyrocketed after games like Super Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers 3, and Super Mario World. Just as Mario defined classic video game characters, these games defined classic platform gaming. The gameplay in these early games was simple, yet addictive: Mario, the Italian Plumber is dropped into the world where the Princess has been kidnapped, and you must control him through numerous 2-D, side-scrolling stages, defeating enemies (by stomping on their heads, no less) while collecting powerups, and making your way through bosses trying to ultimately find where the Princess is being hidden. Later games added more powerups, enemies, and allies to the Super Mario universe, and created a series that has become nothing short of timeless. While later games in the series, such as Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Sunshine introduced updated 3-D elements to the gameplay, it felt like a little bit of the magic of the early games had somehow been lost. What's more, the NES and SNES saw many Mario games, while later systems got only one or two "true" games (or rather, "main" installments).

From there, the video game industry seemed to be moving forward, and it seemed quite hopeless that another true 2-D side-scrolling Mario game would come out. Many people held out hope, and it was more than possible to bring a new 2-D Mario game to one of the handhelds. The ever popular Gameboy Advance actually saw many Mario titles. Unfortunately, most of these were nothing more than ports of those great NES and SNES titles, and while it was nice to have portable versions of these great games, fans wanted something new. The DS eventually came out, and with it's new features, seemed like it would be an interesting and probable place for a new Mario game, and sure enough, word came that a new Mario game (literally titled New Super Mario Brothers) would be made exclusively for the Nintendo DS. Fans were ecstatic, as we'd finally have a new Mario game to play, in the classic style, that wasn't just another port. So how did it turn out? Was the wait worth it? Would Nintendo be able to retain the signature Mario gameplay?

For the most part, Yes.

Graphics - 10/10:

Really, the graphics in the game are quite nice. The character models used for Mario and the enemies are 3-D, not too unlike those used in Super Mario 64, though they certainly look sharper and cleaner than in that game. The over-world map itself is a sort of 3-D angled top-view, but it's still very similar to, say, Super Mario Brothers 3. The areas themselves are 2-D, and still side-scrolling of course, but they also have brilliantly designed backgrounds, and there is a great amount of detail, life, and rich color in everything. Cartoony, of course, it just wouldn't be right if it was done in any other way. Really, there aren't many (if any at all) flaws in the game's appearance. The visuals are very nice, and exploring each area multiple times never leaves you feeling like you've seen too much of one single area.

Control - 10/10:

Control is simple and, works for its purpose. You're really doing very little other than running, jumping, and stomping things, but everything is very responsive and fluid. The DS's dual screens also function well, in the fact that one shows you the screen in which the gameplay is happening, while the other displays things like maps, score, powerups, and progress through the level. The controls and interface are all very simple, but this is the type of game that you really wouldn't want it any other way.

Gameplay - 7/10:

The game opens with the castle being attacked, and as Mario goes to check the situation out, Bowser Jr. kidnaps the Princess. Typical. Your objective, of course, is to traverse 8....or, well....6.....levels, to rescue her. It's typical for the Mario games to have eight "worlds" that you have to traverse, though in New Super Mario Brothers (NSMB) you can actually skip over two of the worlds, without ever even knowing how to get to them. Now, the other games often had things like warp tunnels, or the whistles (SMB3) but in those games, the methods to skip the levels were hidden, whereas in NSMB, the paths to some of the worlds themselves is what is hidden. This just doesn't seem right for some reason. What's more, within each World, there are a number of areas (similar to SMB3, or SMW) however, the paths to many of those are hidden as well. This basically encourages you play through the areas multiple times, to discover all the hidden things. While this is actually fine, some of the hidden paths and things are a bit obscure to discover unless you play through areas many times, or use other means of finding them (such as guides)

One of the major elements of the Mario games are the number of powerup you find through the games. The series has seen a vast number of items that allow Mario to get to new areas, or help him defeat enemies more proficiently. Such powerups include (but are certainly not limited to): The Mushroom, the Fire Flower, the Raccoon Leaf, A Hammer Brother's suit, A Frog Suit, a Cape, and even riding on, and using Yoshi. NSMB uses the normal Mushroom, and the Fire Flower, but along with that it introduces the "Giant" mushroom, the Mini mushroom, and the turtle shell. Really, the new powerups seem a bit disappointing and uninspired. Powerups that make you get big or small? That's kind of disappointing. What's more the giant mushroom is used once or twice in the first world, and you'll almost never find any situations to use it in afterward. The mini mushroom, at least, is useful in a few situations, as there are certain pipes, pathways, and other areas that can only be accessed when you have become micro-sized. The turtle shell outfit is actually kind of interesting and fun to use, though it's not overly useful in many situations.

Another little bit regarding the powerups, is that there are too many of them, really. This is an issue that's come up a lot, but the game isn't really difficult. Sure, you may die a few times here or there, but the sheer number of 1ups you find make it seem like there's no real urgency or danger of dying. Coins are abundant, as are Mushroom and fire flower powerups, meaning that even taking hits isn't all that big of a deal, since about every third ?-box has a powerup. It just makes the game feel a bit deprived of challenge. On the flipside, that almost makes it an ideal game for younger players, or people wanting to get into the Mario games, and haven't been playing them since the beginning.

The gameplay also feels a bit stale. It is definitely a fun game, and it is truly a worth addition to the side-scrolling Mario library, but, like the powerups, the areas and worlds just feel kind of overdone and lacking. You've got the Mushroom Kingdom, the Sand World, the Ice World, the Dark world, to name a few, and these have pretty much been the mainstays since the earliest games. To some, that might be it's strength, because it certainly has a sort of nostalgic factor to it, being modeled after those early games. It has got that classic gameplay element, and it's probably one of the games that has one of the higher numbers of hidden things to find.

Though the touch screen doesn't do much itself, the game makes decent use of the dual screens. The upper screen is where you see the actual game, though interestingly enough, when you enter a pipe and go underground, it switches to the bottom screen, which I thought was a neat touch. Your lives and coins and things are displayed on the upper play screen, while other things (Such as score, how many large coins you've found,, progress through the current stage, as well as stored powerup) are displayed on the bottom screen.

All that being said, the game is definitely fun. It has the classic gameplay of the old NES and SNES Mario games. Oddly, it actually gives of vibes from SMB, SMB3, SMW, and SM64. The elements that were borrowed from each of those games are very apparent, although I think this mostly adds to its classic feel, and play.

Music - 9/10:

There are a lot of neat sounding, classic-ish tunes here. Like in the past games, the BGMs and such all sound like they fit, and add to the mood and feel of each area and level.

Replay - 10/10:

There are actually a good deal of things to do in the game. As mentioned, the paths to some of the worlds and areas are hidden, meaning you'll need to clear each area and/or world multiple times. Some areas actually have multiple exits, which lead to even MORE new areas. There are also a number of large coins (three per level) that you can collect for more points, and you can use them to unlock mushroom houses where you can get more items and 1ups. Though there are a lot of things to do, it really shouldn't take too long to do all of them, but ultimately NSMB ends up being one of those games that you can just pick up and play for an hour or so in your spare time, just for fun.

Overall - 8/10:

New Super Mario Brothers is a great addition to the "oldschool" side-scrolling Mario games of the NES and SNES era. It retains the classic feel and gameplay that those games had, yet at the same time it doesn't really seem to do much to really stand out from those games, and feels more like it almost piggybacks off of their greatness. Some of the new features are a bit bland, and feel like they could be a bit more interesting. It's really no matter though, because it certainly is a fun game, and a worthy addition to any fan of Mario, or classic platforming gaming in general.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/07