New Super Mario Bros.

"Fun but it could do a lot better"

Simply put, New Super Mario Bros. is a good game. However, that means that I do not consider it a great game, or even close to being “legendary.” I've been a big Mario fan and have played almost every Super Mario game ever made, and although I do not consider all of them equal, it pains me to rate Mario's latest adventure anything lower than an 8/10.

Story – 1/10

Because I'm a Mario fan, I'm tempted to give “pity” points to this category. Mario games have never had a great plot and have always focused on gameplay. However, the truth is the truth, and in this gaming age, even simple Platformers have some emphasis on a story. New Super Mario Bros. doesn't even try to keep up with the competition, and this lack of effort is the biggest flaw in the game.

The story of the Super Mario Bros. was simple and effective in 1985. Back then, compared to games such as Pac-Man and Tetris, Mario appeared to have a pretty good plot. Later Mario games mimicked the same plot over and over with very little, if any, changes. We gamers partially forgave Nintendo because with each new release, they added just enough gameplay variety and replay value to make us forget the plot entirely, and other games never really emphasized a story either.

In 2006, great games at least have a mediocre plot. New Super Mario Bros. does not even accomplish that much. It repeats the exact same plot as the first game with the only difference in that Bowser Jr. kidnaps Peach instead of Bowser himself. But that's it. I understand that a Mario game does not require a Metal Gear Solid plot, but there is no reason not to put at least SOME effort into making up something new! I don't expect a good story, but simply recycling the same plot over and over is pure laziness and ultimately makes New Super Mario Bros. inferior to other Platformers. Mega Man 9, for instance, also mimics the plot of its predecessors, but it at least added some variety!

It's understandable if Nintendo wants to use the classic Mario story as a stable foundation, but adding some spice on top does not take too much effort and not including some variety is unforgivable.

Graphics and Sound – 10/10 and 8/10

If you have seen screenshots or videos of this game, you know it looks good. With its gorgeous environments and backgrounds, detailed character models, and some new music, New Super Mario Bros. is easily the best looking 2D Mario adventure ever.

The only small issue I had with the music is that I hoped for more variety and originality. There are only a handful of tunes, much of which are recycled from previous Mario games. The music is appropriate, catchy and classic Mario; however, there is no doubting that NEW Super Mario Bros. could have benefited from more NEW songs.

Gameplay – 6/10

The gameplay is classic Mario with some new additions, but also with some gameplay elements removed. Super Mario Bros. 3 had a variety of suits available to add some variety; however they were not introduced in the levels equally, so you ended up using the same Fire-Power or Raccoon suit over and over. Super Mario World removed a lot of the suits, but had the Cape power up and a couple of different Yoshi to experiment with. So what does New Super Mario Bros. offer?

New Super Mario Bros. has only 4 powers-ups: the traditional Fire-Power, a Mini-Mushroom that makes you tiny, a Giant-Mushroom that makes you invincible and take up the whole screen, and a Shell Power-up that gives you some Koopa-troopa powers.

The Mini-Mushroom is surprisingly useful, not only to help you reach hidden places, and walk on water, but also because it makes your jumps higher so difficult obstacles become much easier. On the flip side, you die in one hit and you have to butt stomp enemies to actually damage them. So this power up is nicely balanced.

The Giant-Mushroom has its uses in its ability to clear away solid blocks that are in your way, and also to easily defeat bosses. It does not appear often in the game, and can't be used in caves and under water levels. Which is a good thing, otherwise the game would be ridiculously easy.

The Shell Power-up adds a new twist to the gameplay allowing you to 1) duck to become impervious to fire attacks 2) duck while running to start a spinning move that destroys ground level blocks and enemies. It's fun and useful in some specific situations. Unfortunately, you rarely come across it and will end up being Fire-Mario for the majority of the game.

Mario also has the addition of the wall jump and butt stomp which are a nice additions. I wished that there were more power-ups, but what is given is adequate. The biggest issue I have is with the Shell Power-up. It is not over-powered and adds some much needed variety to the series, yet it is extremely rare to get. You will have to play mini-games or hit content-changing boxes over and over, restarting your system if you fail, hoping you will be lucky enough to get it. I can understand Nintendo making the over-powered Giant Mushroom rare, but what is their excuse for making the Shell rare? It's a real shame.

Another issue with the game is the save system. You can only safe after beating a Castle level (1 or 2 in each world). If you want to stop playing any other time during your quest, you have to put the system in sleep mode and wait till you're ready to play through to the next castle.

One problem with this is that it forces you to digest the game in large chucks. The game is already short, so being forced to finish large portions of the game every time you pick it up, means that you are essentially encouraged to speed through the game. Playing through one level at a time, say a level a day, means that the game would probably last a lot longer, than how we are forced to play through 4 levels in a single sitting.

The other problem with sleep mode is that if you are sick of playing Mario and want to play something else, you HAVE to keep playing through to the next castle or else you cannot swap out the game card for another game. This was not a major issue with me, but it still was an annoyance.

As stated earlier, but not emphasized enough, one of the biggest issues with the gameplay is the length. Depending on your skill level, expect to finish everything the game has to offer in a few hours.

Replay Value- 5/10

While the gameplay has minor issues, it is still solid entertainment. However, that entertainment wears out fast, and in terms of replay value, New Super Mario Bros. offers little to satisfy. Every level has 3 Star Coins to find and collect. You can spend these coins on accessing new Levels and Toad Houses which give you power ups. Finding these coins adds some replay value, and some of them were pretty tricky to find. Finishing every level, and getting every coin boosts the time you spend on the game, but not by much. There is no getting around the fact that the game is relatively short and easy.

To be clear, I'm not criticizing the game for being easy. There is no rule that a game has to be challenging in order to be fun, and this game IS FUN. However, challenge often bring replay value, and adding some additional optional challenging levels for people who have beaten the game would have been a nice touch. Casual players would be satisfied with the basic game, and hardcore players would be satisfied with harder levels. Unfortunately, there are no such extra challenging levels to add to the replay value. Once you find all the coins, you are basically done.

After you have beaten the game, you can try on the various mini-games from the game's main menu. They seem to be the exact same mini-games that are in Super Mario 64 DS, and if you have that game, you won't see anything new, but they are fun and add some additional entertainment.

New Super Mario Bros. is easy and fun, but it is short and there is no real reason to replay it again. The Star coins are easy to get once you know the trick to get them, and other than trying to do speed runs and handicapped runs, the game offers little once you have finished it.


Conclusion:

New Super Mario Bros. is a good game and I recommend any Mario fan to check it out, just not for $35. It's a good experience, but the amount of entertainment you can get out of it is worth $10-15. Hardcore players will be disappointed by difficulty level, but have to admit the game, excluding the story, is a fresh, charming experience. Children and casual gamers will be more than satisfied with the adventure and I strongly recommend them to play this game and experience the simple yet fun entertainment Mario games are all about. No matter whether what type of gamer you are, there is no denying the lack of replay value.

A better story and more music are normally major reasons to discredit a game. Over the years, many reviewers have neglected these two categories because of the solid gameplay and wealth of replay value that Mario games have always provided. Because New Super Mario Bros. does not deliver on those two fronts, the flaws in its story immediately become an issue with nothing to be covered up with.

Optional Challenging levels for experienced players, a longer quest, and a improved save system seem like minor changes, but they really make a difference and are what would be required for New Super Mario Bros. to live up to the Mario name.

Story-1/10
Graphics-10/10
Sound-8/10
Gameplay-6/10
Replay- 5/10

Overall-6.2/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/02/08

Game Release: New Super Mario Bros. (US, 05/15/06)