The levels in NSMB are once again broken up into multiple worlds, much like they were in Mario3. However, this time out you do not have to visit every world to reach the end of the game (yes we know what a warp pipe is Mr. Smarty Pants). Depending on how you go through certain areas of certain levels your course will vary. In this way you can choose to go to either world 3 or 4 from 2, or worlds 6 or 7 from 5. In keeping with Nintendo's focus on appealing to more casual gamers, this allows a less devoted player to get through the game without too much trouble while leaving plenty for the more devoted fans to pore over. The worlds themselves, which contain about 6-7 action levels a piece, are in standard theme form, progressing from happy grassy planes, to pipe filled mazes, to slippery snow lands, all the way up to the lava-filled Mordor-a-like world 8. All-in you can play through to the conclusion in a matter of hours (3-5 depending on skill, if we had to guess) but there will still be plenty left to go back and explore once the final boss has met his demise (conveniently you are able to skip around between previously visited worlds at will). The boss battles themselves range from the very obvious "three steps on the head and you're dead" in the mid-world castles, to the more out of the ordinary tri-gun tank, piloted by Monty mole, end-world fights.
Graphics have always been one of the most notable, yet often forgotten over time, features of previous Mario games. Ever since the original SMB came out, Mario games have set the bar by which all other content on their respective systems were judged. If you are looking for the peak in your DS's graphical capabilities then look no further than... Metroid Prime Hunters. This is a lovely 2D game, but it doesn't go out of its way to be unnecessarily dazzling. When Nintendo says "New Super Mario" they mean it. This is not SMB5 or 6 or whatever, this is more of a spiritual sequel to the very first SMB. The inventive graphics of Yoshi's Island will not be found here. What will be found however is a lovely and colorful update to a classic game's art style, with some incredible, smoothly animated 3D models placed on top.
Next up are the extras. Much like with DVD movies, we have pretty much come to expect certain extra bells and whistles from our DS games. NSMB does not disappoint in this department. First off there is a collection of various mini games, most holdovers from Mario64 DS, that can be played either individually or with up to 3 friends via multi-cart or Download Play. While most of these games are nothing special on their own, they are mostly all good fun and when combined with wireless multiplayer and random levels, they give the player sort of a Mario Party feel without that pesky board and accursed dice to deal with. These are not the be-all-and-end-all of multiplayer gaming on the DS but as far as extras go they are plenty of fun and offer up a good amount of replayability (especially if you actually have some friends).
The only other extra available for your enjoyment, and the most important one actually, is the aptly named "Mario vs. Luigi". It's two players only and is a sort of halfway point between the classic arcade “Mario bros.” (the single screen one with the “POW” block in the middle) and the more well known (in the home) Super Mario Brothers. The levels are simple Mario style levels themed to match some of the different worlds. All the levels wrap end to end like in original MB, and can be wondered around repeatedly. Your goal as one of the two plumbing brothers is to collect the player-selected amount of big, shiny, gold stars before your pesky brother does the same. When the game starts, one star is placed on the level and the two players race off to find it. Upon collecting the first star generally the players can either continually jump on each others heads to swap the star back and forth or continue on trying to collect 8 coins in order to make another star appear. This cruel, unfriendly, and wondrously delicious head stomping fit goes on until one of the players collects enough stars to call it a day. Generally though another game is started shortly afterwards. This requires no previous Mario experience to enjoy and can lead to some of the tensest competitive gaming moments we have experienced in a long time.
Finally we come to the music. One of the most defining features of the Mario games has always been the beautifully crafted midi masterpieces that provide the mood for each distinct World/Level. Ranging from amazingly jubilant to happily foreboding they always convey the necessary feel for each world while maintaining a certain lightheartedness that lends itself perfectly to the game's overall feel. Most importantly for any in game music however is a song's ability to be played over and over again in a fairly short loop without driving the player to violently lash out at other living things (a bad habit to be sure). While the tunes in NSMB do meet all of these criteria perfectly well we have yet to find any single song that gets stuck in our heads with the ferocity that some of the previous games openings have. The same holds true for non-Mario vets as well, good tunes that work very well, but nothing really stands above the crowd.
Back to the plan: For those of you who have played every Mario game ever, this will be a very welcome addition (especially considering the length of time since the last 2D outing) but it will most likely not replace the likes of Mario3 and Yoshi's Island in your hearts. As we said before it really is just a "new" SMB. For those of you out there that don't play much of the "old skool" stuff we can still recommend the game as a top notch example of why 2D gaming should not be as rare as it is. From spot on controls, to ingenious level design, to good quality music, this is what 2D gaming is all about.
SPOnG Score: A
A fun yet brief trip down memory lane, but not the new Mario epic we had hoped for. Good selection of multiplayer games to add extra life to a somewhat brief game. Nothing as innovative as Tanoki, Super Cape or Yoshi to be found, new power-ups feel tacked on. A damn good game all around, but not quite as great as we had hoped.
