New Super Mario Bros.

The Good
It's been a long time since Super Mario Bros appeared in our nintendo systems. With the new technologies, Mario's games have changed. You can find a lot of games relative to the plumber, all kind of games. With Mario we've painted, we've played lots of minigames in huge boards, we've fought against other characters of Nintendo like Link or Samus (and with other characters of other companies), we've played golf, tennis and many other things. All those games are good games, there's no doubt, but when Mario appears in a new platform game, we have another feeling. Mario is a character made to appear in games of this genre.

The Mario series has something special, we have Mario platform games on 3-D and 2-D. Many games were good games in 2-D, but when they jumped into 3-D it was a complete failure. This is not the case. Mario's games in 3-D are as good as the 2-D games, and all of them are an example of solid game series. We don't need 3-D to know that this is a great game, and we don't miss the 2-D when we play a Mario game in 3-D.

New Super Mario Bros has nothing new, just some minor things, but, it's the same concept that appeared on the mario 2-D games in Super Nintendo a long time ago. We'll have to jump, run, eat mushrooms and gain a lot of extra lives (it's really easy to have the maximum number of lives), but it's still as funny as always. It's a Super Mario game and nothing more, but that's enough, for sure.

Beside the main story, the secret levels and all those classic things, we have minigames to use the stylus (we don't use the stylus during the game) and a very funny multiplayer mode that completes the experience of the game.

The Bad
There are no bad things on this game, just some minor concepts that could be much better. Some secrets are hidden very well, which is not bad at all, but there are a few of them which are really absurd to find.

Maybe you'll miss new things, the game has some new features but nothing important.

The Bottom Line
New Super Mario Bros is, by far, one of the best platform games for Nintendo DS. You'll love it even if you have never played a Mario game, and if you've done it you'll love it the same way because it has the spirit of the old-school Mario games. It's like coming back to the past with a game that's not old-fashioned.

The Good
It's a fun little game. Naturally with the game being featured on the DS, the developers had to scale things back a bit compared to a console Mario release. The playing area is smaller, so this limits the amount of carnage that can occur on the screen. In short, the general feel of this game is a little different from previous Mario platformers. But under these constraints, Nintendo has released the finest Mario game since Super Mario World, which as you know was the flagship release for the SNES back in 1992. So -- the best Mario game in fourteen years. Not bad.

The first thing that comes to mind when queried 'what did I like about this game?' is the excellent use of 3D graphics is a 2D sidescroller. Beyond that, the bosses are very cool (if not a bit easy), the overworld map is very cute, the new Mario suits are cool, particularly Shell Mario, and the overall level design is top-flight.

The Bad
There's not a lot to nit-pick. The intrinsic difficulty of Mario games -- one or two mistakes and you're dead -- dictates that you can get very frustrated on a particularly difficult map, but this is the nature of the beast. The game is a good length, but I still would have been happier with twice as much content. But this is not a flaw -- I'm just greedy for more gameplay.

The Bottom Line
I bought a DS immediately after seeing a television commercial for New Super Mario Bros. This was a good decision. Although it doesn't have the replay value of Mario Kart DS, Tetris, or even Nintendogs, this is still an obligatory purchase for any old-school gamer who remembers the glory days of Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the years when platformers were the bread and butter of the gaming business.

The Good
Finally, a sequel to Super Mario World and Super Mario Land 2! This is where the Mario series should've been, should've stayed. If this game was released on N-64 back in '96 (and I have this strange feeling it was actually already ready back then, just hidden in a vault), this would've killed Saturn, PlayStation and 3DO in one punch.

The graphics are exactly where it should be in did day and age. It's perfect, playful, bright, and easily seen, which is a plus compared to the multitude of dim, dark, diluted graphics today in other games. Only Banjo-Kazooie on GBA equals the happiness.

The controls are better than ever, putting to shame Super Mario Bros. 3 (that's a bold statement). I'll take the Pepsi challenge with that Mario 3 stuff anyday. (I'm not sure what I mean by Pepsi challenge with Mario 3, but it sorta makes sense when you think about it without thinking about it.)

The goombas and troopas dance with the music, and that's a major plus. It really makes the game fun, along with the mini-games (Luigi's video poker is a lifesaver during flights), and the ability to jump from place to place in the game by just touching the map.

The Bad
Why did I need to wait nearly 15 to 20 years for this sequel? Something wrong with the Miyamoto? I think he became too focused on 3-D games and realized how boring and lame those are and created this GEM.

However, this gem has flaws.

No raccoon leaf, no Hammer Bros. suit, no funny enemies from Mario 2, 3, World, etc., etc., no inventory, no ability to save anywhere I choose, stupid coin system, no Yoshi, no ability to choose either Luigi or Toad or anybody else, no cape, no Big Bertha, no Koopalings, and finally, no NINJI!! How dare there be no NINJI!! I mean it's a cross between a ninja and pig, and it's just needed so much!

Or is this game in essence like Batman Begins, Casino Royale, Superman Returns, The Punisher . . . where the series has been "rebooted" to fix all of the problems that have developed in past? (Geez, all everything needs is good writing and acting . . . and programming in Mario's case!)

The Bottom Line
You own a DS?

You better own this game, or I'll have words with you!