Not much new here, but still a whole lot of fun.

THE GOOD: A great anniversary present for Mario’s original adventure; great attention to detail; very polished; great tunes

THE BAD: Not much new with this New Super Mario Bros.

Mario grows in size, and prefers to run over enemies.

It’s about darn time we got a new 2D Mario game. How long has it been? 12 years? I’m not sure. But that is a long time. But it’s the 20th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros, and as an anniversary present, Nintendo created New Super Mario Bros, a brand NEW Mario game.

We should be excited for this. And we sure are. It’s not as good as past Mario games or revolutionary, in fact it doesn’t add anything new at all, but this game is a quality title.

The premise of the game is simple, short and to the point. Mario was taking Peach for a walk, Baby Bowser taps Mario on the neck, Mario looks back, Baby Bowser nabs Peach and runs away, and Mario is left there wondering what just happened.

It’s comically simple how something like this would end up into a huge chase over 8 worlds. And that’s about it. You just got to love how Nintendo sets up their Mario games.

Polygonal graphics technology allows enemies to reach epic sizes.

Mario and Luigi control about the same as they did in the NES original, but they also borrowed some moves from their 3D adventures. Mario can now butt stomp, spin attack, and wall kick. They add a bit to the level design, requiring obstacles that could not be passed in past 2D Mario games.

They are still controlled with both the A and B buttons, with B to run and A to jump. You can switch them around if you like to choose which one works best for you.

The graphics have been altered a bit as well. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and most enemies are now in full polygonal 3D. Doesn’t do much for gameplay, but it improves a lot for the visuals, as 3D characters animate much smoother and are more flexible.

This would not have been possible in 2D.

There is also great attention to detail. The enemies are usually there to get you, but when a certain notes for the music play, the characters do a dance move! It’s very impressive how the little things stand out.

The music of course is also great. Just like the title says, there is also new music composed just for this game, and it’s very well. It successfully manages to capture the happy feel and joy of jumping and running on the game, It’s catchy as well. The sound effects are recycled however. It’s not a bad thing, but we should be encouraging new sounds after 10 years.

Do I have all but praise for this game? Almost……but not quite. No game is perfect. But the Mario games have done close to that. Does this game live up? If you were expecting Super Mario Bros. 4, then you will be disappointed. New Super Mario Bros is like a sequel to the original Super Mario Bros., but not a sequel to the later Mario games like 3 and World.

Then again, Nintendo did this on purpurse, but it would be nice to have a new Mario game that builds upon Super Mario World, instead of take a step back and take a different road. Some will say the game is easy as well, but that’s not that big of a complaint.

 

Like it or not, this an Old Super Mario Bros, and that shouldn’t be a bad thing at all.

 

In all, New Super Mario Bros is more an anniversary present than a true next installment. Purist will absolutely love the classic gameplay and the new twist, but not because it’s new. It’s because it’s old and doesn’t mess with true gameplay.