I grew up on Super Mario Bros... Super Mario Bros 2... Super Mario Bros 3... Super Mario World... Super Mario 64... and then for a while I quit playing Nintendo. It was the time of PS2 and XBox, and I have not played a Nintendo game in several years now.
I bought my youngest son a Nintendo DS not long ago - and this was one of the games I got him for it.
Unlike most nostalgic feelings - this has been a real treat to revisit this part of my childhood. My son was playing it, and asked me to get him past a certain part. I was immediately hooked and continued playing until I had beat several more levels. Since then I have been grabbing his DS at every opportunity and playing further along - and am about halfway through the game so far.
It is classic Mario - if you ever played any of the original games you'll know the score - however new music, some new moves (downward slams, wall jumping, etc.) as well as delightful moments such as getting the super big mushroom which makes Mario as tall as the screen - while you laugh like crazy and burst through everything - walls, blocks, enemies, etc. like King Kong on crack add a whole new depth to the game - and keep the 80's classic fresh in its newest form. If you grew up on the old games like I did - you will squeal with delight when you see a new enemy that was only in a select level or two from one of the older games - that brings the memories back fresh.
I am extremely pleased at how such a classic character can be brought back in a fresh new way - and invigorate this franchise which is still going strong after two, nearly three decades.
I had absolutely no interest in the Nintendo DS and only bought my son one because he had been really good this year. Now that I've tried out this game - I find myself browsing through Amazon for new DS games to try.
I wholeheartedly recommend this game for the DS... although I will warn you that you will find yourself wanting to feed your new addiction with more games for the system. New Super Mario Bros.
There are sometimes where you look at classic video games, and how much they've impacting the gaming industry. While there are great games out there that have been well-receieved like Halo, Doom, Madden '06, and others that've really shown a great depth of universal appeal. That has definitely also been the case with Mario. Since 1981, as Jumpman in Donkey Kong, Mario has been the most universal of all the video game characters and personas ever, and continues to develop with the times. That also has been shown with the Nintendo DS as well. The breakout success of Nintendo's latest handheld system has really been a great transition to how we play video games on hand with the stylus, and appeal of the dual screen action. Now, Mario is set to have that classic feeling all over again.
New Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo DS brings a updated appeal to Mario, loosely based on the classic 2-D games he has been widely known for from Super Mario Brothers 1, 2, 3. and Super Mario World from the Super NES era. The object is just like the object from before, as you play Mario or Luigi, and try to go after Bowser and Bowser Jr. from stealing Princess Toadstool a.k.a. Peach. The game features over 80 different levels of exciting, and enjoyable gameplay. The game includes the classic moves from previous titles like the ground pounding (Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine), and the carrying turtle shells to defeat Koopa Troopas and Goombas (Super Mario Brothers), as well as new features like the mega mushroom which can turn Mario into a King Kong size, to really pound and knockout your competition. The graphics and the gameplay are just absolutely breathtaking and amazing, and really delivers what had been done from the early Mario titles before, while the sound is just purely classic. The control also is percise and in tune to each movement of Mario and company.
All in all, this is the second full length Mario adventure title to really deliver well for the Nintendo DS. Like what happened with Super Mario 64 DS did to showcase the brilliance of the DS, New Super Mario Brothers delivers the fun and appeal of a classic game, to a whole new generation of gamers. I definitely think this is one of the most definitive titles available for the Nintendo DS, and I really definitely think it should be a standard to your Nintendo DS library.
Graphics: A
Sound: A-
Control: A+
Fun & Enjoyment: A+
Overall: A 1/2+
I need to warn everyone that my wife and I are both old enough to have been fans of the orginal Mario... but we are still young to love the newest version in the series.
Sometimes you just have to get back to the basics - and that is exactly what happens with this newest Mario installment. Nintendo has taken the best features of the first three Super Marios (with some new features too!) and blended them into one great game.
Pros-
- All new version of an great favorite
- Interesting twists
- nice graphics for a hand held game
- Decent game length
- very fun mini games
Cons-
- Game isn't too challenging for your average gamer
- Most of the mini games are repeats
As a whole - the game is well worth the $35 and will supply many hours of great game play.
In the beginning Nintendo created Mario, and he was good. So good in fact that he's often credited with saving video gaming in the mid 80's. Mario wrote the book on side scrolling platformers but after years of ruling the roost decided to move on to the realm of 3D leaving others to carry on the tradition. Some pretenders to the throne were good and some not so good but in the back of our collective minds we all knew that Elvis had left the building. Well, the King is back and it's as if he never even left.
The oddly named "New" Super Mario Bros launches players' right into the action. After a short 10 second cut scene of the princess being kidnapped (AGAIN) `World 1-1' is ready to go and it feels so right after 15 years of waiting. There are Goomba's and Koopa Troopa's, toadstools and green pipes, swimming levels and fire plants and coins galore. To all those people who think that the graphics are only a slight improvement on Mario's previous side scrolling adventures I would urge them to pop Mario 2 or 3 into the DS and be amazed at the difference. The new adventure is much more vibrant, colorful and organic with toadstools that dance and sway and water graphics that are absolutely stunning. Mario has some new snazzy moves including the ability to bounce of walls and my favorite, the [...] stomp. Instead of smashing bricks from the bottom Mario can now drop from above and in the case of multi-coin bricks Mario can smack down on it and coins just pour out. Both of these are awesome additions that open up all new playing potential.
I have a few slight issues with the game. First, the side to side movement doesn't seem as tight as I remember from previous Mario games. Mario doesn't stop on a dime anymore, he kind of slides to a stop as if the levels were coated in a thin layer of ice. I suppose this is more realistic but it gave the game sort of a loose, floaty feel until I got used to it. The other issue I have is with saving. Rather than saving after every level you save intermittently when you cash in coins or finish a tower or castle. I'm not sure why they made this change but it seems like a rather poor decision on a system that's intended to be played in potentially short bursts.
Despite a couple of griping points NSMB may well be the greatest side scroller ever and a welcome addition to the Mario legacy. I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to play a new side scrolling Mario game and this has definitely been one of the toughest games on the DS to peel myself away from. Go get it and relive the glory years of Mario with an all new adventure.'
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