New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS: Review

Some purists will argue that there really hasn't been a good Mario game made since Super Mario 64, or even Super Mario World for the SNES. That might be a bit extreme, but the general consensus seems to be that attempts to take the series in new directions fell somewhat short, or simply didn't satisfy like the Mario games of old. New Super Mario Bros., for the Nintendo DS, aims to remedy this, by providing some nostalgic old-school Mario action with a few new twists. While not perfect, NSMB proves quite a fun and satisfying experience overall.

Anyone who has played a classic Mario game can pick up New Super Mario Bros. and feel right at home. Gameplay-wise, it feels like a mix of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, with little touches from the original Super Mario Bros. tossed in, such as jumping on the flag at the end of each level. The story is minimalist, but not really important anyway; it seems that Bowser's son has kidnapped the Princess, and it's up to Mario to save her. Again. There are eight worlds, with various themes, containing fortresses, ghost houses, and castles, in addition to the regular levels. Levels move from left to right, and are full of the usual assortment of enemies, pitfalls, moving platforms and timed jumps. Such familiar power-ups as mushrooms, invincibility stars, and fire flowers make an appearance, as well as a few new ones; there are now giant mushrooms, which make Mario grow huge, and thus able to smash through obstacles and enemies, tiny mushrooms, which make Mario small enough to fit in otherwise inaccessible areas, and the shell of one of those armored bowling ball-looking enemies, which allows Mario to roll up and avoid injury. Mario also has a few of his moves from Mario 64, like his wall-jump, and butt-stomp. While there's nothing terribly novel here, the game makes use of a time-tested formula that still works. And the level design is good enough to keep the game feeling fresh, rather than like a rehash of the old Mario games.