Post by THE DERP MASTER on Aug 19, 2012 0:53:12 GMT -5
I used to make reviews on a weekly basis, but then I took an arrow to the knee.
*ba-DING*
*ba-DING*
2004 was a great time to be a Nintendo gamer. In E3 of that same year, Nintendo showed off their latest bundle of handheld joy; the Nintendo DS. Promising graphical power on par with the Nintendo 64, Wi-Fi connectivity to allow online multiplayer gaming with others around the world, and two screens, one of which was going to be touch sensitive. Of course, no reveal of this magnitude would be complete without some games to show off too. And so Nintendo showed the world their greatest franchises making their transition to the dual screened handheld. But amongst all the wonderful games being shown at the event, there was one that stood tall among the others. A game that grabbed the attention of critics, journalists, and fans alike. That game, was New Super Mario Bros. At the time, the last 2D side-scrolling Mario game was Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, released for the Game Boy in 1992. The verdict for the game, even before it was released, was insanely high, and for good reason. (fourth time I've said that. -.-) And the 'New' in the title wasn't just to signify that this was the first 2D Mario game in years. Taking the classic side-scrolling formula we all loved and grew up with, without any of the restrictions of inferior hardware of generations past, mixed up with new, far superior level design and a team for the job bigger then ever before seen on a 2D Super Mario Bros. game. But was it the perfect evolution of 2D Mario games that everyone had hoped for? Did it satisfy the fans of the series, old and new alike? Well, there's only one way to find out... keep reading. (Well, what'd you think it was?)
You're gonna need a bigger run up then that.
Our story in the... wait... why am I writing about the story? I mean, it's not like Mario games have a story to begin with. Peach gets kidnapped, Mario has to save her, and BOOM, there's your story for just about every single main series Mario game. That basic storyline is in every Mario game just to give the developers an excuse to make Mario go on a magical adventure full of jumping on various things. If Peach didn't get kidnapped, Mario's magical jumping journey would be completely and utterly pointless. And then everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom would tell Mario that he should finally start going back to his plumbing job instead of doing all this pointless jumping. And it's not like this kidnapping is particularly exciting. Bowser Jr. sends a thundercloud to Peach's Castle, which strikes the castle, and makes an extremely small fire happen on the roof of the castle. So when Mario runs over to the castle to pointlessly stare at the small fire, (Which seems to put it out for some reason, or there was a sudden gust of wind) Bowser Jr. sneaks up on Peach, grabs her by the arm, and then runs like hell. That's it. That is without a doubt the saddest kidnapping in the history of the series. Not because of how it will make you shed a tear, (Which it won't) but because of how goddamn stupidly flawed the whole plan was, and yet it still worked. Why didn't Mario just leave the fire to the firemen who would've come? Or better yet, why the hell doesn't Peach have armed bodyguards constantly following her around?! She's the frickin' princess of the frickin' kingdom! Is the kingdom that poor that they can't afford guards for the princess to...
Err... moving on...
Seriously Mario, just go back to plumbing.
One can tell a lot of effort was put into this game to make it as pretty as possible for the little handheld. Although Mario himself is rendered in 3D, everything else, like the most of the enemies, foreground, and background, are rendered in 2D. Not that that's a bad thing. These are some of the best designed sprites ever seen on the system. Despite that, Mario himself looks quite... odd. Since he's rendered in 3D, and because he's so small on the tiny DS screen, some of his features look either comically small (His torso) or are practically non existent. (His eyes) Although you can't really blame Nintendo for a half assed job, given how small the screens are. Still, Mario's 3D graphics means that he's animated fluently, and his various running and jumping skills all look great. The levels are all great to look at, with some of the best looking backgrounds I've personally ever seen in a 2D platformer, and they all go by a central theme, such as a beach, a jungle, mountains, and of course the sky worlds. The designs for the enemies, both new and old, are fantastic, such as Balloon Boos, Boos that suck in air to grow to massive sizes whenever they're looked at, and the Broozer, a... ghost with... boxing gloves? Okay, maybe not that, but the enemies look great. That's all you need to know. It's also possible to play as Luigi in the game by holding L and R when you start up a save file. But other then looks, there's absolutely no difference between Mario and Luigi.
"OM NOM NOM." - Piranha Plant
Featuring remixes of some of the best tunes of the series past, as well as completely original songs, this soundtrack is perhaps the greatest one there has ever been in the series. The standard above ground theme is very cheerful and uplifting, and it's definitely certain to make even the grumpiest of grumps crack a smile the first time they hear it. The sky based theme is even more cheerful, and the underground theme, a remix of the original underground theme, sounds dark and slow paced, going well with the atmosphere of exploring a dank, possibly smelly cave. Of course, it wouldn't be a Mario game with Boo infested haunted mansions, and luckily, it has the music to match, sounding very spooky and intimidating, (But, you know, adjusted for Mario game standards) and it certainly makes the ghost houses in the game a much more fun experience. Hell, all the music in the game adds to the experience, and I certainly mean that quite literally, as the enemies and power ups will all do particular things in time with the music. Goombas and power ups will hop, Koopa Troopers will do a little shimmy, and even a few background objects will also do stuff in time with the music. Why does it do this? Absolutely no reason, that's what. It's just there to make the soundtrack just a little bit more awesome.
See those sharks, there? They're doing barrel rolls.
Being a 'New' Super Mario Bros. game, There's plenty of content that's new to the franchise that originated from this game. The Mega Mushroom, for example, is a brand new power up that makes Mario ridiculously huge for a short amount of time. During this time, Mario is completely invincible and can destroy everything in his path, including pipes and even the end level flagpole. The Mini Mushroom makes Mario... well... mini, allowing him to reach normally inaccessible areas by going into small pipes and with his lower gravity, allowing him to stay airborne longer. He can also run on water. Then there's the Blue Shell. No, it doesn't have wings and spikes on it, so it already sucks bum. Mario can go into his shell by ducking or dashing, at which point he'll become almost indestructible and can kill most enemies. But when he walks, he looks quite derpy, so that's a massive deal breaker. The level designs are some of the best ever seen in the 2D series of Mario games, even on par with Super Mario World. Also like Super Mario World, the variety of the levels are spectacular. Never does it feel like you're playing the same stage. The controls are simple and straight-forward. In fact, the only buttons you'll ever need to use are Y, B, and the control pad. X and A serve the same purpose as Y and B, but it's harder to use those buttons cause they're higher above then Y and B. The L and R buttons scroll the camera, but it's so slow that's not very useful. And the touch screen? All it's used for is getting your extra item that you have in reserve. A two player battle mode is in the game called Mario vs. Luigi, in which the goal of the game is to collect more Stars then the other player. It's a fun little distraction, but certainly not as fun as the main campaign. A few of the mini games from Super Mario 64 DS are also present, and they're certainly still a blast to play. Throughout the game, there are various Star Coins to collect, which can be spent on unlocking new paths for you to explore on the world map. They can certainly be a pain in the ass to find them all, and I guarantee you'll look at a guide for at least one of your missing Star Coins.
Five Star Coins for a Mega Mushroom? Shut up and take my money!
This was the perfect way to celebrate over 20 years of the Super Mario Bros. series. The music still holds up well today, and will probably go down in history as one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. Pair that up with some of the best level design seen in a 2D platformer, and slap Mario's face on the package, and you have a recipe for a modern masterpiece.
It makes me all wonder why the hell I sold my copy several years ago.
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Lasting appeal: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Lasting appeal: 8/10
Overall: 9/10
