Fly in my eyE

Review: New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo DS)

The giant mushroom power-up makes you feel like a big man.

So, New Super Mario Bros. This is how retro gaming should be done. Midway might want to take a note here, as they seem to be the biggest retro whores out there with their re-packaged collections of Space Invaders and Pole Position. Essentially NSMB is classic side scrolling Mario game (executed extremely well), but updated with modern graphics. The result is a very familiar game for those who cut their teeth on SMB and SMB 3 for NES (SMB 2 doesn't count.... that was just Doki Doki panic re-skinned) and SMW for SNES.

Me, I've played the originals to the point where I can probably recall every level in detail the way some dorks know every line of dialogue from Empire Strikes Back (and that would still be me). This means that the only real drawback for me with NSMB is that it feels a little too familiar sometimes. The novelty of a new 2D (but with 3D) sidescroller just doesn't have the same allure it did back in '86-'90. That aside, the game still rocks, and had me glued to my DS, even on the streetcar with teenagers pointing and laughing at me. It’s pretty damn fun. And the level design? Shiggy PLEASE! Fuck Japan just owns that genre. The characters are beautifully rendered and animated. It's really fun to make Mario just run around.

Downers? The multiplayer is not online. Ah vell... they got that covered with Mario Kart and Metroid I guess, but still. There is some nice wireless mutliplayer fun to be had, but you need a friend with a DS.

Other than that I can't recommend this game enough to hardcore Nintendo fans who want a taste of nostalgia coated with 2006 graphical hot sauce, as well any platformer fan who can appreciate the genre but aren't as schooled in Mario's past.

8/10

posted by Agent 1138 @ 11:50 AM