New Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo DS
Where to begin - New Super Mario Bros. is a celebration of all fantastic Mario games, paying homage to the classics whilst adding new, innovative ideas. Fans old and new of the Mario series will adore this - and that's what makes it so remarkable.
As soon as the game boots up, it's not hard to tell that it's a Mario game. The screen is crammed full of colour; with the options displayed on pipes on the touch screen. If you leave it for a minute, a miniature movie will start playing on the top screen (which is, as it happens, the opening to the actual game.)
Touch "Mario Game" and select "File 1" and you're away. After the opening, you will find yourself in a lush, green "World Map", standing on top a level. The 3D has impressed you already, although it's not really a 3D game and you haven't even had a chance to control Mario yet. How do Nintendo do it? Magic.
As I have just said, the game itself is not really 3D. The character models and the maps are but you still move left and right. So, technically, it's 2-and-a-half-D. "What?" I hear you say. "The new Mario game isn't even 3D? Then it must be rubbish!" No, shallow-minded fool. This is still completely awesome, and besides, weren't some of the best games ever 2D?
So you're in your first level - and its not long before you grab a MEGA MUSHROOM. Mario grows as big as the screen and for a full 10 seconds you have the power to just smash through the level, crushing blocks and pipes, invincible to all enemies. And it doesn't take away any fun in the process. And just because you can be a giant doesn't mean you can just cruise through the game. You still need skill.
And of course, in completely opposite contrast to the Mega Mushroom is the Mini Mushroom. Whilst mini, Mario can fit inside tiny, secret pipes and jump much higher than he usually can - it adds a whole new dimension to the game. The Shell powerup, as well, is completely new. It allows Mario to slide - really fast - bouncing off walls and obstacles, flattening enemies. With the added momentum, Mario can find new passages that he can bust into with the Shell.
Mario has some new moves as well, including the famous Triple-Jump (yay, 64 fans) and the Ground Pound, allowing him to smash blocks trom above and deal double the damage of a normal jump to bosses. Nintendo have also added the Wall-Kick, a favourite for explorers wanting to push the level to it's limits. Using the Wall-Kick, Mario can leap back from a seemingly unforgivable bottomless pit back onto solid ground. But, as always, you need to practise to get it perfect.
The levels are greatly designed, with springs, pipes, mushrooms that move up, down, left, right, wiggle from side-to-side and wobble. The enemies are strategically placed, as well as the powerups, the rewards for doing something right. With eight new worlds - all with a different theme, (mountains, ice caps, deserts, beaches...) and ghost-houses and fortresses, the game never ceases to amaze, surprise, and entertain!
Multiplayer mode is extremely competetive, with Mario and Luigi battling to grab those all-elusive Stars. This can be very addictive - and you'll be laughing all the way through, even if you lose. However, one huge oppurtunity has been sadly missed, which, of course, is a co-operative mode. (Strangely, a co-operative mode was shown in the demo, but it has been missed out in the final version - maybe to save enough memory for the Minigames.)
Speaking of Minigames, yes, you can play Minigame mode as an alternative to the main game, with or without friends. Although most have been copied from Super Mario 64 DS, there are a few new ones, which will keep you occupied. You can strive to beat your own high-score, which, if you're good can leap to an unimaginable amount.
The game's lifespan is huge; to fully complete it, you need to collect and spend every Star Coin (large coins, 3 found in each level), find all the hidden exits and complete the game. (Which I have done, so I have bragging rights.) And after that, you can find even more secrets, such as the ability to play as Luigi, and a Secret Challenge mode. And of course, you'll still want to play anyway just to revisit your favourite levels.
So, in conclusion, New Super Mario Bros. is one of the best games on DS (if not one of the best games ever) and is worth every penny of your savings. The only niggle I found with it is the exlusion of a co-operative mode. But I'm sure you'll get over it!
I'd give this game a 92 out of 100, but that's only my opinion. If you want to see for yourself, you'll just have to get it, won't you?
