New Super Mario Bros. review

I adore Nintendo's dedication to bettering itself and the products it creates. No other games company has sold me the same product three times yet kept all disgruntled feelings and expressions tucked nicely in my wallet where my money should be.

It releases a great product only to re-release it a little while later with a few added bonuses, of which are substantial enough for you to be smashing open your little brother's piggy bank in order to afford one. It's essentially the same thing, but with some wholly delectable additions. And let me tell you, they're so sweet I'll lap 'em up 'til I've got diabetes.

So here we have a NEW Super Mario Bros. game. We've all seen Mario before – if you haven't I suggest some self-discipline – and we've all come to love his cellulite-filled charms, but what, I hear you say, has Nintendo done with him in this incarnation? Well, before you read on, it's essentially the same thing, but with some wholly delectable additions.

A Simple Plan

True to form, the story is of great simplicity: Princess Peach gets kidnapped. Mario goes to save her. There you go, that's it.

Such an ingenuous narrative would be condemned in any other game but another segment of the silk-lined blindfold we all wear in the name of Nintendo means a storyline doesn't matter when you're playing a Mario game. A gamer needs no reason to kill turtles and decimate several fields worth of mushrooms when it's Mario's shoes that are giving them the pleasure.

The whole game consists of 8 worlds, each containing many levels, alternate routes and power-ups. The game can be completed without the need to visit worlds 4 and 7 which are only accessible with a little brain power. Mario games are renowned for secrets such as these and it's fantastic to see Nintendo still knows how to not only challenge the player but to extend the game for them as compensation. The casual gamer can say they've completed the game but the hardcore has still got things to do once all the casuals' bedtime milk is heated.

Tough

I must say even the hardcore will be closing their DS's in frustration – made fun by Mario saying 'Bah-Bye' – when the times get tough, and tough they will get. The immaculate precision and craftsmanship stands as a certificate of authenticity that this is a Mario game, and the work put in to it makes it more than just a great platformer, it stands to make it a landmark for future platformers to come.

So, as you run, jump and evade your way through the many ice, sand and watery levels, you'll witness the new additions Nintendo has made. On top of the classic 1up, Growth and Fire Plant power-ups you've become so accustom to as of late, NSMB brings about some interesting extras. A rarely obtained mushroom, because of its awesome power, allows Mario to stomp, smash and crash his way through a large chunk of a level as ten times his normal size. No foe can stop him and no woman will love him, but it does give you a statistical advantage, even for a moment. The polar opposite has also been included as, upon collecting the appropriate fungus, Mario can now run around as ten times smaller, used for checking out the littlest of holes and leaping great distances with effortless grace.

Additionally, the moves from Mario 64, such as the wall jump (the ability to scale parallel walls by kicking off side-to-side in quick succession) and the ground pound (smashing into the ground with your arse from a jump) make a welcome appearance.

A Little Short?

These power-ups are novel to say the least. It certainly is interesting to transform from such a vulnerable player to a dominant overlord leaving nothing but destruction in your wake, but in saying that, they do seem a little tacked on. Mario has never been about quantity, it's quality all the way, and the addition of these odd little power-ups gave me the impression they were trying to ham the game up.

And it's no wonder when you take a look at the length of the game. Compared to Super Mario World's awesome 96 levels, NSMB quivers in a pool if inferiority. The game may become quite difficult at times, but the actual length of it leaves a lot to be desired.

Beautiful

Unlike the graphics, though. Once again, true to form, Mario is back on screen in a beautiful rendition of the 2nd Dimension, well, the landscapes are. This time around, making use of the DS's 3D capabilities, all the characters, be them player controlled or not, are rendering in the manner of the times, and it plays off superbly.

There isn't a drastic shift to the gameplay - after all, it's still a side-scrolling platformer – but Mario's ability to move on both X and Y planes in such animations as the end-of-level one, make for a sweet, if small, piece of eye candy. During gameplay, though, it's still just his the right and left side that you'll be seeing.

However, NSMB delivers a symphony of colours that are almost as good to gaze upon as the game is to play. Vibrancy is a trademark of Mario games and this incarnation leaves nothing behind. Nintendo truly know how to make a 2D platformer glow.

Bwoooip, Buhgug & Ding

Now, I'm not sure what to make of the sound effects and music. The usual plinky-plunky theme tunes waddle along as you Bwoooip, Buhgug and Ding your way through the game, but it's hard to decide whether it's good for the classic appeal, or whether it's just effortless and boring.

It's most likely somewhere in between. The sound effects serve their purpose and they do fit the psychedelic on-screen action, but on a console capable of so much more, you question Nintendo's methods. Although, to be honest, I'd be slightly horrified if Mario sounded any different.

I've just got to say: Welcome back, Mario. Each day without you was like another dagger through my (S)NES, and your return is triumphant if short-lived. Your mini-games are a weird and wonderful filler and your new power-ups are entertaining but I'm glad they don't plague this new adventure of yours. I'm sure your universal fan-base will be dancing with glee at your return, and I can only hope you come back again soon and stay for longer this time. Get this game.