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New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review for Nintendo 3DS

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review for Nintendo 3DS

It’s A-Me, Mario Warbucks

Some critics claim that Nintendo does nothing with its major franchises except create the same game over and over again. I am not one of those critics. As a huge platformer fan, I’m always impressed by the new twists that various entries in the Super Mario franchise bring to the genre. That’s why I can’t help but be a bit disappointed in New Super Mario Bros. 2, a solid game which nonetheless seems to be missing the heart and soul that usually drives the series.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Screenshot

This is a game that’s all about coins, to hear Nintendo’s promoters tell it. There are tools and level mechanics scattered all over the place that allow Mario to collect more of the shiny chunks of metal than ever before. Development time has gone into creating impressive coin explosions and other effects that put the focus on collecting an obscene amount of coins. There’s only one problem: in the game’s main campaign, the coins do exactly what they’ve always done. Collect a hundred of them and you get an extra life. That’s it.

Rarely does a Mario game inspire players to ask, “What’s my motivation?” With the hapless Princess Peach and her tendency to be stolen away by giant dragon-turtle things, the driving force propelling Mario from one end of the level to the other has always been clear. That’s no different in this game, in which the Koopa Kids are helping Bowser by playing an elaborate game of Pass-the-Princess through the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s confusing, then, to be constantly barraged with coin-collecting gimmicks in the levels when the coins don’t seem to have anything to do with Mario’s quest to save the princess. Nintendo has made the vague promise that players will want to attempt to collect one million coins, but there’s nothing earned for collecting lesser amounts but a short splash screen announcing: “You’ve collected ten thousand coins!”

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Screenshot

With New Super Mario Bros. 2’s coin focus largely detached from gameplay, the new power-ups found in this entry are generally disappointing. The Golden Block, which appears on Mario’s head if he hits a coin block ten times before it expires, spits out coins as Mario runs along, giving him a total of one hundred extra coins. It’s mostly useful as a way to take an extra hit without losing Mario’s other power-ups. The Golden Flower works just like Fire Mario, except that enemies and brick blocks hit by its golden fireball turn into coins. It is admittedly fun to use in order to bust up brick blocks, but it doesn’t add anything of note to the gameplay. Players are likely to have a great deal more fun with returning power-ups, especially the raccoon suit and the good old reliable fire flower.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Screenshot

The one portion of the game in which the coin focus makes sense is the Coin Rush mode, played separately from the main levels. Coin Rush courses, which are unlocked in increasing difficulty via the main campaign, string together three random levels which the player runs through, collecting as many coins as possible without dying. Players are able to challenge each other to beat Coin Rush records via StreetPass, and this mode should be a lot of fun for players who enjoy a good old-fashioned high score challenge.

Back in regular campaign mode, though, things just don’t seem as bright and shiny as usual. After the level design masterpiece that was Super Mario 3D Land, New Super Mario Bros. 2’s levels seem a bit phoned-in. There’s a sort of “been here, done that” feeling to a lot of the game, although some levels manage to introduce fun challenges that put that old-fashioned Mario smile on the face of the player. Several of the ghost houses feature clever gimmicks, and the moving platform levels (which I normally abhor) are set up like neat little puzzles that are satisfying to solve. The nicer levels certainly inject some much-needed zing into a game that often has the player thinking, “ah yes, and here’s the requisite pointy cactus monster/slippery ice/bouncy mushroom level.”

It can be difficult to explain why New Super Mario Bros. 2 just doesn’t feel quite up to the usual Mario standard. The controls are solid and responsive (though a teensy bit more slippery than usual with the 3DS analog stick, which is strange as the stick worked beautifully in 3D Land), the levels are varied and have tons of hidden secrets to ferret out, and the Koopa Kids make for fun boss battles. It just feels a bit too rote, too designed-by-committee, and Mario’s constant declaration that “It’s a good time!” as he jumps into levels isn’t quite convincing. Do you really enjoy being chased by homicidal creatures and plummeting off ledges that much, Mario?

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Screenshot

The game looks fantastic as usual, and the console’s 3D effect is put to nice, subtle use. As all the action is in 2D, the 3D effect simply rounds everything out, making objects stand out nicely from the background and giving things the illusion of actual mass. The music is catchy but quite familiar, and I found myself becoming annoyed with the doo-wap singers in the background, adding jolly “bop bops” to even the most sinister background music.

Don’t get me wrong. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a good game. It just doesn’t seem infused with quite the right mix of Mario magic to make it a great game. 3DS owners would be better served purchasing the amazingly crafted Super Mario 3D Land. Those who have finished 3D Land and are looking for a new Mario fix will enjoy New Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s just that there’s a nagging feeling about the game that says it could have been better. Failing to incorporate the game’s coin-centric concept meaningfully into the main campaign’s gameplay is an unusual misstep for Nintendo. Perhaps it’s unfair to hold the Mario series up to such a high standard, but we only do so because we love it so much.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
As crisp and colorful as ever, with the 3D adding a nice but completely optional sense of depth to the graphics. 3.9 Control
Generally up to the series’ high standard, with a few minor niggles surrounding the 3DS analog stick. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
If you’re heard a New Super Mario Bros. game, you’ve heard this one. 3.5 Play Value
Coin Rush and the many hidden secrets add play value, while the overly familiar levels remove it. 3.7 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • Run, jump, bounce, and power-up through side-scrolling worlds while defeating new enemies, discovering new secrets, and collecting more coins than ever before.
  • Every level is filled with golden opportunities—gold rings that turn enemies into valuable gold versions, gold pipes that transport the player to treasure-filled caverns, and blocks that explode into absurd coin fountains.
  • All-new Gold Mario can shoot gold fireballs, turning enemies and entire sets of blocks into coins!
  • Coin Rush Mode allows players to collect as many coins as possible across three levels and challenge friends via StreetPass.
  • The entire game can be played cooperatively with two players using local wireless.
  • The game includes the return of Raccoon Mario, giving Mario the ability to fly and access hidden areas.

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