Unlike trends embraced only by the “retro” inside of all of us, some things just never stay away for too long. Super Mario is one of those things. An iconic character captured in the hearts of many and the mascot and identity for a company that by reading this review suggests to me you indulge. And all this for a plumber in dungarees.

Mario must be feeling fairly light headed, as since the 1990’s he has made a spectacular jump from a 2D word to a 3D world. Now in 2006 Mario returns to a 2D world for the first time since Super Mario World on the SNES. Yet, one would assume he is feeling a little confused, as while New Super Mario Bros on the DS pits Mario in the 2D world retro Nintendo fans grew accustomed to over the 80’s and early 90’s, his body has kept true to the full 3D sprites that were used in Super Mario 64.

For those of you unfortunate enough to have never played a side scrolling 2D Super Mario adventure, the game plays by moving from left to right. Your objective is to get Mario to the flagpole at the end of the level, without falling through any gaps or being hit by any enemies.

Mario starts off each level as a tiny version of himself. Graphically I was less than impressed with the sprite of Mario when he is not powered up; he looks a little squashed and messy. However this is but a small gripe for a game of which boasts such excellent graphical prowess. While many reviewers have jumped on the bandwagon to say this is probably the best graphical game on the DS to date, I beg to differ just slightly. I for one thought Nintendogs and to some extent Super Mario 64 DS provided some excellent graphics that showcased the system pretty well, and while New Super Mario Bros is impressive in the graphical stakes, don’t expect too much. Some of the sprites are a little messy, and some of the backgrounds do lack a bit of clarity and detail. That aside though, the placement of 3D characters on the 2D environment does make for a decent enough graphical showcase.

Mario can power up in a number of ways; the customary mushroom makes Mario bigger, while the fire flower allows Mario to fire small fire balls from his hand, killing the enemy. Newcomers in the power up stakes see Mario turned into a blue shell, which allows him to attack many enemies quickly, or introduces a stealth element where Mario can hide from his foes. There is also a small blue mushroom, which makes Mario super tiny. This allows him to have access to small pipes and to float as he jumps; however taking damage while in this state will kill Mario instantly. A welcome newcomer is the possibility to make Mario really big for a short period. While in this state Mario is invincible and can destroy any enemies by simply running at them. The damage is monitored in a gauge, which rewards you with green mushrooms (1Ups) depending on how much you fill it. Slightly disappointing in the power up stakes was the lack of the feather from Super Mario Bros 3, which allowed Mario to fly.

The game is presented on a stage similar to that of Super Mario Bros 3. You get to move around each world, developing your own route to the final castle. The route is pretty much static but there are alternatives you can take. Gamers who want to make the most of the game will want to revisit and explore all the different paths, but while this isn’t compulsory, and while there is no real reward for doing so, New Super Mario Bros falls short quite badly at the longevity stakes. In fact this is a fundamental problem for New Super Mario Bros, as while there are 8 worlds to explore, only 6 of them need to be played in order to complete the game. And there is no real bonus for going back and visiting those levels that you didn’t explore. It all seems rather disappointing and it really does affect the game, particularly when Nintendo are so renowned for making you play their games over and over until you have seen and unlocked everything.

While longevity is a problem, there are also other fundamental problems with the game, in that it is a collaboration of Super Mario, Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World. While those games all built upon each other however, New Super Mario Bros purely sticks them together and offers nothing new. And for people that have played Super Mario before, they will find that there is also a real lack of any kind of learning curve. With no new challenges, players will have seen and done everything before, making the game extremely easy, and by skipping out the two “hidden” worlds, experienced players will be able to see this game through within a couple of hours.

On offer on the cartridge is a mini game section, of which there are a couple of new mini games, along with a load off Super Mario 64 DS. It seems a bit shoddy of Nintendo to have included most of the same mini games, and unfortunately, they aren’t the good ones either. New mini games include a Yoshi game whereby you use the microphone to blow him up the screen. Also there is game whereby you have to avoid fireballs. The mini games are as fun as ever, but it would have been nicer if there was a greater selection of new ones, however, those who don’t own Super Mario 64 DS will have fun exploring the mini games.

The multiplayer mode on New Super Mario Bros is also quite nice, allowing for multiple or single cart gameplay. The objective pits Mario against Luigi and sees who can find the stars the quickest.

New Super Mario Bros by all means is a neat little cartridge. The game is not bad by any stretch of the imagination; it just lacks that extra special something that would bring the game up a level from Super Mario World. As it is the game is probably on a par with Super Mario World, if not slightly below it due to the lack of hidden extras and the longevity problems. However for hardcore Mario fans, or people who have never played a 2D Mario game before, you will get a lot out of the game. If you go back and see everything the game has to offer, then there is a fair amount of longevity in the package when you couple the eight worlds with multiplayer modes and mini games.

3D Mario in a 2D world looks extremely lovely, and plays fairly well, but with this review and game out of the way, I’m turning my attention to Super Paper Mario: 2D Mario in a 3D world; what more could you want?