When New Super Mario Bros. released for the Nintendo DS back in 2006, it had been roughly 15 years since the portly plumber starred in a proper 2D platformer. Not only that, but side-scrollers in general had been largely ignored since 1996, when the Nintendo 64 hit the market and assured us that 3D gaming was the way of the future. While the majority of us were too busy hopping in and out of paintings in Princess Peach's castle to care, it would be wrong to think that the style of game that saved the industry in the '80s and made Nintendo a household name wasn't missed. So when New Super Mario Bros. was announced, you'd better believe it was a big deal.
Following up on Super Mario World, which many consider to the Mario's finest outing and one of the best games of all time, is no easy task. But instead of aiming to be a true successor to that 16-bit masterpiece, in a lot of ways New Super Mario Bros. (referred to as NSMB from here on out) feels like an evolution of the original Super Mario Bros. for the NES. This is because NSMB shares many visual similarities, themes, and conventions with that game in particular. Even the level layouts often give the impression that they were birthed of design philosophies from that era; although there's plenty of evidence sprinkled here and there that proves the development team didn't just limit themselves to drawing inspiration from a single game in the series.
Now, don't think we're implying that NSMB is a primitive game without its own distinctions, because that's not the case. Not only have some new power-ups been wahoo'd into the fold (like Mega Mushrooms and Mini Mushrooms, which, respectively, let Mario grow or shrink), but Mario is also more animated and moves in a much livelier manner; there are also some neat, modern environmental scenarios to work through, ones that really expand upon the series' established formula. From running across water, swinging from ropes, shifting across and hanging from ledges and wall jumping, the way Mario reacts to the world around him is more dynamic than it's been in prior games, and that's great. It's nowhere near what we've seen in games like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, but let's be honest – few side-scrollers contain that level of detail.
Something else that NSMB does differently than its predecessors is offer a few alternate paths through its traditional eight worlds. These can be accessed by finding secret routes out of certain stages, often requiring keen exploratory skills or deft maneuvers – often both. In a way, this change lessens the experience, because the game can be beaten by visiting only six worlds. On the other hand, it enhances the challenge and makes things feel a bit more adventurous and complex. Between the Star Coins – there are three in each level – and the franchise's signature difficulty that comes with momentum-fueled platforming, completing NSMB to 100% isn't exactly an easy task; although, if you're a triple-jump veteran at this point in your gaming career, you should be straddling the tops of flagpoles without losing too many 1-ups.
If you think of NSMB as a sequel or re-imagining of the original Super Mario Bros., it's great. If you compare it to its lineage of mobile Mario outings, it's even better. It's only when it stacks up to the exemplary Super Mario World – or even Super Mario Bros. 3 – that it can feel somewhat inadequate. But the comparisons don't really matter, because on its own NSMB is a blast of a platformer, one that was especially refreshing back in 2006. The big question, however, comes down to how necessary it is on your Wii U when it has four (including New Super Luigi U) sequels/instalments on the market that have arguably tweaked and improved the formula for the better. Looking at it from this angle, we'd say it's worth your attention if you just want more Mario-style platforming in your life. But if fresh and memorable is what you're after, NSMB, while still certainly a great game in its own right, might be a little too familiar to consider an important purchase. It all depends on how much of the New Super Mario Bros. series you've consumed in recent years.
For those of you that simply want to revisit NSMB and don't still have access to a physical copy for your DS or 3DS, this is a fine alternative. Believe it or not, even with the conspicuous amount of chunky pixelation that results from expanding a handheld game to fill a television screen, NSMB looks acceptable enough not to cause any serious problems. Like other DS games on Wii U, there's an option in the Virtual Console settings that smooths out these hard edges, but it creates a blurry, unfocused effect that we weren't very fond of – so we stuck with the default look. Just know that NSMB was made for a small screen, and unless you're strictly playing on the GamePad, the visual quality is going to be a bit degraded.
And, actually, when it comes to the screen formatting options allowed by the Virtual Console settings, there's only one that works ideally: "Upper Screen on TV." This keeps the primary screen on the television and the touchscreen – which usually contains maps, inventory, and general information – on the GamePad. But why does this choice work the best? It's because when Mario travels underground through a pipe, the gameplay shifts to the bottom screen, and most of the other formatting options present a second screen that's too small for safe platforming – it's as simple as that. Don't get us wrong, a couple of the other layouts are doable – like "Upper Screen Focus" and "Standard Nintendo DS" – but we commonly felt there were circumstances that worked against them.
Lastly, those addictive touchscreen-based mini-games that were found in the original game have made their way over as well, but unfortunately all multiplayer functionality has been lost. It's a shame, too, because many of these were a riot with a few friends or family members. They're still enjoyable when approached solo, but chasing only your personal high scores, as opposed to going head-to-head with actual humans, certainly diminishes their appeal. From variations of whack-a-mole and Where's Waldo, to basic card games and more, at the very least Nintendo proves it has a knack for making compelling bite-sized games that anyone can enjoy (which is nice to be reminded of considering the recently announced mobile-focused partnership with DeNA).
Conclusion
If you've been keeping up with every entry in the series, the original New Super Mario Bros. may give off a "been there, done that" vibe that many people won't care to get past – but that shouldn't take away from the fact that there's a great game here. It's not the pinnacle of the series, nor is it essential, but it's still one of the best handheld platformers around, and it comes recommended to anyone looking to be reacquainted with or introduced to Mario's oldest new adventure.
Comments 54
This was the game that revived my interest in Nintendo which was lost after a few minutes of playing Mario 64
I feel that NSMB is one of the harder games of the series to 100% complete, due to some Star Coin locations and World 7's requirement of finding secret exits. This is where the New series of game started though, so if you're interested in where it all began, here it is.
Also this is the only game that has the Blue Shell power-up, though it returns as a mini ability in 3D World..
@ekreig I believe the mini mushroom returned in NSMBW and NSMB2.
@DualWielding Wow. I thought I was the only person alive who thought Mario 64 wasn't all that great.
NSMB is my favorite in the series. It's the only one that actually feels smooth, fast, and satisfying to control. It doesn't fill its levels with gimmicks that slow the player down and interrupt the way Mario games work.
By far the worst NSMB game with the most uncreative level design, but it's not a bad game. Just not great in any way.
I would easily recommend any of the other games first to anyone who has never touched the sub-series, though.
again oh why don't they up Rez the DS games?
they did for Nintendo 64?
I love this game, because
1. It looks like an Mario game
2. Somebody made an fan game for the PC that is downloadable for free based off the NDS game.
3. The screen is not wide-screen.
I love this game I just hope it is in hd resolution at least.
This is actually my favorite in the "New SMB" series. More focused on platforming and less on gimmick mechanics.
@yoshinatsu @dualwielding The camera is aggravating in Mario 64. I still prefer the Galaxy series.
@DreamyViridi Really? This is the only Mario game that I've 100%'d. I tried to complete both Wii and 3DS iterations, and some Star Coins are harder to find. I never dared to search the network for NSMB for DS, it wasn't necessary; but I did for both NSMB Wii and NSMB 2. Maybe I'm turning into a worse gamer with the age...
Oh, old days of youth...
@Danrenfroe2016 Possibly a case of low level vs. high level emulation.
There's no way to prove this but it's a good enough reason, other than Nintendo tends to mix up the features in all their VC titles and is very inconsistent with them.
@AlienX yes but it drives me nuts that random developers on the Internet can do it in their freaking spare time and yet Nintendo does not want to spend any time doing that, that's why I say it feels like they are phoning it in when it comes to the Virtual Console
This was one of the main games I played back on the DS. I played it a lot and enjoyed it at the time, but once the sequels for this game started to come out I got really bored with them. Still had a blast playing this though.
An awesome game, definitely one of my favourite Mario games that I keep going back too
@RegalSin Whats the game called?
@Phantom_R
It's mine too. The bosses are unique, the Mega Mushroom was fun to use, and it has great multiplayer options. The sequel, NSMB2, has too many gimmicks that detracted from the gameplay. Collecting one million coins was not worth it.
I really wish they hadn't dumped 3D models into a 2D platformer. This whole series is pretty ugly.
I think this game is underrated. It's one of the best 2d Marios IMO.And fun mini games to boot!
Thinking back, I honestly prefer this over all the new games. (except the Newer Mod)
Also I love the fact that this game is easy to mod <3
And you can do pretty great stuff withing it too.
Also, the pictures are misleading, they show the e3 demo sprites and tiles, which most are nonexistent in the final game.
I almost kind of wish this game never happened, because for me, it kinda signals the end of the 2D Mario games that each had their own unique graphical style. But it's still a fun game, and I enjoyed playing it on the DS.
Ah the insane hype when this game was fist announced. I remember playing it day one, what a fresh experience it was as strange as it sounds now
My only issue with this game is that it was WAY too easy. There was practically no difficulty to it at all. Still a nice game especially for younger people, though.
@DualWielding same here. I could never get into SM64 and much less Sunshine
I need to finish this game, I picked it up awhile ago from my local Goodwill started playing it and got distracted with other games.
I was really happy when this first came out because I was never a huge fan of 3D Mario games... They were good, but they just didn't feel like Mario to me. This felt right and I loved it. The endless sequels are a different story, but this original installment was a lot of fun and probably one of my most played DS games outside of Animal Crossing and Mario Kart DS.
@yoshinatsu @DualWielding You guys ain't alone. Mario 64 is one of the most boring games I've played...
This is an amazing game.
@Pixel-Perfect Hm, I think the whole series look really good myself.
Such an underwhelming game. Far too easy throughout and the visuals are utterly bland.
Never played this myself, So will grab this when I've finished New Super Luigi U. I like to 100% these games so might be a while yet......plus, I don't have a ds vc game yet so I'm curious to see how it looks/works on the gamepad!
Nice beta screenshots.
It's a hoot. I enjoyed this title during its initial release and its 3DS sequel. The Wii and Wii U versions had a much more 'been here, done this (only now on a TV or in HD)' vibe. I do hope if they continue this series they at least mix up the visual style. For US gamers, SMB 1, 2, and 3 all looked very different. And it was appreciated.
I completed it in about fifteen minutes. It is great for speed running.
Yeah, pretty much agree with exactly what that review is saying. Not the pinnacle of Mario platformers but still a great platformer regardless, by any standards.
I absolutely loved this game. Perfect for newcomers, literally.
@BinaryFragger You're certainly not alone.
And I'm not knocking Mario 64 or Galaxy or whatnot. Just personally, they didn't feel like a real Mario game to me. I never got the hang or getting the depth perception right when trying to land attacks on enemies, and it just seemed so much more involved than the classic side scrollers. So I was thrilled when I saw Nintendo was bringing this out. And playing through my old cart, it's still a darn good game!
They really should update the DS emulator to render the 3D games in HD before outputting rather than the other way around...
Why did you guys use beta screenshots in the review? Just a small over-site I suppose.
I'd rate it 8 stars as well. The remaining two would need the portability the original game had in the first place.
@ekreig Wario Land: Shake It always comes to mind as an example of how beautiful a 2D platformer can be. Keeping in mind the technical limitations of the DS, I say they should have just stuck with sprites. But from the Wii onward, there's really no reason they couldn't have done something similar.
I like the fact that this actually expects wall jumps to be used.
If you're going for 100% then make sure that you collect all of the star coins as you go. I tried to go back for some. after beating the game only to find that there are a limited amount of saves. Once you use all of the castles, you can't save again. New Super Mario Bros. Wii fixed this by letting you save anywhere after defeating the final boss, but it also was kind of frustrating and boring in single player. Myself, I don't see why platformers can't focus on making good levels and not worry about making me replay them because I beat them and then lost later, but I never lived through the arcade era, so I just see the practice as archaic and inconvenient without feeling nostalgia or whatever.
Whoa that's a lot of beta screenshots with unused content. Kinda misleading.
I liked this game very very much. I had very high hopes for possible sequels, New Super Mario Land, New Super Mario World etc. Then Nintendo started to recycle the same enemies, level themes and musics too much. Wii U one is the best NSMB. Most of them are solid good games but they don't feel like sequels.
Best 2D Mario game? Super Mario World.
Best New Super Mario Bros. game? New Super Mario Bros. U.
@Dodger Once you beat the main game, you can open up the pause menu on the map and save any time in NSMB.
Does this have multiplayer?
Why are they always using pictures from the demo?
@Sakurai yes
mini games up to 4 players.
Multiplayer mode (5 special levels - collect stars) for mario and luigit (2 players)
@Morpheel That's exactly what I said!
@ekreig both of them are in new super mario bros 2 (only for 3ds)
I'm surprised this hasn't come out in Europe yet.
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