Don your Tanooki suits and fly over to GAME

If you happened to be around GAME Oxford Street in London today, you may have noticed the increased presence of a certain friendly — and recently gold-hungry — plumber. Don't worry if you missed out, though, as the madness is due to continue tomorrow. Nintendo UK has announced that an exclusive New Super Mario Bros. 2 gaming event will be taking place on Saturday 18th August from 9am - 6pm in the shop.

To celebrate the launch of New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS in Europe, Oxford Street GAME has let our dear plumber chum run riot throughout the store, turning it into 'Gold World', and is giving fans a chance to play the game, get their faces painted and to grab some exclusive goodies.

Those who try out New Super Mario Bros. 2 will also be able to enter a free prize draw to win a family trip, which includes a night in a London hotel for a family of four, plus a dinner in a top London restaurant and a travel allowance of £100. If that sounds right up your street, make sure you fill out one of the free entry forms when you're in-store at Oxford Street GAME and hand it in before you leave.

Those who are interested in the Coin Rush competition might also wish to take note of this section of the press release:

There will also be a special bonus in store for those keen to get involved with the Coin Rush competition where, just like in New Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s up to fans to collect as many coins as they can. In return for coin codes, there are some amazing prizes up for grabs. Event-goers will find a rare Coin Rush code located in the store which will allow them to collect extra coins in the Coin Rush competition.

To get involved with Coin Rush, all players need to do is visit the Nintendo 3DS UK Facebook page and commence the hunt. It'll be raining coins and prizes, so players are advised to keep their eyes glued to the Nintendo UK Facebook and Twitter pages so they don't miss Golden Tweets and the locations of the all-important coin codes. The ultimate winner of Coin Rush will receive a Nintendo 3DS XL console and every Nintendo 3DS first-party title released for a year [eShop games not included]. In addition there are more Nintendo 3DS XL consoles, Limited Edition Nintendo GameCube Mario Controllers and many more exclusive goodies to claim, so get collecting now!

If you are still contemplating on whether or not to buy Mario's latest offering, check out our New Super Mario Bros. 2 review here.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 HITS GAME STORE IN LONDON

17th August 2012 – Coin Rush! Nintendo is today announcing an exclusive gaming event on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th August at GAME, Oxford Street to celebrate the launch of New Super Mario Bros. 2 on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL. The coin-littered side-scrolling platform game will be taking over the store, giving fans the chance to be one of the first to play the game in the dedicated New Super Mario Bros. 2 Gold World at GAME.

To add to the excitement, fans will be given the opportunity to have their face painted by special in-store face paint artists to help them get into the spirit! What’s more, there will be exclusive giveaways on offer for anyone who trials the game.

There will also be a special bonus in store for those keen to get involved with the Coin Rush competition where, just like in New Super Mario Bros. 2, it’s up to fans to collect as many coins as they can. In return for coin codes, there are some amazing prizes up for grabs. Event-goers will find a rare Coin Rush code located in the store which will allow them to collect extra coins in the Coin Rush competition.

To get involved with Coin Rush, all players need to do is visit the Nintendo 3DS UK Facebook page and commence the hunt. It'll be raining coins and prizes, so players are advised to keep their eyes glued to the Nintendo UK Facebook and Twitter pages so they don't miss Golden Tweets and the locations of the all-important coin codes. The ultimate winner of Coin Rush will receive a Nintendo 3DS XL console and every Nintendo 3DS first-party title released for a year*. In addition there are more Nintendo 3DS XL consoles, Limited Edition Nintendo GameCube Mario Controllers and many more exclusive goodies to claim, so get collecting now!

That’s not all; those who try the game will also be entitled to enter a fantastic Free Prize Draw to win a family trip including a night in a London hotel for a family of 4, plus dinner in a top London restaurant and a travel allowance of £100. To be in with a chance of winning, fans need to fill in one of the Free Prize Draw entry forms in-store.

The family friendly New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the first traditional side-scrolling Mario game to be made especially for the Nintendo 3DS system. It offers all the classic elements that Mario fans love but also introduces new concepts that add a fresh feel to this much-loved gameplay. This time around, the numerous courses of the Mushroom Kingdom are littered with more coins than ever to collect – with the ultimate challenge of gathering one million. The game’s Coin Rush mode delivers a careful balance between risk and reward, as players are tasked to complete three randomly selected courses while collecting as many coins as possible without ever failing once. Coin Rush scores can be shared as challenges with other players met via StreetPass, while the option to play the entire adventure in Co-op Play together with a friend is another first for a handheld Mario platformer.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be available in European stores and, for the first time, simultaneously as a digital download from Nintendo eShop on 17th August.

The events times and dates:

GAME, 100 Oxford Street – 09.00 – 18.00 – Friday 17th August
GAME, 100 Oxford Street – 09.00 – 18.00 – Saturday 18th August

For more information:
New Super Mario Bros. 2 website: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/newsupermariobros2
Nintendo UK’s official Super Mario Hub: http://www.nintendo.co.uk/mario
Interviews at the Iwata Asks Hub: http://iwataasks.co.uk
Nintendo 3DS UK YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Nintendo3DSuk
Follow Nintendo of UK on Twitter: @NintendoUK