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Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2 Illustrates Nintendo's Greatest Problem
Jon Brodkin writes "There’s a new Super Mario Bros. game out for the 3DS handheld console. It’s called New Super Mario Bros. 2 and features Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and the same fun gameplay you’ve come to expect from Nintendo’s most iconic game series. But this latest adventure stands out by not standing out at all." Read below for the rest of Jon's review.
To be fair, no one buys a new Mario game looking for a completely new experience. Lovers of “Super Mario Bros. 3” will smile when they stumble upon a very familiar raccoon tail, for example, and use it to take flight into the blue sky of the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s grin-inducing gameplay and familiarity. But nearly every Mario game offers at least one new attribute that distinguishes it from its predecessors—that is, except for this one.
Unlike last year’s “Super Mario 3D Land,” this latest Mario is a 2D side-scroller with gameplay almost identical to the “New Super Mario Bros.” released on Nintendo DS in 2006. The game’s main course is ridiculously easy even by Mario standards, although there’s some challenge presented by the final level and a few of the extra unlockable courses.
While I enjoyed the game (which I’ll now start referring to as “NSMB2”), I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had played it before. Entire courses seemed identical to ones from the “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” game released in 2009, particularly in the lava-filled final world and a middle world filled with purple water, spiderwebs, and giant caterpillars.
Most Mario games have a few levels that are positively exhilarating. “Super Mario Galaxy” was filled with them, including an epic final battle vs. Bowser spanning three planets. “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” has what might be my all-time favorite Mario level, a secret course involving a gigantic skeletal roller-coaster that you ride and cling to until the bitter end—all while hopping and avoiding a treacherous lava pit and the enemies emerging from it. By contrast, there really wasn’t a single level in “NSMB2” that felt exciting; again, the game stands out not for what it offers but for what it doesn’t.
Like previous games in the New Super Mario Bros. series, each course has three star coins tucked away in hidden, hard-to-access areas. It’s the primary trick Nintendo uses to make these games replayable—if you don’t find all the star coins, keep going back and exploring until you do. The star coins can be used to unlock special levels and mushroom houses containing items to help Mario on his way.
Separately from the hidden star coins, there are plain-old-regular Super Mario coins everywhere throughout each level. As you clear levels and build up coins, you unlock a bonus game, “Coin Rush,” in which you replay courses in order to collect more coins. Collect a million coins and the title screen will feature a gold Mario statue. I’m up to 17,000 coins, but I’ve already accomplished my goal of unlocking and completing each level, so I won’t be going much further.
It becomes clear while playing “NSMB2” that Nintendo needs to stop making new Mario games every year. Last year there was “Super Mario 3D Land,” today there’s “New Super Mario Bros. 2,” and coming soon is “New Super Mario Bros. U.” I love Mario, but there are only so many times you can trot out the same game and call it a sequel before the well of innovative gameplay is sucked dry.
After playing through the Italian plumber’s latest, I argue that the only way to save Super Mario Bros. is to give the series a time-out. If Nintendo needs cash in 2012 and 2013, issue a remake of every 8- and 16-bit Mario game for the iPhone, iPad, and Android. Or (since Nintendo hates releasing software for hardware it didn’t build) just release them again with better graphics for the 3DS and upcoming Wii U. No one will hold it against the company.
After doing that, Nintendo should wait. While Mario development will never completely cease, it should be put on the back burner in favor of developing new intellectual property. Keep the Mario wheels moving slowly behind the scenes until you hit upon the right idea, the one that takes the series to the next level like “Super Mario World” and “Super Mario 64” did in the 1990s, or “Super Mario Galaxy” in 2007.
Nintendo can take a page from its own Legend of Zelda series, which maintains its excellence with clever dungeon and over-world design, strong storytelling, and gameplay tweaked to fit the unique strengths of both handheld and traditional consoles. Crucially, years go by between major Zelda releases—that’s how long it takes to get everything right.
I will gladly wait until 2015 for the next Mario game if it’s anywhere near as satisfying as Zelda’s “Twilight Princess” or “Skyward Sword.” Fans waited five years between Zelda releases for the Wii and were rewarded. The same could be true of Mario.
The State of Mario Today: Haven’t I Already Played This Game?
Most gamers assume that each new Mario game will just offer more of the same. But that’s not entirely true. I’ve been playing Mario my whole life, and to my mind nearly every one stands out from the rest for one reason or another.
“Super Mario Bros. 3” and “Super Mario World” built upon the classic original with more intricate level designs, power-up items, and the ride-able dinosaur, Yoshi. “Super Mario 64” brought Nintendo into the 3D age and influenced an entire generation of games. “Super Mario Galaxy” introduced gravity as both villain and friend. And last year’s “Super Mario 3D Land” condensed the best bits of side-scrolling and 3D Mario action into one rollicking, lengthy video game.
With this latest Mario, only one thing distinguishes it from previous editions: coins. Lots and lots of coins. Yes, every Mario game has coins, but this one has lots of them, and you get the aforementioned special rewards for collecting them. If you played “New Super Mario Bros.” for the Nintendo DS, just about everything in this sequel will be familiar: it’s all nearly identical, just not quite as memorable.
Nintendo has fallen behind Sony and Microsoft in courting serious gamers. The fact that its biggest hits are new versions of classic games wouldn’t be concerning if Nintendo could also produce some great new series and attract third-party developers before the latter’s newest games hit the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC (or iOS and Android).
And while Nintendo still leads the handheld gaming market, it had to drastically cut the price of the 3DS. This holiday season, Nintendo will release a home console that finally puts it on graphical parity with the half-decade-old PS3 and Xbox 360. The list of launch games for the Wii U is notable for including third-party titles that hit rival consoles a year ago, such as “Batman: Arkham City.”
The thing Nintendo is really trying to build excitement around is “Nintendo Land,” a game that will supposedly explain the appeal of the Wii U in the same way Wii Sports sold players on the motion control capabilities of the original Wii. It’s hard to see how this strategy will succeed on a massive scale. “Nintendo Land” is basically just a series of mini-games based on Nintendo’s most successful franchises, as the company desperately clings to its past to remain relevant. It’s like saying, “hey, remember when these games really mattered?”
The Future of Mario
Ultimately, “NSMB2” is an enjoyable experience that leaves me discouraged about the future of the Mario series. While the Legend of Zelda has remained fresh, Nintendo is relying on gimmicks to make each new Mario game seem slightly different than the last. But with level design virtually identical from one game to the next, releasing three Mario games in just over a year will only make matters worse.
I don’t think Mario has run its course for all time. As I mentioned before, I just think the course has been run for 2012 and probably 2013. (Instead of playing the essentially same game with a “2” or a “U” appended to the title, I may as well replay the games that made me love Mario in the first place.) That’s why, instead of releasing one new Mario game every year (or worse, several), Nintendo should dramatically slow down and focus on one or two new Marios for each console generation.
Unlike last year’s “Super Mario 3D Land,” this latest Mario is a 2D side-scroller with gameplay almost identical to the “New Super Mario Bros.” released on Nintendo DS in 2006. The game’s main course is ridiculously easy even by Mario standards, although there’s some challenge presented by the final level and a few of the extra unlockable courses.
While I enjoyed the game (which I’ll now start referring to as “NSMB2”), I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had played it before. Entire courses seemed identical to ones from the “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” game released in 2009, particularly in the lava-filled final world and a middle world filled with purple water, spiderwebs, and giant caterpillars.
Most Mario games have a few levels that are positively exhilarating. “Super Mario Galaxy” was filled with them, including an epic final battle vs. Bowser spanning three planets. “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” has what might be my all-time favorite Mario level, a secret course involving a gigantic skeletal roller-coaster that you ride and cling to until the bitter end—all while hopping and avoiding a treacherous lava pit and the enemies emerging from it. By contrast, there really wasn’t a single level in “NSMB2” that felt exciting; again, the game stands out not for what it offers but for what it doesn’t.
Like previous games in the New Super Mario Bros. series, each course has three star coins tucked away in hidden, hard-to-access areas. It’s the primary trick Nintendo uses to make these games replayable—if you don’t find all the star coins, keep going back and exploring until you do. The star coins can be used to unlock special levels and mushroom houses containing items to help Mario on his way.
Separately from the hidden star coins, there are plain-old-regular Super Mario coins everywhere throughout each level. As you clear levels and build up coins, you unlock a bonus game, “Coin Rush,” in which you replay courses in order to collect more coins. Collect a million coins and the title screen will feature a gold Mario statue. I’m up to 17,000 coins, but I’ve already accomplished my goal of unlocking and completing each level, so I won’t be going much further.
It becomes clear while playing “NSMB2” that Nintendo needs to stop making new Mario games every year. Last year there was “Super Mario 3D Land,” today there’s “New Super Mario Bros. 2,” and coming soon is “New Super Mario Bros. U.” I love Mario, but there are only so many times you can trot out the same game and call it a sequel before the well of innovative gameplay is sucked dry.
After playing through the Italian plumber’s latest, I argue that the only way to save Super Mario Bros. is to give the series a time-out. If Nintendo needs cash in 2012 and 2013, issue a remake of every 8- and 16-bit Mario game for the iPhone, iPad, and Android. Or (since Nintendo hates releasing software for hardware it didn’t build) just release them again with better graphics for the 3DS and upcoming Wii U. No one will hold it against the company.
After doing that, Nintendo should wait. While Mario development will never completely cease, it should be put on the back burner in favor of developing new intellectual property. Keep the Mario wheels moving slowly behind the scenes until you hit upon the right idea, the one that takes the series to the next level like “Super Mario World” and “Super Mario 64” did in the 1990s, or “Super Mario Galaxy” in 2007.
Nintendo can take a page from its own Legend of Zelda series, which maintains its excellence with clever dungeon and over-world design, strong storytelling, and gameplay tweaked to fit the unique strengths of both handheld and traditional consoles. Crucially, years go by between major Zelda releases—that’s how long it takes to get everything right.
I will gladly wait until 2015 for the next Mario game if it’s anywhere near as satisfying as Zelda’s “Twilight Princess” or “Skyward Sword.” Fans waited five years between Zelda releases for the Wii and were rewarded. The same could be true of Mario.
The State of Mario Today: Haven’t I Already Played This Game?
Most gamers assume that each new Mario game will just offer more of the same. But that’s not entirely true. I’ve been playing Mario my whole life, and to my mind nearly every one stands out from the rest for one reason or another.
“Super Mario Bros. 3” and “Super Mario World” built upon the classic original with more intricate level designs, power-up items, and the ride-able dinosaur, Yoshi. “Super Mario 64” brought Nintendo into the 3D age and influenced an entire generation of games. “Super Mario Galaxy” introduced gravity as both villain and friend. And last year’s “Super Mario 3D Land” condensed the best bits of side-scrolling and 3D Mario action into one rollicking, lengthy video game.
With this latest Mario, only one thing distinguishes it from previous editions: coins. Lots and lots of coins. Yes, every Mario game has coins, but this one has lots of them, and you get the aforementioned special rewards for collecting them. If you played “New Super Mario Bros.” for the Nintendo DS, just about everything in this sequel will be familiar: it’s all nearly identical, just not quite as memorable.
Nintendo has fallen behind Sony and Microsoft in courting serious gamers. The fact that its biggest hits are new versions of classic games wouldn’t be concerning if Nintendo could also produce some great new series and attract third-party developers before the latter’s newest games hit the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC (or iOS and Android).
And while Nintendo still leads the handheld gaming market, it had to drastically cut the price of the 3DS. This holiday season, Nintendo will release a home console that finally puts it on graphical parity with the half-decade-old PS3 and Xbox 360. The list of launch games for the Wii U is notable for including third-party titles that hit rival consoles a year ago, such as “Batman: Arkham City.”
The thing Nintendo is really trying to build excitement around is “Nintendo Land,” a game that will supposedly explain the appeal of the Wii U in the same way Wii Sports sold players on the motion control capabilities of the original Wii. It’s hard to see how this strategy will succeed on a massive scale. “Nintendo Land” is basically just a series of mini-games based on Nintendo’s most successful franchises, as the company desperately clings to its past to remain relevant. It’s like saying, “hey, remember when these games really mattered?”
The Future of Mario
Ultimately, “NSMB2” is an enjoyable experience that leaves me discouraged about the future of the Mario series. While the Legend of Zelda has remained fresh, Nintendo is relying on gimmicks to make each new Mario game seem slightly different than the last. But with level design virtually identical from one game to the next, releasing three Mario games in just over a year will only make matters worse.
I don’t think Mario has run its course for all time. As I mentioned before, I just think the course has been run for 2012 and probably 2013. (Instead of playing the essentially same game with a “2” or a “U” appended to the title, I may as well replay the games that made me love Mario in the first place.) That’s why, instead of releasing one new Mario game every year (or worse, several), Nintendo should dramatically slow down and focus on one or two new Marios for each console generation.
I can't believe I read that entire review.
TL/DR: It's mario brothers. It is almost exactly like every other mario bros you've played. If you like this, then get it.
Newer New Novel Super Mega Mario Bros. Remastered Extended Uncut 3, Classic Edition.
This sure doesn't look like Super Mario Bros 2!
There's no -1 for "I don't get it."
The whole article was repasted after it ended the first time. You can see it easily in the duplicate headers, and if you read the end of the story you can find the same paragraph already there, except bigger, as it has the beginning paragraph tacked on. Is this some sort of joke about how it's more of the same, or a genuine Slashdot Mistake?
Haven't I already read this review?
Was the review *intentionally* pasted twice, or is this more of a Monty Python "It's The Mind / Milkman Psychiatrist Deja Vu" type thing?
Super Mario 2 was totally different. You could play as toad.
This is not Super Mario 2.
Why use 10 words when 10,000 will do.
The State of Slashdot Today: Haven’t I Already Read This Article? TFTFY
90% of it is just some random dork from the internet armchair quarterbacking Nintendo's release strategy. I'm sure they are furiously taking notes at Nintendo HQ.
“Nintendo Land” is basically just a series of mini-games based on Nintendo’s most successful franchises, as the company desperately clings to its past to remain relevant.
You've basically just described 95% of the Nintendo games that have come out since the Wii released. Seeing a game that ISN'T just a bunch of mini-games has become unusual. Looks like they're looking to follow suite with minigames on the Wii U too, which sucks, as it's their first console with the hardware muscle to really run the latest gen games.
What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
The major complaint in this review is that the game (and most recent Mario games) are derivative of previous ones. And then the reviewer goes on to praise the Legend of Zelda series. I've thought that the Zelda games have been more derivative of previous iterations moreso than Mario ones.
Ah, yes, thanks. That's all what a wank-fest of a "review" like that needed, the added intellectual touch of the equivalent of "FOR ME TO POOP ON!!!". In all caps, too.
The reviewer says "Nintendo should dramatically slow down and focus on one or two new Marios for each console generation," but that's what they are doing. DS: one game. Wii: three games (one 2D, two 3D). 3DS: two games (one 2D, one 3D). Wii U: one game (that we know of, undoubtedly there will be a 3D iteration). With the exception of Galaxy 2, they seem to be releasing one of each game per console. It's only a question of platform release timing that has so many coming out this close together.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
To be fair, no one buys a new Mario game looking for a completely new experience.
holy fucking shit, really?
You would never dream of colorizing a classic like Casablanca (unless you're Ted Turner and want to re-copyright the movie for another 100 years). Or adding extra scenes to the Wizard of Oz. Or decide to "improve" Mark Twain by rewriting the final chapter of the book. (Huck's slave is free and adopts Huck to start the South's first biracial family.)
Neither should you be adding extra scenes or "new gameplay" to a classic like SMB2. Don't muck with the game. If my old Nintendo is broke I want to be able to obtain a copy for my 3DS or Wii, so I can replay the ACTUAL game I played a long time ago, not some George Lucas...... ooops I mean, Nintendo basatardized version
Mario did not shoot first.
My AC stalker: " I personally agree with your posts most of the time, but that won't keep me from modding you troll"
For a serious gamer, you know exactly what's different in this title... The level designs are very tight, with lots of new environmental challenges. There's some ingenious remixes of tried-and-true elements like moving blocks, there's new swinging ropes you grapple on to, there's variations on old enemies (like skeleton goombas which are very freaky)... The bar has been lowered for kids, so if they keep dying you get an invincible suit to get through the level with. There's also the "coingasm" aspect added (which is more mindless fun and instant rewards people seem to demand in game designs these days). Some gamers also prefer the 2d style to the 3d land perspective, so it's not them stepping back, but catering to another (or a specific) audience.
So, before you quit your day job and troll other "professional" poster's reviews (which all said the same tired things--do they ALL copy from one another) play the game and be objective... Oh, and remove your ego. It's not all about you. Have fun! This is a great game that I can play and enjoy at 38 as much as my son who is 5. ;)
*insert mario coin sound*
"I did eeeeet!"
And to think: you could reskin this game with new characters, change nothing else, and would have gotten a much more positive review.
This is everything wrong with the game review industry in a nutshell.
When I play a game I'm often simply looking to relax. To let my brain have some down time from more complex thinking. I don't expect solitaire, Risk, checkers, chess, othello, etc to be new and different. I want the same game with the same rules this century as last century as it was long before.
The game’s main course is ridiculously easy even by Mario standards, although there’s some challenge presented by the final level and a few of the extra unlockable courses.
Well, yeah.
I'm old enough to have played video games when the only thing you had was pong... and you were grateful for it. Kill screens were the "epic shit" of the day, and you had one, it was as revered as an Olympic Gold medal.
Video games used to be hard . They were a test of manliness and skill, not to mention perseverance.
Now it is all about psychology. Why make a video game when you can make an experience. You don't want to make it too hard, no no no. It has to be exquisitely designed to string you along till the next endorphin rush checkpoint where you have collected an achievement or unlocked something.
Clickety-clickety-clickety.
It reminds of that episode of Star Trek where the whole point of the game was to become progressively zombified. I had that same reaction with Farmville, and could swear it was some mind control experiment by the government being conducted on a massive scale. Clicking to feed chickens. Yes, that was ultimately how the government was going to control our minds.
Anyhoo, all you young games are pussies.
Ohh, and get off my lawn.
Yeah, such a hack this game is. Now Halo of Duty: Vice City Brotherhood 17 -- that's where the REAL innovation is. I think Nintendo just gets the most crap for this because they've been the most successful for the longest period of time. Their major franchises actually see less frequent iterations than those for many other developers. And yes, some of those iterations even come with the occasional revolution in gameplay.
I would totally buy this game. Except I can't.
I happen to prefer playing games sitting down on my couch with a console controller. I played every level in New Super Mario Brothers Wii thoroughly, until I got every star. This is just simple fun. I would happily pay a few bucks a month for new levels, even if the new levels aren't radically different.
But they won't sell them to me. Because they follow the release strategy suggested in this article - trying to make each headline game fundamentally different, and placing their flagship game on a new console. This works when you realize that gameplay experiences people love are the best way to get consumers to upgrade to a new console. They're clearly, and cleverly, attaching the New Super Mario Brothers experience to the sale of the WIIU. Which means I'll be frustrated and unable to buy the game unless I upgrade the console.
That's just how this stuff works :)
seems to be overly critical users
So.. let me get this straight.
Zelda, which reuses the exact same formula every time, and throws in random stuff like "Dog Link", and "Motion Plus" controls, is not a gimmicky series, or one that's been beaten into the ground? But somehow, Mario, which has actually tried to alter it's formula in various ways, is inferior? Wow.
Reusing the same formula over and over again, and tacking on stuff like "Dog Link" and "Motion Plus" controls is a gimmick, just FYI, which means that Zelda is every bit as lacking as Mario, if not more so. At least Nintendo has tried to innovate and alter the formula with games like Super Mario Galaxy. Zelda has literally not changed, at all. There has been no attempt to alter or revive the formula, unless you count "Dog Link" from Twilight Princess or the "I'M ON A BOAT" junk of Windwaker, both of which were horrible. At least the Mario series gimmicks are fun!
Oh, and anyone that argues against Mario in favor of "It's for kids!" has another thing coming. I'd like to see any kid play Super Mario Galaxy through to completion; I know none. I don't even know a child that can complete the New Super Mario Bros. games, even though they are much easier for us hardcore adult gamers.
And don't act like Zelda is hard. The puzzles have never taken time to figure out and the entire series has been extremely easy. The Ganon fights are always a joke, as are the rest of the fights. If you somehow think that series is hard, your gamer's license should be revoked.
Both series could use some fresh changes here and there, but you know what? It's Nintendo. It's what we all know, love and expect as Nintendo fans. If you want something different, go play Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC games. Slamming Nintendo for doing what they've always done is like saying you're tired of sex, or eating. The formula may remain the same at it's core, but it never gets old if you're a real fan.
If you're not a big fan, that's totally okay; nothing is for everyone. Just don't slam a company for doing what it's always done because you have a hard-on or bias for one specific game series.
This journalist is too biased. Don't like. :p
The game does stand out. Its coin concept is great. Coins are used to lure you towards rewards, traps, secrets, many things trigger them and it just adds another goal on top of everything (gather 1,000,000 coins) that gives you an excuse to do a little more hunting in each level and have fun collecting something that was starting to get less and less important in the series. The coin block head never stops being fun, and Golden Mario lets you blow up tons of bricks and turn them into coins, very satisfying.
Apart from that, getting to use classic Raccoon Mario is great and really made me smile.
Twinstiq, game news
This is a joke, right? The Legend of Zelda series is a shining example of a series that has devolved into formulaic, unoriginal sequels with a gimmick thrown in in a weak attempt to keep things fresh. The only thing that seems to change at all is how each game is more patronising than the former.
The Wind Waker (and arguably its sequel, Phantom Hourglass) was the last game where they really tried, but the fans threw a tantrum when they saw the cel-shaded graphics. Even a good friend of mine who is otherwise quite intelligent won't touch the game with even a pole. But he will claim to know the game based on watching 3 hours of movie footage of it through YouTube. It's ridiculous.
I would gladly pay money to Nintendo if they released their past titles on XBLA, IOS, Android, etc. I'd love to carry around Super Mario Bros. on my iPad. (Yes, I know I could probably jailbreak and emulate. I'd rather be legit.)
I haven't played a Mario or Nintendo game in a few years, but I found the opening statement kind of surprising:
Is this really the case? Is Nintendo considered more a re-hasher these days? I think part of my surprise is that the first thing that popped into my head when I read that was Super Mario 64.
If all you have are silver bullets, everything looks like a werewolf.
This is a classic dilemma of anyone who has enjoyed success: Do I try to replicate my past successes and risk becoming stale, or do I try to break my mold and risk losing what made me successful in the first place?
What I mean is, yes, to some extent, the formula is stale. Nintendo has a few different series that, to some extent, are each remaking the same game over and over again with a few new gimmicks and tweaks, and otherwise it's just new levels. But then, lots of people *love* those games. They've played through each of those games multiple times, and they're essentially willing to keep buying remakes, new levels, etc. If the graphics are improved and their are a few new features/gimmicks sprinkled in, that's just a bonus.
And you could argue that, in all of this, Nintendo is just lazily milking their fans for more money, but I don't think that theory holds up very well. These games are very well designed and well balanced. They don't feel like the product of lazy developers, they feel like the product of very competent developers who love these games themselves.
As a franchise that has grown and evolved over the last 30 years, has all the creative storylines and innovations come full tilt?
We expect certain control mechanics, and behaviors.
Its not like they could reboot the franchise or alter the behaviors. How could they make the game different and yet still keep it familiar without alienating their fan base?
Its not like they can take Mario and make a FPS, although that could be hilarious. Super Mario Bros meets GoldenEye.
I wish the Final Fantasy series had this "problem".
I've never understood why they don't crank out these games like nobody's business once they have a formula that works. SMB 2 and 3 could have been released almost immediately following the success of the original if they just realized their formula works and made the same game with additional levels (put your "B" team on it). Instead we had to wait years to get SMB 2 (which wasn't even an SMB game originally...) And while the sequels they put out were excellent, we would have ultimately had those anyway without having to wait forever in the meantime.
And now here we are... and they are making the same basic game over and over like I've wanted all along. Except the FF people, who feel the need to change the game so acutely that they turn it from a game into a movie you have to push buttons to watch, and each time it comes out it is a different sequence of button presses. And of course, very pretty graphics, but an ugly story.
if they made 100 of these, I would buy them all. I hate when they veer off into other things. They tried that with mario, the games were interesting, but I wanted the old ones. Who has time to spend forever trying each game and wasting many hours exploring 3d worlds. But an easily digested side-scrolling game that looks like the ones I spent my whole childhood playing, but with new levels and power-ups?
Yes please.
This is what they should have been doing all along.
The problem with New Super Mario Bros is that nothing has fundamentally changed since the original series. The creative leap from the original to Super Mario Bros 3 was far greater than from SMB3 to NSMB. New Super Mario Bros essentially took concepts present in previous games and added some relatively minor twists. With the Wii game and now NSMB2 all Nintendo has done is take concepts already popular in countless other games. It shows that Nintendo have stopped leading; they're busy playing catchup.
Familiarity is good, but I would have liked a change of scenery. Mario's world is incredibly stagnant. Instead of rehashing the old games I would have preferred the introduction of new enemies. It would be neat to even see new interpretations of SMB2's villains. I admit that would also be a rehash, but I've always had a soft spot for that game's villains. Pokemon has managed to keep itself fresh by introducing a slew of new characters, creatures and gameplay elements. But at it's core it's still the same game.
One of the big things that bothers me about the new games is that they feel like a fan remake. The graphics have lost the clean vibrancy of SMB3. And let's not forget the richness of Yoshi's Island. I miss that. Those games were far more satisfying to look at than anything in the NSMB series. You could blame the move to 3D, but others have been more successful at preserve the feel of older games. I always expected that these games were going to progress to the point that it felt like playing a cartoon. Instead I'm left looking at what feels like sub par, mismatched 3D art.
It feels like Nintendo is afraid to take any risks and they're content with milking their franchises. I'm not sure how long they plan on keeping this up but it's all eventually going to catch up with them.
At any given point, the "new" Mario is for the new audience that has entered the game playing demographic since the last "new" Mario. I suspect that the intended audience is happy enough with the classic concept, mechanics and story lines that the rest of us have grown out of over the last 30 years. I hope so, anyway, for their sake.
Anyone wondering if Nintendo has what it takes to keep them playing Mario games after 30 years has lost the plot.
"New SMB games are repetitive and lack inspiration. The fix for this is stop developing new titles for a while, and instead re-release the older games with updated graphics."
Yes, that will surely stop people from griping about how repetitive the Mario franchise is.
Very Naked Lunch.
It's scary, the knockoff IP Giana Sisters is innovating more between versions than Mario is.
I've owned a 3DS since day one.. and what the console sorely needs is some good games, not Excellent, just good would be enough. I play many DS games which are not that bad, but just about all 3DS games are shallow boring rehashes of old games, which don't work as well as the originals.
Not to talk about the web shopping thingy, which is filled with horrendous buggy crap, it's 10x worse than randomly downloading some linux game with apt-get, no, they've got fake screenshots, and fake reviews. Making you buy the game before noticing you've been ripped off.
I wouldn't play most of these games even if I was paid to do it.
At least NSMB2 sounds like it's could be playable, I believe people may be content with that.
Nintendo Seal of Quality means jack nowadays.
If you refer to the american release, you are correct. There is no Super Mario Bros 2 game, its Doki Doki Panic! with different sprites, few improvements and easier game play.
The true SMB2 game made it to america in the form of "Lost Levels", for the Snes.
So you have the original SMB2 game not released in america.
An improved version for snes called "Lost Levels" in america.
And now this. 3 versions, not counting the Doki Doki Panic variations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doki_Doki_Panic#Development
Artix
Your Linux, your init.
I've just about got my family completely weaned off consoles for PCs
How'd you do that, seeing as PC multiplayer is more likely to need several copies of the game than console multiplayer is?
There is no Super Mario Bros 2 game, its Doki Doki Panic! with different sprites
I think what they're asking is why can't Nintendo make New Doki Doki Panic.
You're a slashdotter. There's no way that any of us read TFA. Ergo, you haven't even read this review once, let alone twice.
You could have condensed that entire top 3rd review and left it at that (or condensed the entire review and comments). I remember playing Mario Bros for the first time when the Nintendo gaming system came out, and some of the other releases. The game is repetitive but there are some releases after the original that did spark my interest. It would take something like Robot Chickens version of mixing Mario Bros/Grand Theft Auto to spark any interest in playing another Mario game. They need to revamp the game, and add the type of high level graphics/realistic visuals you see in modern games today. I think it is a great series for youngsters to play, but I am spoiled by the violent chaotic games of today, I still play Mario bothers from time to time, it is still fun to go back to a simpler time. They beat the thing into the ground, while I understand there are die hard Mario fans that really do not want to bad mouth the game, and or tell Nintendo to move on and drop it completely they do in fact need to move on. They should stick to bringing a new Mario game every 7-10 years just for fun, but actually put more thought and creativity for a new experience.
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Yeah, I have to say I almost completely disagree with the author. Mario, if anything would be the prime example of sticking with something awesome and giving us more of it (or at least they should have).
SMB was ground-breaking-ly amazing. So much so the sequel took off right where it left. For us, me got a very good platformers with a facelift as the sequel, no big deal. Then came SMB3, going far and beyond what anyone expected. One of the greatest platformers of all time. I don't think much could be perfected beyond that. So where is more of that formula? Why not another SMB made right out of the same mold as 3? Yeah, as so ensues the crave to hunt down ereader cards for SMA4. Had there been a SMB4 on the NES made out of the same bag as 3, we would have all bought it on day one. It would be as nearly praised and loved today as 3 is. Same with 4/World? 64? More please.... No?....
No, instead, we reinvent with, well, disappointing attempts at gimmicks. Finally, after years we get a revisit to the classic formula, NSMB. While not as good, it's damn welcome when platformers nearly went extinct a few years ago. And now we get complaints for getting a few??? I'll soak up every last one like precious drops in a serious drought.
Then there's the counter example of "doing it right." Zelda, the prime example of copy and paste since Ocarina of Time hardly a care to what made the series great outside of the 4-swords games, most of which are considered gimmicky at best by fans weened onto games in the Playstation/64 era.
No, we can use more of these. :/
More SMB in the classic formula.
More Zelda without noob-targeting and with one less dimension. (3D, 2 gens later and still no jump button???)
More Mega Man by the glorious Inti-Creates (cause it's not like Crapcom is going to do anything with the bomber).
CV needs to go back to IGA and out of the hands of western style "play it safe" Dave Cox.
And how about a 2D Metroid? It's sad when the best thing as far Metroid goes since Zero Mission is Project AM2R, Dr. M64's one man retool of Planet SR388.
*flicks a couple pennies onto the forum*
I'm just waiting for "Super Mario Bros: space" to come out...
(ok, actually that might be cool if done right)
Yoshi's Island, Super Paper Mario, Mario Galaxy, and New SMB 2 all have very different gameplay yet they are all familiar. And when you expect something and they turn your expectations on their head, it's pretty special, so they can play with your expectations.
Heard that. The 2 previous ones I played were VERY VERY good. Would gladly play a simple expansion pack, but to get a newer game with the racoons tail is quite nice.
I have to agree with your mini-review more than the article. Also, the gold coin fire flower is awesome as it literally hits every coin block in its area of effect as well as producing a coin out of every brick it strikes. That hasn't been seen in any previous Mario title to date. Neither has the coin block helmet (not sure what its official name is). I also find it funny how the game randomly sticks one at the beginning of a level for you or how the first stage in the game has about 5 of these things.