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Super Mario Bros. is a series that really needs
little introduction. Having single-handedly created the 2D Platform
genre and being heralded as having been partly responsible for the
salvation of the videogames industry in the early eighties as part
of the NES entourage and, arguably, helping to create the industry
that we know today, it’s very little surprise that his continued
success is kept a keen eye-on by not only Nintendo, but the
industry as a whole.
Having launched alongside the NintendoDS, Mario’s first
outing was a critically acclaimed revisit to the classic Super
Mario64, in the fantastic Super
Mario64 DS. Recreating Mario’s first 3D venture – and
the world’s first true-3D Platform title, allowing for movement
through 360-degrees for the first time – was a masterstroke, and
gamers lined-up to see how the portly plumber performed on
Nintendo’s innovative new games machine. But that was more than a
year and a half ago, and things have changed. Gamers have become
accustomed to the innovative control system held within the
NintendoDS and have had a slew of fantastic games competing for
pride of place in that Game Card Slot. Recent releases, spanning a
ridiculous variety of genres, such as Metroid Prime: Hunters,
Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?, Super
Princess Peach, TetrisDS, Trauma Centre: Under The
Knife, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and
Pokemon Link
demonstrate that the NintendoDS’s Touch Screen is more than just
a gimmick to the effect that the systems early titles simply
couldn’t. But, the new boy on the scene – NEW Super Mario
Bros. – does away with all that. Touch Screen controls are
kept to a minimum, no Voice-Recognition and few examples of proper
twin-screen conduct. This is the reinvention of Super Mario
Bros., and with it, the reinvention of videogaming.
Nintendo’s principles for more immediate gaming have been
screamed and shouted high-and-wide for a few years now. The recent
hands-on play with Wii that Electronic Articles benefited
from conveys the message loud-and-clear, and many recent releases
have picked-up on the ideal of simple play equals fun. NEW Super
Mario Bros. follows the example by going right back to pure
basics. The game is separated into Worlds, and then each World into
Levels. Play progresses in the usual manner; most of the Levels
orientated around movement from left-to-right in order to secure
completion. The Level Selection operates on a map more reminiscent
of Super Mario Bros. 3 than Super Mario World –
Mario’s last true 2D Platform outing, for those that don’t
count Super Mario World 2:
Yoshi’s Island, in
which you take control of various Yoshi’s whilst Mario remains a
helpless child passed between. A Map of the World structure is
positioned on the Touch Screen and touching any World you have
already visited will take you directly there. The top screen
displays the Levels contained in each World, and lets you scroll
back or forth to play either a Level you have already completed or
the last one you reached, but also to provide access to hidden
paths and Mushroom Houses.
The Levels contain a wide variety of play styles, all of
which will be familiar to Mario aficionados. Water
Levels, Ghost Houses, Bowser fights and hidden areas both above and
below the basic viewpoint return in style, with the respectable
demonstration for unlocking hidden Levels seen in Super
Mario World being
well-placed. Finding alternative Exits to Levels will allow you to
play on Levels that aren’t immediately available through basic
play and, to those in the Mario
devotee camp, will undoubtedly be the real test of the title. The reward
for those well-versed simply won’t come from playing through the
title – clearly, the recognisable structure and gentle Difficulty
Curve has been implemented for those newcomers and players who’ve
briefly had flings with our aspiring Italian, but the real sense of
achievement comes in finding all the hidden extras.
The title’s new Power-Ups are perfectly in-keeping with
the spirit of the original Super
Mario Bros. releases. The Fire-Flower, Grow Mushroom and 1-Up Mushrooms obviously
return, but are aided by three new additions. The first of which is
the Power-Up that has received by far the most press coverage but,
in reality, only presents itself as a half-baked representation of
Nintendo’s “kiddie” interpretation of destruction – the
Mega Mushroom. Allowing Mario to grow to screen-filling
proportions, the Mega Mushroom grants you the ability to bash and
trample your way through the Level. However, its use is limited –
a failing which becomes apparent rather quickly and is easily the
most annoying and discouraging addition to the classic Super
Mario Bros. formula.
In addition to the Mega Mushroom are the Mini Mushroom and Blue
Shell. The Blue Shell is warming, causing Mario to take the form of
an empty spinning Koopa Trooper Shell as soon as he picks-up pace,
whereas the Mini Mushroom is easily the best new feature of the
title. Allowing for the expected hidden-access areas and smaller
pipes are one thing, but when coupled with the increased speed,
float-like jumps and sprinting across water abilities the new
Power-Up becomes more of a tactical decision than a safety net.
The Multi-Player aspects of NEW
Super Mario Bros. are
both equally rewarding and disappointing. The mini-games featured
in Super Mario64 DS return
with a couple of new additions, however, with over a year of
NintendoDS play behind them, they’ve lost most of their sheen and
make you wonder why you were so amazed with their original release.
The Mario Vs. Luigi segment, however, deserves to be recognised as
a game in it’s own right. Although incredibly limited, the
feature follows the ideal of the first true Mario game – the
Arcade
release Mario Bros., and the
Multi-Player game offered with Super
Mario Bros. 3. With
both Mario and Luigi running through the same terrain, attempting
to out-score each other whilst staying ahead in the race through a
Level, an update to one of the most frenetic-yet-simple
Multi-Player games ever invented simply can’t be criticised for
anything other than the original’s ideology – it’s managed to
check every box, and complete every objective that it ever set out
to.
The graphics of NEW
Super Mario Bros. have
been one of the title’s major discussion topics since it’s
first announcement. Running only on the 2D gameplay plane, whilst offering 3D visuals is nothing new,
however much it may be to the Super
Mario Bros. series.
Bringing 3D Character Models into the 2D Mario
world has added spice
to the presentation, and depth to many enemies. However, NEW Super Mario Bros.
simply isn’t the beacon of 3D NintendoDS development that many
believe it is. The animation is fluid and there is little evidence
of bugging, yet the Character Models simply aren’t as crisp and
detailed as those presented in the likes of Tony
Hawk’s American Sk8land,
Metroid Prime: Hunters
or Animal Crossing: Wild World.
NEW Super Mario Bros. is a
fantastic compilation of classic Mario
gameplay, with little else to confuse the proceedings. Although the
title makes it quite apparent that the series is returning to its
routes, it’s also very hard to distance the marvel of Super
Mario World from the title and, unfortunately, comparisons with the SNES release
will inevitably lead to NEW
Super Mario Bros. being
referred to as the poorer relation. Regulars will find the latest
adventure a breeze, although an enjoyable one, whilst newcomers to
the series will find the adventure a deep a fulfilling challenge. NEW
Super Mario Bros. runs
the risk of being overcome by it’s peers, but in an industry full
of me-too’s and copycats, being bettered by a title as
outstanding as any of the Super Mario Bros. series is
nothing to be particularly worried about; as simply as it was in
1986, nobody does it better.
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