Game Review: New Super Mario Bros 2

All the different worlds and suits were all there and Mario fans and non-fans alike absolutely loved it. Now when its sequel was announced, fans were hoping for minor but significant improvements over its predecessor, did developers and publishers Nintendo deliver? Let’s find out.

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS 2 impressed and disappointed at the same time. The Nintendo 3DS system is much more superior hardware than the DS, so slipping this cartridge into my 3DS I felt hopeful yet open minded.

When the game started up, everything was instantly familiar; there was no need for reading instruction manuals or strategy guides, as everything literally is the same as the first instalment. This is by no means a bad thing as giving Mario different abilities would have just spoiled the whole experience and Mario is Mario, he runs, sprints and jumps, that’s all you would want him to do. All the 3DS buttons do exactly the same as the DS game, I was right at home.

The graphics have made very slight improvements which disappointed me, as the 3DS is capable of much better visuals however everything looks sharper, just as colourful as it did in Mario’s first outing. The worlds look just as bright and colourful and the enemies are just as cute as they were first time round. One colour you will see a lot all the way through the game is gold, coins are scattered everywhere and the more coins you collect, the more goodies you will unlock. It’s a fab addition that motivates you to collect as much as possible.

Mario also has pick-ups to help with the coin collecting such as his gold King Midas type suit which is a gold version of his classic Metal Mario suit, except you can fire a ball of gold turning anything it touches into a coin, including blocks. It works a treat and definitely gets addictive making you want to come back for more or redo previously visited levels. All Mario’s suits are here in all their glory with the new recent addition of the Tanooki suit, and the aptly named ‘loser’ Tanooki suit for those who aren’t so skilled.

The story remains the same as the first game, Princess Peach has been kidnapped and Mario and his friends must help get her back blah blah blah, it’s nothing new except this story reintroduces the Koopalings from SUPER MARIO BROS 3. In fact a lot of the features in this game have been taken straight from SUPER MARIO BROS 3 with its secrets, and the flying feature of the Tanooki suit plus old familiar foes.

The music remains the same apart from the sound is crisper which again is not a bad thing, however I feel that Nintendo could have made bigger improvements such as newly composed tracks. The 3D feature was the only real disappointment of the entire game. It acts as nothing more than a gimmick and does nothing to the gameplay and even makes the graphics worse. The backgrounds blur to make it feel like they are far away, which is understandable but why compromise that beautiful artwork? All the levels have been improved with branching secret routes designs that cater the coin collector gamer, and the boss fights remain as simple yet frustrating as ever.

Summary

NEW SUPER MARIO BROS 2 brings new features and level designs to the table, which improves the overall gaming experience, however the games visuals could have been more improved with more incentive to slip up the 3D slider. It’s a fun challenging game that will keep gamers playing for hours, then after you have completed the game there’s the newly added coin rush mode to battle through. . I loved this game and It’s a must have for all 3DS owners. I score NEW SUPER MARIO BROS2 9/10.

• New super Mario brothers 2

• Publisher: Nintendo

• Developer: Nintendo

• Nintendo 3DS

• Genre: Platformer

• Release date: 17th August 2012

• Graphics – 8/10

• Story – 8/10

• Gameplay – 9/10

• Overall – 9/10