Platforming proficiency at it's finest.
The game starts off with Mario and Peach out for a stroll. They are returning to the castle, and as they walk by, something starts attacking the castle. Mario abandons Peach to head to the castle and look into it a bit. While she is unguarded, Bowser Jr. comes and kidnaps her. Mario does notice this, though, so he runs after the little brat and Peach. Through the 8 worlds within the game, Mario chases Bowser Jr. and Peach while destroying his castles and defeating his armies. Not much, but hey, it works.
As stated previously, there are 8 worlds for Mario to traverse. World 1 is the Mushroom Kingdom, which is mostly grassy areas. World 2 is a desert, filled with things like quicksand and all kinds of desert things. World 3 is a beach, which includes plenty of water. World 4 is mainly woods filled with spiders and poison water. World 5 is made of ice and snow. World 6 is mountainous and filled with all kinds of tricky moments. World 7 is in the sky and filled with clouds. World 8 is the final world, a volcano-like area with lava and evil traps of the sort. Each world features a mini castle (some worlds have 2) where you fight Bowser Jr. and a large castle where you fight each world's boss. The bosses are all unique and fun to fight.
Each world features a wide variety of stages to play in. The main goal of the stages are to reach the flagpole at the end, similar to the first Super Mario Bros. Getting through the stage usually has you jumping on platforms, stomping on enemies, collecting coins, breaking blocks, and plenty more. Most stages are a bit on the short side, but this is more a nitpick than an actual issue within the game: the stages are great fun to play. They also have a great amount of replay value in them.
Returning to NSMB are the power-ups for Mario to collect. There are plenty to collect to enhance gameplay. Getting a Mushroom allows Mario to increase in size, allowing him to take an extra hit and break blocks small Mario couldn't. The Fire Flower makes Mario shoot fireballs, allowing him to defeat some enemies he couldn't before. This also makes enemies drop coins if they are hit by fireballs. The Starman makes Mario invincible and run faster. He can also spin jump now, like he was Sonic now. One of the 3 new power-ups is the Blue Shell, which allows Mario to retreat into the shell and destroy enemies and blocks using his shell. Ducking also makes him invulnerable to most things. The Mini Mushroom makes Mario the size of a bug, also making him lighter. He can now float and run on water, but he can't take a hit without dying. Finally, we get the final of the 3 new ones, the Mega Mushroom. It turns Mario into a giant, destroying everything in his path. The more he destroys, the more extra lives he can earn. Most of these power-ups are found in "?" Blocks. Mario can store one extra power-up, which you can use anytime you want it.
There are also a variety of things Mario can collect and use. Coins, which are very common, can gain Mario an extra life once he collects 100 of them. They can be found in blocks and around stages. The Star Coins are a special type of coin that can be used to get to new areas in worlds. There are 3 in each stage. The 1-up Mushrooms give Mario extra lives. P Switches turn coins into blocks and blocks into coins, and sometimes do some other things. "?" Switches work similarly to P Switches, but the effect it does is random and differs. Red Switches make red blocks appear, which allow access to different areas in stages. Mario can also use Koopa shells, which can be gotten by stomping on Koopas. This destroys enemies and blocks, but could also hurt Mario if he isn't careful.
Each world can also include secret areas, which can be accessed by finding secret exits in certain stages or spending Star Coins. Secret areas usually provide shortcuts or alternate paths for getting to the final castle. Mushroom houses allow you to earn new power-ups for use in stages. Some allow you to earn extra lives as well. Warp Pipes are used for skipping stages in worlds to get through to the castle faster. Cannons can make Mario skip entire worlds if he pleases to do so. Sometimes secret areas are extra stages, which act as alternate paths. This gives you more to do, and more replay.
The game takes advantage of the DS's graphics and looks very nice. The 3D models look well-done, as well as the textures and other details. It's still one of the best looking DS games today. The game also uses many classic sound effects from previous 2D Mario games, making it feel even more like a 2D Mario. The music is original, and there are pretty awesome tracks to listen to. And at some parts during a song, the pitch hits a high-note, causing some enemies to do a little "dance" (Goombas, for example, do a little hop, and Koopas do a small twist sort of thing), which is pretty cool and interesting.
Pros:
*8 Worlds to play in
*Good bosses
*Stages are undeniably fun
*Lots of replay
*Many stages
*Multiple power-ups to enhance gameplay
*Many secrets to explore
*Graphics and Sound are superb
Cons:
*Slightly easy
Score Breakdown:
*Presentation: Great
*Gameplay: 10
*Replay: 9.5
*Graphics: 9
*Sound: 9
*Story: N/A
Final Score: 9.5
This game is astounding and practically flawless, with plenty to do and lots of fun to be had. New Super Mario Bros is simply one of, if not the best 2D platformer game out there, and should not be missing from a DS owner's collection. New Super Mario Bros is simply great and a must-have game.