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So here we are, then: the third title in the New Super Mario Bros. series has arrived. They're coming at a steady pace - the first two launched in 2006 and 2009 - yet, for some reason, a group more vocal than before are getting tired of Mario this time around. Is it because it all looks the same? Because Mario games aren't exactly few and far between on the Nintendo 3DS? Or perhaps it's because number four is due out in a few months' time. Regardless of your current feelings towards Mario or this particular outing of his, we have good news for you: New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a wonderful game.
There's no denying that New Super Mario Bros. 2 is similar to its predecessors, but it's unfair to say the three are exactly the same: each has brought new features, items and levels among other things, with both previous games being highly enjoyable. This latest title brings with it the boldest statement yet in the form of a coin-collecting frenzy, capitalising on something that has perhaps been pushed to the side a little bit: it's been years since coin-collecting has resulted in anything more than an occasional extra life, so it's time to make coins the centre of attention once again.
You'll notice throughout the game exactly how Nintendo has given players the ability to collect coins like never before. For a start, you'll no doubt know about blocks that throw out coins every time you hit them: by getting more than ten coins from them, they'll turn into a Gold Block, which Mario can wear on his head and earn up to 100 coins from just by running around. There's also the Gold Ring, which turns all enemies gold when Mario jumps through it: these throw out coins as well, but defeat several of them in a row for more coins than you can shake a stick at. Finally, the Gold Flower, which is by far the coolest power-up Mario has ever had: this turns you into Gold Mario, who can throw gold fireballs at blocks, items, enemies and just about anything else to turn everything into coins. This is ridiculously satisfying.
Mario's new fascination with coinage makes for a good introduction to the new Coin Rush mode, in which players are tasked with collecting as many coins as possible in just three stages, with a very limited amount of time and a single life. Each level has just 100 seconds on the clock, though passing the flag at the halfway point gifts you another 100 seconds, while some levels have extra time lying around to be collected (like the clocks in Super Mario 3D Land). Ending a level at the top of the flagpole also doubles your current coin tally, while other items - such as valuable Gold Mushrooms - can also be collected to push your total up even further.
Nintendo has tasked players with collecting one million coins, which is considerably tougher than it sounds, though anyone who's a dab hand at Coin Rush mode will find it an easier target to reach than others. The total coin tally, found on the main menu, is collected from all three game save files as well as from Coin Rush mode, making collecting such a massive amount of coins not only a fair target, but also one that can be reached with a bit of time, practice and dedication. There are initially three "packs" of levels in Coin Rush mode - Mushroom, Flower and Star, each taking random levels from certain worlds - and the future addition of more packs of levels as paid add-on content certainly makes for good reason to continue using Coin Rush mode in the future.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 features more levels than any previous game in the series, with more than eighty levels spread over eight worlds. As you'd expect, the usual worlds appear - desert, forest, beach et al - but two of the worlds, oddly named Mushroom and Flower, are shorter and more varied, featuring levels that wouldn't go amiss in forest- or sky-based worlds. It makes a nice change from the usual Worlds 1 through 8, and as is the case in the original New Super Mario Bros., these worlds are optional, so your main path through the game will be through Worlds 1 to 6. It's a strange tactic - it's unclear whether it's supposed to make the main game shorter or the post-game longer - but it does allow for more variation in the main worlds, since some contain more levels as a result.
As you'd expect from any game with Super Mario in the title, levels are well thought-out, very well designed and very memorable, perhaps moreso than in either of the two previous New Super Mario Bros. games. You're also likely to take more notice of the little things, like small cracks and crevices, since coins can be hidden absolutely anywhere: you only have to stand in a certain spot for some coins to pop up for you to collect. The development team no doubt had this in mind when designing levels, since it makes it all the more important for the level design to be top-notch, and it absolutely is. These are some of the best levels in any Super Mario Bros. game.
There is one problem with levels, however, though it's not down to the design: the 3D effect of the top screen is far from used to the best of its ability. Level backgrounds are very impressive and full of details, but the further up you move the 3D Depth Slider, the blurrier the backgrounds are made. It's a real shame, and - while we don't believe the game should be judged on something as trivial as the 3D effect - it is a disappointment to see it used so poorly. We suggest setting the 3D depth slider about halfway up, or possibly a little less than that, to enjoy the graphics to their fullest. Despite this complaint, the rest of the game looks excellent, with plenty of detail in the environments and the same vibrancy we've come to love from the New Super Mario Bros. series.
Similarly, the game's soundtrack is more than familiar: there are only a handful of new pieces of music, many intended for locations or scenarios that are new to the game, such as Worlds Mushroom and Flower. There's no denying the soundtrack is a good one - we've never had anything bad to say about the series' music in the past - but in this case it just happens to be that almost every track has been reused. It's not particularly noticeable if you're not focusing much on the music, but it's another part of the game that isn't quite "new", so to speak.
None of this means New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a disappointing game. It all depends on what you expect of the game before you jump into it. The graphics are still excellent - despite it being a bit odd that they're at their best when the 3D's at half strength or below - and the soundtrack is still great, as it always has been. In our opinion, New Super Mario Bros. 2 does do something new, since no Mario game has ever focused so much on coins, and it does it in such a fashion that it feels original. New power-ups have been introduced, levels have been altered accordingly, and gold rings let you use enemies to your absolute advantage. The fact of the matter is, the game does something that Nintendo hasn't tried before.
The game features a great nostalgia kick for fans of Super Mario Bros. 3 as well: numerous icons of the 1991 classic feature throughout the game, most notably the Raccoon Suit, which returns to the Super Mario series for the first time since its debut more than twenty years ago. Raccoon Mario can fly through the air for a short period of time, which can be very handy for reaching high places or avoiding difficult obstacles. The Koopalings also make a return, though they haven't been strangers to the series, more recently appearing in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as well. Our favourite returning character has to be Reznor, the guardians of Super Mario World's four fortresses, who this time around guard the fortresses found in the middle of most worlds.
Also returning to the Super Mario series is the Co-op mode, in which two players can play through the entire game in cooperation. Whichever player is Mario chooses the levels to play and is designated the "leader" at the start of each level. Whoever is the leader in a level has the camera follow them around, meaning player two has to make sure they keep up - something of a strange choice when you consider each player needs a 3DS and a copy of the game, thus having their own screen. While there's nothing exactly wrong with a follow-the-leader style of gameplay, the idea of letting both players roam around the level as much as they like is one that we would really like to have seen an option for, at the very least.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is similar to its predecessors. That's not a bad thing: there has never been a bad, or even an average side-scrolling Mario platformer. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a hugely enjoyable game, one that'll last you at least twenty hours if you want to collect all the Star Coins and bring your overall coin tally to a somewhat respectable level. It brings together a number of fantastic Mario elements, some of which we're seeing again for the first time in ages, while also introducing new items, locations and more. The fact that coin collecting is now one of the main objectives in the game means you'll learn to appreciate the little things even more, like the intricate level design and the endless possibilities for collecting hoards of coins at once. It's one of the best experiences on the Nintendo 3DS so far, and one that shouldn't be missed just for being unfairly labelled more of the same.
