Another Nintendo 3DS exclusive title and it’s a 2D-Mario. Like always, Nintendo is able to show that they still have new ideas, and when they don’t, they still have an excellent execution. The third title from this ‘New’ saga, mixing classic gameplay with modern design.
WARIO’S PARADISE…
Thanks to Super Mario 3D Land, we can enjoy the Tanooki suit again.
STORY:
Nothing new here sadly. Princess Peach is kidnapped, again, by the Koopalings. The two brothers must save her by defeating different enemies and bypassing obstacles in the Mushroom Kingdom.
GAMEPLAY:
The game keeps the original formula, you jump on enemies, run across the levels, pickup coins, break blocks, and defeat bosses. It’s a platform game, so this is pretty normal, but what makes a Mario game different to any other platform game?
The answer is simple. The level design is superb, no matter how many Mario games are, the level design is always strong. You can find secret paths, new ways to beat the level and it feels great. It’s challenging and most of the time some of those secrets are hard to find, so don’t be ashamed if you need a walktrough or a guide to find them.
The level design is excellent and the controls are perfect.
Another difference would be the controls, those are just perfect. No lag or problems to move across the levels, which is perfect for any gamer.
While the levels are great, the bosses of the game suck. They’re pretty easy to beat and most of them are similar, or almost identical. No real challenge there.
There are a lot of power-ups in the game, for example, the Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3, the Invincibility Leaf from Super Mario 3D Land, the Mini Mushroom and Mega Mushroom from the first New Super Mario Bros. game, and the classic ones like the Super Star and the Fire Flower that mostly every Mario fan knows about.
The golden flower converts any enemy and blocks into coins.
The game also shows a new power-up and new items. First, we have the Golden Flower which converts any block or enemy into coins, and it can be useful to find new paths in the game. After finishing the level, you will return to the normal Fire Mario.
You can find golden blocks, when you hit those 10 times, you will be able you use it. When you run, you will be winning coins (one hit and you lose it). Every block will give you 100 coins, so try to get them all.
There is also the Gold Ring (it isn’t from Sonic games) that will convert normal enemies into golden enemies. That means you will be able to win a lot of coins with them, like throwing the koopas or beating the enemies.
Another good thing is that there is a multiplayer mode, like ‘New Super Mario Bros. Wii’. So what are the differences? The mode is limited to two players and you will need two copies of the game, so no Download Play option. In addition, playing with Luigi is just like playing as Mario, which is something sad about this game.
COINS! COINS! YEAH!
So there we have the new formula, you can win a lot of coins in this game. If you don’t like the Coin sound, you must play the game on mute, seriously.
Also you can show your abilities in the Coin Rush mode where you play three stages trying to earn as many coins as possible. You can also share your records to anyone with the Streetpass feature. There are only 3 courses on the game – a Mushroom, a Flower and a Star one.
This mode features DLC, having access to another 10 courses for the game. Every course cost $2.50, so if you like this mode, want new challenges and have 25 bucks to spend, you should try it.
Like on the last games, you’re able to save one item.
Like the previous games, every level has 3 Star Coins. Some of them are hidden and some of them are easy to get. Those are also needed to open new paths, having access to more levels or just to Toad houses.
There are three different types of houses:
Green House: Gives you lives.
Red House: Gives you power-ups: a Mini-Mushroom, a Super Leaf or a Fire Flower.
Golden House: Gives you a Golden Flower.
There is also another way to win lots of coins, thanks to some hidden bonus stages. When you finish a level, and the last two numbers of the Time Limit are the same as the world number, a Rainbow Course will open. For example, 211 seconds on any level of the World 1 or 044 seconds on World 4. Easy, right?
Win a lot of coins. Yeah!
GRAPHICS & SOUND:
The game looks great on the Nintendo 3DS. The graphics are great with a lot of details. It isn’t the best looking game on the 3DS, however, the large quantity of coins, blocks and effects in the game are impressive, without any sign of lag.
The bad thing about the game is the 3D effect. It’s really lacking on the screen.
As for the soundtrack, it’s great, however, it’s bit too repetitive. Still, it’s really enjoyable when playing. I don’t know if there is a lot of recycled songs because I never played the other two prequels, but yeah, most of the soundtrack are remixed songs from other games.
It looks like the developers were really lazy creating new songs, or doing a better 3D effect.
Some things are on places you wouldn’t imagine.
PRESENTATION:
The gameplay is perfect, the graphics are good and the soundtrack is catchy. The presentation is also included.
The manual has everything you would need to learn, the game has a lot of levels, and a lot of replay value.
The game also helps you when you’re in trouble just like Super Mario 3D World, which is a good for casual gamers or kids.
‘New Super Mario Bros. 2’ is a great game for Mario or non-Mario fans. The level design is great, the controls are perfect and the quality of the game is excellent. This is a reminder why classic games still exists, and also, why Mario’s games are still selling a lot. Being a Mario game isn’t the reason why we play it, it’s for the great work Nintendo did on it.
