Nintendo Producer Surprised by New Super Mario Bros. 2D Mario Success

Nintendo have been surprised by the success of just how well the New Super Mario Bros. series has performed in recent years.

Speaking to MTV this week, series producer Takashi Tezuka was asked about the popularity of the 2D platforming series within an age dominated by blockbuster 3D graphics and 3D platformer games.

Tezuka recalled that Nintendo initially thought that "it would have been a product that would have fascinated only the fans of the old Mario games, that would have reminded them the classics, and their video-gaming past", but were surprised by the "enormous amount of new gamers who liked it".

He cites the accessibility of 2D titles like New Super Mario Bros. as the reason newcomers boarded the Mario ship and that Nintendo are "obviously very proud of this result".

Age old question, but what do you prefer: 2D or 3D Mario? Be sure to vote in the poll below.