New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The phrase "I like gooooold" instantly springs to mind when jumping into New Super Mario Bros. 2, although some may think less Austin Powers and more Scrooge McDuck going for what should technically be a very painful swim through his vast vault of shimmering gold. Not only does Mario have to rescue Princess Peach (née Toadstool) from the clutches of the nefarious Koopa Kids, and ultimately Bowser, but the secondary objective is to aim for collecting one million gold coins during the platform romp. Those familiar with side-scrolling Mario games of yore will feel right at home with this portable sequel, thanks to the exact same structure being used. Looking for an array of different themed worlds with plenty of hidden stages, boss battles and shortcuts within? Sign up now. Anyone merely playing through the first two or three worlds may think there is barely anything altered from the DS and Wii precursors, but further into the adventure the goodness apparent in the early stages multiplies considerably, possibly thanks to fresh minds tackling this 3DS title, rather than it being solely the same team that worked the last two.

Mario can still run, jump, somersault, wall-jump and slide his way to the end-of-level flagpole, but now there are a few twists along the way. In addition to the now-norm power-ups (giant and tiny mushrooms), plus the classics (fiery flowers, enlarging mushrooms, invincibility stars), there is the return of the special leaf that bestows a Racoon tail for the purposes of building up speed and flying for a short span of time, thus opening up areas up and off the general playing field. On top of this, Mario can sometimes find a golden flower to spurt out Midas-esque balls of shiny flames that upon contact turns everything into coins. Another coin-collecting aide is a special block that transforms Mario's head into a golden brick that spews plenty of them as he runs, jumps, floats, and so on. There is Mushroom Kingdom currency aplenty in New Super Mario Bros. 2, that is most definitely for sure.

Whilst the rush of grabbing hordes of coins is amazing, giving off a superb sense of satisfaction for those that love to beat high scores, it does make proceedings even more easier than past Mario adventures, since the same age-old rule of 100 coins equals an extra life still applies, and additionally there is no shortage of extra life mushrooms to be uncovered en route. This has certainly been implemented to encourage fearless gaming from all demographics, with long-term gamers tempted to go for daring speed runs, and amateurs able to keep on chugging no matter how many times they die. Should the latter group struggle too much, there is an ever-useful 'White Racoon Mario' feature whereby no harm can come from hitting enemies. The first game on DS hardly put up a challenge, but the Wii version upped the ante considerably. This third iteration really does tighten the screws the deeper the player gets, so the high number of lives will be a blessing!

Bringing back the Tanooki Suit in Super Mario 3D Land left many wondering why the Racoon Suit had been left in the past, but thankfully Nintendo listened to the masses and dragged it back for New Super Mario Bros. 2, and in great form as well. Rather than there being an abundance of lengthy stretches that would inevitably lead to people attempting to bypass large sections of stages, instead there are many areas where there is just enough space to build up speed, sometimes even having to climb up ledges to craft an extra bit of running space in order to achieve 'take-off.' Those glancing at New Super Mario Bros. 2 and thinking it is nothing more than a cheap follow-up are in for a shock as the level design throughout is expertly pieced together.

The major disappointment throughout is undoubtedly the presentation values. Although looking highly glossy and putting the DS original to shame, the basic visual template remains just as it did six years ago, with the little bland 3D characters trundling along the familiar lands. The variation factor does increase in the latter stages, but not much thought appears to have gone into making this graphically unique. The same goes for the soundtrack, which relies almost completely on the other New Super Mario Bros. outings, which is fine for those that adored the music before, but having basically one theme regurgitated from start to finish can start to grow tiresome after a multitude of retries on specific levels. For a company that normally prides itself on attention-to-detail, the lack of effort on this side is surprising. However, it should be stated it is certainly not a deal breaker, since it looks and sounds exactly how people would expect, but with expectations high thanks to Nintendo's track record, it is hard to not feel moderately disappointed that there are not more positive changes.

In addition to the main adventuring, and the option to play through with a friend as Luigi (although two 3DS cards are required for this two-player fun), there is 'Coin Rush.' This pits players against three randomly selected levels (various level packs open up as progress is made in the main game) with the aim being to collect as many coins as possible without losing a life or letting the timer hit zero. The total score is totalled at the end and can be shared with other users via StreetPass. Whether or not some sort of worldwide online leader-board feature with be patched in once the game has launched in all territories, though, is unknown. For the moment, it is sadly a major oversight.

Overall, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a delectable treat for all the family, Mario enthusiasts, and platform fans in general. The only gripe is how similar it is to New Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but considering how great they were, it is hardly a sufficient reason to mark this down.