I go way back with Mario. Super Mario Bros. was the first game I ever played and I owned all the 2D iterations that came after. I remember going to see The Wizard starring Fred Savage in theaters, watching them compete in the Mario that I didn't even know was out yet, and I just had to have my parents rush me to the store so that they could buy it for me (thankfully I didn't have the same compulsion to go out and buy the Power Glove). Yep, I've had that kind of love affair with Mario, though it waned with later 3D versions (yes, though the Nintendo 64 installment is a great game, I still prefer all the past 2D versions, and I've yet to feel compelled enough to get Sunshine). So with New Super Mario Bros. the franchise is going back to its roots, but is that a good thing. In one word – yes.

THE STORY SO FAR

Since New Super Mario Bros. is a return to the franchise's roots, it features the same old school story you've come to expect to be attached to any 2D side scrolling Mario. After going for a walk together, Mario (or Luigi…more on that later) leaves Princess Peach's side when he sees her castle get struck by lightning. While Mario isn't looking, Bowser Jr. sneaks up behind the Princess, kidnaps her, and it's off to the races for Mario. The manual gives a tiny story note, saying something along the lines of Bowser Jr. once thinking Peach was his mom, so I'm going to assume that is part of the kidnapping though it isn't expressed anywhere during the game.

SINGLE PLAYER: GAMEPLAY

It is Mario for crying out loud! Do I really need to describe the gameplay? Okay, okay, for the uninitiated you play as Mario (or Luigi) as you run from left to right across side scrolling stages, collecting coins, powerups, jumping on enemies, and leaping from platform to platform until you reach that magical slide down the castle flag poll to signify you are at the end of a stage. Once a stage is complete, you move on and on until you've fought a few bosses, made your way through several worlds, and then ultimately end up at the end where you'll square off against the final boss and save Princess Peach. Tada! Super Mario Bros. gameplay in a nutshell.

Though Mario initially only started out with a jumping ability, New Super Mario Bros. incorporates many elements from past games in the franchise, including a few of his moves. Mario can run left and right, jump, dash, duck, stomp, hit blocks, double jump, ground pound (jump in air, press down, and watch Mario as he attacks with his butt), slide down hills, wall jump, enter pipes, swim, grab and throw items, slide on walls, hang on ropes, swing on ropes, and climb on fences. Wow, Mario has come a long way.

A few powerups have remained consistent throughout the franchise's history, though every installment typically has its own new ones to complement the old. In New Super Mario Bros. those new powerups include the Mega Mushroom (turns Mario into a giant, which allows him to stomp from one end of the stage to the next for a limited amount of time), the Mini Mushroom (turns Mario into a tiny little guy to fit into those hard to reach places), and the Blue Koopa Shell (turns Mario into a Koopa, which allows him to duck into his shell and hit enemies). Though the new powerups are cool and some are needed (you can only access worlds four and seven by being Mini Mario), you frankly don't run across them all that much. The majority of your time will be spent grabbing normal Super Mushrooms and Fire Flowers during your time with the game.

As with any platformer, worlds range in style from one to the next, with Mario starting on a traditional, no frills world, but he'll soon find himself in the desert, an island paradise, the woods, winter wonderlands, a mountainous region, and finally the dangerous wastelands of the game's final world. Each world contains its own graphical styles, sounds, enemies, and obstacles, so it never feels as if you are playing the same stages over and over and thus redundancy never enters into the picture.

For the most part, New Super Mario Bros. isn't too challenging, though that doesn't mean you won't die trying to accomplish a task within the game. Also, like past games, it can be beat rather quickly if all you want to do is start and go to the end as quick as possible, taking shortcuts from level to level in the process. However, the game is one of those where you get more from it as you put more into it, so you can extend your gameplay by going to each world (even the two kinda hidden ones that you'll have to figure out how to open), playing each stage, unlocking every path, and gathering the three Star Coins that are scattered about each of the game's levels.

The thing I love about the game is how it incorporates so many elements from the past games and they all fluidly merge into one. For example, during a few of the swimming levels, you'll run across these purple eels, which any good Mario fan can recall being in the Nintendo 64 game. Though it is only a little touch, I enjoyed the nostalgia it brought out in me.

Okay, remember when I included Luigi's name, well you can play as Luigi by holding down the left and right buttons while selecting a game. I've always enjoyed Luigi, and he seems to make the game funnier just by his line readings alone. The gameplay or story don't change at all, it is simply a matter of taste and who you want to play as.

Besides the single player game, you've also got minigames that you can play, which are broken down into four different categories: Action, Puzzle, Table, and Variety. I enjoy the Table games the most, as these involve cards and matching games, poker games, and a puzzle-esque matching game where you try to remove all the cards from the field instead of only matching pairs. The stylus is used well during this portion of the game (unlike the single player game where it is barely used) as you roll snowballs, drag bombs, click cards, fling slingshots, draw trampolines, and there is one that uses the microphone where you blow into it to make Yoshi rise on some balloons. Though mostly simple diversions to waste a few moments or a tech demo to showoff the various abilities of the touch screen, they are still rather nice and there are some I enjoy playing more than others.

MULTIPLAYER: GAMEPLAY

The multiplayer is actually fairly limited, as it is only one on one battles on specific courses where players go from left to right and attack each other to steal their stars. It is a nice diversion, but it could've been a whole lot more if you ask me. Having a feature where players actually race through the levels of the single player game or play co-op could've been really fun, but sadly those aren't included here.

GRAPHICS

Though the graphics are flat against the screen, they all retain a roundness to give them the look of being in the realm of 3D, and it all works perfectly as it makes the game both old school in feel without looking old school graphically. Featuring a few special effects as well that add to the overall package, and nicely detailed worlds that range in style, everything is nice and crisp and get no complaints from me.

SOUND

There isn't an orchestra score here, but the MIDI keyboard sounds perfect for the Mario Bros. and you'll run across all the old tunes you can recall by heart and hum in your sleep. Voice work is typical clichéd Italian stereotype, but that is a part of Mario, and the line readings are pretty funny for the first few times you hear them. The sound effects are also nice as they really breathe life into the characters.

CLOSING COMMENTS:

Though the minigames and multiplayer are included more as an afterthought than anything else, it was still nice of Nintendo to include them anyways. Though you can breeze through the game rather quickly, to fully complete the game (meaning playing every world, stage, and collecting all the Star Coins) will net you a good amount of time. So what keeps it from barely reaching that pinnacle five star rating? Well, challenge actually. When I compare it to the past 2D games in the franchise, it doesn't stand as tall as them and is probably the worst of the bunch (though that doesn't mean it is a bad game…just that those others are so great), mainly due to the lack of challenge for the most part (the abundance of extra lives means you'll never feel bad for experimenting with one of your lives and thus removes the tension of the game). Still, it is a really fun game, and one that I hope you'll pickup for the DS.

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