Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Games & Gameplay >

New Super Mario Brothers

20:05 / 29.05.06

Got this on Friday, and so far I'm mightily impressed. Won't put any spoilers in here, but I did read one review complaining about the difficulty. Let me say, don't worry! Playing the most shallow route to the end might be relatively easy, but to actually get the most out of the game is certainly not easy. Not by a long chalk! I haven't been able to clear the game in one weekend, and I don't consider myself a slouch in the old platforming department. The difficulty level is set perfectly to make you curse those cute little sprites on a regular basis.

One thing you will enjoy if you're partial to Nintendo's finest is that this game seems to extend the universe unveiled in Super Mario World, so things are reminiscent of that game, but updated well enough to feel fresh. But then, I suppose that's always been Nintendo's trick.

So, are there any Mario lovers on Barbelith? Has the Mario series, or Nintendo platformers generally, contributed to your enjoyment and real, mechanical ability in gaming?

the credible hulk

03:11 / 30.05.06

I will be buying a DS for this. I can't wait.

02:03 / 15.06.06

So far this game's great! The music and graphics alone are awesome, and I think the difficulty is just right.

semioticrobotic

18:29 / 15.06.06

One thing you will enjoy if you're partial to Nintendo's finest is that this game seems to extend the universe unveiled in Super Mario World, so things are reminiscent of that game, but updated well enough to feel fresh. But then, I suppose that's always been Nintendo's trick.

In this vein, one of the things I also noticed in promotional videos is the porting of Mario's 3-D moves to this 2-D scroller. I'm thinking of things like the triple jump from Mario 64. Can anyone confirm this? And do we get some Yoshi in this installment?

the credible hulk

18:44 / 15.06.06

Pretty sure there's no Yoshi, but there are definitely some new moves ported over from the 3d versions. Walljumps and so-forth.

21:29 / 15.06.06

So the Ass-Bash is back? I've never been fond of that one...

This game looks to be STELLAR, though.

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

13:01 / 18.06.06

The arse-bash is back. There's also, apparently, vine-swinging action.

I acquired this today, and I love it to bits.

First world was pretty easy, I'm gonna play the second world real soon now, since I've finished an evil essay and have nothing better to do.

Other new things: enormo-shrooms, which make you into godzilla to the mushroom kingdom's Japan, which are great but can kind of remove some of the, um, level.

Mini-shrooms, which let you go into teeny-tiny holes. This is kind of irritating, because when you are tiny, you can't kill anything, and whenever you are hurt, you are dead.

blue shells: as from mario kart, but they turn you into a bowser-esque critter. You can go kind of all over the place death and destruction spree-style by dashing and ducking in this suit, otherwise, you can just duck, and no enemy will kill you (well, no goomba. I haven't tried it on bowser, or anything).

Also, carrying spare items that you can use at any time: great.

I really like this game, I'm very glad to have it.

ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!

14:23 / 18.06.06

ow, ow, I forgot about d-pads and tender thumbmeats.

also, there are things which are HARD and I don't like them, and places where you have to carry a specific item the entire way through a level without using it (or, I think, picking up another item - though I'm not sure about this) in order to get things.

Wall jump puzzles are not my friend when they do not work as intuitively as the game I am about to post.

19:50 / 19.06.06

oh! oh! oh!

raccoon costume?

20:30 / 19.06.06

So the Ass-Bash is back? I've never been fond of that one...

Mark? Millar? Mark? Miller? Bueller?

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

21:48 / 19.06.06

I keep forgetting that I even have, and have completed, this game.

And that, my friends, is it's real flaw. It's all great, all the moves (more than is truly necessary, to boot) are there, all the characters and moves and levels and quirks... but it's a bit like a best of instead of that great new album you've been dreaming about. Everything is present and correct; but in the end it's just smooth, efficient and functional rather the exciting magic of discovery you once knew and loved.

Also sometimes the control is a bit clunky and the collision detection can feel a bit off - 3D models, see.

I don't even want to make it sound like I hate it or anything, it does what it does well for the most part, it's just a bit of an empty joy.

A feeling of "Is that it?*" and the realisation that yes, yes it is.

*And I don't just mean in the length to "complete" the game or whatever. I played through all the worlds and found plenty of shortcuts (which the game really makes redundant all by itself by their sheer obvious nature making it all feel a bit backwards).

22:56 / 28.06.06

So, since you've finished it, how long is the game? Compare it to any side scrolling Mario game!

13:20 / 29.06.06

I just finished it earlier this week after getting a DS Lite (it's a sexy beast). It's a lot of fun for what it is, which is basically a mash-up of the classic side-scrolling Mario titles. The mega-mushrooms are kind of useless--it's essentially star power on steroids, but also prevents you from accessing any of the hidden content (you'll destroy pipes and everything else while huge). What's missing most are ghost houses that actually make you think, a cape/racoon/Tanookie suit that allows you to fly, and any sort of challenge in the endgame (I felt that the last few levels in world 8 were easier than some of the earlier ones in world 6).

The girlfriend and I played through Super Mario World on her old Super NES about 3 months ago. In comparison, it was a much more enjoyable ride than this title--there's simply more to do in each level, more of a challenge, and more fun. New Super Mario Bros. is fun, but it doesn't feel complete--the best way I can describe this is that it feels like an expansion pack of sorts. Fun, but not worth its full price.