New Super Mario Bros 2!

[Ravenlock]

This doesn't seem to have a thread yet, so why not. Today's the release day for New Super Mario Bros 2, the first 3DS iteration of the side-scrolling leg of the franchise. It is, as you would expect, full of hidden coins to collect, Koopa Kids to stomp, and - I imagine - the joy of doing the whole thing again as Luigi once you've beaten the game. Also the raccoon tail is back. Hell yes.

What you might not expect is a heavy emphasis, both in level design and game design, on high score chasing. You have a coin total now that follows you throughout the game, which apparently Spotpass lets you compete with your friends around (haven't explored that yet), and as soon as you beat a World in the game, it unlocks "Coin Rush" mode, in which you play a random selection of levels from that World trying to get the most coins.

It sounded like a gimmick, and it kind of is, but it's also pretty damn addictive. Everything in this game just explodes with coins, and the high score chase mentality gives a great reason to go back and play previous levels. Hidden coins already did this, but once you found them, you were done. Shifting the focus to score and introducing competition is a great hook.

Also it's the first retail game available for download on Nintendo's eShop. I bought it there at midnight last night, it downloaded quickly, and I love having it there on my Home screen without popping in a cart, especially with the appeal of quick levels that have high replayability.

Welcome to digital distribution, Nintendo. Took you long enough, but it's good to have you with us.

[Suave Peanut]

I really want to play it, but... $40 is a lot of dollars. I have to stew on it for a few days.

[Ravenlock]

At the beginning of the 3DS lifecycle I would have agreed, but honestly I easily got more than $40 of entertainment out of Super Mario 3D Land.

We like to throw around phrases like "expensive for a handheld game", and I guess that's easier than ever to do now, when our iPhones have access to so much entertainment for a tiny fraction of the cost... but I think the era is over when handheld games are by definition less deep, satisfying experiences than console releases. If Mario Galaxy was worth $50 (and I felt that it was), it's hard to make the claim that Super Mario 3D Land wasn't worth $40.

That said, $50 games release on Steam and then show up for half off weeks later pretty much every month now. It seems to do very well for everybody - early adopters pay the Day One Fee, and people willing to wait still get in on the action soon enough, which makes more money for the publisher than if those people never bought at all. I really hope that model breaks more prominently into the console / handheld space soon.

[Suave Peanut]

Well, to be clear, my hesitation is not that $40 is a lot for a handheld game but rather that it's a lot for something I don't need right now at all.

[Ravenlock]

That's fair.

[Evil Avnovice]

I intend to purchase it from the eShop tomorrow.

I could actually grab the retail version, I like to think of this as a commemoration as my first digital purchase of a full-fledged game (3DSWare titles aside).

Off-topic: It's kind of a shame that XSEED still hasn't given a date for the eShop version of Unchained Blades. I was looking to make that my first.

[Ravenlock]

Originally Posted by Evil Avnovice

I could actually grab the retail version, I like to think of this as a commemoration as my first digital purchase of a full-fledged game (3DSWare titles aside).

That was pretty much how I saw it too. I want to support them doing this.

[KamaItachi]

I was tempted to grab it 'just because' to see how Nintendo do Digital titles, but I've never really clicked with the NSMB series.

If they do a new 3D Land, I'll all over that Mothra Fodder.

[boratika]

Originally Posted by Suave Peanut

I really want to play it, but... $40 is a lot of dollars. I have to stew on it for a few days.

Cry me a river

[Cyndair]

I got the game yesterday! Yay!

I haven't had much of a chance to play it yet. Boo!

So far so good though. I had a great time with Super Mario 3D Land so it's good to have another Mario title available on the 3DS. I got some gift cards for my birthday, so I'm going to venture out and try to find myself an XL this afternoon. Excited.

[Tayaya]

I'm lovin' this game a lot. It's definitely not a showcase title for the 3DS... there's not a lot going on here I don't think they could've done on the DS besides some nicer graphics and a higher resolution. It's a hell of a lot of fun, and feels a lot like a classic Mario game. There isn't much more to it than that, but for a mario game that's fine. Feels like a Mario 3 throwback.

I like the newness of 3D Land better than this one overall, but that said NSMB2 is a fantastic addition to the series.

[Ravenlock]

Yeah, I'm through World 2 now, and went back and found all the hidden coins in World 1 (though not all the hidden paths yet). A couple of them were pretty well hidden, which makes me happy about the prospects for good late-game challenges.

Those guys know how to make a Mario game, and this is a good Mario game.

[Wilkz07]

picked it up today and love it. I am enjoying it more than Mario 3D Land and i played through that a half dozen times or so.

Got it at ebgames today and asked if they had any of the gold mario pins left from pre-orders. the guy gave me one and its damn ugly. "Gold Mario Pin with pre-order" was the offer. It should have read "Gold Mario decal on white background pin"



an actual character pin, even if its in gold color would have been better than this crappy, white border one.

[Ravenlock]

Wow. Yup, that is one crappy pre-order bonus.

[Cyndair]

I'm up through the end of world 4 now. I went back and got all of the large gold coins from worlds 1, 2, 3, and mushroom. Really enjoying this game. The coin mechanic really changes the way you approach and play through a level.

[Tayaya]

I'm on world 6, but only because I warp cannon'd my way through the whole game on accident.

I am completely in love with this game at this point. It's not a technical masterpiece or anything, but's just everything you could want in a 2D Mario game. Decently challenging at times, charming as can be, and just good old-fashioned fun. It never ventures too far out of Mario's comfort zone, but the level design is great, the mechanics woven into the stages are creative and fun, and there's a lot of little hidden things that I've yet to fully figure out to keep me coming back.

It's one of those games that just make you smile to play, and that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age or skill.

My only complaint is that unlike Super Mario World, there's no indication of which staged have multiple exits, and which ones do not. A minor quibble, but seeing locked paths and not knowing which stage I need to start combing through madly can be frustrating.

[Ravenlock]

Agree, but I feel pretty comfortable going FAQ diving with that stuff if I get frustrated. The internet devours "secrets" about games so quickly these days that I think I'm glad they've left things somewhat obscure for people who really want there to still be some mystery about the process. By the time I care about it, the answers will be readily available if I don't feel like puzzling it out myself.

[Cyndair]

I really really wish that Nintendo would do a 2D Mario with a Mario World style map and secrets again. Multiple paths, switch palaces, keys and keyholes, star road entrances... so good. The sterile maps of the "New" series just don't hold a candle to SMW.

[Ink Asylum]

I'm with people like the Game Grumps that the recent platforming Mario games, with the exception of the Galaxy series, are too sterile and soulless. The stick too closely to what's come before, and a strict artistic style, without adding much beyond a new power-up or two. The way to breathe life into the series is to do something dramatic, even if that means departing from the consolidated Mario look they established back in the GameCube days.

Super Mario World 2 went with an amazing crayon-drawn style along with a fresh story and playable character. Paper Mario explored a pop-up book world and a deeper story. The Mario & Luigi series allows the characters to be really animated and expressive, with a ton of interesting special attacks.

I wish they would do something like that next, like they did with Kirby's Epic Yarn.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by Ink Asylum

I'm with people like the Game Grumps that the recent platforming Mario games, with the exception of the Galaxy series, are too sterile and soulless. The stick too closely to what's come before, and a strict artistic style, without adding much beyond a new power-up or two. The way to breathe life into the series is to do something dramatic, even if that means departing from the consolidated Mario look they established back in the GameCube days.

Super Mario World 2 went with an amazing crayon-drawn style along with a fresh story and playable character. Paper Mario explored a pop-up book world and a deeper story. The Mario & Luigi series allows the characters to be really animated and expressive, with a ton of interesting special attacks.

I wish they would do something like that next, like they did with Kirby's Epic Yarn.

New Super Mario Bros. And New Super Mario Bros. Wii are the 2nd and 4th highest selling games in the series so I don't think Nintendo is under any pressure to re-invent the series.

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