New Super Mario Bros. is a fantastic successor to the classics
You already know the story, because it's the same scenario in every single Mario game; Peach gets kidnapped and Mario has to save her. The only difference is Bowser Jr. is the one to kidnap the princess this time around and ends up being the main enemy for most of the game (though that doesn't mean Bowser isn't involved). Still, Mario has never been about story. The plot is brief and never gets in your way, so nothing to complain about here.
With this game, you'll get the full Super Mario Bros. package; underground and sea levels as well as the iconic Mushroom Kingdom, an ice world, a desert, and more with up to 8 worlds. For a DS game, the visuals look fantastic. The look will keep reminding you of classic Mario while the polygonal visuals look impressive and give it a whole new feeling.
One of the game's strongest features is its fantastic level design. Each level takes advantage of Mario's rather simple move list in a number of ways, like sliding down a hill and knocking out enemies that get in your way. The levels and obstacles feel varied in each level as well, and even the bosses have some variety. Instead of fighting Bowser in every castle, Bowser Jr. has a different baddy up his sleeve to keep you on your toes, although every mini boss is just Bowser Jr. himself running at you. They're all basically the same with the exception of the environment around you. While they are very fun, the challenge will feel a little lacking to veteran Mario players. There are some harder levels than others but it's not terribly difficult. However, don't think that the lack of difficulty distracts from the fun.
The game goes back to its two button control scheme of the NEW days and Mario's moves are rather limited, but that doesn't make the game feel shallow in any way. He can still jump, run when you hold down a certain button and shoot fireballs when equipped with a fire flower. Mario also has some new moves to bring to the table too like clinging to walls and jumping up them, which really comes in handy. Adding to that is the mega mushroom, which makes Mario grow 4 times his normal size and crushes almost anything in his path. This power up is fun but certain levels seem to work against it, like trapping you in a section where even the mega mushroom can't destroy, thus wasting your power up. There is also a mini mushroom which shrinks you, causing you to do less damage when jumping but allows you to enter smaller areas you normally couldn't reach and the turtle shell let's you spin, knocking out enemies in the way like a koopa shell. The last of Mario's new abilities is the butt stomp which is a powerful slam attack which is helpful on larger enemies and destroying towers. The new moves are extremely helpful and welcome additions, but the power ups, while interesting, aren't used that often. This means that you'll be mostly picking up fire flowers throughout most of the game. Hell, the mega mushroom only appears in one stage which means you'll have to visit a Toad house if you want to use it in another stage.
The single-player mode is the main part of the game, and it's the best part of the game. Luckily, there are additional modes to occupy your time when not chasing down the princess. There's a two-player Mario versus Luigi mode that puts you up against another player in a short level that goes in a circle. Big stars appear in the world, and you attempt to collect more than the other player. If you can hit your opponent with fireballs, jump on his head, and so on, he'll drop stars. It's a fun little diversion for a little while.
Also, the game has a ton of touch-screen minigames. There are some really fun games to be found here like the one where you need to keep 3 Marios alive and helping them jump on Shy Guys to score points, one where you need to guide Mario heads to the stars by drawing paths on the touch screen, wack a mole, etc. but there a lot of them are kind of "meh" to tiresome. For instance, there's one where you need to lift Yoshi into the air by blowing into your microphone to lift him up. This game is by far the worst because it barely works and you get light headed very quickly. Other games are just kind of boring like there's at least two guessing games that are so easy that you'll get sick of playing and quit the game before actually losing. Overall, the mini games are a mixed bag. Some are fun, others.....not so much.
New Super Mario Bros. is an exceptional addition to this legendary series. It manages to recreate a beloved formula without relying to heavily on brand name or nostalgia to be fun. 2D platformers are hard to come by nowadays, especially ones with so much quality, but New Super Mario Bros. is not only one of the best Mario games in recent memory, it's one of the best platformers in years and a must own to all DS owners.