Peach and Mario should take a vow of celibacay...poor Mario now has a rash on his fireballs.
User Rating: 9.2 | New Super Mario Bros. DS
The Game: Classic Mario at his best. Plenty of levels, enemies, and just enough items. Having said that there are a few minor problems or inconveniences. First off, item houses are useless because you get so many throughout the levels, you don't have to worry about storing any items. Also, since you get to go the 1UP houses a lot, you'll get so many lives it doesn't matter how many times you die, taking some of the intensity out of the levels. Also, bosses are all too easy, with little strategy involved with the exception of a few. Also, attaining medals is kind of useless, unless you use them to open pathways. They are pretty easy to get and so you often don't need to go hunting for extra ones once you beat the game because either you opened all the pathways, or you can use them to get to item houses, which I stated earlier are fairly useless. The mini games are very fun, but they just simply ported them over from Super Mario 64 DS which feels pretty cheap. However, if you didn't get that game, you'll enjoy the mini games. Finally, the mulit-player is very fun, for a little bit. Basically, one person is Mario, the other Luigi and you both hunt for stars throughout the level. Fun, but not enough options or different types of matches to make it incredible. It's really just a simple side thing to keep you entertained a while longer. Finally, the story makes it feel as though the developers have just given up on any hope of changing the tired plot of the princess getting kidnapped. Having said all this the game is great fun. It's an easy pick up and play and anyone can learn the simple controls and side scrolling action. Good Stuff. Graphics: Great mix of 2D and 3D. Looks surprisingly great together. A definate step up from previous DS games. Sound: Classic Mario jump noises and fireballs and music. Nothing great, nothing terrible. Good enough!
Value: Too short. However, collecting all the medals is a challenge, playing all the mini games is fun, and the multiplayer make up for the short, fun ride. It doesn't matter though because you'll want to play again for all the little secrets and great level design.
