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3DS

Japan

New Super Mario Bros. 2

by Danny Bivens - August 12, 2012, 11:20 am EDT
Total comments: 22

7.5

Why does Mario shun his friends in his latest adventure?

Nintendo’s latest 2D side-scroller, New Super Mario Bros. 2, saw strong sales in Japan after launch and is on the cusp of worldwide release later this month. The franchise is no doubt a moneymaker for the Big N, and is poised to have similar success in Western markets. Regardless of the game’s prowess as a hard hitter for the company financially, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is Nintendo’s latest play at combining the nostalgia of classic Mario titles with a new coat of paint. While the game does quite a bit right, it comes up short in several instances.

Even without a familiarity with any of the classic Mario titles or the NSMB games, the concept and the controls in New Super Mario Bros. 2 aren’t hard to grasp. Go from left to right in each stage, and save the princess. Of course, it’s a little more complicated, but that’s the long and short of it. While intricate stories have never been a selling point of the series, the controls in Mario titles were always something other game developers strove to match. New Super Mario Bros. 2’s tight, smooth controls make navigating Mario through levels a complete joy. Simply put, they work phenomenally well.


NSMB2’s level design complements its fantastic controls. Although it features quite a few areas and worlds from previous classic and NSMB titles, the levels are impressive, providing challenges for even the most adept Mario aficionados. While a bare bones run through the game takes somewhere between four and six hours, there are still quite a few secrets and Star Coins to scour the levels for.

There is no question that the gameplay mechanics in New Super Mario Bros. 2 are some of the best, if not the best, on the 3DS. The same cannot be said for other aspects of the game. The visuals are a significant leap over those of the original DS game, and are at least on par with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The assets and overall theme of the game, however, remain largely unchanged, and don’t really add anything new. Past Mario titles (with the exception of The Lost Levels) did a great job of distinguishing themselves from other entries in the series, whereas New Super Mario Bros. 2 looks and even sounds exactly like past NSMB games. I know this is part of a being in a running series of games, but I was still hoping for something more than just the focus on coins to set this game apart. The music also seems uninspired, sounding much like a copy and paste job from the previous two games in the series. The original Super Mario games always brought so much to the table in terms of different visual and music aesthetics, and I was disappointed Nintendo didn’t break from the NSMB mold and deliver something outstanding in that respect.


New Super Mario Bros. 2 supports both StreetPass and SpotPass, a decision that opens doors for all kinds of possibilities that Nintendo only delivers partially on. With StreetPass, the game allows players to share their best run from the Coin Rush mode with other 3DS owners they pass. While it is great to receive a new challenge from other players (and get tons of coins in the process), it would have been even better to somehow compete with the people on your friends list. This is a lesson I had hoped Nintendo would have learned from Mario Kart 7. Even having some kind of online leaderboards to check progress in comparison with friends would have been a great inclusion. SpotPass, while used in the game, is pretty dull—the only thing I’ve received from Nintendo is quick message telling me how many coins have been collected worldwide.

Multiplayer is another area that is somewhat deficient in New Super Mario Bros. 2. If you and a friend both have a 3DS and a copy of the game, you have the option to play together via local wireless play. The mode is flawless in the fact that there is absolutely no lag between you and the other person. My biggest problem was with the camera fixing on only one player. This isn’t really an issue for stages where Mario is climbing up in a castle, for example, but can be problematic when going through horizontally oriented stages. I found myself either rushing forward too fast in a stage and losing my friend, or vice versa. The penalty isn’t severe, as you don’t lose lives, but it made for a choppy experience. The mode feels tacked on, as if it were included to put a bullet point  on the box.


Although there are a few disappointing parts to the New Super Mario Bros. 2 experience, Coin Rush is unique and interesting. The mode puts player through three different stages at random (with only one life) and challenges them to collect as many coins as possible in a short period of time. The result is a frantic, fun dash through the stages while trying to avoid dying and picking up as many coins as you can. If the controls or level design weren’t as perfect as they are, Coin Rush would have fallen flat on its face. If there were better ways to share your Coin Rush achievements other than with total strangers, the mode would have been perfect.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a technically sound game with fantastic controls, great level design, and a fine new mode in Coin Rush. Other aspects of the game, such as the recycled visual aesthetic of the NSMB games, the music, and the complete exclusion of connecting with your friends for Coin Rush, keep the game from being something truly amazing. Fundamentally, this is a great game, but it could have been so much more. While I had fun with New Super Mario Bros. 2, I can’t help but feel a little dissatisfied with its identical aesthetics and lack of connectivity.

Summary

Pros
  • Fantastic controls
  • Fun new mode in Coin Rush
  • Great level design
  • StreetPass functionality for Coin Rush
Cons
  • Lackluster multiplayer
  • Limited SpotPass functionality
  • No connectivity with your friend list
  • Recycled music and visual aesthetic

Talkback

tendoboy1984August 12, 2012

NSMB 2 gets average reviews, even though it has tight controls, fantastic level design, and polished graphics.

VVVVVVV gets great reviews, even though it has terrible graphics, sloppy controls, and confusing level designs.

Where is the logic in this?

Pixelated PixiesAugust 12, 2012

Quote from: tendoboy1984

NSMB 2 gets average reviews, even though it has tight controls, fantastic level design, and polished graphics.

VVVVVVV gets great reviews, even though it has terrible graphics, sloppy controls, and confusing level designs.

Where is the logic in this?


I would disagree with all three of those statements. I thought VVVVVV had a great art style, the controls were responsive while also giving Captain Viridian just the right amount of momentum, and the world design was in the vein of Metroid, which I love (but of course it's not to everyone's tastes).

Was it's platforming as polished and satisfying as a Mario's? No, but it was still a great little game.

Quote from: tendoboy1984

NSMB 2 gets average reviews, even though it has tight controls, fantastic level design, and polished graphics.

VVVVVVV gets great reviews, even though it has terrible graphics, sloppy controls, and confusing level designs.

Where is the logic in this?

It's almost as if game quality is subjective, and people have different opinions on games than you do.

TrueNerdAugust 12, 2012

Quote from: tendoboy1984

NSMB 2 gets average reviews, even though it has tight controls, fantastic level design, and polished graphics.

VVVVVVV gets great reviews, even though it has terrible graphics, sloppy controls, and confusing level designs.

Where is the logic in this?

Where's the logic in comparing these two games? They're nothing alike.

Chocobo_RiderAugust 12, 2012

Metacritic is at 78 with 16 positive reviews, 10 mixed and ZERO negative.

Sounds above average to me.

supergttAugust 12, 2012

I paid 4 dollars for vvvvv. it was made by like, 3 guys. 

Glad0sAugust 12, 2012

While, in all honesty, I agree with the last two of Tendoboy's points about VVVVV, I think that people just expect more from a 40 dollar 1st party Nintendo Mario game than they do a 5 dollar indie game on Steam / eShop, and while at its most basic level, NSMB2 may be a BETTER game than VVVVV, I think that expectations and supposed value play alot into review scores.....this is a long sentence.

tendoboy1984August 12, 2012

Ok let me make a more fair comparison.


NSMB 2 vs Sonic 4


The NSMB games have tight controls, good stage designs, and unique gimmicks. They're good throwbacks to the older 2D Mario games.


Sonic 4 has broken physics, clumsy controls, and bland stages. It will never live up to the Genesis games, even though it tries so hard to replicate them.


Based on gameplay and presentation, the NSMB games are a far more complete package than Sonic 4. Yet the NSMB games and Sonic 4 received similar average review scores. How can that be, when one is clearly the superior product?

broodwarsAugust 12, 2012

Quote from: tendoboy1984

Based on gameplay and presentation, the NSMB games are a far more complete package than Sonic 4. Yet the NSMB games and Sonic 4 received similar average review scores. How can that be, when one is clearly the superior product?

1.  Some reviewers probably just plain liked Sonic 4 more than you did.

2.  Reviewers are used to Sonic being awful so the bar's set pretty low, making it easier for Sonic 4 to exceed expectations.

3.  Stop whining about review scores.  It is OK for someone else to like something you didn't and vice-versa.

famicomplicatedJames Charlton, Associate Editor (Japan)August 12, 2012

Speaking as the person who Danny played 2-player with for this review, I can confirm that it is next to impossible to play for anything other than goofing around...
You will not be able to collect Star Coins or access secret routes while dragging a 2nd player around or dropping down holes because your view is blocked, a ridiculous (intentional!) oversight on Nintendo's behalf.
To be more blunt - its broken.

tendoboy1984August 13, 2012

Quote from: famicomplicated

Speaking as the person who Danny played 2-player with for this review, I can confirm that it is next to impossible to play for anything other than goofing around...
You will not be able to collect Star Coins or access secret routes while dragging a 2nd player around or dropping down holes because your view is blocked, a ridiculous (intentional!) oversight on Nintendo's behalf.
To be more blunt - its broken.

So the field of view doesn't increase like in NSMB Wii?

@tendoboy, It does not. That, coupled with the recycled assets and music, limited SpotPass functionality and NO connectivity to your friends were the most disappointing parts of the game. There isn't any reason why you shouldn't be able to share Coin Rush information with your friends.

Disco StuAugust 13, 2012

While we're starting to sound like a broken record, yes I feel like this game could easily have incorporated an online leaderboard that accesses your friends list.

TrueNerdAugust 13, 2012

Quote from: famicomplicated

Speaking as the person who Danny played 2-player with for this review, I can confirm that it is next to impossible to play for anything other than goofing around...
You will not be able to collect Star Coins or access secret routes while dragging a 2nd player around or dropping down holes because your view is blocked, a ridiculous (intentional!) oversight on Nintendo's behalf.
To be more blunt - its broken.

Yeah, in the Iwata Asks about this game, the developers said they did that on purpose because there were ways that one player could take control of the screen from the other player by jumping on them or butt stomping them or something. I thought that concept sounded potentially interesting, but it sounds like it didn't turn out well?

@TrueNerd As long as you and your friend are keeping up together, it's not really a problem. It's just that sometimes maybe you're searching some nook or cranny for a Star Coin or something and then your buddy just keeps on going, forcing you to disappear from the screen and reappear as a little bubbled bastard. Thank god you don't die from it, but man, the developers basically said that it was an afterthought and it kind of shows.

WahJuly 24, 2013

What i do not get is why the mario bros? Nintendo missed an idea here! Think Peach=the bros, Money= The Wario bros this would have made much more since to have them instead in a proper wario bros game!
p.s hope Waluigi and Lucario are in the new super smash bros and maybe zoroak! :)

KhushrenadaJuly 24, 2013

Agreed. The whole coin collecting aspect seemed a bit off for Mario as Wario has long been established as the greedy one. That said, Nintendo has their view of what a Wario game's gameplay should be like and they want to keep it seperate from being like a Mario game's gameplay.

The coin collecting aspect had me really excited to play this game as I thought it could really open up some interesting ideas but alas, the coin collecting can really only be done through coin rush mode.

It did open my eyes up to how Mario must actually be. By the end of completeing all the worlds and secrets, I was around 75,000 coins and that was in a game that was throwing coins at you and full of coin power-ups to skew the number as well as a few coin rush playthroughs. In a normal mario game, one probably collects way less than that. Like maybe around 10,000 coins. For all we know those are pennies and so Mario only makes 100 bucks or so saving Peach.

TJ SpykeJuly 24, 2013

I am debating whether to get this. I think I might like it, but there are several other 3DS games I dont have that I want too (like Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land).

Quote from: TJ

I am debating whether to get this. I think I might like it, but there are several other 3DS games I dont have that I want too (like Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land).

Get 3D Land immediately. All three of those are good, but 3D Land is head and shoulders above the others.

Mop it upJuly 24, 2013

I don't think Super Mario 3D Land is amazing, but I do think it's better than NSMB2 and MKVII, so I would also recommend 3D Land.

WahJuly 24, 2013

i have it and guess what u F#$% get when you get ! million Coins?
I F^%^&^& Gold mario statue on the title screen! All that collecting for nothing!!!!!! :@

Pixelated PixiesJuly 25, 2013

Quote from: Lucariofan99

All that collecting for nothing!!!!!! :@


See, I had a very similar response to the coin collecting conceit, but for a very different reason.

From the outset I found coin collecting (and the strategy surrounding it) to be largely unfulfilling, and I therefore never really engaged with it. Although I did beat the game (some habits die hard) I was bored of it long before I saw credits; so, regardless of what the reward was, I was never going to be inclined to spend time coming up with strategies for grinding coins. Not because the reward for doing so was worthless, but because I didn't think the mechanic was fun or interesting.

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3DS

Game Profile

New Super Mario Bros. 2 Box Art

Genre Action
Developer Nintendo
Players1 - 2

Worldwide Releases

na: New Super Mario Bros. 2
Release Aug 19, 2012
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone
jpn: New Super Mario Bros. 2
Release Jul 28, 2012
PublisherNintendo
RatingAll Ages
eu: New Super Mario Bros. 2
Release Aug 17, 2012
PublisherNintendo
Rating3+
aus: New Super Mario Bros. 2
Release Aug 18, 2012
PublisherNintendo
RatingGeneral
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