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RTTP: New Super Mario Bros. DS

Also, excluding Shell Mario, the power-ups were pretty uniformly bad.

Shell Mario is great.

Oh, I meant to talk about Shell Mario. None of the levels I played particularly featured him, I just happened to get the powerup on occasion. I liked it a lot, though. It was a lot of fun to spin around in a shell, very reminiscent of 3DW in that way.
 
That game is so fucking ugly. It looks like it was made with clip art. Nothing goes together. Gameplay wasnt so good either. Easily one of the worst mario games in my opinion.
 
NSMB has become a favorite series of mine. This game is not the reason, however. I didn't play through it until after I played the Wii one. The DS iteration just seemed boring. I don't think I bothered with any secret levels. Just beat Bowser and threw it back in the case.
 
When this game was released, it was cool to play a 2-D after 15 years, the way it used 3-d mario mechanics like the ground pound and walljumps was quite surprising and it also had memorable moments like Bowser turning into a spooky skeleton. It also had bosses that were better than the koopaling such as Mummipokey, Lakithunder and the Montytank. So while the sequels are obvious improvements the original still has its merits.
 
The primary adventure was basic, but it was meant to be. It's not anywhere near my favorite of the 2D Mario games, but it's a fun game that I run through probably once a year. It is a quick play through.

It was also the game that brought the 2D Mario mechanic back, which I'm thankful for.

NSMB2 and U are both fantastic and have wonderful level design.
 
I always wondered if this game was originally developed for the GBA. The sound effects and music have that GBA feel to them. The graphics are also similar to the GBA game Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
 
While it's the worst NSMB (even though I prefer it to Wii...I don't know why but I just don't like Wii) I really enjoyed it when it was new and I can still revisit it on occasion. Local multiplayer was good, music is the best in the NSMB series (not saying much but I do really enjoy it, like the castle theme) and it's the only NSMB to not feature the Koopalings as the bosses. The beefed up enemies this game had in the castles were pretty fun to fight.
 
The 2 player mode of this game, Mario Vs. Luigi, is my 2 player GOAT. My brother and I played it thousands of times, even if there are only 5 maps. We still return to it at times and each time we can't stop. No other game has surpassed this, ever.
 
Not to port beg (as we know it won't happen) but I'd kill to have those minigames put on mobiles or Wii U. Brilliant little time wasters.
Bob-omb Squad was amazing. Trampoline Time too.
Bob-omb_Squad.PNG
Trampoline_Time.PNG
 
I was super-excited for this when it was announced, but it was ultimately a "meh" game. It taught me an important lesson, though: I can't really expect any of the new 2D Marios to ever have the same impact as the 8 and 16-bit games.
 
Not to port beg (as we know it won't happen) but I'd kill to have those minigames put on mobiles or Wii U. Brilliant little time wasters.
Bob-omb Squad was amazing. Trampoline Time too.
Bob-omb_Squad.PNG
Trampoline_Time.PNG

Didn't the DSi have some Warioware mini games on its eshop? These mini games are great and I may buy a few if they were released on the 3DS or Wii U.
 
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As far as I'm concerned, NSMB DS' existence is justified simply because of Mario vs Luigi. That's genuinely some of the best multiplayer during junior high I ever had. I think I even organized some small tournaments for it. Did any of the other installments ever get another Mario vs Luigi mode?
 
I'm pretty sure I spent more time with the minigames than the actual game. Those were awesome time killers. The game was ok but kinda underwhelming. It and Sonic Rush were what I got with my DS and I remember just preferring to play Sonic Rush. But yeah, dem minigames. Game was worth it for those alone. And the game did pave the way for the awesome console sequels.
 
I had a lot of fun with back when it was released. It's one of the worst 2D Mario games (yes, worse than Doki Doki Panic imo) but after so many years without a 2D Mario it felt fresh and it was easy to forgive its flaws. I actually found some Star coins and secret exits to be quite challenging.

The minigames were a nice addition but the selection from Super Mario 64 DS was vastly superior.
 
This was the first Mario game I played that actually made me angry at Nintendo as a company. I didn't understand how they could have allowed the Super Mario Bros experience to be butchered in the way that NSMB did it. The awful "wah-wah" music, the uninspired graphics, and the "babby's first video game" level of difficulty all came together in a blood-boiling insult to the legacy of the series.

I'm not as bitter about it anymore, maybe because subsequent NSMB releases have numbed my feelings down to the point of apathy. The more recent games are at least better in the difficulty aspect, even if they've preserved all the other things I hate about the reboot.
 
I like this game quite a lot, certainly more than the average GAFfer, haha. Beat it and got all the coins, too.

Just a great traditional platformer.
 
In the grand scheme of things, it was...okay. I had it, and just recently sold it because if I get the itch for a New Super Mario Bros. game, I'll just play it on Wii U (where thanks to New Super Luigi U, I have double the stuff to do).
 
this game is better than the wii version, but nothing worth talking about. on the other hand.... there arent many jump n run games these days so its a really awesome jump n run game.
 
This game was full-fat Mario, which was such a refreshing thing considering:

- we were years since the Mario Land games on Game Boy, so there hadn't been any portable 2D Mario adventures in more than a decade (and if you're counting Wario, there hadn't been any 2D Mario family platforming games in more than 5 years or so before this game).

- we were years since 2D Mario in general, console or otherwise.

It wasn't some all-time great game, but it was fantastic to play good new 2D Mario on the go. The multiplayer was incredibly fun as well, so I was very happy to buy and play this game. The Wii game was even better (every bit as good as the classics from the 8/16-bit days). The 3DS sequel was on par with the DS game, and the Wii U game was on par with the original Wii game...but the effect was minimized because 2D Mario wasn't "novel" any more.

I hope the next "New" Super Mario Bros game gets a new visual aesthetic, along the lines of the shift in style from SMB1 to SMB3 or SMW. I hope they bring the cape back too, though it'd be hard to translate that item's gameplay to the multiplayer paradigm introduced in the series. Also, I maintain that those minigames are FANTASTIC. Nintendo should release remixed versions of these games on eShop (and arguably on mobile devices. They don't have to put real games on Android/iOS, but they can make cheap free money with these things on phones/tablets, imho).
 
Not to port beg (as we know it won't happen) but I'd kill to have those minigames put on mobiles or Wii U. Brilliant little time wasters.
Bob-omb Squad was amazing. Trampoline Time too.
Bob-omb_Squad.PNG
Trampoline_Time.PNG

I was going to say, those minigames are the most memorable for me. The trampoline one especially. Nowadays with mobile games and touchscreens it's not that impressive, but with the DS it was the first touchscreen on a gaming device (that I used) and it kind of blew my mind. Just to draw lines and having them become elements in the game was awesome and fun, as well as the interaction with stuff on the screen.
 
The best thing about it, I thought, were the bosses. They were much more imaginative than the ones in the other New Mario games.

Agreed, this game was also the debut of Dry Bowser

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I really wasn't expecting them to take the Crocomire route with Bowser being dropped into lava and having his flesh burned off at the end of the first world. Although I was hoping that Bowser's death would lead them to have a different final boss. But this was before I was sick of the bridge mechanic.
 
deserves some credit for bringing 3D Mario mechanics like the ground pound, wall jump, and triple/long jumps into the 2D fold

Let me tell you about a little game called Donkey Kong released for Game Boy in the year of our lord 1994.

Although it could be argued that NSMB popularized those mechanics in 2D, it definitely wasn't innovating, especially considering all the cool shit you can do in DK94 and Mario vs. DK that NSMB doesn't include.

I'll give it wall jumps, though.
 
I didnt care for it at all at the time. Found the level design super boring and none of the new powerups did much for me. The shell is the most disappointing, its just frustrating to use with how cramped the levels are imo. Im less bitter about it now then I was then, but at the same time I feel like its more irrelevant since all three of its sequels are vastly superior.

this game is better than the wii version, but nothing worth talking about. on the other hand.... there arent many jump n run games these days so its a really awesome jump n run game.

Is this sarcasm? Theres a fuckton of jump n run platformers these days.
 
Let me tell you about a little game called Donkey Kong released for Game Boy in the year of our lord 1994.

Although it could be argued that NSMB popularized those mechanics in 2D, it definitely wasn't innovating, especially considering all the cool shit you can do in DK94 and Mario vs. DK that NSMB doesn't include.

I'll give it wall jumps, though.

The point isn't that the mechanics were wholly new, but that SM64 and Sunshine had made them standard fixtures of the Mario move set. Within the context of the Mario series, merging those mechanics into the 2D line and designing levels or placing coins around them was a notable design decision.
 
Replaying it now, comparing it to real gems like NSMBWiiU it's not that great. Too bad it gave the NSMB games kind of a bad name for some.
 
IMO, New Super Mario Bros is not as bad as some people say.

-the first one is a good and accessible platformer, not bad for a handheld console.
-the one of the wii was incredibly fun in multiplayer, and it cranked up the difficulty a little (if you wanted to COMPLETE the game)
-the 3ds one was better, the physic was "spot on", and the level design was greatly improved.
-the WiiU (including the Luigi DLC + extra modes) is easily a "top 5" 2D mario material. Seriously, the level design is top notch.

however, I have to agree, 4 games with exactly the same artstyle is too much.
 
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As far as I'm concerned, NSMB DS' existence is justified simply because of Mario vs Luigi. That's genuinely some of the best multiplayer during junior high I ever had. I think I even organized some small tournaments for it. Did any of the other installments ever get another Mario vs Luigi mode?

the multiplayer modes were amazing

mario v luigi was so much fun, and the mini games lifted from sm64ds were made multiplayer!
 
The game is good, not great, but that bloody music is horrible. How could they fuck up so bad? And they keep re-using that awful 'wah' in new games as well. Why? WHY!?
 
Played this to completion and I found it to be a joy. I've only beaten Super Mario Bros 3 up to that point, never beaten SMW. So it was the first Mario game I truly mastered. Got the Star coins for all the levels. Yeah, it didn't feel as complete an experience as SMB3 or SMW, but that's a lot to ask for. It revitalized the 2D Mario franchise and I was glad to have it anchor my DS experience.
 
Level design's completely forgettable, but the game did genuinely try to shake up the formula in more ways than any of its own sequels did, which I appreciate.
 
The game is good, not great, but that bloody music is horrible. How could they fuck up so bad? And they keep re-using that awful 'wah' in new games as well. Why? WHY!?

You sir, have not listened to NSMB's OST in too long.

It has some music that is pretty dang good for a Mario game, and also I don't think has been heard since in other NSMBs! When I heard it again it was like I was hearing it for the first time.

Title

Underwater (different from the NSMB Wii, NSMB2, and NSMBU themes, which are nearly identical with each other)

Desert (different from NSMB Wii, NSMB2 and NSMBU, again)

Beach (different from NSMB Wii, NSMB2 and NSMBU, again). The middle part of this song with the raw waveform is awesome!

Ghost House (same situation as above)

Volcano/lava (same situation as above)

Castle (same situation as above). Really like this castle theme by comparison.

Multiplayer music, unbelievably catchy!
 
I loved it, beat it 100% a few times over. It added a lot of mechanics to 2D Mario that I think we take for granted now. In retrospect it doesn't hold up as well as the other NSMB games but at the time it was fantastic. I thought NSMB2 was a far inferior game but NSMB Wii and NSMBU were better.
 
Interesting, I actually find NSMB2 to be my favourite in the series, followed by Wii. I really enjoyed trying to get coins in the sequel. I feel like an idiot collecting coins in the other games, since they have virtually zero value. At least in NSMB2, I get to see a pile of coins on the title screen and have fun in coin rush.
 
I thought this game was mediocre on release and it's only gotten worse as time's gone by. It doesn't help that NSMBU does pretty much everything this game does better.
 
Definitely the worst 2D Mario. Very bland, easy and uninspiring. Still a solid game, but DS was not very good for Nintendo 1st party output. Strangely, 3rd party games made DS amazing. .
 
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