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came out, it was rightfully recognized as the new hot thing. Unlike the games that came before, I don’t know that I could pick out NSMB from a lineup, especially now that we have a multitude of “ New” titles, where every game feels almost identical to the one that came before it, albeit with a new powerup or two. Mario 1 and Lost Levels are the originals and memorable just by the grace of being first. Everything about it is tight and focused, but also distinctly reminiscent of every other Mario game. But I’ll be damned if I can freely recall one level from it without actively struggling to remember. For a good while, it was my go-to game for when I just wanted to relax and watch TV. I’ve 100%-ed NSMB multiple times at this point. And while that’s definitely some high praise, it’s also what helps damn New Super Mario Bros. The result was a game that feels like the highs of every previous Mario game distilled into one DS cartridge. The company took the best elements of Mario’s lengthy 2D history and added in a dash of 3D Mario maneuverability, introducing the triple jump and wall-kick to 2D for the first time. Nintendo clearly wanted to create something that was both a love letter to Mario’s history and a welcome mat to newcomers. World even introduced collectible coins, though the dragon coins are far less enticing than the star coins of NSMB. Mostly because 2 was a surprisingly vertical maze of doors, something modern Mario is not.ģ and World are the most like NSMB, speeding up gameplay, adding more maneuverability options, and introducing branching paths. That’s not to say its influences can’t be felt in NSMB, with recurring characters and lore adapted into every subsequent Mario game, but its more granular influences are far harder to nail down. Super Mario 2 is its own beast, of course, being a localized Doki Doki Panic. The inability to move back a screen kept the player moving forward, but also encouraged a slower playstyle, reminding the player that they may miss something if they move too fast. and The Lost Levels are classics for a reason, but they’re also far more deliberately paced. With the benefit of hindsight, I see how much went into NSMB to make it stand out from its 2D brethren. While I wasn’t entirely wrong, I didn’t know how different NSMB was. I assumed that this was how every Mario game had been, rife with secrets and quick, tight platforming. I would revisit levels time and time again to scour high and low for any of the star coins, the optional collectible of the game, I may have missed. The power-ups felt like game-changers, often tucked away in secret locations to be uncovered while playing. It was fast-paced with fluid, easy controls. was perfect, living up to every expectation I had for Mario, post Super Mario 64 DS. It was an exciting feeling, playing a new iteration from one of gaming’s oldest icons.
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Or, for some of us, a new beginning entirely.
![new old super mario bros mario new old super mario bros mario](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/0tkAAOSwihVbx188/s-l300.jpg)
A symbolic fresh beginning for the plumber, razing the past and blazing the way for the future.
#New old super mario bros mario series#
Pick it up, and you’re barreling through the very blocks that made the series what it was, leaving nothing but flat ground and chaos in your wake. Before you’re even halfway through the first level, getting reacquainted with those classic controls, you stumble upon the mega mushroom. Classic Mario was back, but it wanted you to know it had changed. Then, two years after the Nintendo DS released, Nintendo dropped New Super Mario Bros.
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In the interim, there had been a few 2D re-releases and updates, but nothing wholly original in a decade and a half. Mario’s last new 2D adventure had taken place nearly 14 years ago ( or 16, depending on who you ask). I’m 13, excitedly plugging my first 2D Mario game into a Nintendo DS.