New Super Mario Bros. 2 for Nintendo 3DS Reviews by Gamers

As expected, "New SMB 2" is well-designed and a lot of fun to play. Mario very rarely ever disappoints, after all, and this is yet another triumphant entry in the heroic plumber's canon. Having said that, however, it would be very nice indeed if Nintendo could see their way clear to freshening up their series of New SMB games. Indeed, "New SMB 2" boasts very little to distinguish itself from previous iterations on the DS and Wii, and the upcoming "New Super Mario Bros. U" looks to continue in the same mold. Oh, I'm not necessarily looking for a major overhaul to the formula, but a different graphical aesthetic and a new soundtrack would be more than welcome.

Also, I think they should have called this game something other than "New SMB 2", as "New SMB Wii" is widely considered to be the second entry in the series. I heard that the game's working title was "New Super Mario Bros. Gold". That would have fit nicely.

While the game certainly is very good, providing the same platforming elements of the classic Super Mario Bros. titles, that unfortunately is its problem. It's essentially the same game as the first NSMB for the Nintendo DS, only with a few new power-ups and a flashy gimmick that's little more than flashy. Though I will admit, the Gold Fire Flower was pretty fun. Probably the worst part about this title is that they didn't even bother to compose new Music, aside from the main theme having a chorus of "La"s in certain levels. Ultimately, I just felt like I was doing the same thing over again, and I probably won't give it a second run.