Best Video Games 2006 - New Super Mario Bros. (Video Game Review)

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New Super Mario Bros.

Recommended Age:

6 and Up

ESRB Rating:

Genre:

Platformer

Tested Platform:

Nintendo Dual-Screen (DS)

Available Platforms:

Nintendo Dual-Screen (DS)

Number of Players:

Fun Factor:

*****

Many parents today have fond memories of the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. That innovative mix of running, jumping, coin collection, exploration, and colorful, lovable, characters makes today's 30-somethings long for a return trip to the fabled Mushroom Kingdom. Since current Mario games have made the move to 3D, fans of classic 2D side-scrolling Mario have had to make do with recreated classics for the GameBoy Advance. Now parents have a new way to revisit Mario's 2D world, and share the magic with their kids, in the aptly named New Super Mario Bros. game for the Nintendo DS system.

New Super Mario is fully updated with new concepts, abilities, and truly gorgeous graphics. The Mushroom Kingdom and its inhabitants have never looked better. All the old favorites return, from the giant Venus Flytraps, to the monstrous pipes festooning the landscape. It's still about collecting coins, finding secret areas, and rescuing the hapless Princess Peach from Bowser and his no-good son, Bowser Jr. Players can choose between Mario and his brother Luigi, and power-ups like mushrooms still make you grow larger, flowers let you shoot fireballs, and wings let Mario fly for a limited time. A new kind of mushroom makes Mario so large he can kick over pipes and smash through blocks and bad guys simply by running into them. It's a lot of fun! The game makes limited use of the DS stylus, allowing gamers to hold two power-ups, activating them when needed with a simple tap.

You'll find terrific graphics, solid innovations, new levels, and familiar settings (the haunted castle, underwater, among the clouds, and the lava-filled Bowser's castle are all familiar locales given a facelift here). New Super Mario Bros offers old-school family- friendly fun in a brand-new shiny package. Terrific for kids and adults, 6 and up!

Parents, take note: Mario games are easy to get into but the frustration ramps about half-way through the game. Monitor how frustrated your kids are getting, nobody wants to see a handheld gaming system thrown in frustrating.

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