Okay, forgive me if this is horrible. I've never really written a review before and I find it hard to write actually... Also sorry for the late posting, the game got here later than expected and you must play the game to get an opinion for a review, so much time was spent playing it as well. Without further adieu,
New Super Mario Bros. 2
This game is just downright SAFE. Is that good or bad? It really all depends.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 begins like any other Mario game; Peach is kidnapped; by the Koopalings again, and Mario and Luigi must save her. Short and simple, as should be expected from Mario.
The gameplay is as fluid as ever, and if you die you always feel like it was you who is the reason, not bad game mechanics. However nothing is really "New" here. Whereas the orginal New Super Mario Bros. felt like like a new visit to 2D Mario this just feels like they don't know what to make anymore. This isn't bad if you liked the previous games in the New series, as much of it feels the same; the great physics, classic 2D Mario Platforming, and of course the good level design. What is also carried along, unfortunately to much dismay, is everything else as well (except your favorite power-ups, no one like penguins anymore). The music, the world themes, and the same general layout for the stages in the worlds we've all seen now with Grasslands, Desert and Swamp areas all returning. So what is new here?
Coins. Coins are truly EVERYWHERE in this game. This is to make the ultimate goal in this game possible; collecting one million coins. No that is not a typo, your goal is the big million. This is a great mechanic and it brings Coin Rush (explained in a second) along with it. It is great because it means the game will last you quite a while unless you grind for them non-stop. What's not so great however is that it essentially annihilates any difficulty the game may have had. The game is challenging at times yes, but considering the fact that you still make a life per 100 coins you will have a lot of lives very quickly. For a bit of an example here let me say that I died a few times in the first world just playing around, and I still ended up with about fifty lives by the time I left.
Thankfully however the million mark will most likely be met by using the 'Coin Rush' mode, which doesn't give you lives. If it did, well it'd throw it all off with the amount of coins you get here. In this mode you are a given a single life to clear three stages while grabbing as many coins as possible while doing so. Sounds easy right? This is why they give you limited time for each of the three stages. The courses chosen for you will be determined by which "Pack" you choose to use. There are three packs; The Mushroom Pack for stages from World 1 and 2, the Flower Pack for stages from World 3 and 4, and the Star Pack for stages from World 5 and 6. For the the first and second stage grabbing the top of the flagpole will double your coins; the last of the three is always a fortress or castle which also doubles your coins after beating the boss. This mode is very addicting and will have you coming back constantly in an effort to beat your highest coin amount in a single Rush.
The game has lasted me twice as long as expected just because of Coin Rush alone. That being said though, the game is actually quite short and seems to rely on you enjoying Coin Rush. There are still secret worlds and hidden exits, and the Star Coins return once again, but they just don't seem to be enough. The Star Coins seem too easy to collect; almost every trick used here has been used before so it may just be that I have played both previous games in this series, but I really think that is has become a tad too simplified to really pose a challenge anymore. The secret exits still give a nice challenge in finding them, but some may end up being more annoying to find then they are worth. (Especially if it leads to a 1-Up house.)
The New Super Mario Bros. series was truly new once. However while it may seem a bit overdone now, it is still spaced apart enough to never feel too common in the multiple "series" Mario has. Over-all New Super Mario Bros. 2 is good fun, even if it does fall flat in the difficulty area. I would highly recommend this game if you liked the previous games and enjoy constantly speed-running; as Coin Rush is basically a glorified version of it. If you would rather just beat the game quickly and be done with it however I don't know if I can recommend it much. It is fun no doubt, but it's weight falls on Coin Rush once all is said and done.
I give New Super Mario Bros. 2 a rating of "Great." The game is definitely good, but not Amazing. However it is not bad enough for just Good either. The reason for this rating is that the game can be seen as short or repetitive, one or the other by basically anyone after a while. This may give the game a "love at first sight" feeling which turns into boredom before you reach your true goal.
New Super Mario Bros. 2
This game is just downright SAFE. Is that good or bad? It really all depends.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 begins like any other Mario game; Peach is kidnapped; by the Koopalings again, and Mario and Luigi must save her. Short and simple, as should be expected from Mario.
The gameplay is as fluid as ever, and if you die you always feel like it was you who is the reason, not bad game mechanics. However nothing is really "New" here. Whereas the orginal New Super Mario Bros. felt like like a new visit to 2D Mario this just feels like they don't know what to make anymore. This isn't bad if you liked the previous games in the New series, as much of it feels the same; the great physics, classic 2D Mario Platforming, and of course the good level design. What is also carried along, unfortunately to much dismay, is everything else as well (except your favorite power-ups, no one like penguins anymore). The music, the world themes, and the same general layout for the stages in the worlds we've all seen now with Grasslands, Desert and Swamp areas all returning. So what is new here?
Coins. Coins are truly EVERYWHERE in this game. This is to make the ultimate goal in this game possible; collecting one million coins. No that is not a typo, your goal is the big million. This is a great mechanic and it brings Coin Rush (explained in a second) along with it. It is great because it means the game will last you quite a while unless you grind for them non-stop. What's not so great however is that it essentially annihilates any difficulty the game may have had. The game is challenging at times yes, but considering the fact that you still make a life per 100 coins you will have a lot of lives very quickly. For a bit of an example here let me say that I died a few times in the first world just playing around, and I still ended up with about fifty lives by the time I left.
Thankfully however the million mark will most likely be met by using the 'Coin Rush' mode, which doesn't give you lives. If it did, well it'd throw it all off with the amount of coins you get here. In this mode you are a given a single life to clear three stages while grabbing as many coins as possible while doing so. Sounds easy right? This is why they give you limited time for each of the three stages. The courses chosen for you will be determined by which "Pack" you choose to use. There are three packs; The Mushroom Pack for stages from World 1 and 2, the Flower Pack for stages from World 3 and 4, and the Star Pack for stages from World 5 and 6. For the the first and second stage grabbing the top of the flagpole will double your coins; the last of the three is always a fortress or castle which also doubles your coins after beating the boss. This mode is very addicting and will have you coming back constantly in an effort to beat your highest coin amount in a single Rush.
The game has lasted me twice as long as expected just because of Coin Rush alone. That being said though, the game is actually quite short and seems to rely on you enjoying Coin Rush. There are still secret worlds and hidden exits, and the Star Coins return once again, but they just don't seem to be enough. The Star Coins seem too easy to collect; almost every trick used here has been used before so it may just be that I have played both previous games in this series, but I really think that is has become a tad too simplified to really pose a challenge anymore. The secret exits still give a nice challenge in finding them, but some may end up being more annoying to find then they are worth. (Especially if it leads to a 1-Up house.)
The New Super Mario Bros. series was truly new once. However while it may seem a bit overdone now, it is still spaced apart enough to never feel too common in the multiple "series" Mario has. Over-all New Super Mario Bros. 2 is good fun, even if it does fall flat in the difficulty area. I would highly recommend this game if you liked the previous games and enjoy constantly speed-running; as Coin Rush is basically a glorified version of it. If you would rather just beat the game quickly and be done with it however I don't know if I can recommend it much. It is fun no doubt, but it's weight falls on Coin Rush once all is said and done.
I give New Super Mario Bros. 2 a rating of "Great." The game is definitely good, but not Amazing. However it is not bad enough for just Good either. The reason for this rating is that the game can be seen as short or repetitive, one or the other by basically anyone after a while. This may give the game a "love at first sight" feeling which turns into boredom before you reach your true goal.
lol )
