New Super Mario Bros. 2

NSMB2 begins as just another night of nostalgic anecdotes. It eventually overcomes that on the strength of its world-class gameplay and level design, but pieces of that awkwardness remain.

Long-lasting and entertaining Mario-platformer has got a new spirit thanks to coin collecting but its design is nothing to be proud of. [Oct 2012]

Now, there is some challenge for the gamer that's inclined to find it. Every stage has three hidden star coins, and the acquisition of them all can be tricky, and necessary to access the harder levels. For everyone else, this is another Mario game that's far too easy and plays it far too safe. It's more Mario for people who want more Mario, and nothing more.

A very good game on a technical level, but falls short of satisfying because it feels far too similar to other games in the series.

Nothing on offer here is bad per se. It is very competent in all of the disciplines you'd expect a title with this pedigree to be competent in. But somewhere along the fast track into store shelves Mario's magic got lost. Coming out shortly after the much fresher and more inventive 3D Land didn't do it any favors. And as a successor, six years after the first NSMB, these little updates don't do enough to justify the '2' in the title. This might just be the first Mario game that has you playing it mostly because of twenty year old automatisms.

Mario has become so important for Nintendo that there's not a year without the famous plumber coming to a game console owned by Big N. If we were happy to see the hero coming back, we quickly realized New Super Mario Bros 2 only takes the successful mechanisms of the previous title without the originality. Especially when chasing gold coins is not really fascinating.

Ultimately that failure to feel as fresh as Super Mario 3D Land is going to define New Super Mario Bros. 2 for many people, but it hides deeper treasures for those willing to look past the familiarity.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is one of the first Mario platformers that starts to drag. We've seen the New Super Mario Bros. gameplay by now, and the goal to collect as many coins as you can changes little to make it feel like something new. The game controls perfectly though and the difficulty has been raised a little, which gives this entry more of a challenge. It's fun, but we expect more from Mario!

Mario will always be Mario, but the constant coin-chasing has ironically enough led to some inflation. It's a great game, but we won't remember it as one of those immortal Mario classics.

More old than new, New Super Mario Bros 2 is an inverted Galaxy, more content to remix old stomping grounds and sprinkle on new gimmicks than take Mario to places he hasn't hopped through before.

For gamers looking for a truly enjoyable title and more importantly, a game that plays extremely well on the 3DS, than look no further because this game is it. Just don't expect to be blown away by the innovative gameplay as we've kind of seen it all before but hey... it's awesomely good fun.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a single-player construct through and through, and tossing in an extra player doesn't do it many favours, particularly in the limited confines of a handheld screen.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a fun, overly familiar adventure that lacks imagination in its level design.

There's plenty of unmemorable fun to be had here, but it's shocking how it only took three goes for Nintendo to make New Super Mario Bros. feel old.

Arguably the most disappointing Super Mario game ever made, and one that certainly doesn't deserve the world 'New' at the beginning of its name.

Unfortunately, the additions to NSMB2 merely add more spokes to an already heavy wheel, so to speak. It's not a bad game by any means, but it's one that steeps itself in nostalgia to mask an experience that falls short of the revival that the New Super Mario franchise really needs these days.

There are plenty of things that were great the first time you saw them, and work together to provide a pleasant experience, but there is no element of surprise, no attempt to dazzle you with new elements.

There can be little disputing the quality on show here, although the underlying gimmick and universal approach mean that New Super Mario Bros. 2 can offer neither the mystery and experimentation of earlier games nor the challenge that new pretenders to the platforming crown lay so very, very thick.

Mario's gold-themed adventure is anything but bad, but we can't shake away the deja vu and the word "inflation" whilst playing.

At its core, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a Mushroom Kingdom coin -- shiny and addictive, but carrying no practical value whatsoever.

The first Mario game I've ever played that frequently bored me, and as much as it manages to nail the central mechanics and tick many of the right boxes, it also serves as worrying proof that, in the world of gaming, no series is truly sacred.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 isn't really all that new anymore. What you get is basically the same game as the first one for the Nintendo DS, but with less engaging levels, fewer surprises in terms of power-ups and gameplay, and a boring gimmick set on capturing your inner kleptomaniac.