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New Super Mario Bros Preview

Writer: Nick Schaedel » Blog
Posted: 23rd Aug, 2005

Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 2nd Quarter, 2006

Mario's outings on the NES and SNES are some of, if not the best games of all time. Period. So when Nintendo revealed that it was working on a brand new side-scroller for the Nintendo DS, fans began to swoon. And guess what? It looks like it's going to rock.

Since every gamer has played the old Mario games (don't even speak to me if you haven't), there's no need to go into any real depth about the old gameplay. At the German Game Convention, a new demo was on display showing off three worlds of the single-player mode. They were Forest, Desert and Fortress. As you can tell, it's just like the worlds of old, thankfully.

All the superb gameplay mechanics return as you know and love them, but with a few new tweaks to bring it up to this generation's standards. For starters, there's a better physics engine that makes jumping easy, and great fun. They've stolen the clever bungee-rope mechanics from Super Mario Sunshine, and have implemented them in this 2D world. Now, you can soar into the air after bouncing on these wires that crisscross the lands. It also looks to include all the shortcuts and alternate routes that we love, with walking above action a common occurrence.

In one of our screenshots, you can see Mario and Luigi hanging from a rope with the world upside-down. The ropes stretch under the weight, and swing realistically once you've launched yourself off them. Mario can wall jump as well, which sets the stage for some Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat-like combo runs in my mind. Additionally, if you manage to hurtle yourself far enough into the air, you can perform a new and powerful butt stomp/drill move that can take out both blocks and enemies.

Another, more obvious tweak is the introduction of 3D graphics, while still keeping the side-scrolling. Taking a page out of Viewtiful Joe's book, Mario and Luigi are both in good DS 3D. By that I mean that it's nothing compared to Gamecube or next-gen standards, but impressive for our little double-screened buddy. It's not just the Mario Brothers either - all the enemies and items are rendered in 3D too - think Super Smash Bros.: Melee Adventure Mode.

The game uses most of the DS's abilities - save for the microphone and GBA slot. All the platforming goodness returns to the D-pad and buttons, with the bottom touchscreen displaying items you've picked up, time, coins and lives. With a touch of the stylus you can activate an item for some intense Goomba frying. The top screen shows the world, though rumour has it that if you drop underground the screens will swap. That poses the question of how you activate items underground - perhaps through the start menu. Regardless, it's nice to know this will be easy to pick up when we finally get a copy in our sweaty little hands.

One little worry we have is if the game becomes too easy or too short. Even though there's (continued next page)