Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 85

85: New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 2006

So, yes  here is another DS game on the list. As a self-professed hater of the system, it should be considered rare for a game to show up on this list. And while I do in fact own one of Nintendo’s gimmick consoles myself, that means nothing. The fact that there are now two DS titles on this list only means one thing: They are great games. And, before I go any further with this, let me state that the version of this game for DS is far better than the multiplayer mishap that is New Super Mario Bros. Wii that just came out within the past 365. That game forgets what makes a classic Mario sidescroller fun; great gameplay without the cost of shoehorning other aspects in. The original, on DS, nails this.

The plot is, as always, classic Mario: Bowser shows up (this time with Bowser Jr. to help do battle right beside him) and they steal the Princess for… well, I guess we’re all still as stuck on the “why” of this aspect of storytelling as we were years ago. Is it to take control of the Mushroom Kingdom? Is it to marry her? Who even knows (and/or cares)? Battling through the worlds Mario (and, as such, the player) glean no new info from them as they tackle various monsters and challenges.

But you don’t come into a Mario game for story – no one writes a review of Super Mario Sunshin and applauds its great narrative, despite that game’s inclusion of a water spouting sidekick who likely has a mysterious past that has yet to be covered in any spin-off franchise (I’m thinking it should be a 3rd-person shooter, a la Resident Evil 4…) – you come into a Mario game for great platforming, and New has it in every detail. Relying on the classic elements of the original NES Mario titles, New drives home that feeling by givng you one goal – make it to the right side of the screen under a time limit and then do it again until you win. Its “simple” in and of itself, but the gameplay has experienced some interesting new tweaks.

New power ups are featured alongside the classic fireflowers and stars; the giant mushroom being crucial to beating the game with the highest score possible, as it turns Mario into an even taller, larger plumber that is now able to stomp out everything, including the pipes and walls themselves. This is a great bit of fun as NOTHING can stop you. Until the mushroom’s effect wears off, that is. Another interesting twist is the alterations Bowser goes through. The first time you drop his ass into lava, his goddamned skin melts off, so now you have to fight “Dry Bowser” who, of course, you topple into lava. Again. I won’t spoil the next version of him you have to face, but its an intersting one to say the least.

All in all, the gameplay featured is too solid to pass up and – as the game is going on four years old, now – its a cheap(-cheap! Get it?) purchase. The DS offers some interesting supplementary features rather than over complicating the game, too, which I like. Power ups you can toss to Mario are featured down on the bottom touch screen, as well as showing you how far you’ve progressed through the game’s levels, and each one’s check-points to boot. And, with the split-track level progression, meaning you can skip some levels entirely, you have multiple ways to play through this game. And its got one thing old school Mario games on the NES lacked – a save feature. So, bonus points.

Classic Moment:
I made mention of it before, but the moment when it happens is too good not to bring up again: knocking Bowser off his poorly designed battlefield reduces him to a pile of bones, yes, but the moment is history in regards to not only a Mario game, but a safe-for-kids Mario game, too. Watching Bowser splash around in boiling, molton rock while his skin melts off his own skeleton is a sight to be sure, and one that took me by complete surprise the first time I saw it. Way to go, Nintendo – you took something a small child will play and turned it overly graphic, even for a few seconds. Didn’t think you had it in ya.

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Added September 29, 2016
Weak “Classic Moment” due to it being a Mario game.
Again, this one is only featured on the list due to being played recently enough in relation to brainstorming said list. Otherwise it’d never make it. Still, cute, fun game.