Summary
WithSuper Mario Bros. Wonderon the horizon, players are looking back on pastMarioreleases to fill the time until 2DMarioexperiences a fresh start. The previous series of classic Mario platformers, theNew Super Mario Bros.series, spans multiple consoles and ten years.
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With six main series releases during that time, how does each entry stack up against one another? Strangely enough, it’s fairly close! EveryNew Super Mario Bros.game is unique in its own way, and though they all excel in certain areas, some entries are slightly better than others.
Platform
Nintendo 3DS
The confusingly namedNew Super Mario Bros. 2released on 3DS systems back in 2012. The naming system was especially bizarre, as there had been anotherNew Super Mario Bros.game since the original, released on the Wii in 2009!
Besides the odd naming choice,New Super Mario Bros. 2was regarded as simplybeing too easy, with the coin-based theme of the title giving the player far too many lives. It simply didn’t quite compare to the original either, with levels being very similar to the older games and far too little being added for the third game in the series.
Nintendo Switch
The problem withNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxedidn’t lie in the gameplay or the levels themselves. The problem was that the only (until October)2DMariogamereleased on Nintendo’s juggernaut of a platform was a remaster of a Wii U game.
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Based on value proposition,U Deluxeoffered a decent amount of content for its very premium price. The issue was that there was very little added on to justify this game’s rerelease and a similar price tag to other newly released Nintendo games. A few small mini-games and a new character just didn’t quite scratch theMarioitch many players had possessed since the Wii U days. That aside, this was a very solid port of a classic modernMariotitle.
Nintendo Wii U
New Super Luigi Uwas an interesting case of aMariogame. It sat in an odd place between a hard mode forMario Bros. Uand a new game in the series. The challenge wasmost definitely presenthere, and it’s what madeNew Super Luigi Uunique from other entries in the series, which was growing long in the tooth at this point.
The only issue withNew Super Luigi Uwas the shorter timer and level length. For such an interesting concept, the expansion was far too short, taking half the time to complete than a normalMariogame. That being said, it was an interesting experiment and one that Nintendo could certainly explore more in the future.
Super Mario Bros. U was released at the start of the Wii U life cycle and was sorely underrated due to its choice of platform. This entry was the most creative since the original, including some very nice-looking stylized levels based on Van Gogh paintings and clever new power-ups.
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TheNew Super Mario Bros.formulawas looking decidedly long in the tooth by the timeMario Bros. Ucame around, which is why this game still ranks lower than some of the other entries in the series. Due to the overuse of the same formula, this game feels a lot less original and clever than it really is, and that’s just how many fans felt about the series as a whole by this point.
Nintendo Wii
The golden age of the Wii and theNew Super Mario Bros.series can be traced back to one game.New Super Mario Bros. Wiiwas a masterclass in multiplayer chaos. With all its levels designed to be played by four players and finally includingfour-player local playas a feature, this game capitalized on the sense of friendly fun the Wii was known for.
Of course,Wiicame with its issues, an imbalance, and far too easy difficulty while playing solo chiefly among them, butNew Super Mario Bros. Wiiwill be remembered as the game that brought people together in their own living rooms. It may not be the most original or best, but it certainly was expert at bringing a sense of fun that was much appreciated by fans of all ages.
Nintendo DS
New Super Mario Bros.was a landmark moment in a series that had remained stagnant for years. While 3DMariogames had been steadily progressing entry upon entry, the classic 2DMariogames had been struggling for inspiration since the glory days ofSuper Mario World.
With that, on cameNew Super Mario Bros., a brand-new new foray into two-dimensionalMarioplatforming, and it waswell worth the wait. Creative levels shared assets with the infamousMario 64, and unique power-ups made this game a highlight of the DS era. At the time,New Super Mario Bros.was a beacon in a draught of 2D platformers, and that’s one of the many reasons why it is so loved by fans of the franchise. It was an instant classic and is arguably the bestNew Super Mario Bros. title ever released.
