Game #1333: New Super Mario Bros. 2

 New is a bit of a strong word.... 

 So, what's new in New Super Mario Bros. 2? I dunno. New Super Mario Bros. on the DS was Mario's return to 2-D platforming, using new 3-D graphics but playing in 2-D. It felt new. Then New Super Mario Bros. Wii did the same thing, but added new power ups, and Yoshis, and, best of all, multiplayer. This one.... Er...

 Multiplayer? Gone, it is a handheld aftear all, propeller helmet? Gone. At leas the Mini and Giant mushrooms are back, I guess. The only new Power up is the Gold Fireflower which makes your fireballs explode on impact and give you coins on enemy kills. It only lasts for a single stage. There's also a new emphasis on collecting coins because.... I don't know, just because. There's a new coin rush mode too, and the game keeps a tally of your collected coins, and they all amount to.... a new Press Start splash screen. Yeah....

 I know that it's been tradition since Mario World, but I hated the secret exits, I found them to be too well hidden, like 'get a guide' kind of hidden most of the time. In this day and age, I found it annoying instead of fun. They also kept the whole "can only save after beating a castle or a tower' gimmick which is just baffling. This is a handheld game, let me save anywhere on the world map, for crying out loud. This limitation doesn't add challenge, it's just annoying.

 It's just Mario. That's all this game is, a perfectly acceptable 2-D Mario game. It doesn't do anything new, but there's nothing particularly bad about it, it's just.... Mario.

6.0