New Super Mario Bros. 2

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Packaging artwork released for all territories.
Developer(s) Nintendo EAD Group No. 4
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Yusuke Amano
Producer(s) Takashi Tezuka
Hiroyuki Kimura
Composer(s) Kenta Nagata
Series Super Mario
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)
  • JP July 28, 2012
  • EU August 17, 2012
  • AUS August 18, 2012
  • NA August 19, 2012
Genre(s) Platforming
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japanese: New スーパーマリオブラザーズ 2 Hepburn: Nyū Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Tsū) is a side-scrolling platformer video game in the Super Mario series developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS handheld console. The game is a direct sequel to New Super Mario Bros., released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS and is the third New Super Mario Bros. side-scroller. The game was first released in Japan on July 28, 2012 and was released in Europe, Australia, and North America in August 2012, and is the first Nintendo-published game to be released simultaneously in both digital and physical forms.

The game's plot is similar to its predecessors, focusing on Mario and Luigi's efforts to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings. New Super Mario Bros. 2 has a heavier emphasis on coin-collecting than other Super Mario games, with multiple unique items dedicated to producing large amounts of coins. The game features a specialized mode called "Coin Rush" that focuses exclusively on quickly completing a series of stages while collecting as many coins as possible. Additional Coin Rush stages were made available for purchase as downloadable content shortly after the game's release.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 received positive reviews; it currently holds aggregate scores of 78.59% and 78% on GameRankings and Metacritic. Critics generally praised the game's level design but criticized the game for being too similar to earlier New Super Mario Bros. games. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the fifth best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, selling 10.25 million copies worldwide as of March 31, 2016.[1]

Gameplay

New Super Mario Bros. 2 continues the style of gameplay from New Super Mario Bros., featuring side-scrolling platform action as Mario or Luigi attempt to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and his Koopalings. Along with returning power-ups from the first game, such as the Mini Mushroom and Mega Mushroom, the game also sees the return of the Super Leaf from Super Mario Bros. 3, allowing the player to tail-whip enemies or fly up into the air.[2][3] Similarly to Super Mario 3D Land, an Invincibility Leaf will appear if the player loses lives at least five times during a stage, granting raccoon abilities and invincibility until the end of the stage, except for cannon levels in which it won't.[4] The main game has both single-player and multiplayer options: two players, each with his or her own Nintendo 3DS and copy of the game, play together simultaneously as Mario and Luigi.[5] Like the previous games, players can collect Star Coins hidden throughout each level, which can be spent to unlock new areas on the overworld map.[6]

The game has a strong emphasis on collecting gold coins, with various new items dedicated to producing large amounts of coins. These include Gold Flowers that turn blocks into coins, rings that temporarily turn enemies gold and a block mask that produces coins as Mario runs.[7][8] The game keeps track of all coins collected by the player and displays the total on both the title screen and on the overworld map. If the player has SpotPass enabled in the game, this total can be uploaded to Nintendo Network and the player will be updated with the grand total of all coins collected by all players worldwide.

In addition to the main game, New Super Mario Bros. 2 features a Coin Rush mode, made accessible after the player completes the first world. In Coin Rush, the player plays through three randomly chosen levels collecting as many coins as possible. Star and Moon Coins add several coins to the player's running total in this mode. However, the player is given only one life and each level gives a time limit of 50 or 100 seconds. The 1-up Mushrooms are replaced by Gold Mushrooms in this mode. If mid-way flags are passed or timers are collected, the time limit will be extended. Getting to the top of the end flag causes the player's coins to double in amount. If the player completes the run, the accumulated total of coins collected can be saved as the player's high score, which can be transmitted to and challenged by other players via StreetPass.[9] Additional course packs can be purchased as downloadable content.[10]

Development

In November 2010, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that both sidescrolling and 3D Mario games were in development for the Nintendo 3DS.[11] Following the release of Super Mario 3D Land, the (untitled) 2D Super Mario game was announced during a meeting of investors by the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, in late January 2012.[12] He described it as a "totally new side-scrolling action Super Mario in 2D as a key title for the Nintendo 3DS". Nintendo planned to release the game "in the next fiscal year", which started in April 2012 and ended in March 2013.[13][14] It was subsequently announced to be released on August 17, 2012 in Europe,[15] and August 19, 2012 in North America.[16]

The game was announced as New Super Mario Bros. 2, a direct sequel to 2006's New Super Mario Bros., during a Nintendo Direct conference on April 21, 2012, with tentative release dates in Japan, North America, Europe, and Australia in August 2012.[17] Nintendo stated New Super Mario Bros. 2 was created "specifically as a pick-up-and-play experience," with players of all skill levels accommodated.[18] It is the first retail 3DS title to also be released as a digital download on the Nintendo eShop on the day of its release.[19] The first three packs of courses for Coin Rush mode was released as downloadable content in Japan and Europe on October 2, 2012, followed by North America on October 4, 2012.[20][21][22] Six more packs were also available, the second and third set of two packs was released worldwide on October 25, 2012 and December 5, 2012 respectively while the last set of two was released on December 20, 2012 in North America and Europe and on December 21, 2012 in Japan. One more pack, which called "Gold Classics Pack", was released on November 27, 2012 to celebrate the 300 billion coins milestone and was available to download for free until the end of January 2013. In 2014, an updated version featuring all the DLC pre-installed was released, entitled New Super Mario Bros. 2: Gold Edition. This version is available exclusively at Wal-Mart for Black Friday.

The game's soundtrack is composed by Mario Kart veteran Kenta Nagata, though most of the soundtrack is based on New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Appearances in other games

A stage based on New Super Mario Bros. 2 appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, titled "Golden Plains". If a player collects 100 coins, their character will turn golden, granting increased attack power and flinch resistance.[23]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings78.40%[24]
Metacritic78/100[25]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comB[26]
CVG8/10[27]
Destructoid7/10[28]
EGM9/10[29]
Famitsu36/40[30]
G44/5[31]
GameSpot7/10[32]
IGN8.5/10[33]
Nintendo Life[34]
ONM90%[35]
Polygon7/10[36]
Forbes8/10[37]

New Super Mario Bros. 2 has received generally positive reviews. It holds an aggregated score of 78.40% on GameRankings[24] and 78/100 on Metacritic.[25] The game was given a 36/40 by Famitsu with 9s from all four reviewers.[30] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a 9/10, stating "This platforming perfection is what makes Mario games so fun, and in that regard, New Super Mario Bros. 2 definitely succeeds with its own share of secrets, collectibles, and branching pathways that can be unlocked depending on how you should advance through the game."[29] NintendoLife gave the game 9 out of 10 stars, saying "It’s immense fun, boasts brilliant level design and offers enough repeat play appeal to keep you glued to your 3DS system for weeks."[34]

Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game 90% out of 100, however, heavily criticized the game for its 3D effects and lack of progression in the Mario Bros series, summarizing that "New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the very definition of bitter-sweet, giving with one hand and then taking away with the other. By default it's the best side-scrolling platformer on the 3DS and yes, it's even better than the original New Super Mario Bros. But that came out six years ago now, and in that time we'd really expected the series to have progressed a little further than just a 3D effect and Coin Rush mode."[38]

Tom Sykes of Nintendo Gamer gave the game 80 out of 100, praising the new features, but criticizing it for being too similar to its predecessors. "This is a great 2D platformer, but it’s lacking the vital creative spark that turns a great 2D platformer into a classic one. We’ve come to expect more than straight sequels from mainline Mario games, and until this generation we hadn’t truly been offered one. That’s a definite disappointment, but on the upside, more NSMB is hardly a bad thing. With its obsessive focus on coin collecting, NSMB2 does a few things differently to its predecessor, but not enough to stand tall as its own game. It’s a fine companion piece to the original DS game, however, and one that’s likely to reside in your 3DS for quite some time."[39]

As of March 2016, New Super Mario Bros. 2 has sold 10.25 million copies worldwide.[1]

New Super Mario Bros. 2 was nominated for "Best Handheld Game" at Spike's 10th Annual Video Game Awards.

References

  1. 1 2 "Top Selling Software Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  2. ↑ Totilo, Stephen. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Hits 3DSes This August". Kotaku.
  3. ↑ Schreier, Jason. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Trailer Proves That It's Definitely A Mario Game". Kotaku. Retrieved July 2012.
  4. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Site proves minimum number of lost lives until the Invincibility Leaf power-up". Nintendo.
  5. ↑ Philips, Tom. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 co-op mode shown". Eurogamer.
  6. ↑ George, Richard. "A Tour of New Super Mario Bros. 2". IGN. Retrieved July 2012.
  7. ↑ Fahey, Mike. "Gold-Crazy New Super Mario Bros. 2 Hits 3DS August 19". Kotaku. Retrieved July 2012.
  8. ↑ jc fletcher. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork, featuring SMB...". TinyCartridge. Retrieved July 2012.
  9. ↑ Patterson, Sean. "New Super Mario Bros 2 is All About the Gold (And DLC)". WebProNews. Retrieved July 2012.
  10. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros. 2 to get paid DLC". GameSpot.com. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  11. ↑ "Super Mario 3DS games on the way in 2D and 3D, says Shigeru Miyamoto". Video Games Blogger. November 5, 2010.
  12. ↑ George, Richard. "New 2D Mario Coming to 3DS". IGN.
  13. ↑ "Nintendo Announces 2D Super Mario Title for 3DS - 3DS News @ Nintendo Life". 3ds.nintendolife.com. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  14. ↑ "Corporate Management Policy Briefing/Third Quarter Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2012". Nintendo.co.jp. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  15. ↑ "Twitter / NintendoEurope: #IwataSays showing a game video". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  16. ↑ Phillips, Tom. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 US release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 2012.
  17. ↑ "New スーパーマリオブラザーズ 2" (in Japanese). 4gamer. 21 April 2012.
  18. ↑ Makuch, Eddie. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 hitting 3DS this August". GameSpot.com. Retrieved July 2012.
  19. ↑ Plunkett, Luke. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Will be Nintendo's First Proper Downloadable Game". Kotaku. Retrieved July 2012.
  20. ↑ "Here's Three Pieces of DLC For This Mario Game". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
  21. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Gets Three DLC Packs This Week For $2.50 Each". Kotaku.com. 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  22. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros 2 DLC out now in UK, Nintendo confirms more on the way". GamesRadar. 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  23. ↑ Sakurai, Masahiro (10 June 2014). "Miiverse - Sakurai's post". Miiverse. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  24. 1 2 "New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS". GameRankings. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  25. 1 2 "New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 3DS Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  26. ↑ Parish, Jeremy. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review: The Brink of Self-Parody". Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  27. ↑ Sykes, Tom. "New Super Mario Bros 2 review: Reliably strong but lacking a spark". ComputerAndVideoGames. Retrieved July 2012.
  28. ↑ Sterling, Jim. "Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2". Destructoid.
  29. 1 2 DS/3DS (2012-08-08). "EGM Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2". EGMNOW. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  30. 1 2 Gantayat, Anoop. "Persona 4 Arena, New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Danganronpa Score High Marks in Famitsu". andriasang. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
  31. ↑ Rubens, Alex (2012-08-08). "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review for 3DS". G4. Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  32. ↑ Walton, Mark (2012-08-09). "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2012-08-09.
  33. ↑ MacDonald, Keza (August 3, 2012). "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  34. 1 2 McFerran, Damien (August 2, 2012). "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review". NintendoLife.
  35. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros 2 review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
  36. ↑ Philip Kollar. "'NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2' REVIEW: A VEIN OF GOLD". Polygon.
  37. ↑ Ewalt, David. "New Super Mario Bros. 2 Review". Forbes.
  38. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros 2 review". Official Nintendo Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-02.
  39. ↑ "New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) review". Nintendo Gamer. Retrieved 2012-09-02.

External links

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