CORBIE'S GAME BLOG

May is definitely the month to own a Nintendo DS with the upcoming release of New Super Mario Bros. Not only is it probably the most anticipated title this year, it's also one of the most anticipated titles in the last decade, if the truth be known. Super Mario Bros. fans have been clamoring for a new 2-D Super Mario Bros. game since Super Mario World was released for the Super NES system back in 1991. Although Nintendo did release a Super Mario World sequel with Yoshi's Island, many Super Mario Bros. purists were quick to dismiss the game as more of a spin-off than an actual Super Mario Bros. game. But whether you consider Yoshi's Island a true Super Mario Bros. game or not, there's no denying that New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS has been a very long time coming.

From the first moment we saw screenshots of New Super Mario Bros. there was no denying that the game was going to deliver the classic Super Mario Bros. experience. Everything from the familiar red bricks, to the pipe-spewing piranha plants, New Super Mario Bros. was exactly what the title implied. A new game, but one with all of the familiar sights, sounds, and gameplay we've all grown to love over the past 20+ years. Even many of the newer screenshots reaffirm that not only does the game closely resemble the first Super Mario Bros. game, but also shares many of the visual traits of other SMB games in the series, including the much-loved desert theme of Super Mario Bros. 3. Now that we know the game is truly a chip off the old block, what new stuff can we expect from it.

Nintendo has made it clear that although the game contains many of the familiar elements of past Super Mario Bros. titles, they wanted to somehow bring Super Mario Bros. into the 21st century, not to mention make use of the extra graphical prowess of the DS. Now, Mario can not only grow a tad larger in size, he can grow to the height of the entire screen, dwarfing everything around him, including his enemies. By the same token, he can also shrink in size in order to reach hidden or secret areas in each level. Couple these two new moves, with 8 all-new levels to explore, and what you have is a new Mario adventure that should have fans of the series grinning from ear to ear. You can pick up New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS on May 15th!