I’ve only played NSMB2 for about 2 hours, and it hasn’t exactly rubbed me off the right way. See, Super Mario 3D Land was fantastic, I played it so much and didn’t wanna stop until I had collected everything. I played through the game twice, both as Mario and Luigi, got every star coin, and made sure I touched the top of every flag, all to unlock a super secret level; that’s how much I loved that game. I felt the short levels were perfect for our mobile age where people don’t have the time to concentrate for hours on end on one level. It felt right, and each level was uniquely designed to ensure a different experience.
So far on NSMB2 I just really haven’t felt any inkling of love for it. I would say this is my own fault with how busy my life’s become recently, but NSMB2 feels different. Mario jumps differently, making him feel light and not as responsive as he was in 3D Land, each level is wayyyyy longer then anything from 3D land, and overall I just feel frustrated playing it. The intro (if Mario games could be said to have an intro) is so short and stupid that it puts nothing into context. Not once does it mention the million coins, or why you have to get them, it’s just there from the start, a little counter in the bottom right totaling all the coins you have ever got. Peach get’s stollen and that’s about it, typical Mario always saving the day.
Time will tell as to whether this is a good game. For now I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt as I feel I am probably comparing this too much to it’s predecessor, but I won’t be surprised if by the end of the game I’m left severely disappointed.