Power-ups, always a highlight, falter here too. Becoming a gigantic Mario is fun in the brief moments you can use it. However, it's so brief, you might as well track down a star to gain invincibility. These giant moments are even totally useless at times, as countless sections of the game block giant Mario from moving ahead. The unwieldy turtle shell power-up is tough to grasp, and very few moments in the game make it worthwhile to have (if any). Tiny Mario, the logical extension, only seems to be included to find a few secrets.

The sense of adventure isn't here either. Solutions to alternate levels or gold star coins are painfully obvious, or even in plain view. If it wasn't for the movie The Wizard, we still might not know about the warp whistles in Mario 3. Here in New Super Mario Bros., anything you need can be figured out because short of a glowing neon sign pointing to the area, the developers let you know what you need every step.

This is also a disastrously short game, a problem caused by a combination of low (or none if you ever played a game in the series before) difficulty and lack of big surprises. A stack of mini-games (most from Mario 64 DS) and a fun multi-player romp for two players doesn't add much in the realm of replay. This is not a game we'll be revisiting in a few years or adding to "best of" lists like the previous games.

A necessary criticism aside, this latest romp is a success. The level design alone sells this game, and it's criminal not to appreciate how it works. It's not the game you've been hopelessly waiting for. It's the one where you want to overlook the flaws so it can be that game you're still hopelessly waiting for.

Also read what other Blogcritics had to say about New Super Mario Bros.:

Nintendo DS Review: New Super Mario Bros. — Ken Edwards

New Super Mario Bros. is rated E (Everyone) by the ESRB for Comic Mischief.