Line #8 YMMV/NewSuperMarioBros


1	* ContestedSequel: To the old-school lineage of ''Super Mario Bros'' games from the NES, SNES and (to a lesser extent) Game Boy. The primary reason is because many fans perceive insufficient progress from the games in refreshing the gameplay formula, particularly from the second game onwards. It didn't get this reaction too bad until Nintendo announced a third and fourth game to be released in the same year (namely 2012), and since then people began to deride Nintendo for over-relying on the sub-series, if not ''Mario'' as a whole, derisively being compared to the oversaturation of the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series. Though it hasn't stopped each game from being a commercial success, and while the critical reception has remained highly positive[[note]]For the most part, while the other three were well received (especially ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', with ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU''[='s=] 84 Metascore being the lowest), ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'' is the lowest rated console mainline ''Mario'' game with a 77 Metascore. Average, but this a franchise were mainline games get scores in the 80s and 90s.[[/note]], [[CriticalDissonance fan reactions have been more polarized.]]
2	* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The Koopalings returning in ''Wii'' was one of the game's biggest selling points, as they hadn't appeared since ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' and had largely been replaced by Bowser Jr, with ''Wii'' being the first game to feature all eight working together. Then the Koopalings came back for ''2'' and ''U'', along with a bunch of other games in the series, and fans started to get tired of them as, due to them being a group of seven, they would typically take up most of the boss roster whenever they appeared and, for the ''New'' games, become part of the originality critiques. Nowadays, the Koopalings have gone from an EnsembleDarkhorse group to a BaseBreakingCharacter one (and in turn boosted Bowser Jr from ReplacementScrappy to BaseBreakingCharacter) and became part of the reason the original game, with its original and more creative boss fights, is still held up in high regard while the later games have become controversial.
3	* FanNickname:
4	** The Gold and Blue Toads in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' have been given the names Wolley and Yvan, respectively (pronounced "Wally" and "Ivan"). Less popular names that [[GodNeverSaidThat were believed to have been given]] by the development team are Alla-Gold and Bucken-Berry. The name "Bload" for Blue Toad also caught on in the latter half of TheNewTens.
5	** The sub-series as a whole is often called "New Soup" for short.
6	** Twirl for the mid-air Spin Jump introduced in ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' that reappears in following console games, which allows you to perform a mid-air [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin twirl]].
7	* FirstInstallmentWins: Fans generally prefer the first two games over later entries, with a subset of them considering the very first ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1'' the best in the sub-series, due to its EarlyInstallmentWeirdness which they feel makes the game unique and allows it to stand out far more in hindsight when compared to its sequels. It helps the original Nintendo DS title that future games recycled much more heavily from ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'' and ''[[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU U]]'', leaving the original with its own distinct soundtrack and [[MediumBlending blend]] of 2D pixel art and low-poly 3D modeling alongside its unique obstacles, enemies, and bosses that never reappeared in any sequel either, the latter instead being replaced by either the Koopalings, the Reznors, or Boom-Boom.
8	* FranchiseOriginalSin:
9	** Critics of the franchise that derisively call the sub-series {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s may remember that [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosTheLostLevels the original game's sequel]] had much of the same criticism, and was part of the reason ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' was initially favored for Western release instead.[[note]]That, and the Fuji TV exclusive characters that populated [[VideoGame/DokiDokiPanic the original game]] weren't coming back any time soon, as they were one-offs.[[/note]] As well as the [[NoExportforYou Japan only]] sequel ''Super Mario Bros. Special'' and the ''All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.'' and ''VS. Super Mario Bros.'' variants of the original game.
10	** The [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1 first game]] in the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' sub-series avoided drastic changes to the Mario sidescroller formula apart from significantly incorporating moves from 3D ''Mario'' games (namely Triple Jumps, Wall Jumps, and Ground Pounds) to 2D ''Mario'' games. At the time, this wasn't seen as a flaw since it was the first new major 2D ''Mario'' game in over a decade and was Mario's--and the video game industry in general's--[[WinBackTheCrowd grand return]] to the 2D PlatformGame scene and the game still had more than enough content to stand on its own as a creative new entry alongside the old-school games. Its not drastic but still significant gameplay changes also helped bridge the gap between both game genres and it still introduced a bunch of new power-ups and several new locations, obstacles, enemies, and unique Bosses never seen again in its sequels. When the sub-series got its second entry, the core gameplay and aesthetics changed little besides a tweaked Spin Jump, with nearly all [[VideoGameSettings biomes]] being recycled, but it featured four player simultaneous CoOpMultiplayer, some new power-ups, [[TheBusCameBack the return of the Koopalings]] and Yoshi returning as a PowerUpMount, [[NintendoHard more challenging levels]] and was the first ''console'' 2D Mario since ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', all of which were strong enough for the game to sell itself as a new experience as well. But with ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'', the closest thing to a defining gimmick the game had was "there are lots of coins around for no reason, collect them for a BraggingRightsReward" and all biomes and almost the entire soundtrack were [[RecycledSoundtrack recycled]] from ''Wii''. Then when ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'' came out (and went on to be rereleased twice), not only did it hit on the same year as ''2'', but it had not much to sell itself on either, besides Baby Yoshis, a Challenge mode, and a few new power-ups and biomes, still looking and playing basically the same as its Wii predecessor despite being a Platform/WiiU launch title and the first HD ''Mario'' game. The things that had once been novel selling points had now been recycled multiple times over, and as a result, the lack of originality became one of the biggest criticisms for the entire sub-series. Not helping was that Nintendo eventually released DLC (Coin Rush Packs and ''VideoGame/NewSuperLuigiU'' with playable Nabbit) and a UpdatedRerelease (''New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe'' with playable Toadette) for those two games rather than a new one until ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBrosWonder'' in October 2023, [[SequelGap almost 11 years]] later.
11	* GameBreaker: Each of the VideoGameFlight ([[NotQuiteFlight or at least something close]]) power-ups: The Propeller Mushroom in ''Wii'' and ''U'', the Super Acorn in ''U'', and the Super Leaf in ''2''. Considering how the core mechanic is platforming and not falling to your death, these make gameplay significantly easier.
12	* ItsEasySoItSucks: A common complaint of the sub-series handheld games. The console games, on the other hand, are much more difficult.
13	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: Every game in the sub-series after the first one invoked this reaction from people due to it being a 2D platformer with the same artstyle, which reached a peak with ''2'' and ''U''.
14	* MemeticMutation:
15	** Scripulous Fingore [[labelnote:Explanation]]In April 2021, the parody Twitter account @[=CutVideoGame=] posted a fake screenshot of a DummiedOut ghost enemy in the game's files, and claimed that Miyamoto had gotten oddly defensive when asked about him. Fans naturally responded by posting their own fake screenshots inserting him into various other Mario games.[[/labelnote]]
16	** One 2022 [=TikTok=] trend has Koopa Troopas undergoing serious situations, such as infidelity, divorce, or disasters, scored to the World 1-1 theme, [[MoodWhiplash only to stop and dance to the "bah, bah" sample]] before going right back to being serious.
17	* {{Misblamed}}: While some fans accused the series for having the unoriginality of the latter two titles seeped into other ''Mario'' [=RPG=] games, the reality of the situation is that one has ''nothing'' to do with the other. ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar'' turned out the way it did because Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto suggested Intelligent Systems to prioritize using the original ''Mario'' characters and they at their own discretion alone decided to ditch the original characters and story present in prior games because of taking that suggestion to the extreme and Japanese Club Nintendo surveys for ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' that indicated that barely any Japanese players cared about the story present in prior games. Likewise, the decision to continue doing this in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'' to a lesser extent are all internal decisions solely on Intelligent Systems' part to keep that style, all of which have absolutely ''nothing'' to do with what teams in charge of and the mainline ''Mario'' games do.
18	* OnceOriginalNowCommon:
19	** The fanbase was pretty hyped for the original ''New Super Mario Bros.'', as it was the 2D ''Mario'' revival they had been clamoring for; it was actually new, ambitious, and creative: it introduced a new art style and plenty of unique obstacles, enemies, and bosses to the franchise and did a great job of showcasing the capabilities of the Nintendo DS. It got massive critical and commercial success upon release and helped revive 2D platformers on consoles. ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' was similarly celebrated for expanding and improving upon the original game's gameplay by introducing four player simultaneous multiplayer and larger levels possible on the Wii alongside Yoshi, and not long after its release, [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 other]] [[VideoGame/RaymanOrigins titles]] [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns followed]]. Then the [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU sequels that]] [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2 came after]] lacked any further improvements and additions to the gameplay and were considered uninspired, gimmicky in the latter case, and derivative, recycling too much from previous games, and making fans consider that the New Super Mario Bros. formula became stale, giving a bad reputation to the original 2006 DS game and its sequel on the Wii. Now, with four ''[=NSMB=]'' games released (plus an extensive DLC released later as both a standalone game and a DLC), some fans have grown to view the sub-series as a pointless, boring series of rehashes, and often compare it unfavorably with other mainline ''Mario'' titles.
20	** Due to sharing the same art style and core gameplay as all of its sequels, when speaking about the sub-series the original ''New Super Mario Bros.'' will most often than not will be lumped together with its sequels and seen almost as rehashed in spite of all of its then new additions and improvements, hardly anyone will remember how it brought gameplay elements introduced in 3D ''Mario'' games to 2D ''Mario'' games, its unique Blue Shell power-up, and its various unique locations, enemies, bosses, and obstacles that never reappeared in any sequel.
21	** ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' introduced four player simultaneous multiplayer which was one of the longstanding dreams of [[Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto Shigeru Miyamoto]], who tried to introduce this feature ever since the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] days, and was touted as the biggest new feature of the game. This is hardly remembered anymore by anyone.
22	* OlderThanTheyThink: The "bah" sample didn't originate in this sub-series. It was used for the mission select screen jingle in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', and might have made it into the ''New Super Mario Bros.'' sub-series due to the first game sharing the ''Super Mario 64 DS'' soundfont. The games, however, did recontextualize the sound by having enemies [[MickeyMousing dance to it]], and used it in several music tracks, making it much more prominent.
23	* RecurringFanonCharacter: Scripulous Fingore is an OriginalCharacter that comes from an UrbanLegendOfZelda and was supposedly an unused ghost enemy in ''New Super Mario Bros. DS'' that was removed from the game for unknown reasons. The hoax became popular with fans, as Scripulous received many memes, fan art, and edits.
24	* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus about ''New Super Mario Bros. 2''. There is nothing outright ''awful'' about the game, and even the game's detractors will agree that it is a well-designed, polished, and perfectly playable 2D ''Mario'' platformer at its core, while also featuring a few saving graces in its throwbacks to ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' and ''Super Mario World'' (such as the return of the Raccoon Leaf and the Reznors), and the coin collection gimmick being well implemented in levels. However, the [[NewWorkRecycledGraphics reuse of almost all assets]], all VideoGameSettings, and [[RecycledSoundtrack soundtrack]] from ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', the [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks complete lack of new and original ideas and improvements to the core gameplay]], the [[ItsEasySoItSucks overly easy difficulty]], and the coin gimmick [[UnderusedGameMechanic not adding much to the formula alongside other significant missed opportunities]] cause it to be this for several fans and critics alike and ultimately make it forgettable, unlike its [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1 DS]] and Wii predecessors and even its [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU Wii U successor]], being vastly considered the weakest and most unoriginal game in the ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' sub-series by far and one of the weakest mainline ''Mario'' games, falling short of fulfilling expectations and being considered just plain mediocre by many fans.

Context YMMV / NewSuperMarioBros