New Super Mario Bros.

This is the first sidescrolling Mario adventure since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins for the Game Boy. The game is rooted deeply in its NES roots, while offering new and fun gameplay at the same time. The game is in 2.5D, or 3D characters and monsters in a 2D environment. A lot of moves form Mario's 3-D outing are carried over in New Super Mario Bros. Mario can triple jumped, ground pound, and wall jump in addition to his usual repetoir of moves. The longivity of the game is increased, as you can try to collect the three hidden star coins in each level. These coins can be used to gain access to Toad Houses, which give you items or 1-ups. The game adds two new items, the Mega Mushroom and the blue shell. The Mega Mushroom lets you grow to giant size, destroying anything that gets in your way. The blue shell lets you roll along the ground in a Koopa shell, making you invincible. The Koopa shell also has the ability to allow Mario to move underwater with increased mobility and speed. Old items make there return as well, such as the Fire Flower (gives you the ability to throw balls of flame at enemies), Super Mushroom (makes Mario grow so he can take more damage), and the Mini Mushroom (shrinks mario, making him more vulnerable but also improving his jumping ability). Touch screen use is limited to selecting stored items. There are also 2p battles via the wireless conection.