Take, for example, New Super Mario Bros. 2. I downloaded it on release
day, finished the entire game (all secret exits, etc…) and achieved
the goal of collecting 1,000,000 coins. When I look back at it, I just
have to wonder… *why*?

This game was the first Mario game that I’ve *ever* been bored with.
Just about everything in it is recycled from New Super Mario Bros. Wii
but with a few extra “wah wah” added into the songs. Most of the
levels are completely bland and forgettable, and the entire game was
too easy. For just completing the game, an average player might have
somewhere in the range of 20,000-25,000 coins at *most*… it’s
impossible to get to the coin goal that way.

Coin Rush is the only way, but it’s so BORING. You have to re-roll the
levels until you get a good set, and then replay them over and over
and over to boost your coin count up a respectable level. And, for
some reason, the max coins you can get in one run is capped at 30,000.
There are three different level packs, but *nobody* plays the Flower
or Star Packs because it’s far too easy to get into the range of
20,000+ coins in one run with the “easy” Mushroom Pack.

DLC is set to arrive for this game in the future, but it’s only going
to be for Coin Rush mode. What’s the point of buying them since you
can boost your coins easily with just the Mushroom Pack, and since the
coin collecting goals are useless anyway? Now, if the DLC had actually
been new worlds for the main game I’d have considered buying them, but
otherwise I’m steering clear.

There are “rewards” for getting 1,000,000 and 9,999,999 coins but both
of them are equally insulting and lame considering all the work you
have to do to get them. And I’m not bothering trying to get nine
million more coins just so the title screen can change slightly again!

Again, this is the first Mario game I’ve truly been bored with. Right
now I could start up Super Mario Bros. 3 and have just as much fun
playing it as I did back in the 90’s, and more than I could ever with
NSMB2. And I’m saddened that NSMBU just looks to be more of the same.
It was *new* six years ago, and it’s not now.

As for the Wii U, well, it’s not hard to see that it’s not going to
achieve anywhere near the same success as the Wii did. There’s not one
game on it (yet) that makes me want to buy the system, and after
hearing the pricing details today it’s going to be a long time before
I consider getting one. Well, at least I’ll have Kirby’s Dream
Collection sometime next week to play… one of the Wii’s last
releases and a good one too (45 song soundtrack CD, art/fact booklet
and a lot of other goodies on the game disc itself).

Sorry if I’m ranting, but I’m depressed at how different Nintendo is
now. I mean, I just have to take one look at (Nintendo) Nintendo Land
and it just makes me feel a little sick inside.

Another satisfied customer.