With the Mario franchise, a new game is always a delicate tiptoe through a minefield of gaming history. Do you regurgitate the oft-repeated formula of the 80s, or do you take a risk with something new that might alienate legions of followers? Fortunately for us, Nintendo has always done a bang-up job of finding a balance between these two extremes.

Before all else, it must be stated that New Super Mario Bros. does do its share of regurgitation. The plot revolves around yet another scheme by Bowser to kidnap Princess Peach (since apparently his nine thousand earlier failures haven't taught him the lesson of futility) and once again Mario seems to be the only person in all of the Mushroom Kingdom who is available to rescue her. Go figure.

New Super Mario follows the formula of recent Mario games and puts a neo twist on a retro concept. The basis of the game is the ancient tapestry of sidescrolling platforming, the exact same alchemical mix that was conjured up in 1985 and revisited in most of the early games of the franchise. What's the new twist, you ask? 3D graphics. In a brilliant move by the designers, all three-dimensional models were inserted into this two-dimensional world. While this doesn't affect actual gameplay, it imparts more depth into what would otherwise be a simple, stale run-and-jump.

Gameplay is...well, it's not much. If you've played any of the first three Mario games on NES, or the Mario Land games on Game Boy, you've got 90% of this game down pat even before you put the cartridge in the DS. You run, you jump, you squash goombas, and you nab tasty mushrooms and other similar powerups. Some new powerups have been introduced, including one which expands Mario to nearly the size of the screen, allowing him to simply walk through everything in his path, reducing enemies, blocks and even some otherwise-permanent objects to rubble. Like the rest of the game, it's a modernization of a beloved classic.

In a nod to a few past Mario games, there is considerable incentive to go back for seconds and thirds. Throughout all the stages are scattered coins and secret exits that unlock new regions of the game, most of which aren't necessary for advancement through the game's core plot but all of which are enjoyable and fun to explore. In classic style, the designers throw out tons of extras that may take hours for some players to discover and exploit to the fullest of their enjoyment, and always provide a reason to return to the Kingdom.