Yes I like them big silly coins

The classic Mario games like Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World are superior to the two New Super Mario Bros. games in almost every aspect. Better level design, better looking graphics (yes those 2.5D graphics are horrible) and tighter controls etc.

But the NSMB games have improved on their old school brethren in one important way. And no it's not that you can turn in to a giant Mario, that's just stupid. The massive improvement is those big coins that are hidden in every level. By introducing this collecting element Nintendo is forcing the player to stop and explore instead of just speeding through the levels Sonic style. Plus finding secrets in Mario games has always been fun, finding those hidden warp pipes in SMB1 was maybe the coolest thing in that game. Now we have hidden things in every level and that's just awesome.

In some ways it's like the stars in Mario 64. The way they motivated the player to explore and fully appreciate the games 3D environments. But in Mario 64 the stars were the way you progressed in the game. In the two NSMB games on the other hand they are more of an optional side quest, you can still play through the game the way you would any old Mario game and completely ignore the hidden coins. They are just there for those players who want a somewhat deeper experience, and I want that, I really do. Now that I have beaten Bowser in NSMB Wii I'm not sad that it's over, I'm happy that I get to go back and go through all those levels again trying to find their hidden secrets. That's all thanks to those silly looking big coins, that and the secret exits. Those are awesome too but I will have to write about how much I love the them in another post because now it's time for me to have breakfast.