Nintendo has been on a godly console run since the early 90s, sweeping the competition with its fresh outlook on gaming. SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, all the way to today’s Nintendo Switch 2, represent over five decades of family-friendly adventures and memories worth replaying.
Popular projects like The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Star Fox have helped make Nintendo a household name and a console synonym for all distracted parents around the world, allowing the Japanese company to reach multi-billion-dollar valuations for generations.
Their flagship franchise, however, remains the primary focus of Nintendo fans worldwide since its 1985 debut. Jumpman Mario, with over 200 titles to his name, is undoubtedly the face that runs the place.
With many global hits that innovated mechanics and invented gaming genres, there’s bound to be some misses along the way. But there’s one period of time that sticks out like a sore white-gloved thumb.
The New Super Mario Bros. Series debuted on May 15, 2006, ending the 14-year drought of 2D platformers with its release on the Nintendo DS. The game was a way to introduce new Mario players to his sidescrolling origins.
A huge commercial success, New Super Mario Bros. sold over 30 million copies, making it the best-selling game on its platform and one of the best-selling video games of all time. It is inherently great by design; heck, it was my first Nintendo DS game, too. The modernized graphics, classic level design, and subtle difficulty tweaks made it a must-have for newgens and one of the best hits of the new century, something that piqued Nintendo execs' interest.
In the span of seven years and three consoles, Nintendo released five titles under the New Super Mario Bros. umbrella:
- New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS in 2006
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the Nintendo Wii in 2009
- New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012
- New Super Mario Bros. U for the Nintendo Wii U in 2012
- New Super Luigi U for the Nintendo Wii U in 2013
How new can a five-game series be? I’m genuinely nauseous looking at that list. I mean, pizza is great, but daily pizza for three years is not, like at all. The New Super Mario Bros. era terrorized Mario fans for the better part of a decade while Nintendo cashed in on the rather effortless rehashes.
The series' repetitive gameplay and level design were felt immediately after the second release. Still, it’s one of Nintendo’s most profitable franchises, grossing over $60 billion thanks to its simple approach. A dark time to be a Nintendo fan, a coin-bright period for Nintendo themselves.
The New Super Mario Bros. Era was the gamer equivalent of a baby pacifier: “here is your mandatory plumber release”, leaving players frustrated looking for more from their favorite Italian hero. This trend added to the many flaws of the Wii U, such as the lack of a heavyweight Mario entry, which eventually led to the console’s failure and forced Nintendo’s hand into innovation.
Shoved in the right direction, the Nintendo Switch ended the Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Wii U New eras in 2017. Its last hurrah was a port of the series best hits with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, released on the Nintendo Switch in 2019. Since then, Mario fans haven’t seen the splash text, hopefully for good, after the massive success of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, with a much-needed overhaul to graphics, difficulty, and overall feel of the 2D franchise.
Coincidentally, the NSMB series' duration aligns with the gap between beloved 3D releases, with Super Mario Galaxy’s development starting around 2005 and Super Mario Odyssey starting in 2013. No wonder players got so desperate; they coerced Nintendo into their best era to date with both Switches. I just wish this trend of quality over quantity continues. Let’s-a go for broke, Nintendo. You can afford it.
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