As you may know, Nintendo is getting ready to ship the first new 2D Mario platformer in over a decade (if you don't count Super Princess Peach, which you shouldn't, because she's not Mario). It's looking really, really good.

I played through most of the first world, and I think I've figured out what Nintendo is going for with this game. ... Though it may be almost impossible, I get the impression that, for people who have played 2D Mario games in the past, Nintendo is trying to recreate the feeling of playing that original Super Mario Bros.; that is, constant surprises and memorable moments throughout. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and New Super Mario Bros. designer Takashi Tezuka (Miyamoto's assistant director back on the original Super Mario Bros.) must have been working overtime on crazy crap to cram into this game, because practically every level had completely unexpected moments during which I couldn't help but smile, or in some cases even laugh aloud.