The last game I “beat” was Mario Kart on the DS. But only if you equate beating it as getting gold on the 150cc Special Cup. So I wouldn’t really count that since I haven’t beaten the Mirror Cup yet. Other than that, I’m racking my brain trying to remember the last real game I beat and the only thing I could come up with was God of War… LAST YEAR!! omg, it’s been a long time. Maybe that’s why it felt so good beating New Super Mario Bros this past weekend with all stars on every single level! w00t.

So for those of you who are just starting or still playing, here are some tips:

1. You’ll be notified. So, once you’ve opened all levels on each world and gotten all 3 stars per level, you’ll see a little star symbol with “complete” next to it whenever you’re in that world. That was really useful because at least you’ll know if you’re missing a star somewhere on some secret level in the world. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t even notice this until half way through the game! 


2. Use those dots! The world map is always there, but it easily gets unnoticed. Use the map to see which levels you haven’t unlocked. This will give you an idea of which levels have alternate endings in order to unlock those other dots!
3. Where’s world 4 and 7? I had no idea how to open up some of the worlds until I asked some of our FD forumers. If you’re wondering why the worlds kind of go out of order, it’s because you have to beat some of the castles as mini-mario (specifically 3 and 6) in order to open up the other worlds, respectively 4 and 7.


4. Be stingy with your saves! They really do run out by the end if you keep unlocking those mushroom houses. You’ll wish you had more saves, especially towards the end of the game, so save wisely.


5. Mario’s “stomp” is stronger than you think. Sometimes using his “stomp” (jump and then hit down) is actually more effective than just jumping on the enemy. This comes in handy on some bosses, especially when you think you’re going to die soon.
6. Where to get lots of lives?Level 7-3, the magical 1up level.
7. Where to easily get a mini-mushroom?Level 1-4, the magical mini-mushroom level.

Now onto the good part… the ending.

So what happens once you’ve gotten all the stars and completed all the levels??? Highlight for spoilers…
You get to do the WHOLE THING AGAIN as LUIGI!!! Yay!! Plus you can save at any time now instead of at the castles or the mushroom houses. I haven’t beat the game on Luigi yet though. That’ll be my next mission.

This is truly a fun and thorough game and I loved it. I’m onto the mini games for now, but once I get tired of those, I’ll be looking for the next fun DS game. Any suggestions??