Get ready to be rich, because New Super Mario Bros. 2, an action-adventure platformer, is bursting with coins! The prequel, New Super Mario Bros., on the Wii and DS, follow up to its sequel on the 3DS. In this game, the goal is to save Princess Peach from Bowser, but coins are the big picture. After all, the game gives you a counter to keep track of your cash. It’s good to know that there’s one Mario game that doesn’t give you the only one option: hunting down Bowser.

If you don’t know Mario, he’s the high-jumping hero that travels with his brother, Luigi, to save Princess Peach from Bowser (the boss) and the Koopalings (her captors). This time, she’s kidnapped while the brothers are flying around collecting coins. They land, only to find that the Princess has been snatched again by the Koopalings. Mario and Luigi run off to get her back.

Moving on to the modes in New Super Mario Bros. 2, there are three you can pick from: Solo Play, Co-op Play, and Coin Rush. Solo Play is single player. Co-op Play is a mode where you can team up with a friend with another copy of the game and go off to fulfill your two quests with a buddy. The mode is fun and every coin you collect is worth double, but be cautious. You and your friend have shared lives, so make sure one of you isn’t dying constantly. Keep that in mind and Co-op Play should be great. The last mode, Coin Rush, puts players to the test of collecting as much change as possible--in a very short amount of time. This mode is unlocked once you’ve completed enough stages. Three levels are picked by random (the ones you’ve beaten so far), and the game starts. A little disclaimer: You only have one life. Die, and the game is over. However, you have the chance to double your coin total by hitting the top of the flagpole. Just take it easy, and try to keep up with the clock and collect some cash.

Jumping to gameplay, Nintendo has added some new items such as the Gold Flower, and some power-ups make cameos, like the Super Leaf. As usual, the levels are short lengths with fair time limits, and beg to be explored. There are many hidden paths and goodies in obscure places, but if you’re just yearning to finish a level without looking around a bit, it can get very short. Myself, I find that the levels are new and creative, but lack difficulty. No stage is simpler than beating it in two minutes. Just recently, DLC (downloadable content) was added, which happened October 4, 2012. These were bundles of Coin Rush stages that you could buy off the game’s own online shop. The DLC levels are fun and challenging, like the third group of courses--The Nerve-Wrack Pack. You have to buy it with real money, though. Sorry, you can’t pay for it with coins! Besides levels, unless you’re out for collecting everything in New Super Mario Bros. 2, it will be very easy. It might sound impossible to get one million coins. Don’t worry, though--there are many areas to conquer in the game, and many opportunities to pick up some change along the way.

Graphics are aesthetically pleasing, while sound and controls take a turn for the worse. Some of the enemies, like the Koopa Troopa, have choppy sprites, although the game is high quality 3D and has bright, colorful characters and backgrounds. New Super Mario Bros. 2’s soundtracks are great to listen to as well (including remixed sound effects), along with the bop-bop of the music, save the recycled sounds. Changing around some of each stage’s tunes would’ve been a great foot forward. Getting to controls, Mario can still run through stages, jump on enemies and over hills, slide down slopes, swim in some levels, grab fences in castles, carry Koopa shells and much more. No extra controls have been added to Mario’s moves, which is disappointing. Mario could’ve been able to do something else like roll instead of just canceling ground pounds (or butt-stomps, to be clearer). Simply put, do the controls have to be redundant?

Overall, New Super Mario Bros. 2, $40.00 worth its weight in coins, goes for the gold and has some potential. Whether you get a copy of the game in retail or on the 3DS’s online shop, you’ll still be raking in coins by the minute. The main storyline’s levels and DLC packs will keep you stirring up Mario action for hours. Good luck with the one million coin challenge. It shouldn’t be any trouble getting some Mario money while progressing through the game. Gold Blocks (coin heads), gold enemies, Gold Rings (rings that turn everything into gold), and the Gold Flower (a flower that lets you shoot gold fireballs with payout for each monster you hit) all turn New Super Mario Bros. 2 into a money-filled wonderland. To wrap this up, someone make coins to dollars possible quick, because you’re going to need it!