If the meta-score is high on a game that lacks in a very important component (i.e. presentation), I don't know what to think of the industry.

To dish out DS graphics on a 3DS is a slap in my face, I paid 250$ for mine.

I'm undecided on 3D Land's success, because it hasn't caused Nintendo to make money yet. Unit sales don't matter if you have to market so much your company's in the red.

I agree it wouldn't sell to more % of owners but (if it suceeded) it would push a lot more consoles. But I think we can't know.

I'd honestly be content if every 2D Mario game from now on had the the same graphical style as Super Mario All Stars on the SNES.

How it looks is one of the last concerns I have with 2D Mario games. The level design, tight controls and difficulty level are far more important to me in them (and in any other 2D platformer for that matter) than anything to do with aesthetics.

^It doesn't work that way though. Super Mario All-Stars didn't leave room for much improvement on the SNES. However, NSMB has a lot of kinks it could iron out given it's semi-3D presentation. There are still jaggies, some enemies need more detail. In other words, I find it less visually pleasant than Super Mario All-Stars, if that makes it clearer.

Do other people think like me or am I alone here?

@happydolphin

You could be right.
Or you could be terribly over-reacting based upon four screen shots -- which do not even look to be taken in a good resolution.

And while this title will sell on name alone, it will not be in Nintendo's best-interest to do a "half-way" job on it. After all, it is the flagship and it will be the entry point for new gamers to 2D Mario.

Mike from Morgantown

I sure hope you're right Mike. As I said in the OP, the P-bar looks very promising, and some much better 2D dynamics and speed seem incoming (which is great).

But from those pics, especially those darn spiders... I don't like the art direction they're taking this, it seems too generic. I don't know if you see what I see.

Okay, the pine-trees have Christmas tree decorations in them... and they're all the same height. Even SMB bros had varying backdrop objects...

There's something generic, something cheesy about NSMB2's art style and I'm really not a fan of it. Am I the only one to see it?

It just smells money-making, in contrast with awesomeness...

You skipped my last post, but check that snowy screenshot. The flares all around it.

Graphical effects like that are going to be cool in this game,  I'm sure. Nintendo will throw a lot of those cute things here to take advantage of the 3D.

Oh spurge! I love you man. Try to understand what I'm saying, not what I'm not saying

Pezus, could the screenshot you provided have been only possible on a Dolphin emulator?

The haziness is bad on the NSMB2 screens, but what really gets me is the detail in the environments and the characters. It's all too cheezy and smells like reuse and non-gamer catering.