No gimmicks, that means no karts, no parties or no sports. Just Mario at his best!
No, but I'll tell you why it lost that last mark. It's one of the best Mario games ever! New power-ups, new variety what more could you ask for? MORE LEVELS! I got this for my birthday and loved it, but you know what I didn't love, the fact that I finished it in a day! Normally when a game does this to me, I'd give it a much lower score, but since it has amazing replay value, all is forgiven! Now on to the good stuff, what does Mario have now that he has made his jump to the DS? 2-player co-op at the SAME TIME!!! If that isn't enough, play mini games with up to 4 friends... at the SAME TIME!!! I love this game a lot, because it's MARIO! Not Mario Party! Not Mario Kart! Not Mario Paint! Just side scrolling awesomeness! If you have a DS but don't have this game, stop reading my review, go to a game shop, find this game, and play it 'till your brain rots!