The only major flaw is the name.
But now we have New. Super Mario Bros. for the DS, which effectively combines various elements of almost every other Mario game to create a completely new game with a very nostalgic feel. As I was playing through this game I was actually thinking, "Wow! This part is just like in the 1st Super Mario Bros." then a few minutes later, "Hey! This is kind of like Super Mario Bros. 3". In this game's case this is actually more of a positive than a negative, because it doesn't feel like any elements are directly taken from previous Mario Bros. games, more "borrowed". One of the key elements that ties in the nostalgia is the use of classic Mario music in the game.
The controls are really simple...if you've ever played a Mario game before then you know what they are (when in doubt press the A button). Interestingly, Mario uses a lot of his 3-D moves to navigate through the 2-D world, which is good because now, when you're falling into a pit you can wall jump out. Also, there are more puzzles in the level that require you to use these moves and collecting all of the gold coins will require mastery of them. Many new elements are added such as using Mega and Mini Mushrooms, which either make you bigger or smaller, but it still feels like theres a lot more that COULD have been included like Yoshi or different costumes and abilities. The content is great, but there could have been more to it.
Mario and all of the enemies are 3-D characters in a 2-D world which looks great and throws a new spin on an old concept, because there is so much more to explore in each of the levels now. The character animations also look great.
The game itself is somewhat short, but there is a lot more to explore: hidden worlds, hidden levels, collecting all of the gold coins, etc., and there are plenty of mini-games and a 2-player mode. However, aside from the player's own pleasure, there's not much incentive to go back and try to collect all of these things becuase they don't unlock anything truly significant and there's no wi-fi mode to play online.
New Super Mario Bros. is a great game that shouldn't be missed by any platformer fan. The only major flaw with the game is the name and everything else should keep the player entertained for weeks.