New, free New Super Mario Bros. 2 levels hark back to the golden days

We mean that both literally and figuratively. To celebrate a whopping 300 billion coins collected by New Super Mario Bros. 2 players worldwide, Nintendo has released a new series of downloadable levels that are free for a limited time. Before Feb. 1, players can romp around in tributes to classic levels from the Super Mario series, like the first stages of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3 and more.

In a Nintendo Direct broadcast (shown below), Nintendo president Satoru Iwata described the Gold Classics Pack of levels in detail, which will be available for $2.50 after Feb. 1. The Gold Classics Pack will feature a series of levels that sew parts of retro Super Mario Bros. levels together, culminating in a fight against Bowser that pays homage to his first encounter with Mario.

Between this and initiatives like Miiverse on the Wii U, perhaps Nintendo is finally coming around to modern, online gaming. But we'll call that for certain when we see it. Look, it's our job to be jaded cautiously optimistic.

[Via Kotaku]

Are you psyched for this free DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2? What do you think of Nintendo's online strategy these days? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment.