NSMB2 was something of a disappointment; I wouldn't really use it as a frame of reference for anything. It was pretty much the only main-series Mario game that not only did NOTHING new, but had largely uninteresting level design, felt completely inessential, and made no compelling argument for the hardware on which it was released. It basically felt like a level pack for its predecessor, the 3D felt forced-in and added nothing, and the whole thing just felt like a "filler" title.Specially Cork wrote:The 3D effect is quite nice (better than NSMB2 anyway)
And it's a real shame, because pretty much every major Mario game--well, EVER--could support a case for being on a list of "best games." In addition, the 3DS has quite a few really good games--not to mention really good platformers in particular, and even really good Mario games--and several titles that manage to add 3D to titles that don't need it but still make it feel like a nice addition.
As you mentioned, the 3D in Shovel Knight is unnecessary, but it still adds a nice degree of depth and object differentiation. A handful of SEGA Genesis games were reworked with added depth, and it really makes those titles (particularly Streets of Rage) feel like entirely new games. And Mario 3D Land was absolutely steller.
If you want a new 2D Mario game, get the one for Wii U. The 3DS one is kind of a waste of time.
I kind of agree, though my reasoning may seem a bit odd. These games tend to run in the neighborhood of 320x240 (or 400x240), which has a nice 1:1 pixel relation to the 3DS screen. Unless the game has a graphic option to simulate CRT pixels and scanlines, playing it on a "correct" resolution screen looks better to my eye than playing in jaggy-vision on an HD set, particularly when the game's native resolution doesn't divide cleanly into the output resolution and it has to use interpolation.[...] and I just feel these simple retro-style games feel more at home on a portable to be honest. Like Spelunky on the PS Vita. It just feels it belongs there more than on any other platform.
So, for low-res games (both new and old):
#1 preference: standard-def CRT set
#2 preference: native-resolution handheld or "scanline" filter