Hello Malstrom.
I’m waiting on Nintendo to let us 2D Mario fans muck around in some of the cool worlds shown off in various 3D and spin-off games. The Mario Party series has actually introduced some really cool looking enviornments to play around in. Mario Party 1 did its own spin on the Bob-Omb Battlefield, with a real war-torn look (at least for the Mushroom Kingdom). Mario Party 2 gave us a haunted playground, complete with a Day and Night shtick that could be worked into a Mario level (Goombas turning into Boos before our eyes? Sign me up!) It also had a Desert Land theme, but mixed it in with alien technology and UFOs, a pretty neat cross-up on two tired themes. It would be awesome walking through a giant pyramid and discovering a crashed spaceship to climb into. Maybe Tatanga has returned.
For wholly new ideas, why not something based off of feudal Japan? I know Mario Land gave us something to that effect, but I’d love to see it expanded upon. Koopas in samurai gear? Giant Paper Wiggler costumes hiding an army of Goombas? A feudal era version of Bowser’s castle, complete with Ninji bodyguards? Heck, why not give Mario a Ninji Suit power-up, complete with wall-clinging and the Mario 3 style somersault jump? That would be way cooler than a Propeller Hat. It would actually fit in quite nicely with the New Series introduction of wall-jumping.
Samurai world!? What is this? The second coming of Mega Man 6 and its atrocious Yamato Man?
Look at the Mega Man bosses. The ones that people hated (Knight Man? Yamato Man?), I don’t think Mario worlds that resemble them would be very popular.