New Super Mario Bros
Developers at Nintendo have dreamed of creating a simultaneous multiplayer Super Mario Bros. game for decades. The Wii console finally makes that dream come true for everyone with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Supporting 2-4 players in side-scrolling co-op and competitive platforming action, and featuring a mix of fan favorites and new characters, new powerups and various input options via the Wii Remote, it is destined to become an instant classic in one of the most beloved game franchises of all-time.
Gameplay
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, like all the previous releases in the Super Mario Bros. franchise is a side-scrolling platforming game where players collect coins as they attempt to make their way through progressively more difficult game levels using their ability to time jumps over obstacles and avoid a slew of enemies. But although the game contain several well-deserved nods to previous games in the series in the form of iconic characters like Mario, Luigi and two Toads, as well as familiar enemies, sound effects and levels, it is not simply another trip down Mario Bros. memory lane. Taking advantage of the flexibility and power of the Wii and Wii Remote, New Super Mario Bros. Wii manages to preserve the retro experience that fans love about the series, while adding new game features. Notable additions among these include, expansive play levels and new powerups and characters, but by far the most important, and in fact game-defining new feature is simultaneous multiplayer.
A Franchise First: Simultaneous Multiplayer
Since the very first Super Mario Bros. game took the world by storm in the late 1980s gamers anxious to get into the action have patiently and impatiently waited their turn as the infamous ‘player 2.’ Those days are no more. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii players can now navigate the side-scrolling worlds alone as before or invite up to three others to join them at the same time, on the same level, at any point in the game for competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun. With the multiplayer mode, the newest installment of the most popular video game franchise is designed to bring yet another type of family entertainment into living rooms and engage groups of friends in fast-paced Super Mario Bros. fun.
Controller Choices Via the Wii Remote
In another nod to the series’ Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) roots, the Wii Remote controller used with New Super Mario Bros. Wii is held sideways, allowing for easy, classic inputs using the D-pad to direct playable characters, the 1 button to jump and 2 button to spit out projectiles like snowballs and fireballs. In addition, players can access powerups with their choice of either the push of a button, or by shaking the Wii remote, again demonstrating the perfect merging of classic gameplay and modern game design which is New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Key Game Features
* New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a combination of cooperation and competition. Players can pick each other up to save them from danger or toss them into it.
* Supports 2-4 players in multiplayer mode.
* Mario, Luigi and two Toads are all playable characters, while many others from the Mushroom Kingdom make appearances throughout the game. Players can even ride different Yoshi characters and use their tongues to swallow enemies – or their fellow players.
* In some areas, players use the motion abilities of the Wii Remote controller. The first player to reach a seesaw might make it tilt to help his or her character reach a higher platform – and then tilt it incorrectly just to mess with other players.
* New items include the propeller suit, which will shoot players high into the sky with just a shake of the Wii Remote and Mario’s new ability to transform into Penguin Mario.
* At the end of each stage during the simultaneous multiplayer mode, players are ranked based on their score, the coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.
Reviews
I have been playing video games since the Atari 2600, and was a kid during the Nintendo Entertainment System era. Some of my fondest memories involve one iconic set of characters: Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, and Princess Peach. Over the years, games have changed (some changes for the good, and others…not so much), but I love that the Mario series have stayed true to their roots. Every Mario game that I can think of has stood the test of time, and has served as a model to countless other games. However, despite being one of the best game franchises around, one component was always missing: multiplayer. Sure, previous SMB games had a “2 player” option, but all you were able to do was pass around the same joystick, or take turns using 2 joysticks. The idea of 2 characters on screen at the same time seemed strangely impossible for these games… and why Nintendo wasn’t able to make this happen sooner than 2009 boggles the mind. But, having spent 7 or 8 hours playing New Super Mario Bros yesterday, I don’t care why or how they were able to finally do it…because this game is an absolute blast to play!
As soon as the game starts, you start to get an idea of just how great this game is going to be… especially if you have played Super Mario games before (and cmon…who hasn’t?!?). Everything looks very familiar, but in a good way. The game really feels like they took some of the best ideas, bosses, levels, and music from each of the Mario games and retooled them for NSMB Wii (New Super Mario Bros Wii). In fact, it feels mostly like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 3 rolled into one, with a little bit of Super Mario Galaxy thrown in as well… and that, my friends, is an AWESOME combination! Like I mentioned earlier…I have played hundreds…maybe thousands of video games in my time. And this game ranks right up there with the best of them. It is, in my humble opinion, on par with Super Mario Bros 3, which has been rated by numerous gaming sites as the best game of all time. Playing the game for the first time, there were lots of “oohs and ahhs”, plenty of mischievous giggles, lots of punching and name calling (see multiplayer), and even several times where one of us paused the game just to point out how great this game is. I hate to gush over this game, but it really is a work of art. It’s easily one of the best games I have ever played, and certainly one of the best available on Wii. Here are some of my observations about it:
Mario is one of a very few characters who survived the jump from 2D to 3D. Mario 64 was revolutionary, and Super Mario Galaxy even more so. So it might seem odd that Nintendo would go back to a traditional side-scroller in the midst of 3D gaming. I for one am glad they did. Yes, there is something to be said for the nostalgia factor: the game goes out of its way to reference previous games in the Mario series, from the enemies to the music. But make no mistake, this is a NEW game with NEW, very CHALLENGING, levels. It may come as a surprise to those who were introduced to Mario via Galaxy or New SMB on the DS just how much harder this game is compared to those. NSMB Wii has a difficulty level on par with Mario 3 or Mario: The Lost Levels (aka Mario 2 in Japan). This game is relentless with agressive enemies, tricky platforming, and those classic secret areas that you can often see but can’t fathom how Mario can reach them!
