In 1985, the original Super Mario Bros. was introduced on the NES and shook up the gaming industry. It, and the many sequels it spawned, are looked upon as some of the greatest games to grace any console. As technology evolved the 2D platformers started to fade away and our favorite plumber started navigating full 3D worlds. The 2D versions got shafted to mostly ports of older games to the Gameboy, up until 2006. New Super Mario Bros. was released for the DS featuring a resurgence of the old style built around an enhanced graphical engine.
Now after seeing how successful the DS game was, Nintendo has brought this idea over to the Wii, with the ever-so creatively named New Super Mario Bros. Wii, making this the first side-scrolling Mario game on a console since Super Mario World on the SNES. As popular as the series has been, I would assume everyone interested enough in gaming to be reading this review has experienced how the gameplay works at some point in there life. You control Mario and work your way from Point A to Point B through each level. You get there by jumping over obstacles, taking out enemies, and using power-ups. Run into an enemy or fall through an opening at the bottom of the screen, and you lose a life. The gameplay is simple yet fun, enabling this series to last as long as it has.
You control New Super Mario Bros. Wii by either holding the Wiimote horizontally (like the original NES controller) or by plugging in your Nunchuk to induce analog control. The two options provide an adequate way to control the game. Most gamers will choose the Wiimote only control scheme for nostalgia, but I'm glad Nintendo chose to add another control scheme to let gamers choose their preference.
When you enter a level for the first time you'll feel right at home. After getting the hang of the slightly revamped controls such as shaking the Wiimote to do a spin attack, you realize that the game feels very familiar. While this isn't a bad thing, I couldn't help but get the feeling that this game lacked originality. The DS version was an excellent game and a great take on an old formula, but now 3 years later it doesn't feel like there was a whole lot added. Thankfully Mario doesn't slide around as much as he did in New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, though.
Along with executing a spin move, the motion controls come in during special situations. An example is a level that allows you to tilt the Wiimote to direct the light from a boat you're riding on (pictured above). It's a nice touch to take advantage of the system's capabilities without abusing them. The newest additions to the gameplay outside of the motion control are three new power-ups. New power-ups include the Ice Flower, the exact opposite of the Fire Flower, which freezes enemies and transforms them into rectangular ice blocks. There's the Penguin Suit which not only works the same as the Ice Flower, but gives Mario a slide attack and better control on icy platforms and underwater. The third is a Propeller Suit, giving Mario the ability to fly for a period of time. These new power-ups complement the gameplay nicely and are woven nicely into the levels. And I almost forgot to mention that Yoshi is available at a few select parts of the game, and is a blast to control for the short amount of time.
One of the best aspects of this game is it's visual artistic design. Graphically it's not super impressive. Textures don't exactly pop out or provide a wow factor like Super Mario Galaxy did, but the way it's put together with the view being in 2D but object models in 3D has a great feel to it. This isn't a new idea in the gaming world but it still looks fantastic. The typical Mario game theme also helps create a smooth look that's easy on the eyes. It also sounds great, with some of the same basic sound effects that the series has been using since the begining of time, and the soundtrack has some classic tunes and fun, new songs.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has a good amount of creatively designed levels spanned out over 9 worlds. The levels carry that classic Mario game touch with vibrant, eye catching colors and thoughtful set ups for the player to maneuver around. The levels may not be the best in the series, and I was hoping for more moments that make you stop and think “Wow, this is an incredible idea”. But nevertheless these levels make for a fun ride even if some feel a bit stale. However, they certainly don't lack a good challenge. This is one of the harder games Nintendo has put out in recent years.
In fact, they can be so hard that Luigi offers to complete them for you. That's right, Nintendo didn't forget about the “casual gamers” here. If you end up losing 8 lives on a single level, a box will pop up that enables you to have Luigi run through the level and complete it for you. Some gamers may frown at this idea, but you can hardly complain since this isn't forced upon you.
But single player is only half the fun. New Super Mario Bros. Wii allows for up to three other friends to jump in at the start of any given level, and control Luigi, a generic blue toad, or a generic yellow toad, alongside Mario. If you can get some friends together you're in for a blast. Things get chaotic, so playing with buddies isn't great for serious competition, but if you're just looking for a good time messing around, that can be found in this game.
Along with being able to jump in during the story mode, there are two other modes dedicated just to multiplayer. In Free Mode players compete in levels to get the most coins and enemy kills, while Coin Battle is simply a competition of which player can collect the most coins.
Unfortunately, online multiplayer was completely forgotten. Nintendo is aiming this more for families and friends spending time together, but in this day and age in gaming it's about time that Nintendo adds online support. With a game that has so much focus on playing with others, it would only make sense to expand to play with people outside of your home, especially when you consider that 4 players could roam the levels freely rather than be restricted to the one screen.
The problem is, while New Super Mario Bros. Wii is good fun, it lacks anything innovative. The game plays it safe and just goes through the motions, giving you the been there, done that feeling. This can also take away from the sense of accomplishment. Gameplay doesn't feel distinct from New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, so when you feel like you've done this before, it harms the pacing of the game and takes away from the addictiveness you may have once felt when playing Super Mario Bros.
I'm not saying that going back to the basics is a bad thing, but we just did that 3 years ago. The fresh, nostalgic filled punch that the game delivered when it appeared on the DS has worn off. If you're getting this just for single player, there's a good chance of you getting bored quickly. If you've got friends who are interested in messing around in multiplayer with you, it'll be great fun but still it doesn't carry that much replay value. If you simply can't get enough of classic Mario platforming, New Super Mario Bros. Wii may be worth dropping $49.99 on, but others should be cautious as this game does have its downfalls.
Score: 7.6
