Genre: Platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1 – 4
Retail Price: $50
Availability: Wii
What is it about Nintendo’s overalled italian that makes a gamer’s heart go aflutter? His contributions to gaming are many — the kart racing craze might never have occurred if he never hit the tracks — but his most influential mark, to this day, remains the 2D sidescrolling platformer. Super Mario Bros. remains one of the most copied games of all time even though it was released in 1985, and its many sequels have met with critical and commercial acclaim as well. Mario’s transition in the the third dimension put a hold on furthering his monoplanar adventures, but his return to 2D was more successful than anyone could have imagined. New Super Mario Bros. is one of the DS’ best selling games, so a Wii installment, while unexpected at the time of its announcement, is actually unsurprising. If the game’s quality is any indication of its future sales, New Super Mario Bros. Wii could end up being one of the best selling Wii titles yet.
In some ways, New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like a greatest hits mish-mash of past Mario conventions. The basics are the same, of course. Players will run along the levels from left to right, stomping the heads of enemies all the way to the goal. You’ll be garnished with powerups, some familiar, some brand new, that grant extraordinary abilities. These elements were established in the original Super Mario Bros. The stage select screens and level themes in general will be familiar to those who played Super Mario Bros. 3, as will the ability to enter mushroom houses for pre-level powerups and your main antagonists, the Koopa Kids. Super Mario World makes its mark with the inclusion of Yoshi, ghost house levels and hidden exits, while Yoshi’s Island makes its presence felt through that unlovable scamp, Bowser Jr, and also the inclusion of Kamek, the koopa wizard as an important character. Pop in the general aesthetic feel from New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, as well as the gold coins hidden through the levels and you’ve got yourself something of a ‘best of’ recipe for Super Mario game design.
It sucks being the only one without a propeller cap
It seems easy, then, to accuse the game of having a lack of identity when its components are listed outright. The admirable thing about it, however, is how well all these familiar pieces are put together to create something that feels as fresh, exciting and pure as any Mario platformer that’s come before it. The level design is the true star of the game, and has everything to do with establishing this entry as its own entity. Whether it’s the rolling hills of the opening level or a rotating block level found later in the game, you’re rarely given the same obstacle twice. It’s a joy to jump across a series of raised blocks and fling yourself to the top of a flagpole. This joy comes at first not because the level is over, but because you had such a great time getting there. That “great time” is replaced in later levels with a feeling of accomplishment, as some of the closing stages pull no punches when trying to deplete your available extra lives.
There’s no shortage of secrets and extra challenges to keep you busy. Some levels have hidden exits, which may lead to warps or additional levels, and they can be a real pain in the ass to locate. There are also the golden coins, three of which are hidden in each level and can be incredibly tricky to obtain. These two elements move New Super Mario Bros. Wii from the realm of reflex-platformer help focus more on exploration — a dual nature games rarely achieve. Also, there are a few levels where you must carry a Toad to the goal, which can slow the pace down even more, further mixing things up. Of course, there are all optional — you can go through most of the game’s level ignoring these objectives, but let’s be honest — Who plays a Mario game to accomplish the bare minimum?
Shaking the remote performs a spin attack that can lengthen jumps and clear clouds away
New to the series is the ability to play through the game with a friend. In fact, four people can play simultaneously. While two-player co-op can be a rewarding experience, three and four player co-op turns the game into a raucous, chaotic party experience. The early levels are a blast, with each player usually jumping about to their heart’s delight, or stealing every powerup out of the boxes (no fingers pointed… Dave), but the later levels provide to be too tricky for such unfocused antics. Completing them requires some real coordination and diligence, something most three or four-player parties will find in short supply. Regardless, it’s an incredibly fun mode to have included.
Perhaps smartly, Nintendo has left room for improvement with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The new powerups, the propeller cap and the penguin suit are fun, but feel less substantial due to the lack of equally fresh company, especially since the penguin suit is simply an upgraded ice flower. Yoshi is woefully underused, as is the mini-mushroom ability, and then there’s the game’s insistence on handholding in areas where it really doesn’t need to. Do people really need to be reminded they can buy movies at Peach’s castle five or six times a level? How about explaining how powerups work after every mushroom house? It gets a little tiresome to see these types of instructions pop up so frequently. Nintendo would do well to include a disable option in the inevitable sequel — they need to keep in mind that not everyone who owns a Wii is a non-gamer swept up in the blue ocean.
Those issues, however, do such little damage to what is such an expertly designed that it almost seems silly to mention them. New Super Mario Bros. is a triumph on every level, and succeeds in rekindling the feelings produced by its forerunners. Why Nintendo hasn’t applied this loving and creative touch to more of its properties is a mystery, but if 2D Mario titles of this quality continue to pour forth it almost doesn’t matter.
