He's back and harder than ever!
The killer app for the Nintendo Wii in 2009. If you regularly check the NPD figures when they arrive, you have seen this game on the charts for 5 months straight. People are buying this game like hotcakes. And why not? It's Mario, the video game icon who, unlike Miley Cyrus, hasn't whored himself out and has stayed true to his image. I bought my 4th Wii just to play this game. I just had to.
New Super Mario Brothers Wii is a return to the classic side-scrolling platform game that we've been playing for 25 years. Combining elements of Super Mario Brothers 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Brothers DS with some new elements, NSMBW is an instant classic despite a few flaws that do keep it away from perfection.
Princess Peach has been kidnapped yet again, this time by Bowser, Bowser Jr. and the other 7 Koopa Kids. That annoyance Kamek is also back to harass Mario. Once again, Mario has to go through 8 worlds and defeat each of the Koopa Kids and rescue Peach.
It's classic SMB action, as Mario goes from left to right, dealing with the enemies like he knows how to and reaching a flag pole at the end. There are mushroom houses that will get you power-ups, allow you to play a match game for power-ups and net you extra lives. 1ups are plentiful, though.
The same power-ups from NSMBDS are back, plus two new ones. The penguin suit is a combination of the frog suit from SMB3 and the ice flower; you will be able to swim better and throw iceballs. The Propeller Cap allows Mario to fly by waggling the controller and then moving him slowly down to a platform. He can only fly again when he's touched the ground.
No two ways about it, the game is hard. Rotating blocks, moving platforms that you must control with waggle while you have to use the gamepad to move Mario, levels with abundant enemies and more will test you. The boss battles, though, are old hat for any Mario game veteran. I found them to be easy.
The game also has the highly-touted multiplayer. Up to 4 players can play at the same time. Honestly, it's only good if you're not serious about your gaming session. Playing this is akin to playing co-op Battletoads on the NES. It seems like the other players just get in your way. There's also the touted Guide, which has Luigi show you how to clear the level. I really don't think too many people would find use for it.
The graphics are gorgeous, classic Mario and the music is top-notch. The little touches like the enemies reacting to the chants are great.
However, there are a few flaws. First, the multi-player is just a novelty. Second, you can only use the Wii Remote and I felt it only provided fair control. Also, I lost a few Marios by accidentally waggling the controller gently. In the game, this causes Mario to get a little more oomph in his jumps by spinning in the air and sometimes Mario would jump off a platform to his death unexpectedly. The game is not kid friendly, either. Even hardcore gamers will be throwing the remote down and cursing up a storm due to the difficulty. It would have been nice if they also included a few mini-games like the DS had.
Despite all that, the game is still gold. Challenging, addictive and satisfying. The hardcore Mario gamer will play this until he has access to the 9th World from collecting all the Gold Coins in the levels. This is a system seller, no doubt. If you have a Wii, you need to buy this.
