System: Wii
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platform
Players: 1-4
Oh, my nostalgia. It's almost hard to believe this is the first side-scrolling Mario platformer to appear on a Nintendo console since Super Mario World. Yep, a mere 19 years ago (17 for us peasants in the once Mattel-operated land). As if the mere fact that this game even exists wasn't enough to celebrate, New Super Mario Bros. Wii (NSMBW) features something entirely new to the series – four player co-op. Way to earn that title, guys! Never has a mainline Mario game let players actually work together, although you'll soon discover it's typically more fun being an arsehole.
While much of the hype leading up to this game's release has centered around its multiplayer, the single player experience hasn't been compromised. It's a full-blown platforming adventure that's just as fun and rewarding by yourself; having some of your mates tag along for the ride is merely a bonus. Everything in each level can be seen, done and collected with just one player.
The game feels very much like a direct follow-up to Super Mario Bros. 3, almost like it's stuck somewhere between the 8-bit masterpiece and Super Mario World on an impossible time line. Unlike the DS' general mish-mash, the inspiration for this one is quite clear. Hell, even the Koopa Kids are back! Kicking off with the usual gripping scenario of Bowser kidnapping the princess for more quality time with her (you'd think being dumped with Bowser Jr. would have forever put him off), you're thrown into action with eight worlds to get through.
Perhaps the most important thing here, the level design is incredible - head and shoulders above what was on offer in the DS' New Super Mario Bros. This is a true return to Nintendo's creativity within the 2D Mario constraints. They're just so bloody fun to explore, with an abundance of secrets (including alternative exits) and exhilarating Jungle Beat style moments where you'll realise the ground barely even needs to be touched in order to move forward. There's a lot of variety in each environment; even the desert world is entertaining! Sorry, it's just that desert worlds... I don't know, I think Sonic & Knuckles' Sandopolis traumatised me as a kid or something.
Aside from the traditional mushroom and fire flower, the crew has access to some brand new power-ups along with a few more recent ones (the ice flower and tiny mushroom). The propeller hat will send players hurtling upwards with a quick shake of the Wii Remote, only to slowly float back down. The new penguin suit (that cute little guy from Super Mario 64 – you're wearing him) lets Mario slide across icy platforms on his belly, increases his mobility underwater and shoots out balls of ice. It's the best thing to wear in entirely inappropriate levels since the frog suit!
Yoshi's also back, but treated more like a super special treat. He's rarely available, and won't stay with you upon the competition of a level, so don't expect to see him around too much. Perhaps he's still pissed about all the abuse he suffered in Super Mario World.
As far as controls go, you can either play with the Wii Remote on its side, or in combination with the Nunchuk if an analog stick is more your thing. Either way, the Wii Remote is very cleverly integrated in the level design with some gentle tilting and shaking required here and there (hence no support for the GameCube or Classic Controller). Some platforms are moved around by tilting the controller, and there's even a floating raft level set in a dark cave; its dim, attached light – your only guide – is rotated with the Wii Remote. Great stuff.
If you felt New Super Mario Bros. on DS had a distinct lack of challenge, then good news! The Wii game ramps up the challenge considerably. An unforgiving demand for precision platforming, unusual moving obstacles and the most amount of on-screen enemies in any Mario platformer, ever. Of course, there's a good chance you'll never see the game over screen. Extra lives are plentiful, and Toad will shove items down your throat with his many bonus games (stockpiled goods can be selected before entering a level). But boy, those wrench-throwing moles. How I'd forgotten just how sadistic they can be. I suppose that's what happens when you spend your life desperately hoping for someone to pass by. “I'm so lonely... wait, there's someone! I must kill them!”
Hunting down all the Star Coins will just add to the difficulty, as some of them are actually incredibly well hidden compared to the DS game. Oh, and you'll definitely want to collect them all, there's a very special bonus ahead. But yes, while it's refreshing to be put up against a worthwhile challenge, what about that dreaded 'Super Guide'? You know, the help system - the one everyone on the internet whinged about. It's in there; you may never come across it though. It'll only activate on a level if you're really terrible at it. Dying eight times on a stage will trigger the option of having the CPU take over and finish it for you. They won't hunt down the Star Coins, so yeah. Time to find something new to complain about.
NSMBW retains the same presentation of the DS game, so you've got Koopa Troopa's dancing to the completely obnoxious 'bawp, ba ba' background music and a 3D style that still results in a bit of a mixed bag. Some levels look drop-dead gorgeous, while others just seem so... lifeless. For the most part though, it's a nice looking game and has a certain charm of its own. One thing to note, NSMBW will only run in widescreen. The levels were designed around this aspect ratio, so all those still banging away on trusty 4:3 television sets are stuck with a letterbox effect. It just seems so weird for Nintendo of all developers not to cater to everyone.
Many of the tunes have been recycled, but there are a few new (amazing) pieces. The castle music is seriously something else, wow. One of the most sinister tunes to ever grace a typically happy-go-lucky Mario title. Initially it somehow brought back memories of the dungeon music in the original Zelda game. Then a mate of mine commented on the exact same thing, spooky.
So, at this point you can probably tell I have nothing but praise for the single player game (that's not a Wii Remote in my pocket). Despite taking place across the same levels, the addition of co-op almost makes it feel like a whole new game. Getting together with friends in NSMBW makes for some of the best local multiplayer gaming around. A true classic. Trying to put the experience into words just wouldn't work without sounding like some kind of MSN conversation filled with the echoes of el oh el - it's something you really just need to try for yourself. Brilliant.
Score: 9.5/10 - "Absolute get"
This is Nintendo at their best. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is an amazingly enjoyable game. Casual? Hardcore? Get out of here with that shit, this is universal appeal.
Review by Lance McGill (Infernal Monkey)
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