NSMBWii takes Mario back to his roots, with the addition of four-player multiplayer.
It's Princess Peach's birthday, and the whole kingdom is celebrating! No o--….Hm, do I need to say anymore about the plot? Maybe I ought to just skip to gameplay.
After watching the opening, you'll be taken to the map screen, which is reminiscent of SMB3's. You can move Mario along the fixed paths of the map visiting unlocked stages and various Toad houses, where you can compete in mini-games to win items and 1UPs. Disappointingly, there are only two mini-games you'll ever see. One for wining items, and the other for winning 1UPs. Neither is very creative, and although they're small details, it would have been nice to see new games for every world, like in Yoshi's Island.
Of course, the main attraction is the levels you'll be playing through. In traditional 2D Mario style, there are eight worlds. In this game, there are usually eight levels in each world to conquer (six stages and two castles). Good news. The levels are fun and creative, with lots of variety. You'll make your way through grassy fields, a desert, the sky etc. They're definitely reminiscent of the past, and as I said before, are a blast to play. About every four levels, you'll encounter a castle to traverse, with a boss to defeat at the end. These castles are just as fun, and even though the Koopalings aren't very creative foes, fighting them is pretty fun too. Staying alive works the same way as well. Jump on enemies to , but don't let them make contact normally or you'll be damaged. By getting a mushroom, you can upgrade to normal Mario, but by taking damage, you revert to small Mario. Get hurt as small Mario, and kiss the world good-bye. Other items return as well, such as fire-flowers and Starmen, as well as new ones, such as a helicopter suit that let's you fly high into the air, or an ice flower, which lets you, freeze your enemies. Unfortunately, there is element that didn't carry over from the sweet Mario formula of old-the difficulty. As fun as the game is, most of us are looking for a nice challenge, and this really isn't it. I worked my way up to the maximum ninety-nine lives in a hurry, and kept that number about right there most of the way through the game. Not to say, of course, that you'll never die, but there are many levels in which you'll breeze through with no deaths. Thankfully, Mr. Miyamoto didn't leave us without a challenge. Upon completing the game, you unlock a new world. World 9 has eight levels to play, but to open them you have to collect all the "star coins" of each world. Every level in the game, including castles, has three large, star-emblazoned coins to collect. They'll each take at least a bit of skill to collect. Whether they're in plain sight, but in a hard-to-reach spot, or hidden deep in the bowels of a level, finding every star coin in the game will sport a challenge to take on. You might have gotten many of these coins on your first play-through, but there are many that you will miss. Upon obtaining all of World 1's coins, you will unlock 9-1. All of World 2's will unlock 9-2, and so on. These levels are quite a challenge, some being way more difficult than others. 9-1 is remarkably challenging, and 9-7 is excruciatingly hard, earning my award for hardest level in the game. These levels, too, have Star Coins to collect. Get 'em all for gloating rights.
A possible cheap-out I noticed was the fact that you can obtain items from Toad houses to equip before a level. It would be possible to equip an item such as a helicopter suit before a level and keep launching yourself through the air, away from danger. But then, it's really up to you on whether you want the challenge or not.
If you've had any experience with a 2D Mario game you'll feel right at home with the controls. The Wii-remote is held sideways, so that the D-pad becomes your movement, 1 becomes run/use/grab, and 2 becomes jump. Miyamoto has taken advantage of the motion controls, and, as in Galaxy, he hasn't overdone it. If you shake the Wiimote on the ground, you'll do a spin-jump, a powerful jump that will send you spinning high into the air if you perform it off an enemy. If you shake the Wiimote in the air, Mario will do a quick spin, retaining his altitude for a split-second. This move will become invaluable, and you'll find yourself using it constantly. Also, by holding down 1 and shaking, you can pick up enemies that you've frozen with ice balls, as well as your fellow players in multiplayer. The controls all work well, and feel very natural.
Probably the biggest change in this title is the multiplayer, in which you can play through every level in the game with up to three friends, cooperatively or competitively (grab more coins than the other players). It's really as simple as that. The only real gameplay change is that item blocks will spit out more than one item, pertaining to the number of players in-game. Another change to mention is the addition of the "bubble" which is a help for those new to the game. If you're playing the game with some inexperienced family or friends and you come to a part of the level that's not quite their skill level, then they can simply press "A" and encase themselves in a bubble. They'll lazily and invincibly float through the level unharmed, and can be released if another player touches them. One also enters a bubble when he dies. If you're playing cooperatively, you might want to pop your comrade, but in competitive play, you'll take great joy in seeing your opponent float helplessly around the stage. One can shake the Wiimote to force their bubble toward another player, though, so bubble-victims aren't all helpless.
Everything looks and sounds great. The graphics are smooth looking, with no pixelation to be found, and the frame rate stays silky smooth. As mentioned before, the game takes place in many environments, and they all look great. Mr. Kondo has once again composed for this Mario title, and has composed his typical Mario soundtrack. Light-hearted, bouncy tunes that aren't usually too intense. While it wouldn't be on your iPod, it is catchy, and it does fit the game.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is pretty much what most of us were hoping for. An old-skool Mario title that goes back to the series' classic formula. Even though the difficulty may not be what some were hoping for, the game still retains that Mario charm, and World 9 along with finding all the Star Coins helps to compensate. Even at it's sixty-four plus, level count, it isn't too terribly long, but finding all those star coins will add length. The multiplayer is fun to play with the inexperienced, but a newbie's lack of skill will become grinding after a while. I haven't gotten the chance to play with a true gamer yet, but I can only imagine the cooperative play can get pretty intense. Mario is a gaming legend, with nearly no bad games to show for. This game continues the legacy, and I highly recommend it.