Mario Bros Wii is proof that a tried-and-true formula can stand the test of time, while feeling fresh and new again.
(-) multiplayer can be a riot; some of the motion based controls don't always work that well; the game could have used a few more power-ups; isn't it time we see a Mario game with a new story?
Everyone knows that Nintendo is a company that puts all their effort an energy into creating authentic entertainment experiences. They push most of the trend of online gaming away in favor of people playing together in the same household, and they push sharp HD graphics for focus on the gameplay experience all it its self. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is not only proof that that approach still works, but also proof that a classic game can stand as a top pier hit even by today's standards, and that will give you a good idea on where Nintendo stands as a video game company.
Speaking of standing out, New Super Mario Bros Wii even comes in a red case! Some people have moaned about this, because when they buy the game and put it in their Wii collection, it'll stick out like a chocolate bar in a swimming pool. But what doesn't stand out, however, is the game's story. If you've played any recent Mario game, you could probably predetermine what's going on. Mario, Luigi, and Peach and company are going about with their business, and they finally order an enormous cake. But of course, Jr. Bowser was snuggly hidden inside, and kidnaps Peach and escorts her to the villainous Bowser. You, as Mario, must get through worlds of platforming levels filled with mushroom forests, underground rooms, and castles to save her. Re-using the same story again doesn't break the game in any shape or form, but it would still be refreshing to see Nintendo try something new for a change. And on another note, Peach must be a little light in the head to be kidnapped repeatedly without some kind of defense prepared. Just saying.
Looking ahead of the mediocre story, you'll get some solid and fun gameplay that is anything but mediocre. You'll become familiar with these side-scrolling levels instantly, even if they are brand new designs. To control, you'll hold the Wii Remote sideways like the original NES controller, and it completely reproduces the feeling of playing the classic. While the Classic Controller would make sense for a game of this type, it wouldn't feel as close to the real thing as the remote, so that omission is forgivable. However, what isn't forgivable at times are a few of the motion sensing commands in the game. If you freeze an enemy with an ice-ball, you're supposed to hold the 1 button and shake the remote. This almost never works instantly, because it's hard to successfully interline your shaking with the buttons at the same time. Even worse is a level where you're supposed to tilt a moving ship on a wheel gliding across a straight line. To do this, you need to tilt the remote the way you want to go. This wouldn't be so hard if not for the swarms of enemies you'll need to attack and avoid at the same given moment, so while you're tilting the remote to ride forward, you'll also be moving and jumping, which simply doesn't work.
That moment will give you some trouble, no doubt. But don't get me wrong, like most Mario games, New Super Mario Bros Wii is challenging for all the right reasons. The moving and jumping mechanics could make a game very easy, but Nintendo went all out in making the level designs both creative and endearing, as well as tough. While this isn't the kind of game that will take an average gamer weeks of extended play sessions to finally beat, you're not going to just trudge through these levels. But that's not to say it comes anywhere near the mosh-pit that is the Lost Levels. You'll be dying here and there in the 8 to 10 hours it will take for you to complete the game, actually that depends very much on whether you're playing alone or with friends. And traditional to Mario games, you are awarded with a bonus world to play and explore once you've completed everything.
That's this game's biggest stand out feature, the ability to play these levels with up to four people. It'll be Mario, Luigi, and two Toads respectively. Mind you, these levels weren't designed with multiplayer in mind. But as long as nobody is overly serious about completing the game, you can have fun stealing the mushrooms approaching other players, or "accidentally" knocking them into pits. This is the kind of fun that Nintendo tries its hardest to deliver to consumers. One thing that helps make multiplayer function, amid through all the chaos, is the coward bubble, which one player can activate when trouble's about to strike, just as long as one player is out. But stingy players will have issues with many small aspects that can add overtime, like how these characters will jump on each-other's heads. (Mario must have a thick skull. I mean, he can break bricks with it, and Luigi can jump on him without causing irreversible damage?) You can get through the entire game in multiplayer, but some players will be best finishing it solo at points if they really wish to see how it ends.
There's a modest, if a bit thin, variety of new power ups that Mario can use in his adventure. First of all, there's the penguin suit, which will allow Mario to shoot an ice-ball and stun enemies in an ice statue, as well as slip and slide through certain levels. And they also added a plain ice-suit, which is admit-ably pointless, because you have the same attack as the penguin suit but without the sliding ability. And there's the helicopter suit, which you can shake the remote to propel forward into the air, which in my opinion is the best suit. And there's another that's kind of stupid, the poison mushroom, which turns you even smaller than the normal small Mario. Some familiar favorites have made their return, like the fire flower, but the list still leaves a bit to be desired. To be a proper throwback to Super Mario Bros. 3, the game could have used a few more suits, like the raccoon and the hammer thrower. At the end of levels, and in some bonus mini-games, you can bank some items and use them whenever you please (including the freaking poison mushroom), but overall the list does seem a bit disappointing.
Nintendo has a certain charm in many of the game's they put out. A certain essence that can't be duplicated by any other company. Nobody is too sure what it is, but New Super Mario Bros. Wii is overflowing with it. You'll hear some of the same nostalgic sound effects when you get a power up, and even a clip of an old music melody when you jump on the flag. Yoshi isn't left out of the action either, but his appearances are too few and far between. As you may expect, you won't get very much voice acting in this game, although the characters do still seem pretty expressive. The graphics are bright and colorful, with plenty of polish, but it comes short when compared to other Nintendo published efforts, like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii sold like hot-cakes, helping the declining of sales that Nintendo was suffering with back in 2009. And it's actually pretty encouraging, how decades later a classic formula can make a new appearance and have a similar impact as it had in its heyday. If you own a Wii, you most likely already own this game. But if not, you need to at least rent it if you call yourself a Nintendo fan.