New Super Mario Bros. Wii can be described in about five simple words: A laugh out loud riot. For those old enough, you remember what it was like playing the 2d Super Mario Bros. Games. Ah, the nostalgia. Anyway, New Super Mario Bros. Wii plays kind of like a tribute to the games we grew to love way back when while adding a few modern twists younger gamers have probably come to expect. What you get in the end is an outstanding mix of the old and the new. As I've hinted at in some of my other reviews, I have a love-hate relationship with the Wii, so it's especially thrilling to find a Wii game that is not only playable, but tons of fun.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Trailer
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Outstanding Level Design
One of the best things about New Super Mario Bros. Wii
is, like most Mario games, the outstanding level designs. They're unique, they're challenging, they're memorable. To this day I can remember some of my favorite levels from the golden days of Super Mario Bros. And I wouldn't be surprised if the same holds true for some of the younger gamers out there. Each level follows its own theme that is a joy to see with all the vibrant colors and animated designs and enemies and obstacles. You'll wish you could jump in through the T.V. screen and hop around with Mario and Luigi, shooting fire balls out of your palms and timing spectacular jumps with quick precision.New Super mario Bros. Wii Musical Score
The musical score is fun and engaging. Old Mario vets like me will play this game and smile as the music reminds of of the Mario games of old. You're be running around levels to the familiar and downright famous tunes of the old Mario games, not to mention a few new ones. And of course, one of my favorites, that old 8 bit mushroom chime comes back and is just as rewarding as ever. Be forewarned, if you play even for a bit, those Mario tunes will get stuck in your head all day.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Co Op
Arguably the best part of New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the co op play. That's right, up to 4 people can play at once and it is an absolute riot. This is definitely a game to whip out at a party for some gut-busting laughs. The four of you will be hopping around the level together, using each other as trampolines, rooting each other on, and even picking up and throwing each other, yes, throwing each other. Add the fast pace of the levels and the quick reflexes required to complete each level and you'll have complete chaos on your hands. There's just something really fun about laughing at each other's attempts at getting past a difficult section of the level, or just narrowly escaping death. To make things even more fun, play competitively by gathering the most coins and doing your best to mess up your friends. Trust me, co op mode is fun, but competitive mode makes all the difference. You'll be playing into the wee hours of the morning.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Gameplay
New Super Mario Bros. Wii New Tricks
There are some new elements throw into the mix as well besides cooperative co op and competitive co op. Some new additions include helicopter Mario in which Mario gains the ability to jump higher and remain suspended in air for a time as he slowly lands, invaluable in those levels that require spot on jumping and landing on hard to reach places' and Penguin Mario which allows Mario to swim around really fast. Dash around some underwater sections of a level while torpedoing enemies with frozen ice. I won't ruin everything for you, but if you haven't played the game yet, expect many more surprises including level secrets and achievements and perks for Mario, provided you know where to look or accomplish special feats.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Poison Mushrooms
And now, some of the bad, but even the bad. although New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a 2d platformer, I do feel the graphics could be a bit better. A lot of what you'll see will seem a bit recycled, at least on the surface, and as far as 2d platformers are concerned, there are better looking games out there. Thankfully, not by much. Again, the visuals are pretty good, just not great and could have been better. The second thing I'd like to mention is how hard this New Super Mario Bros. Wii really is. Even as a seasoned player of the classics, I lost more lives than I can count, especially at first. And even after I dusted off the 2d skills I haven't really had to use in a long time, I still died often. You know a game is hard when there is a mode that takes control of Mario and beats the level for you. I hated it because to me, it was the same as admiring defeat, and I'm too stubborn to let a video game get the better of me. Now, the only reason why I mention this is because I know many people will be turned off by how hard it is, especially the kiddos who one, aren't used to a 2d platformer game, and two, just aren't hardcore gamers. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is not casual player-friendly. I thought the challenge was refreshing, but I know there are/will be many who will just give up or get frustrated and rage quite. Some of the Wii controls can get in the way of the experience at times, but thankfully most of what you'll be doing will be limited to moving left or right, jumping, and shooting projectiles.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii E3 Demo
New Super Mario Bros. Wii Final Verdict
New Super Mario Bros. Wii provides a near-perfect bland of what made the old Mario games so much fun to play, while incorporating a few modern twists to add some additional flavor. It may not be the most visually appealing platformer, and many may find the game to be a challenge, perhaps too much so. However, the engaging level designs and hilarious co operative gameplay more than make up for any minor grievances. And so, New Super Mario Bros. Wii earns a well deserved 9 out of 10. Super Mario
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