Review: New Super Mario Bros Wii

“New Super Mario Bros Wii is a game baked in classic action, the kind that seems as fresh and fun today as it did 20 years ago.“

Vitals

Game: New Super Mario Bros Wii

Developer/Publisher: Nintendo

Released: November 2009

Platforms: Wii

“Perfect chaos.” Those two words are the easiest way to describe what New Super Mario Bros Wii is designed to be. Whether it’s the refined single player adventure across the stereotypically fun Mario worlds or the chaotic action that refines how local multiplayer should be done in action games, NSMBWii nails it on all levels. It serves as the ideal “bridge” game, designed to satisfy both the core and casual gamers at the same time, and pulls off that feat with near perfection.

It’s the kind of answer to the Call of Duties and Maddens this season that video game purists have been eagerly waiting for.

Mario Wii feeds off of our nostalgia for a time when games were designed to simply be fun. It takes the tried-and-true platforming mechanic of Mario — the kind of pixel perfect side-scrolling action that games like Little Big Planet couldn’t quite achieve — and combines it with a much more modern multiplayer mechanic. It is the natural successor to Super Mario World, showcasing the familiar tones and tunes of the world’s most famous plumber in a genre that is making a welcome resurgence. It’s not trying to be a classic Mario game; it’s trying to be the next Mario game.

Positives

– Nostalgic: Playing Mario games was something that everyone did as a child: easily accessible, always replayable, and impossible to master. New Super Mario Bros Wii doesn’t stray from that formula in the least bit. It adheres to the lore of Mario by including fire flowers, power-ups, coins, and pipes. It (finally) brings back the Koopa Kids and Yoshi. It uses the familiar overworld map system and contains 8-9 stages per themed area. In essence, the game is a celebration of all that is good and wholesome about Mario games. It plays exactly like what you’d hope that a Mario game would play like, sticking to incremental improvements over revolutionary ones.

– Multiplayer: Mario games were best played by passing the controller amongst friends in front of a tv. If I could not complete a level, my brother would try. NSMBWii builds off of that by placing all four players on the screen at once in a part competitive, part co-operative concept a la Mario Kart. And, it works. Extremely well. The action fills the screen with players bumping into each other, jumping on top of one another, and throwing items back and forth. Each round starts off seemingly innocent but do not kid yourselves: Nintendo has secretly and cleverly designed the levels to have them bring out the worst in everyone. It’s important to back-stab your partners here. Tempted between getting the lone 1up or rescuing my near-death partner, I despicably always choose the former. I feel bad for doing it, and that’s the magic.

– Difficulty Curve: There are portions of NSMBWii that make me want to rip my teeth out. The game starts off as I’d expect: the easy introductory level 1-1 showcases a few of the new powerups and features, without being a tutorial (there is none in the game). The difficulty curve then spikes to mountainous levels. I died several times on almost every level, out of my own stupidity. But the game is designed to eventually teach me to make it over whatever pit was preventing me from reaching the flag at the end. And when I did, the satisfaction I got was enough to keep me giddy until the next fail. The game isn’t “difficult,” but it is definitely fiendish. The addition of the optional Super Guide, an ingenious combination of hints and automated play that opens up as an option when dying 8 or more time in a level, will help those who may not want to (or be able to) make it to the end and just want to skip ahead. The core gamer may ignore it and the casual may embrace it, but the idea of “just giving up” because a game is too hard no longer exists. Everyone will have the chance to finish this game.

– Obsession: The game revels in the fact that I will make mistakes, highlighting them by dangling a star coin or powerup in some obscure location that I just need to get to, to the behest of my ability. I died over and over trying to get a single 1up on a level, as obsessive compulsion kicked in. The amount of secrets in the game adds to the replayability as entire new levels open up, new paths and puzzle solutions, and so on. The prerequisite Mario “star world” exists in this game as well, providing added adventure for those who dare to stay past the credits.

– New Suits: The latest new suits to star in New Super Mario Bros Wii are the propeller hat and the penguin suit. Carryovers include both the fire & ice flowers, the mini mushroom, and Yoshi, the enigmatic dino pal that can eat enemies with its long tongue. The propeller suit allows Mario to jump high into the air, float around, and drill down onto enemies or objects. The uber-cute penguin suit allows Mario to throw freezing snow balls, slide on his stomach, and swim better. These great, fun additions to the proceedings are found in several locations and can be carried over into any level desired via the overworld item screen. I quickly settled on the two new suits as my favorites, rarely using the others if possible.

– Level Design: The real star of New Super Mario Bros Wii is the careful, methodical level design. In fact, Nintendo created worlds they were so proud of that they added in-game unlockable videos for those who wanted to see incredible run-throughs of them played by the developers. Each level takes 5-10 minutes to complete, depending on how many times you might fail at it, and returns the flagpole completion from the original Super Mario Bros. The mid-way point marker is there and is needed, as the deaths mount up quickly; expect to play each level 3-4 times the first time through. Tricky jumps abound and plenty of enemies manage to be in just the right place to knock out one of my lives. The delightful level design creates memorable experiences, and the ability to rush through or to stop and explore allows for several ways to play.

Negatives

– Visuals: The characters appear just a bit small on the screen and under-detailed, causing some undesired pixelation in a few cases. I would have loved to see a slightly bigger Mario help fill up the sometimes empty screens. Even though much of the game is made of 3D elements, some of the visuals actually do appear to be 16-bit, or damn near it. Bright color palettes aside, the lack of shadows, and lighting effects make the game look decidedly flat.

– Motion controls: The tacked-on waggle is unnecessary in many cases. In order to pick up an enemy, I have to hold the “1” button and shake the Wiimote. It works in specialized cases like platform tilting, but is rather tedious almost anywhere else. Using the B-button on the underside of the Wiimote would work much better.

– No Online: There were times when I really wanted to play this game with friends. Unfortunately, no one was around to join in. If I was able to hop online and start an adventure with a friend or stranger I could have enjoyed many a late night playing. The decision to not include online play was design-driven, as the developers wanted to push simultaneous in-house play. But, we Americans are a country on the move and don’t always have the time to go to someone’s house.

In conclusion

While far from perfect, the game does come at the perfect time. It strips the complicated controls of many modern games (including Super Mario Galaxy) for a two-button layout that still manages to have incredible depth. It opts for bright, fluffy visuals and music designed to whistle to. The chaos that ensues when playing with others is welcomed, allowing for the game to feel like two completely different experiences whether alone or with friends.

A realization takes place almost instantly when popping in the game: Mario hasn’t changed. Mario is still fun. Mario will always be fun. He is easy to understand and easy to underestimate, as can be seen by the incredible curve in difficulty that can make a Guitar Hero expert weep. Mario is still King of the 2-D castle. This is the next Mario. And for those who own the Wii, this is the natural next game to buy.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by SideQuesting. The main storyline was completed, opening up all additional worlds and levels.

[In-game video & images provided by Nintendo]