Buy New Super Mario Bros. Wii on Wii

This is a guest review by rockinghorsedreams.

When Nintendo announced they were making a sequel to New Super Mario Bros. I was ecstatic. When they said it would be on the Wii I was heartbroken. Let the Wii have the 3D Mario games, but don’t take the 2D platformers from the DS. I’m sentimental that way, and thankfully I was wrong.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii brings all of the charm and old-school 2D Mario from the DS title to the console, and so, so much more. There are, unfortunately, not four dimensions as Cammie Dunaway would have us believe, but I’ll be okay with that for now.

The new power-ups are a nice fit and the ones they’ve excluded were also well chosen. Gone are the silly and dreaded blue shells that served almost no purpose, as well as the giant mushrooms, which were a nice power-up, but wouldn’t really work for this game. I was very hesitant about the propeller suit after learning that one had to shake the remote to activate it, but it’s actually very flawless and extremely satisfying, and is quite useful in a pinch. The ice flower comes in extremely handy, possibly replacing the fire flower as the most useful overall since the ice flower freezes enemies even the fire flower couldn’t take out. The penguin suit is just plain adorable and makes me pine for a NSMB version of the tanuki suit. Oh yeah, and Yoshi’s back.

Of course the biggest addition is the much talked about cooperative play, which is what really makes the game. Co-op platforming has been the only thing missing from the Mario franchise, and it’s now rectified. What took them so long? We’ll never know, but it’s here now, and everything will be okay. I’m not sure what made them finally decide to take the leap, and I’m sure it’s the family friendly, party game mentality they have (which seriously pains me), but I guess the end is justifying the means because it’s here and it’s glorious. I’ve not yet played the full four player co-op (Erin and I have enough trouble trying to find time for friends, let alone try to find friends to play Mario with us), but the two player is spot on. Sure you get in each other’s way and you “mistakenly” take the power-up the other person wanted, but it’s a blast. Even when you end up bouncing on someone else’s head the silliness is just right, enough to not take itself too seriously but not campy enough to be annoying. You can envelop your character in a protective bubble, with a simple press of the “A” button and float unscathed through a portion of the level if it gets too tricky. The Super Guide is there also, it’s been talked to death other places, if you want it or need it then use it; if you don’t then don’t. It’s there, it’s nothing to complain about.

The over-worlds are as they should be, nothing cutting edge, but they get the point across. Instead of the Hammer Bros. roving enemy there is a goomba who likes to get in your way. Also back are the power-up huts tweaked slightly, but very well done. You can choose a power-up to go into the level with, and everyone is equipped with it. Gone however is the queued power-up to be used mid-level. Give and take I guess.

The gameplay is directly from New Super Mario Bros. DS and Super Mario World, exactly as you’d expect. It starts off relatively easy, just right to ease you into it, and swiftly ramps up. All of the classic gags are back including the puzzle castle where you have to take the correct path to get to the end. A few new enemies and a few new mechanics (such as wind) keep things fresh enough to not feel like you’ve already played all of the levels.

All told it’s a wonderful game, it’s a ton of fun solo or with friends, everything is crisp, the controls are tight, exactly what you’d expect from Nintendo. The only minus is it’s not terribly innovative, which I only mention to remain impartial. I don’t need anything too cutting-edge as long as it is fun, and NSMBW is most certainly fun, but I can understand why someone would be put off by it. It’s just running and jumping, but it’s running and jumping as only Nintendo and their little Italian plumber can do it.