The debate will forever rage on, mostly on the internet, about which Mario title is the pinnacle of Nintendo’s flagship platforming super-franchise. For me, the greatest 2D Mario will always be the Super Nintendo showpiece, Super Mario World. Granted, a lot of that is based on nostalgia but a good amount on my reverence for that game is based on newfound appreciation of its brilliant gameplay mechanics that can only be recognized once older. New Super Mario Bros Wii, a worthy candidate for Nintendo’s big holiday offering, plays like the myriad of side scrolling Mario games that came before it so it can not be called brilliant in that sense. Instead, its brilliance comes from the way it combines the best elements of the Mario games along with enough new tricks of its own. It is sort of like Super Mario All-Starts but as a whole new experience as opposed to a compilation.

At this point, complaining about the cliché “rescue the princess” storyline of Mario games has become a cliché itself. Still, after playing through the hilarious tongue-in-cheek story of Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, there is something sweet about the genuine and un-ironic way the story in New Super Mario Bros. Wii presents itself. It is still nothing more than an excuse to get right into the gameplay but it is a timeless excuse nonetheless. 

From grabbing the first mushroom and sliding down the flagpole of World 1-1, to dodging lava in the epic final Bowser boss fight eight worlds and eight hours later, this feels like a Mario game through and through. The most obvious reference point is Super Mario Bros. 3 but it really is a greatest hits of all Mario games. Castles use tricks from the original, items can be picked up like vegetables in Mario Bros. 2, airships and koopa kids return from Mario 3, Yoshi along with ghost houses and the spin jump are from Mario World, the red coins from Yoshi’s Island return, the 3D graphics allow for Mario 64 moves like wall-jumping and butt-stomping, the prodigal son Bowser Jr.’s first appearance was Mario Sunshine and the spin jump is activated using a Mario Galaxy-esque wii remote shake. Also, it is a follow up to, and uses most of the music from, New Super Mario Bros., one of the best-selling Nintendo DS games. Hell, one of the challenge stages is an expansion of the original arcade Mario Bros. game. There’s rafts, p-switches, hidden exits, blue coins, pow blocks, vines, walking piranha plants, spikes, bob-ombs, koopa clown cars, spinning panels and so much more. If you have ever played a core Mario game, you will love at least one aspect of this Wii successor, even if it is just the unforgettable sound effects, the throwback title font or the red box.
However, Nintendo would not have put that “new” in the title if they did not have any new ideas. There are new powers. The ice flower puts out fireballs and turns enemies into frozen statues for you to toss. Unfortunately you can’t walk on water like you could in Galaxy but at least it doesn’t wear off. The penguin suit lets you walk on ice better and slide through blocks while keeping the powers of the ice flower. Finally, there’s the propeller mushroom that allows you to fly through the sky. It’s not game breaking but it can certainly make things much easier. There are so many power-ups in this game that some, like Yoshi and the mini-mushroom, are under-used. It’s a shame because Yoshi can help you hijack Latiku clouds which is pretty much the best thing ever. Even the fire flower takes somewhat of a backseat to its cooler, newer counterpart. Items can also be saved in your inventory for later use in harder levels they are most suited towards. Ice is good for putting down the Dry Bones in Bower’s castles and turning fish into floating platforms. The NES style controls have also received some Wii enhancements besides needless, optional nunchuk support.

Certain sections require you to tilt the Wii remote to control lights and bridges. Shaking the Wii remote activates the spin jump, propeller suit, and a small mid-air twist that can keep you in the air longer adding a new twist to the platforming finesse. The over world map contains familiar locations like minigame mushroom houses and enemy encounters, but now you might be summoned back to an earlier stage to carry a kidnapped Toad to the end for a prize. The whole game is satisfyingly difficult in that classic Mario way but because these challenges have you taking care of two characters at once, they can get hard in a new way. If you ever feel down though, the game will applaud you if you pull off a particularly stylish technique like in Super Smash Bros. 

The most obvious difference between New Super Mario Bros Wii and its predecessors are the 3D graphics. Mario now runs from left to right in a polygonal world full of lighting and particle effects not feasible on the DS and not even possible the systems of yesteryear. Boos are now transparent, clouds disperse and fade away when you spin and dark caverns can be illuminated with light blocks. The look is kind of a mixed bag. The world has a plastic sheen that’s like Galaxy but without the spacey glow. It’s pleasing to look at, particularly the maps, but not as much as say, the side scrolling sections of Super Mario Galaxy. Plus, the 3D characters control slightly differently then they did back in the second dimension. Instead of the tight controls of Wario Land Shake It, it’s more about sliding and momentum management. You’ll get used to it but the physics do feel off at first. Perhaps Nintendo could have implemented some 2.5D trickery like Klonoa. However, then it wouldn’t have been 2D Mario. That’s my one major complaint with this game. It is very reverent of its forefathers, which is fine, but by spending so much time combining and improving on what they did, it forgot to do new things of its own, something older Mario games were pros at. No one is going to confuse Mario World 1 with Mario World 2 but they might mix up this Wii one with the DS one. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is an excellent game the just lacks a unique identity within the Mario canon. 

There is still more to this game though. You will die a lot if you do not know what you are doing. Fortunately, if you die eight times in a row the new, optional “Super Guide” can help you complete the stage by having Luigi show you the way, as always. However, you only have five lives at first. So know that before you can even use the super guide, you will get a game over and lose your progress after the last castle. The save system is strangely limited and can even get a little frustrating. I ended up just collecting lots of coins and hoarding lots of lives and spare items to make it through the end. There are also three star coins in each level you can use to unlock extra hint videos and even a whole new secret Star world.

Finally, there’s the much talked about multiplayer element. You and four of your friends can compete in coin battles but the real star is how you can play the entire single player game with four player cooperatively. Four players trying to hobble their way through a somewhat larger that usual Mario stage is as ridiculous as it sounds, especially once everybody starts picking each other up and bouncing off of each other. But this mode can actually be easier for a few reasons. When a person dies there is an annoying pause but the rest keep going, whereas in the single player game death kicks you back to the beginning or half-way point. Players can also put themselves in protective bubbles. If everyone bubbles up the game ends but if one person makes it through, the rest in bubbles keep their lives. Therefore, if the good player loses all their lives, they gets a continue and can move forward because the players who used bubbles still survived. It’s hard to explaining but the players in bubbles almost become “life barriers”. It’s like clones bred specifically for donating their lives/organs to Mario/their older sister with cancer.

The point is four player Mario is stupidly fun and is the best thing this game has that it can call its own. Unless you count Zelda: Four Swords or the Smash Bros Brawl single-player but those are too different to compare. Two toads are still lazy character choices though.

New Super Mario Bros Wii is more like Another Super Mario Bros….Wii. Awkward titles aside, this game is not the leap forward Super Mario Galaxy was. Galaxy 2 won’t be that leap either but it’ll be closer. This isn’t even the great leap forward for 2D Mario games. Yoshi’s Island was the last time that happened. It’s hard to deny how enjoyable this game is though. Doing what works isn’t the most creative thing in the world but it’s not a bad thing either. New Super Mario will keep you entertained from its first rolling green hill, to its toe tapping, interactive credits. Who wouldn’t want another Super Mario Bros. game?

Rating: 4.5 Stars

- Jordan Minor

Posted by admin on 12/13 at 09:14 PM
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