GENRE
	Platformer
	DEVELOPER
	Nintendo
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	No
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

When Nintendo announced New Super Mario Bros. Wii during E3, there was a collective lack of interest from the gaming community. It was another 2-D Mario game that added in multiplayer. Much more exciting was the announcement of Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M. However, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is an exciting revitalization of the 2-D mario games, a true successor to Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. While it isn't perfect, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a fantastic game. Gamers who don't own it should definitely be asking for it as a holiday gift.

It achieves this "must buy" status by doing what its predecessors have done and doing it well. Once again Princess Peach is kidnapped, this time by the bowser kids and Bowser Jr., and Mario has to trek through multiple worlds to save her-- eight worlds to be precise. It's great to see the Bowser Kids again, though they're not referred to as his kids throughout the entire game. New Super Mario Bros. Wii will not win any awards for its story, but then neither would most games in the series. The game features enough story to get players going, but no more-- and that's ok.

Where the game does excel is its gameplay. Since the original Super Mario Bros., tight control has been an integral part of this series, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii does not disappoint. Movement is fluid and easy to control. A major throwback to classic Mario games is the fact that the game is played with the Wii remote held sideways, just like an NES controller. Even with a lack of buttons compared to Super Mario World on SNES or New Super Mario Bros. on DS, the controls never work against the players. This is back-to-basics control, and it works fabulously.

Hammer Time, Boyeeee!

The difficulty has also been ramped up quite a bit compared to the DS New Super Mario Bros. bringing it more in line with Super Mario Bros. 3. Gamers at first will be annoyed with how many lives the game hands out, but by World 8 those same gamers will be happy to have them. The early three worlds serve as a great (re)introduction to the controls of the game. Then the kid gloves come off. The star coin challenges, which return from the DS game, only make everything harder. However it never feels like the designers cheaply inflated the difficulty. Never will players feel like they died because it was impossible to proceed. Every death in the game will come as an honest mistake for players to learn from.

Nintendo knew that this game was more difficult and so it implemented a "Super Guide" that walks players through the level... though without deviating too much from a basic clear. After Super Guide finishes the level for you, the game gives you the choice of skipping that level or going back and beating it now that Luigi has shown you how. If you jump in at any point the game still asks you if you want to skip the level and any Star Coins collected are lost. Super Guide is a nice perk for younger games who just can't get past that one point, but it doesn't get in the way of experienced players. It is a great compromise, and hopefully Super Guide will be implemented in future games.

Spelunking, Mario Style. Note evil Mario trying to kill Yellow Toad for not having a real name or personality.

But the single-player experience is only half the game. Where New Super Mario Bros. Wii truly shines is with the multiplayer aspect. Playing through the stages with multiple characters does not feel like a tacked on addition. Even adding in one more person to the mix makes the game more enjoyable. The multiplayer then is split between either competitive and cooperative play, but the line is not clear.

At any point in the single-player adventure other players can be added into the game from the map screen, and dropped just as easily. Once in the levels players can either try to work together, making the game much easier or they can turn it into a competitive free-for-all. It's really interesting to see the different ways that multiple players try to solve the same problem, and many times player deaths will be a case of not watching what the other players are doing.

Super-cool (in more ways than one) new power-up Penguin Suit in action.

Along with the drop-in, drop-out in the main mode, any level that has been played is unlocked in Free-for-All and Coin Battle modes. Free-for-All is exactly like playing the levels in the main mode, only without the map screen or power-ups that carry over. Coin Battle mode plays up the competitive aspect of the game rating players on how many coins they collect. The highest scoring player gets bragging rights and the ire of all his or her companions. Both are fun, though the free-for-all feels a little superfluous after the main mode.

However, just because the multiplayer is an excellent inclusion does not make it perfect. The lack of online is annoying. While it would be kind of weird to play through the game with complete strangers, being able to hook up with friends-- with Wii Speak support-- would definitely be a welcome addition. Also, a minor complaint, the game lets players jump into a bubble at any time while playing with friends by pressing the A button. Gamers with large hands will inevitably press the A button by accident at least a couple of times while playing the game. It would have been nice if this feature had been moved to the B trigger or if A had to be held for a second to activate the bubble. But those are really the only complaints that can be lodged against the multiplayer aspect of the game-- high praise indeed for Mario's latest outing.

Screens like this just say, "Play me!"

New Super Mario Bros. Wii should not be as good as it is. The game does not innovate with anything, other than the multiplayer aspect. However, New Super Mario Bros. Wii lives up to its pedigree and provides an amazing experience reminiscent of older Mario platformers. If you're still reading this review, this game is for you. Go out and buy it now.

9.6/10