Okay Geek Farm
Wii Review: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ricardo Trejo
To be brutally honest, when I first saw the premiere trailer for New Super Mario Bros. Wii... I wasn't excited by any stretch of the imagination. I pretty much just sat in my chair with my mouth wide open, just thinking to myself, "how could this be Nintendo's choice for their holiday game?" But as the day's drew near to its release, and as I watched new images and gameplay come in, slowly, yet surely, my position had completely changed on where I stood with the game. I HAD to have this game.
Well, it came in... I played it... I beat it... and now the only thing left to do is review it.
Overview
The pitch, or hook, Nintendo was going for with this game was cooperative 4 player multi-player. And although it's a strange idea, it works. Team work is what you strive for, but it isn't always what you get. In fact, just the mere goal of trying to survive and get to the other side of the stage can produce quite interesting and sometimes hilarious results. The big Mario titles have always been single player experiences, so it takes some getting used to for the veteran Mario player to slow down, or help out others who aren't so seasoned at side scrolling platformers of the old NES variety.
Plot
Hmmm, where to begin. Nintendo has always been like Shakespeare when it comes to story lines in their games (/end sarcasm). In NSMBW it's Princess Peach's birthday - seriously, this girl is always hosting some kind of bash 24/7. I wish I lived in the Mushroom kingdom. But anyway, when it's time to bring out the cake a handful of old faces emerge from the frosting. The Koopa Kids are back, and this time they kidnap the Princess with the help of Bowser Jr., whom by the way is handled much better than in previous games. From then on it's your goal, as Mario, Luigi, and two twin Toad's, to rescue the princess from the clutches of the extended Koopa family. Riveting stuff!
Gameplay
If you're an older gamer then you've no doubt played the original Mario games; Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World specifically. Well, NSMBW is the perfect blend of everything that is good and holy from all three of those games. There's variety, nostalgia, and difficulty.
As a Wii game you'd expect a lot of motion controls, especially with a 1st party game like Mario. Not. the. case. here. With the Wii-Mote held horizontally, controlling Mario has been kept the same, except with the addition of the mid-air spin brought in from Mario Galaxy, which allows you to stay in the air for a split second more. You can activate it by giving the Wii-Mote a quick shake. Running, wall kicking (from NSMB DS), and the triple jump are still in tact.
Time for what's new. With each new Mario game that hits the streets we see one or two new power up's. In NSMBW we're bestowed with 3 new power up's that are now at our disposal: the Propeller Mushroom, Ice Flower, and the Penguin Suit. Each have their purposes and they're all fun as heck to play around with. Propeller Mario quickly became my most favorite alteration of Mario ever. And don't worry if you miss your chance at getting the power ups themselves; unlike NSMB DS you'll get tons of opportunities to try out the new and the shiny.
The game is similar in look to the layouts from Super Mario 3, World, and New Super Mario DS. You'll have 8 worlds to get through, with each world having about a total of 8 individual stages, not counting the Ghost houses and Castles. Present are alternate routes, which can be discovered to unveil new stages and warp cannons. Sadly, there's no magic flute this time around. Besides looking for alternate routes in the levels, you'd be wise to find all 3 Star Coins. Just trust me on this; you're gonna want to collect every single one in the game. And one last thing, it's a bit of a spoiler really, but you may want to know what it is, since it might just influence whether you get the game or not: The Classic Airship Stages Are BACK.
The boss battles are no laughing matter this time. The Koopa Kids are no pushovers and aren't willing to just step aside and let you reclaim the Princess without a fight. Koopalings: Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr., Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig von Koopa will try you over and over again, as they all each have their own unique strategies. Every time it came to facing one of them I couldn't help but feel like it was a Robot Master battle, like from the Mega Man series. And as for the final boss, I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that it puts a brand new spin on an old favorite.
The multi-player aspect of the game, which is the main focus of it, is well done. Players can jump in and out of game at any time. And when someone dies they come back on screen in a bubble, waiting to be popped out of it by the touch of another living player. You can grab and carry other players, so if you have someone who just can't make that jump, then you can give them that extra push, or throw if necessary. The only downside to the multi-player is that there's no online pairing. Not everyone has three real life people to play the game with, and I'm disappointed that Nintendo didn't realize this.
Difficulty
It's not Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels hard, but it's respectfully harder than most Mario games. I would say that only Mario 3 is harder, and that's without counting Lost Levels. When I first encountered frustrating jumps or boss fights, I quickly slapped myself in the face and realized Nintendo wasn't pulling any punches with this iteration of Mario Bros. I felt like I did when I was a kid, sometimes even having to stand up and focus hard on precise jump timing. Mind you, all this extra difficulty is a good thing, since it'll keep the hardcore players from feeling left out. And just as a tip for those who aren't aware of it: This game is the first from Nintendo to offer a "Super Guide" feature.
Let me explain this a bit further. If you die more than 8 times in a level you'll see a green block appear. Once hit you'll get a message saying if you want some help. The game will then replace Mario with Luigi, and the game will play the stage for you, allowing you to jump in whenever you want if you feel like it. This caused a bit of a stir in the gaming community, as veteran players complained that a game that plays itself isn't a game at all - but after seeing its use in a practical setting, it can give the casual player just what they need, so they don't regret buying an otherwise amazing game.
Audio/Visuals
This will tear down the overall score a bit, but I just didn't like that nearly every level had the 1-1 music. My main complaint with it is that it already was featured in NSMB DS. I mean I do like it; it's catchy, light-hearted, and indeed a good song, but I just wish each world would've had their own unique theme's. Although, I must admit that we did get some pretty sweet remixes of old tunes.
In the sound effect department, you'll recognize the same sounds you've been hearing for years; the invincibility theme, fire flower shots, and the ever annoying dying jingle. So there's nothing to worry about there.
As for the looks of the game? Superb. Everything is fresh and vibrant; the characters, the worlds, and the stages have never looked better. I'm partial to the castle stages that look and feel like they did back in the original Super Mario Bros. Also, the rainbow variety of color breathes in new life into a gaming world that seems to have gone into grim/dark overload in the past 5 years.
NSMBW disappoints slightly with its audio, but excels in keeping your eyes glued to the screen.
Estimated time to finish
Somewhere between 10 hours to 15 to finish the game and then collect everything. It can actually take you a while before you finish the main quest. And then once you're done with that there's still a lot more to do. With multi-player in the story mode, there is ton of re-playability whenever you have friends or family over. Then there are the actual multi-player modes such as Coin Battle and Free-for-All, which are a bit reminiscent of the first Mario Bros (the arcade title).
Rent/Buy/Pass
Without wasting any time, this game is a must have. If you have friends over, or if you're just having a peaceful night by yourself, this game hits the spot. There's so much this game offers, it's hard to list all the reasons why you should get it, but I'm going to try. The simple gameplay, the boss battles, the unlockables, and just the nostalgia of it all - especially to an old Mario player - it's the perfect game.
However, for me there are things that takes away the coveted 10 out of 10 score for NSMBW. 1. No online to pair up players who don't have 3 other people to play with, and 2. lack of original music on the same level as the rest of the Mario series. Those two mis-steps makes New Super Mario Bros. Wii on par with the score we gave Modern Warfare 2, but still has a huge possibility to go the distance and be Game of the Year in this reviewer's eyes.
Oh, and as a side note: I have to say that the cover art, and the red box, make it the best looking box art I've ever seen on a game, ever. A gem.
