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New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
I'll just come right out and say it: if you own a Wii and you don't already have this
game, there'd better be a very good reason for it. Combining retro game mechanics and
new-school level design, this is easily the best game for the Wii this year, and you can
make an argument for it being the best Wii game since Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While
the game does have a few minor flaws, it still delivers some of the best gameplay you'll
find on any console.
The premise of the game is the same as just about every other Mario game that's ever come
out. Our crimson-clad hero is off to rescue Princess Peach, who's been kidnapped by Bowser
and his kids... again. Really now, after 24 years of this you'd think she would've hired
a better security force by now. Then again, I've always been of the opinion that Bowser
is the biggest wannabe villain in video game history. I mean, think about it: what other
bad guy would be invited to race go-karts, line up cookies, and partake in board games
with the good guys? Besides, he doesn't seem to have any plans for world domination or
anything like that: all he does is abduct the same person over and over again. Maybe
a bit of a stalker, but I wouldn't exactly call him evil.
Anyways, I'm ranting. Let's move on.
The layout is almost a direct clone of Super Mario Bros. 3, with levels arranged in a grid-like
fashion, a few mushroom houses offering items, and wandering monsters occasionally blocking
your way. The levels themselves are your usual 2-D Mario fare, with plenty of koopas, moving
platforms, and a flagpole to grab at the end as your goal. A few new power-ups have been
added into the mix, including the Penguin Suit, which lets you slide across the floor
and encase your foes in blocks of ice; and the Propeller Mushroom, which lets you float
up into the air and glide back down to the ground. I have to wonder why the Penguin Suit
and the Ice Flower are both in the game, though, since Penguin Mario has the same snowball-throwing
powers as Ice Mario. Yoshi makes a few appearances as well, but only in certain levels where
you have to dismount him once you reach the end.
You can control Mario the same way you've been doing it for years: with the simple 2-button
setup provided by the Wiimote. Sure, you can attach the nunchuk if you want, but there's
absolutely no reason to do so as it only makes the controls more uncomfortable. Mario handles
just the same as always, with a new ability to jump off of walls, which can help you reach
some secret areas or save you from a fall. The game also features a few places where
you'll have to tilt your Wiimote to manipulate some of the platforms, and this is done quite
well, even though they do get a little waggle-crazy with item pickups and the propeller.
It's hard to decide what the best part of this game is: the level design or the presentation.
Without question, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is chock full of great scenery and characters,
with an enormous amount of attention to detail. Watch as the giant urchin's eyes track you
as you jump over it, or the burning embers rising from the lava pits of the castles.
And of course, you've probably noticed by now the funniest thing about this game -
the way the monsters dance to the beat of the music. Hard to blame them - this is a
very well-composed soundtrack, featuring a remix of the DS theme, and a lot of callbacks
to older games, such as the wandering monster themes, or the way Yoshi adds a bongo track
to the music.
But the level design has some of the most creative and devilishly challenging traps
and obstacles I've ever seen. Even on the very first level, the programmers make it
known to the player that they should expect the unexpected. Later stages boast some incredibly
clever challenges, like a platform that stops moving if more than 5 monsters are on it,
or a skeleton that provides a harrowing roller-coaster ride. And of course, sprinkled in the mix
are some old favorites, like the classic moving platforms and Lakitu raining Spinies from
above.
Like many Mario games in the past, New Super Mario Bros. Wii isn't very hard at face value.
Even if certain stages might prove to be quite difficult, there are so many 1-Ups available
in all sorts of places that even the most novice player should be able to get through
the game through sheer brute force. In fact, if you're really stumped on a level, you can
have Luigi clear it for you. Where this game gets its challenge is the Star Coins and the
secret exits, and a special ninth world that's unlocked by collecting all the Star Coins
in each world. You can revisit any level you've already cleared and quit out midway, but you
won't keep anything you picked up along the way - and when you're trying to clear out
those elusive Star Coins, having to replay entire stages to keep them can get extremely
irritating.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii also has a multiplayer mode, where you and up to three friends can
play through the levels or challenge each other in a series of special boards. And for
the first time, I managed to round up some friends to help me out with the multiplayer
game. There's me, Jason, Matt, and... well, Ben's not on camera, but he's there, trust
me. The verdict? Well, we had a lot of fun with it - especially Matt over there.
But you do get the sense that you're kind of herding cats. The levels themselves aren't
really built for four players, and chances are you'll be bumping into each other so much
and taking so many hits which disrupts everyone else's timing, that playing through the game
in multiplayer mode becomes rather impractical.
I'll say it again: New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a definite must-own for anyone who has
the console. Despite the multiplayer issues and the annoyance of replaying entire stages
for the postgame challenges, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable and well-crafted
game. If you've ever played the old Mario games, you'll feel right at home playing this
one. And if you haven't played the old games before, here's your chance to see what you've
been missing.