New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has been Nintendo's long-awaited sequel to classic 2D Mario gaming. Released just today, we rushed out to get our grubby hands on it no doubt like many die-hard Nintendo fans. And with an appeal as broad as the original Super Mario Brothers, there's no question that this title will remain hot throughout the upcoming holiday season to gamers or all backgrounds and disciplines.
That said, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is not just for the average gamer. We're always a bit worried that Nintendo will err on the side of gimmicky when it comes to pleasing more casual game fans, as is the primary focus of many Wii titles. Happily, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is satisfyingly difficult, and very early on. It’s clear that Nintendo was dedicated to creating the next truly great sequel to their signature creation. Oh, Sega, we just wanted to take this brief moment to remind you that were still patiently waiting for Sonic 2: Judgment Day.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii comes packed with challenging game design including classic pattern-based enemies, moving terrain, and environmental effects. Players will have little trouble drawing parallels to older Super Mario titles. We have had incredibly high expectations for New Super Mario Bros. Wii when it came to paying homage to classic Super Mario titles and we must admit, nearly every expectation was exceeded.
Nintendo clearly wanted to present a game that would strike a cord with fans of all ages. From new gamers to those parents who played the original Super Mario Brothers even though it was “intended” as a gift for their kids. This has inspired the simple level styles that feel much like SMB1, but we were very happy to see that elements from each successive title were present as well. Fans will identify that the overworld map designs feel much like Super Mario Brothers 3. Each map consists of a medium and large castle, inhabited by none other than the nasty Koopa Kids. Playing through each castle will present similar scenarios from Super Mario World on the SNES, including moving screen panels that players can climb and the signature red riveted boss doors. Redesigned enemies from every game are also present – from the famous Hammer Brothers to Cheep-cheeps, to Firesnakes.
Many familiar musical tracks have been remastered – and not just the commonly expected Underworld and Starman themes. Players will enjoy hearing remixed Hammer Brothers mini boss music from Super Mario 3, as well as some from Super Mario World on the SNES. In addition
Controls in New Super Mario Bros. Wii feel well balanced, though they do suffer from some quirks that may irritate certain players. First off, the walking mechanics, the most crucial control of EVERY movement-based game, feels a small bit sluggish. Though it responds immediately to user input, there is enough start-up time where your character picks up speed, that it becomes difficult to land split-second jumps or turn on a dime without losing much momentum. We found this to be the most damning of issues with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, though a small amount of patience and practice did mostly overcome any real problems.
The second control scheme quirk in New Super Mario Bros. Wii is that shaking the Wii remote will make your character perform a variety of actions depending on your current scenario. Although this is convenient, it does also become a burden when one unintentionally flutters the controller just enough to cause the action. Nine out of ten times this won’t have any negative side effects on gameplay, but on occasionally long jumps or other dire situations, that extra maneuver is not something you want to accidentally waste.
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