What happens when a franchise succeeds for so long with so many games? The expectations become higher and higher to a point that it cannot be reached. This is where New Super Mario Bros. Wii comes in. The game has received minimal criticism for being too much like the other 2-D Mario games. And it was also picked on because of lack of online. Then it was picked on for not being fresh. Of course, these are the same critics that praise Halo 3, Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fable 2, among other sequels that greatly resemble the original. Does that make all the games I mentioned bad? No, it just means that the gaming critics from all over the internet are not being consistent in their critiquing. For crying out loud, GTA IV got perfect scores all over the place, but it looks and breathes exactly like Vice City and San Andreas; its just been expanded immensely.
This is what New Super Mario Bros. did: took the well-known Mario platforming concept and didn’t change it, but expanded upon it. Why is this an issue? Did the magazines and website expect perfection from this game? Why is the game being off-line such an issue? Are we afraid of having more than one person playing on the same television? Nintendo hasn’t been a fan of online gaming, and we’ve noticed this time and time again. Some of the Wii’s best works can be so much better with a superior online feature (Super Smash Brothers Brawl: best example ever). However, Nintendo is the well-known king of offline multiplayer, and sticking to what you are best at should never be an issue.
Some of the best multi-player games of all-time didn’t need online, they needed multiple people playing each other at the same time, and you let differing styles of play, differing personalities, and differing skill levels provide the fun and nirvanaian (I made up a word, deal with it) frustration provide all the mayhem of the evening. Goldeneye 007 and Mario Kart 64 are two games that I would still prefer to play over most of the XBox Live offerings. This is where New Super Mario Bros. Wii comes in. This game feels, smells, and frustrates just like the classic 2-D Mario games of the 90s, and the difference is the art style, and the ability to have up to four people join in on the fun. The end result is yet another fun 2-D Mario game that is sure to become a classic just like the other ones. The difference is, now four people can experience the Super Mario magic. While it doesn’t have the fresh new feeling of Mario Bros. 3 or Mario World, this game is just as fun, just as chaotic, and just as creatively clever.
Why even explain the plot? Peach gets kidnapped again and Mario must save her. The single-player alone is longer than most quests on any of the big three systems today. While most franchises and video games rely on multi-player for the lasting effect, New Super Mario Bros. Wii contains one of the deepest and longest singer-player quests since BioShock back in 2007. There are 8 worlds to explore, and a hidden 9th one lurking about. Within these worlds lies a heavy variety of levels. While you will feel like you’ve played this type of game before, you will also realize that the processing power of the Wii allows for 2-D platforming to reach new levels. I don’t want to spoil the surprises as to how, but let’s just say the barrage of enemies at some instances is something that could not happen on the SNES.
The worst part of this game has got to be the graphics. The art style doesn’t really contain the artistry or pizzazz of Mario Galaxy, Yoshi’s Island, or even Super Mario World. It’s the 3-D sprite of Super Mario in a 2-D world. The game doesn’t look sloppy, but it doesn’t really contain an art style moreso than it’s a sprite thrown in a pretty-looking environment. Remember the sketchy, seemingly hand-drawn colors of Yoshi’s Island? New Super Mario Bros. Wii lacks that personality. But the game runs well and controls beautifully. While a lack of ability to use the Virtual Console remains puzzling, the game’s rendition of the Wiimote serves fine, with the holding of the controller resembling that of the old-school NES. The game is kept simple, and so are the controls. You can learn how to play this game in a heartbeat.
Your typical Mario music is present here, with new songs and classic mixes joining in. The soundtrack is not as epic as Mario Galaxy (in terms of quality, composition, delivery, and theming) but it’s still a fun game to listen to. The sound effects are also Mario-like, with nothing outstanding, but nothing distracting either. We should hear Bowser and his kids talk more often though. One final note: it is great that we see the return of Yoshi and the kids to the 2-D franchise, but where is the love for Wario and Waluigi?
The gameplay is essentially flawless. Each world after the first contains a great mix of easy and excruciatingly difficult levels. Most levels contain their infamous moments and memorable frustrations. The game sometimes feels like the original Mario Bros., then can sometimes run like Mario Bros. 3 and to an extend Super Mario World. Many classic enemies are back and there are some new ones meshed in as well. If you are a fan of good platform action, this game a must-buy from the get-go. If the single-player isn’t enough, then there is the multi-player to win you over.
This game, as long as you have the right people, is absolutely hilarious and fun when other people are involved. With the others playing as Luigi or a Toad, the game actually becomes harder because you have your own allies getting in the way or distracting you from reaching the goal. Teamwork is a must and if you all have differing styles of play, then it’s going to lead to funny arguments and hilarious fights within the levels themselves. The levels do not really change when four people are involved, but the flow and pacing becomes affected if you have a slower one ruining the run of the current level. If they lag too behind, they die, which will lead to more arguing and more hilarity. There is even a subtle trick system that can lead to extra points.
Bottom Line: The game is fun alone, with a friend, or three of them. New Super Mario Bros. Wii takes gameplay elements from generations of platform gaming and packs it all into a nice long quest full of challenges, secrets, and fun. The hardcore old-school gamers should be pleased as Mario returns to his roots after all these years dwelling into 3-D on home consoles. Despite all the little nitpicky things said about this game from other critics they all agreed to one thing: this game is fun and feels like the older games. That alone should tell you that it is a worthy purchase.
While the game lacks a graphical personality like the NES and SNES counterparts, the game is still a well-crafted package of Super Mario fun. Mario has survived all these years because Nintendo always finds different ways of enhancing and changing the Mario experience. While in this case the change is just an addition of more players, it’s a welcoming change and one that’s never quite been handled by any other franchise. All this complaining from gaming critics is proving a couple of things:
1) They hate the Wii’s current mammoth success (And this is indeed true, just look at the Wii bashing you find nowadays.
2) They set the bar much higher for Super Mario games, while giving other games (Like GTA IV) a pass on flaws.
3) Unlike most franchises, everyone has their personal taste as to how a 2-D Mario game should look and feel.
Some complained over lack of Yoshi. Some complained over lack of Peach. Some complained over lack of Wario. Some moaned that the game wasn’t hard enough. Some thought that this was a mere rehash. Basically, everyone has their personal interpretations of what would be the perfect Mario game—and shouldn’t be so harsh when these expectations were not met. This game boasts over 70 creative levels, 200 Star Coins to collect, a multi-player mode to boot, and you still find reason to say there was minimal effort? Plus this lack-of-online complaint is really lame. Why on earth would you want to play Super Mario with a random stranger? Mario platforming wasn’t meant for online gaming when compared to other games and genres; it just wouldn’t be that satisfying.
To me, the perfect 2-D Mario game would be one that features over 150 levels and can allow for you to play updated versions of classic levels found in previous installments. Despite my dreams of that Mario game currently not being met, my expectations for this Mario game were, and then some. As long as you enjoy a really good video game with the old-school touch, then there is no reason why you couldn’t enjoy New Super Mario Bros.
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