Review: New Super Mario Bros Wii

Some people say that Mario has had his day, that he's just a washed up cash cow that Nintendo milks at every opportunity, and when you look at the umpteenth version of Mario Golf, Tennis or Party you can't help but think they have a point. There's no denying he is the most overused mascot in the history of video games, and that some of his appearances have been nothing to get excited about, but when Mario does what he does best you just can't ignore him.

A step backwards?

It's been a long time since Mario has appeared in a two dimensional platformer on a home console, three generations of consoles in fact, but with the success of a new Mario platformer on the DS why not bring it to the Wii too. Some people would say it's a step backwards, a big one at that, but as the saying goes if it isn't broke why fix it, there is no reason that 2D has to be for handhelds only these days.

There's plenty of original, and recycled, 2D platformers on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 download services, but very few disc based games in the genre, so this is a first, for Nintendo anyway. That isn't the only first for Nintendo either, this game does what no other Mario platformer has ever done before, and something the fans have wanted for years. Yes, Mario has gone multiplayer, and not just with the addition of Luigi that everyone has wanted, but add a couple of Toads to the mix and you have four player co-operative mode.

Old School

Let's put the multiplayer aspect to one side for now though and look at how it measures up as a single player game, with the likes of Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World as its predecessors it has some pretty big shoes to fill. The first thing you'll notice when you start the game up though is its design, almost identical to the DS game from a few years back, but one thing it doesn't share is that game's difficulty, or should that be ease. The DS game was often criticized for being too easy, and it's something Nintendo has obviously taken heed of as they have ramped the difficulty up a few notches here.

Sadly in order to make the game tougher one of my favourite power ups from any Mario game ever has been taken away, the Mega Mushroom does not feature here. It's understandable but a shame, how awesome would it be to have a Mega Mario on the big screen, some new power ups have been added to make up for it though, and while not as visually impressive do add some variety to the gameplay. The first of these is the penguin suit, this not only aids grip on icy surfaces and improves your swimming, but also allows you to fire ice bombs, much like the fireballs of old. These don't kill your enemies though, instead they turn them in to giant ice cubes, which you then pick up and throw as a weapon, or if in water will float to the surface, creating stepping stones for you.

Give Props

The next new power up is the propeller suit, which unsurprisingly mounts a propeller on top of your head, this allows you to make giant turbo powered jumps, and then gently glide down to earth. Truth be told it is a bit of a cheap power up and does allow you to avoid plenty of danger when used, but they had to put something in to make things a little easier for those of us who aren't master gamers.

Nintendo's current strategy is that games are for everyone, so it can't make it too difficult for the beginners, something else they've added that follows this strategy is the super guide. If you fail a level eight times then you are given a big green block at the beginning of the level, which if triggered will let a computer controlled Luigi step in and play the level for you. You can stop it at any time and take back over, so you can just use it to get past a bit that is causing you trouble, or you can just watch it play the whole level and then try to complete it yourself after seeing how it is done. It's up to you how you use it, if at all, and if you are an old school gamer from way back you probably won't even notice it, but I suppose it's handy for those of us who struggle sometimes.

All Four One

Now for the multiplayer side of things, to be honest I think it's a bit of a strange addition to a game like this, Mario platformers just aren't the kind of game that suit multiplayer. But it's here anyway, and I've got to say it is fun in short bursts, but there are a few problems with it, having to keep everyone on screen at all times being the major one. It can be a right pain waiting for other players to catch up if they start to lag too far behind and when someone picks up a power up or dies there is a slight pause in the action for everyone whilst the appropriate animation is played for them.

These aren't deal breakers though and like I said the game is a lot of fun in short bursts, but it's not the kind of game you'll sit down with three friends for an extended gaming session with. I suppose that's what comes of trying to shoehorn in a multiplayer mode to what is, and always will be, primarily a single player game.

Game Over

If you are looking for a slice of 2D platforming action then you really can't do much better than this, it doesn't quite hit the heady heights that Mario did in the 16 bit era, but it's not far off. But, if you are looking for some multiplayer Mario goodness then you would be better advised looking elsewhere really, Mario Kart for example.

Nintendo has good effort to make a multiplayer platform game here, but it just doesn't feel quite right, it's not bad but if you think of it as nothing more than a tacked on extra to a single player game then that's about right. But as a traditional 2D platform game it's the business.