New Super Mario Bros. Wii

I recently started playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the Nintendo Wii, and I would like to share with you my thoughts about this game. First, a brief overview of the Super Mario games.

Mario made his first appearances in Donkey Kong and he didn't really have a name although everyone called him “Jump Man.” His first self titled game Mario Bros. was very basic and not very interesting. Then with the release of Super Mario Bros. you were immersed in this amazing land known as the Mushroom Kingdom. Eight worlds, each with four stages for a total of thirty-two levels on an 8-bit console called the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was amazing and provided hours upon hours of fun with a high replay value.

Each Super Mario game added something new to the table. Super Mario Bros. 2 added the ability to play as four different characters; Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Toadstool (later known as simply, Peach). Super Mario Bros. 3 added an overworld navigation that continued in Super Mario World and both New Super Mario Bros. games (DS and Wii versions). Super Mario World on the Super NES featured Yoshi. So all the 2D side-scroller Mario games improved on the previous. However New Super Mario Bros. Wii didn't offer any new features, other than the brief use of motion-sensing, which was poorly implemented if you ask me. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should do it. Nintendo just threw in the motion-sensing just to prove that they could.

Then came the age of 3D Mario games, and I was longing for another 2D side-scroller. I rejoiced when New Super Mario Bros. was released on the Nintendo DS. One thing I didn't like though, was you couldn't save your game at any time initially. You could only save after beating a tower or castle on in any world, and by visiting a Toad house with the correct amount of star coins. The option to save at any time wasn't unlocked until after you beat the game. Which is also true for the Wii version, however this time around Nintendo added a “Quick Save” feature. This feature temporarily saved your game, similar to when you suspend a virtual console game on the Wii. Once you beat the game, the quick save option is replaced with the real save option. One thing about the Wii version that I didn't like, was they removed the option of saving an item for later use within levels. In the DS version, if you already had one power-up and you grabbed another, the one you had went into a holding position on the lower screen that you could recall at any time during a level. This was especially useful on levels that made use of the Mini Mushroom, you could keep one in reserve and take it out when you needed it.

Now on to rating the individual elements of the game.

Controls: 5/10

There is no support for the Classic Controller, which is disappointing. The ridiculous “shake remote to hold an item or character” control scheme could have been allocated to either the X or Y button on the Classic Controller. Shaking the Wii Remote is overused in this game, whenever you want to perform a special move that involves jumping, you shake the remote. Such moves include regular spin jump, spin jump while throwing fire/ice balls, launch the Propeller Suit, and others. Also, Nintendo was too lazy to add dynamically changing on-screen messages about the controls. You have two options for controls: hold the Wii Remote sideways, or use the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck together. If you choose the Remote+Nunchuck controller scheme, the on-screen messages will NOT adjust, and you will be told things like “press 1” but it's actually B you have to press when using the Nunchuck.

Gameplay: 7/10

I'm being generous with the rating for gameplay, because although there is a lot of room for improvement, this is still an overall fun game. One of the major complaints that everyone I talk to also have, is that this game features two large unnamed toads, rather than normal characters. Nintendo's other Wii Mario game to feature 4 characters, Super Paper Mario, featured Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser – unfortunately it was a one-player game. In Nintendo's first 4-player game, I was hoping for better characters. Having Mario, Luigi, and two unnamed large toads is NOT a good character lineup! Nintendo could have at least added the regular Toad, Peach's loveable little friend. Toad was a popular character on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show television show staring Lou Albano. But instead, Nintendo chose two nameless toads of no nostalgic value at all. This game also plays a lot like New Super Mario Bros. for the DS. The three NES titles may have had similar graphics, but at least they plays different from each other. This game plays more like a port than an actual “new” game.

Replay Value: 7/10

Collecting all the star coins can add to the replay value a bit, but there is less replay value in this version of the game than there was in the DS version. The DS version offered mini-games for hours of enjoyment after (or before) you complete the main game. One thing that does add to the reply value, is trying to master the cool tricks shown in some of the videos you can unlock in Peach's castle. There are also some alternative routes you can take in certain levels, just like in the DS version. Finding these alternative routes can also add to the replay value. Still, I think adding mini-games, especially since you'd have the advantage of the Wii Remote, would have brought the replay value up to a score of 10.

Music: 2/10

The music in this game is so bad, it's not even worth giving a detailed review. The music in the original Super Mario Bros. game for the NES was much better. The music in the NES game was rich and set the mood for each stage nicely. The only redeemable quality of the music in New Super Mario Bros. Wii was in the castles, that music was actually pretty decent.

Average score: 5.25/10

This game is fun, and if you're a fan of Mario side-scrollers, I recommend picking this game up. However if you're looking for something new in this Mario title, you will be disappointed. The biggest let down for me was the lack of Classic Controller support. It seems like there are more 3rd-party publisher games with Classic Controller support, than there is games made by Nintendo. This is a shame, considering the potential the Classic Controller can bring to a game.

This review is copyrighted 2009 Eric Schultheiss.
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