New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Don’t let the name fool you, Nintendo’s first traditional Mario title since Super Mario World is anything but new. With Mario and co. back to the side-scrolling roots of the series the game pays homage to the best of the best. Whether playing alone or with friends, New Super Mario Bros. Wii will feel familiar and be incredibly accessible.
While there are some truly amazing level designs, many were too similar to levels from other Mario titles, specifically from Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros. 3. Sure, these levels are probably in homage to these pinnacle platformers, but there’s a reason why the game is called “New” Super Mario Bros. Not only that, but these levels are simplified to better accommodate the multiplayer aspect of the game. While it’s understandable why the developers would do this, the level design is considerably weaker than usual.
Even though the multiplayer is fun and more enjoyable than single player (your friends take on the role of Luigi and two Toads), the fewer friends the better. Although the levels are simplified, four-player mode can become extremely cluttered. It may seem fun to compete with friends over items and team up for boss battles, but after awhile, multiplayer starts becoming more chaotic. If you plan on playing this with friends, stick with two or three-player mode (but keep in mind that multiplayer is local-only).
Another aspect to keep in mind are the Hint movies. For a small price, Mario can purchase these films at Peach’s Castle. Upon doing so, players get to watch a speedrun of a level. Similarly, if you fail a level enough times, a Super Guide block will appear and beat the level for you. Perhaps it’s just me, but there was a certain enjoyment from unlocking levels without assistance. And while this replaces the need to Youtube a specific level, the fact that Nintendo is gradually dumbing down the, otherwise, challenging Mario series to better accommodate novice gamers should be a bit of a let down for hardcore Mario fanatics.
Even so, the game is, above all, accessible. While it’s not one of the strongest Mario platformers, it is solid. Nintendo obviously didn’t take any risks when releasing this game and didn’t plan to. It will, without a doubt, cater to young and old alike, and will most likely come to be a popular game among players. It’s definitely not a bad title, but it’s not exactly great either.
It’s clear that there are some issues with NSMB Wii. The experience feels more just like NSMB for the DS (just with multiplayer now), but lacks the ingenuity of Super Mario Galaxy. Unlike the other 2D platformers, NSMB Wii is very much a party game; it’s sure to be fun for casual Mario fans and extremely accessible for new and old gamers alike. However recycling ideas can only go so far when the expectations for a game are so high.
Likes:
- Accessible to new and old gamers alike
- Multiplayer is fun, especially in two or three-player mode
- There are some great levels later on in the game
Dislikes:
- Hint movies and Super Guide Block dumb down the challenge
- Level design is more simplistic than usual
- The game lacks ingenuity
Review Score
/ 
The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
I enjoyed the game, but I definitely agree with some of these problems. It stopped being fun with four people playing… Especially since my sister kept yelling every time I shot her into enemies with Yoshi.
You, Erika Szabo, suck.
You, Erika Szabo, ROCK!
I second that! (The rocking that is)