Review:
New Super Mario Bros Wii Review

Mario has been around for so long, in fact I imagine he’s the oldest video game character ever. It’s kind of funny how Nintendo can get away with such a ridiculous concept for a game. Imagine if another company, like say EA, released a simple platformer about an Italian plumber as their killer game of the year, wouldn’t you be scratching your head? I would. But due almost entirely to Nostalgia these games continue to sell. And most surprisingly, they continue to be good.

That’s right, I said it. New Super Mario Bros Wii is a good game. Sure it’s somewhat simplistic, lacking any actual depth, but it’s that simple and inevitable charm that leaks into everything it does, that you can’t help but smile and have a good time playing it. That enjoyment is only amplified by the addition of the craziest co-op multiplayer ever. If you don’t have three other friends to enjoy this game with, you’d best make some friends fast.

Luckily, I live in a house with 5 other university students, and that environment is perfect for the game. We could work together endlessly to finish all the levels, and collect all the star coins. Admittedly once played to completion there’s little else to the game, but the ride there is so much fun.

The gameplay is the same old Mario. Jumping feels familiar, the monsters aren’t too original, and even the worlds feel like retreads. The levels are meticulously lain out, and while they feel familiar there are enough variations to feel new and familiar at the same time. There were some good bosses, but they all seemed too easy. I had much harder times with certain levels, then with any of the bosses.

There’s one level in which you have to jump across weird flying manatees. There’s another where you have to ride a platform like a rollercoaster dodging some crazy obstacles. Both these levels were pretty fun. All the levels are original, but most are based stylistically on previous games. They’re just similar enough to provide nostalgia, but different enough to be all new fun. Of course I already said that before.