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There are several AAA games scheduled for release this holiday season, and the one that could sell the best might not have Spartans, zombies or even guns at all. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is coming out later this year and it should easily appeal to the hardcore and casual gamers alike due to its nostalgia factor for the hardcore as well as its ease of play for the causal fans. Sounds like Nintendo has the recipe for the perfect game right? I had the chance to sit down with Nintendo's upcoming blockbuster and I have a full report below.
Hit the jump for more information about my hands-on time with the game.
Going into the demo I knew what to expect. I grew up playing Super Mario Bros. on my NES, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii is billed as a modern version of the old classic. I was expecting to play a 4 player Super Mario Bros. game that resembled the original version in name only with four Marios running left to right, jumping along the way. I was pleasantly surprised with how the game felt as well as looked, there was a good balance between old school setting and new school technology. The visuals were crisp and vibrant but I still felt a sense of nostalgia one would expect to feel from playing a Super Mario Bros. game.
The demo I played consisted of a collection of 10 levels. There were several levels inspired by the original Super Mario Bros.; levels based in a world of green grasses and brown dirt with Goombas roaming free and numerous green pipes that have become a staple of the Mario series. Along with re-imagined classic stages, like levels underground and inside castles, there were new stages like a desert level, a level based in the clouds and a very interesting level set on a pitch black river. All the worlds were bright and colorful in a comforting kind of way with colors that popped right out of the screen.
The controls were classic Mario, move with the directional pad, jump with one button and shoot fireballs with another button. The Wii does bring something different to the table however, Mario will perform a helicopter-like spin with a shake of the Wiimote. This move can be done to attack enemies or to even delay the rate of descent when you are falling. Two new power ups have been introduced as well, a propeller suit and a penguin suit. The propeller suit was my favorite because Mario would actually lift into the air and fly above the screen with a waggle of the Wiimote. I ended up flying about one third of the way across one stage on a single jump due to the propeller suit. The penguin suit gives Mario the ability to slide on the ice during frozen levels, it could also be used to knock enemies out or your way with a satisfying whack while sliding.
The backgrounds were pretty, and the controls were great but these are not the reasons you are going to want to play this game. The whole time I played my demo I did so cooperatively, and it was a blast. By far the biggest addition to New Super Mario Bros. Wii is the ability to play the entire game with four players in co-op. The original Super Mario games were all about survival, you simply wanted to make Mario reach the end of the level alive. Playing cooperatively was a different experience all together. Each player can affect the other players, for instance Mario can jump on Luigi's head to try and reach those hard to get coins. This made for some hectic levels with four characters all jumping on the same platforms and knocking each other off. I did want to help my friends along if they were struggling, but it was also a race to see who would stomp out that next Goomba and get that next coin. To compliment the cooperative element is a competitive aspect of "points", at the end of each level, every player is graded on things like number of enemies killed and number of coins collected. After all the points are tallied a winner is declared and I have to say this was exciting each and every time, I always wanted to come out on top. The cooperative/competitive element to New Super Mario Bros. Wii is going to keep players coming back for a long time.
The highest compliment I can give this game is that I was sad when my demo was over, I wanted to play more and more. There was not much that was new or innovative about this game, "Demo Play" was not available during the time I played, but what was there was polished so well and it was flat out fun. I did not know there was room for more than one Mario in his classic platformer, but I can not wait to sit on a couch with three other friends to play Super Mario together. I just never thought a cooperative Mario game was something I would be excited for. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is scheduled for release in North America on November 15th.
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