New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review

Overview
# of Players4
GenreAdventure Platformer
# of Levels9 worlds
Controllable CharactersMario, Luigi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad
Story It is Princess Peach's birthday, and everyone is celebrating with a big party at her castle. Just then, a giant, mysterious cake is delivered and before they can even enjoy it, Bowser Jr. and the seven Koopa Kids pop out of it, and then along with Bowser, they all kidnap Peach, taking off in an airship! It's up to Mario, Luigi, and the Toads to help save her yet again!


Review
FeatureRatingComments
Graphics 8 This game reverts back to the 2-D platforming style, but the spiced up graphics of the current day and age are used to make this anything but boring.
Sound 9 The music is smooth and the sound effects are reminiscent of Mario games past.
Challenge 10 Plenty of challenges and frustrating moments even for the veteran Mario gamer, but if you're ever in a bind, there are always hints and tips galore to help you along so that you never get just plain stuck.
Replay Value 10 Many incentives make you want to go back and play this game over and over again. Whether it's to gain a higher score or collect missed Star Coins or other bonuses, there is always room for improvement of your game.


Take all of the best and most memorable elements of your favorite retro Mario games and mix them all up together and you will get New Super Mario Bros. Wii. You've got the flagpole at the end of each level like in Super Mario Bros., the ability to lift objects and throw them like in Super Mario Bros. 2, the re-appearance of the seven Koopa Kids from Super Mario Bros. 3, the ability to ride Yoshi like in Super Mario World, the presence of the crazy rotating platforms and some sound effects reminiscent of Yoshi's Island, and the ability to wall-jump and ground pound which was first seen in Super Mario 64. And I'm sure the list still goes on.

One of the new elements of this game is the multiplayer mode in which you can have up to four players play through the game simultaneously. Cooperate with your fellow players to get through a tough level. Veteran players can carry their less-skilled friends through a difficult section, jump on each other's heads to get a boost to that hard-to-reach Star Coin, and if someone's really in a bind, they can enclose themselves within a bubble and float around harmlessly.

Lots of levels and obstacles will make you scream and cry in frustration, but unlike the very early games, this game will have mercy on you. If you die in a level enough times, you can call on Luigi to show you the proper way to play through the level. Items that can be obtained from various red Toad Houses throughout the map screen will assist you through the more difficult levels, and they are in way more abundance than they were in Super Mario Bros. 3. The only challenging aspect about this game that I truly dislike is the timer, reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3. I prefer the freedom to take my time going through and exploring a level. But to me, this is one minor setback to an otherwise awesome and fun game.

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