Announced at the E3 Press Conference as the first surprise of their show, New Super Mario Bros. Wii promised to incorporate four-players into a fantastic 2D platforming game unlike anything Nintendo has ever created. But, when I finally got my hands-on the game, did it really stand up to the promises? Well, the short answer is yes.
It is a ridiculously fun co-op experience, to be blunt. I was actually part of the very first group of people to play the game immediately following the conference. The game demo shown at E3 has ten levels and, because I was risky, myself and my partner decided to choose World 7-5 as our first venture into the newest 2D Mario. The level took place in the clouds and with myself playing as Mario and my partner playing as Luigi (though if it was a four player game we would also have two Toad partners).
I think one of the most noteworthy things about the entire experience is that it seems the development team has perfectly encapsulated and translated all of Mario’s important moves from his previous console games in this 2D adventure. Mario and his friends can butt-stomp and wall-jump like he did in Mario 64, ride Yoshi (differently colored Yoshis that all have powers based on their color) like in Mario World, Sunshine, and the upcoming Mario Galaxy 2, and can even spin like he did in Mario Galaxy with the simple shake of the Wii remote. It’s intuitive and because of the simple controls, the game feels almost second-nature.
Not to mention there are tons of hidden surprises in this new game. Just like in the DS iteration, the game has tons of hidden blocks, secret coins and power-ups including some all new ones. Specifically during the demo we found the Propellor Suit which sends Mario and his friends flying and hovering through the air with the ability to “drill pound” into the ground, the return of the Fire Flower suit, and a new Penguin Suit that allows Mario to slide on icy surfaces while having the ability to shoot ice-balls out of his hand. Oh, and one quick secret about the game that not a lot of sites have mentioned but is actually extremely important to the Nintendo fanbase is that the Koopa Kids, Bowser’s children from Mario World, are back and now acts as the castle’s bosses!
Needless to say the co-op gameplay also works just as well as one would hope. The game uses the “Sonic 2″ tracking camera and if a character dies or is lost off of the screen, the character will return to the stage inside of a bubble which can then be popped to revitalize the character. And, throughout the entire time I spent playing the demo, I never encountered one instance of a “cheap death”. Deaths were always earned through the player’s bad timing and lack to communicate with the others they were working with.
Also, as a quick note, I preferred when only two players were playing co-operatively when compared to playing with all four people. The immense amount of noise on the show floor made the communication between other players rather difficult but, despite the fact that my partners and I were dying at an alarming rate (Oh yeah, I should mention this game is REALLY difficult), the game was always fun and addicting. In fact, I after leaving the Nokia Theatre I went back to the conference hall and played the demo another three times just so I could experience all ten levels that were on display.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be released in Holiday 2009.
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God damn, this is well written. You should really be proud of yourself.
P.S. I cannot wait for this game!