New Super Mario Bros

Product Description
The classic Mario platform game is coming to Wii! For the first time, you can experience an action-packed Mario platformer on Wii with simultaneous multiplayer fun.

A classic 2D adventure, the game follows the style of New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS. Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser and it’s up to Mario to save her, but this time he’s not alone. Up to four players can join in the fun at the same time, playing as Mario, Luigi or either one of the Toads. Of course, you can also play solo and perfect your performance but friends and family will soon want to grab their Wii Remotes and join in the mayhem.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a mix of cooperative and competitive play. Work together to rescue Princess Peach, or use your skills to battle for the best ranking. Co-operate by saving your friends from danger – or get rid of the competition by tossing them straight into it.

The game follows the style of New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS with new twists utilising the unique features of Wii. The motion control capabilities of Wii have been cleverly implemented to enhance the gameplay at certain stages. For example, the player can angle a see-saw like platform by tilting the Wii Remote, to reach secret areas or angle the beam of a lamp to see the way in the dark.

New features in the game include the new propeller suit, which, by shaking the Wii Remote, allows your character to fly and hover – great for reaching secret areas. You can also use your suit to help your fellow players, for instance if another player picks you up, you can both fly together. There is a new penguin suit too which enables you to throw ice balls at your enemy, jump onto your stomach and slide with incredible speed across icy sections of a stage. Players can even ride different Yoshis through the crazy and imaginative levels, using their tongues to swallow enemies – or their fellow players.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is also the first Nintendo game to feature a dynamic help system, which allows you to access a mode which allows you to watch how a level can be completed if you are stuck. The best thing about this mode is that you are free to jump into the action you’re watching on screen at any time!
Review

This is exactly the game you'd expect if you've ever played one of the Mario Bros. platform titles before - it's the same scrolling from right to left concept with the same characters, the same format of worlds and Bowser confrontations at the end of each one.

The important difference is that up to four people can play it at the same time - this turns it from a rather solitary and unsociable pursuit into many evenings of fun.

The levels themselves are very difficult - some of the bonuses are only achievable with more than one player playing unless you are very skilled with the controller, especially the time-based collection tasks - which lead me to conclude that this was designed as a multi- rather than a single-player game.

It manages to keep both types of player happy though - both dedicated ones and casual. At first there's 8 worlds to explore, but if you manage to get all the large coins then a 9th opens up for you to try (but you ned to get ALL the big coins in all other 8 worlds to progress to different stages in the final world). This adds a real longevity to the game because once you have it mastered, there's an addd incentive to get all the coins.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to play a fun game with children who have a basic level of proficiency to their gameplaying skills; it would make a great gift too.

Edit: it tok me a week before I realised that if I held the 1 button down while moving, my character would sprint - and therefore jump a little further too (I wish I had known that earlier), and that if I pressed the 'a' button at times of extreme danger I would go back into my bubble and be safe (another thing I wish I knew earlier).