By Jonas Ward
“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” was a stepping stone for any player looking to get into a modern Nintendo-produced Mario Bros. game. Developed by Nintendo and released in 2009, “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” was a landmark success for Nintendo and also the Wii platform, offering players a true taste of classic Nintendo meat and potatoes.
The main story for “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is something that will sound familiar to hardcore Nintendo fans. The campaign starts off with Princess Peach’s birthday. She is the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, which is the world the Super Mario series takes place in.
Mario and his brother Luigi were planning to bring a cake to Princess Peach’s birthday party. Little did they know the cake they thought they made was actually rigged as a booby trap by the evil turtle Bowser and his minions the Koopalings. Princess Peach was shoved into the cake and kidnapped on Bower’s airship. Mario and Luigi were unable to save Princess Peach at that moment, but they decided to set out across the Mushroom Kingdom and save her with their friends. All together they travel across eight worlds and fight anyone who gets in their way to save Princess Peach.
The gameplay for “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is something classic Nintendo fans are not used to. This installment in the Mario video game series is the first one that incorporates multiplayer. Up to four players are able to play at once with their friends across the Mushroom Kingdom. Each player can select who they would like to play across each level with equal opportunities for power ups and different attainable treasures on each map. Players can smash mystery bricks and attain power ups, lives, gold coins and other goodies which keep players on their toes. Hidden passageways across the maps force players to explore and discover new things in each world.
The boss fights are difficult. The more players play together, the easier it is to defeat enemies. Hidden worlds and abilities can also be unblocked the more players progress in the game. The main power players have in “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is throwing fireballs, ice balls and harnessing rainbow energy from stars, which make players temporarily invincible.
“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is a 2.5D side-scrolling video game. Players and some of the interactive objects on the screen are true 3D, but the background is a traditional 2D layout. This allows players to navigate the platform while incorporating modern graphics technology. Players are immersed in a world that is incredibly colorful and easy on the eyes. Nintendo’s development always does a good job when it comes to having a reliable graphics base with no glitches on each level. The world of Mario is easily one of the most recognizable graphics styles in pop culture. Players will truly enjoy the game, solely based on the amazing graphics on the Wii platform.
The controls for “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” are traditional Nintendo controls. Players must hold the Wii remote sideways, which is reminiscent of the controller layout on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System from the 1980s. There are three buttons players must get to know well. The touchpad moves the character they are playing as, the A button allows your character to jump and the B button allows the character to interact with whatever they are doing. This simple controller layout is easy for children to grasp, while being exactly what Nintendo fans are used to when it comes to a Mario Bros. game.
“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is a staple redefined retro game that has charmed players and Ninendo fans since its debut in 2009. The game received critical acclaim for its graphics on the Wii platform and it spawned a sequel to the story titled “New Super Mario Bros. 2.” Super Mario Bros. is the most successful video game series in history, with more than 200 titles produced by Nintendo on multiple platforms. “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is easily one of the most recognizable and appreciated Nintendo games produced in the last 20 years.
