To say Nintendo has had success with first-party games on the Wii would be a bit of an understatement. It’s probably better to just say that Nintendo-made games have been a license to print money. While third party games by major developers continue to flounder and struggle, Nintendo has created hit after hit for their family-friendly gaming leader. Mario Kart, Wii Fit, and Wii Sports Resort are a few examples of Nintendo-published games that have been huge sellers, even without consensus critical acclaim. The key to Nintendo’s success has been the attention paid to the causal gamer, which has become a large part of the Nintendo install base. The focus on casual gamers is one that has left hardcore Nintendo fans feeling scorned, as they have had to patiently wait for Nintendo to live up to its promise to deliver games for gamers. When New Super Mario Bros Wii was announced at E3 2009, it was to be the game that brought hardcore and casual gamers together in harmony to celebrate the world’s most famous plumber. There was no question that the game would sell. The question was whether the game would match the lofty expectations of casual and hardcore fans alike. Were those expectations met? For the most part, the answer is yes. The first thing you’ll notice about New Super Mario Bros Wii (NSMB) is that it is full of nostalgia, and that feeling starts right when you put the game into the Wii. The game starts, Bowser captures the Princess, and Mario and friends begin a quest to rescue her. Where have we heard this before? You are instantly thrown into level 1-1, and begin to make your way through a level that should look wonderfully familiar. After jumping on a couple of Goombas and sending a Koopa Troopa shell flying, you’ll feel right back at home in the world of Mario. The first 2D Mario game since New Super Mario Bros DS (released in May, 2006), you’ll immediately recognize worlds, levels, and enemies. The game is seemingly designed as a tribute to the great Mario games of yester year, and as someone who grew up playing Mario games this resonated greatly. It’s also not a bad strategy, considering these were some of the best games ever made. The feeling of nostalgia flows all the way into the controls, allowing you to hold your Wiimote like an NES controller and play through the game with controls that feel second nature.
Graphically, this game is not one of the best looking games you’ll see on the Wii. Usually, I would say that with some disdain, and while I don’t want to let NSMB off the hook, I tend to give it more of a pass because the game is played in 2D, limiting how graphically impressive the game could really look. To its advantage, with so many 3D games out there that almost put too much emphasis on graphics and not enough on gameplay, this 2D Mario game feels like a breath of fresh air. As 2D games have become less common, young gamers have mostly missed enjoying the genre of Mario-type platforming games that are largely responsible for making gaming what it is today. This is also true of Mario himself, as many of his more recent games (Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart, etc) feature the pudgy plumber in 3D, drifting him away from his 2D days of glory. The graphics in this game are by no means stellar, but the basic look of the game fits what it is trying to accomplish. Nintendo has correctly guessed that keeping things simple and familiar would resonate with long-time Ninetendo gamers, and this adds to the overall enjoyment of the game.
Nintendo has taken a similar approach in regard to the sound, finding a nice mix of classic Mario favorites and new-to-the-series tunes. Nothing is innovative or spectacular, but that is by design. All of the memorable Mario sound effects are in the game, from the exciting mushroom power-up to the infamous death jingle, and they go a long way in adding to the nostalgic feeling the game has. Nintendo also finds situations to use sound to create adorable moments, such as the brief times during levels where the enemies will dance along with the music. The sound also integrates well with the flow of the game, staying light-hearted during necessary moments and jacking up the intensity when entering a world dungeon. While not ground-breaking, Nintendo found a solid balance of old and new sounds that fit well within the context of the game.
While graphics and sound are important, Mario has always rested his laurels on his engrossing and memorable gameplay, and gameplay is the reason this game is such a success. Along with the regular game, there are two additional modes that are multiplayer based: Free-For-All and Coin battle, but both modes feel like throw-ins and are inferior to playing multiplayer through the regular game. That said, the regular game is a lot of fun. Using the Wiimote in an old-school NES fashion, the game only utilizes two buttons, which makes it easy for Mario rookies and veterans to pick up the controller and play. There is also an option to play with controls using the nunchuck, but I found that I preferred the sideways Wiimote. The controls are easy to pick up, and work exactly like Mario games of the past, save for a few motion control additions that prove to be a nice touch. True to classic side-scrolling Mario games there are a number of familiar features that you will instantly recognize if you’ve played any 2D Mario game. There are mini-games, power-ups, and secrets to discover along the way to assist you in trying to beat the evil Bowser. That said, this game is no walk in the park, providing challenging gameplay that punishes you for speeding through with anything short of expert Mario ability. I don’t think the difficulty is too overwhelming, but be advised you are going to die a few times on your way to the eighth world. That is not to say that NSMB is all rehash of old standards. There are a number of new power-ups for Mario to take advantage of such as the Ice Flower, which works opposite the Fire Flower, allowing Mario to shoot balls of ice and freeze his enemies. There is also the Penguin Suit, which, in addition to shooting ice balls, allows Mario to comfortably walk on ice and improve his swimming ability. These seem to fit perfectly into the game and are both useful and necessary to progress through the game. Also new are the aforementioned motion controls, which feel more natural than pushing a button to do the specific action. The controls are solid for the most part, though on a few occasions they unexpectedly sent me flying into the air. Hint Movies are another key addition to NSMB, allowing you to use your gold star coins as currency to buy movies that will reveal some of the games secrets. These can be very effective for Mario beginners, showing you how to clear tough areas or revealing where you can find a few more 1-ups if you find yourself stuck.
The biggest addition to NSMB though is multiplayer, and I’m not talking about that old “you play then I play” from Mario games past. NSMB allows up to four people to play through each level simultaneously. It might sound scary, but trust me, it works wonderfully. Nintendo did a great job of balancing the levels in NSMB so that they are fun and challenging regardless of how many people are playing. Each box containing mushrooms releases enough power-ups for everyone, assuming one person doesn’t hoard them. You can also use your teammates as springboards and barriers, allowing players to reach areas they would otherwise be unable to reach without the right power suit. If you are playing multiplayer and you happen to die, you return in a safety bubble for your teammates to spring free.
Players are able to jump in and out of the game at any time, which is wonderful for those areas where a new player simply feels like the game is too hard or if someone needs to take a break. This is equally as effective when you are playing with friends and one of your friends is late, because they can just jump into the game upon arrival. With four players, the game becomes controlled chaos, as it is almost as fun to sabotage your teammates battling for power-ups as it is to help each other through the level. It should also be noted that continues are infinite, so if you are playing with someone who happens to be dying a great deal more than you, they can continue playing as long as they’d like. There is a lot of fun to be had playing multiplayer, and I found it more fun to progress through the game this way as opposed to alone.
While NSMB is a good game, it is by no means perfect. The biggest issue I have with the game is the lack of online play. While it seems to be a consistent issue with Wii games, the lack of online multiplayer in NSMB is almost criminal. Nintendo put all this work into making a wonderful multiplayer Mario game, and decided that it wasn’t worth it to include any online feature. While the game has good replay value, the value would be tenfold if you were able to enjoy the game online. Additionally, the Free-For-All and Coin Battle game modes, which would seem to be interesting online ideas, feel like worthless throw-ins since the multiplayer must be played on the same console. The other issue I have with NSMB is the difficultly. While I found the game challenging, those that I played the game with that were less talented Mario players found parts of the game to be too difficult and simply gave up. I worry that the game’s difficulty curve might leave first-time Mario gamers behind, but I understand that Nintendo had a tough line to walk here balancing the difficulty between too easy and too hard.
While this isn’t a perfect game, Nintendo has done a tremendous job making a Mario game that will appeal to both sides of the gaming spectrum. This is a game that will allow a new generation of youngsters to enjoy Mario in the same manner I did when I was a kid, and for those that played the originals this is a nostalgia trip with many elements that breathe fresh air into the genre. The addition of multiplayer to a 2D Mario game is ingenious; I just wish Nintendo would admit that putting effort into their online gaming capabilities would improve the Wii. Nonetheless, this is a must have title for Wii and Mario fans alike, and is the perfect game to bring to a party, holiday or otherwise.
8.5 Out of 10
Released November 15th, 2009 for Nintendo Wii
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment