Ken Lee likes certain kinds of mushroom

This review could be summarised quite simply: If you are a fan of the old classic Super Mario Bros. games (or if you liked the recent DS game) then you'll enjoy this game immensely. And if your introduction to the world to Mario is through the more recent 3D games (Mario 64, Sunshine, Galaxy), then you would do yourself a disservice if you did not at least try this old/new flavour. Though that may seem like a lot of caveats for liking a game, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one that deserves ample praise for both giving an old genre an invigorating facelift and for introducing enough new mechanics to give it all a brand new sheen.

MARIO

The basic gameplay should be immediately familiar: Players control Mario, traversing through various 2D stages, surmounting obstacles and enemies to reach the ultimate destination. Each stage presents differently themed landscapes and obstacles that require different approaches. Water-based stages play very differently in terms of pace compared to a vertically scaling stage. And gamers would be familiar with most of the themes used in each stage; the requisite water, fire and ice stages have all appeared previously.

The key to each stage is the challenge it offers, and this game is undeniably tough. There are many obstacles in each stage and avoiding one almost always places the player directly in the line of fire of the next one. Unless players are capable of precision timing to speed through the stage, they will often require careful navigation in order to pass.

"Wiiiiiii!"

And there is a high chance that players will succumb to the use of the Super Guide (where the game basically plays itself for you) to help guide them through more difficult parts of the game. The Super Guide offers assistance to players who have hit a stumbling block during their play-through by demonstrating how to pass it. After the Super Guide is done, players can either repeat the stage on their own, or move on to the next stage.

Some veteran gamers feared that the inclusion of the Super Guide would dumb down the game. But the tool is an extremely useful one. As mentioned before, this game is tough, and even the most seasoned gamers may need a little help now and then. Most importantly, it offers novice gamers a chance to proceed further ahead into the game and not continually bang their heads against a brick wall. Stages completed through the use of the Super Guide are coloured differently, so if you cannot bear the mark of shame you are always able to go back and complete the stage yourself at a later time. Players can also take control back from Super Guide at anytime during the stage to resume play, though the stage will still be marked as having been completed with assistance.

There are a couple of new power-ups in the game, which offer some changes to the gameplay. The helicopter hat allows players to fly to great heights and traverse large stretches of land as Mario floats gently back to ground. Its utility is similar to the tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros. 3, though it is a little easier to use. A more interesting power-up is the ice-flower/penguin suit, which grants Mario the ability to throw ice-balls to freeze enemies. Frozen enemies can then either be used as a weapon when thrown, or used as a platform for Mario to jump on and reach even greater heights. The penguin suit differs from the ice-flower by giving players additional advantages such as better traction on ice, better swimming abilities and the ability to slide on ice and break blocks he comes into contact with. Players may, however, feel a little short-changed by the double-dipping nature of the ice flower/penguin suit powers, where differences are minor.

Hammer time

LUIGI & TOADSTOOLS

The addition of multiplayer is new to the game – 2-4 players can work cooperatively on every stage. When I say cooperatively, I mean that in the lightest sense of the word; More often than not, you'll find that friends become hindrances, and familiarity breeds contempt.

The addition of other players in the game adds levels of complexity to an already tough game. Playing the game with multiple people requires a lot of co-ordination, as every extra on-screen character can become an obstacle. For example, if Luigi happens to land on Mario's head while both are in mid-air, Mario immediately gets knocked down towards the ground. Essentially, if all players are moving randomly, it becomes very difficult to complete a stage as each character gets in the way of another.

The game does allow players to ‘bubble up’, and they float around without affecting the game, staying invulnerable. They can only be released from their bubble state by touching another player. Bubbled players become less of a hindrance and more of a dead weight. Even so, this is a good option when playing with novice gamers who are able to leave more tricky parts of the stage to a seasoned player.

Plumbers make the best penguins

The ability to get into other players' way does lend itself to hilarious moments, but more often than not, unless all parties are on the same page, there is very little forward progression through the stage. Coin Battles, the second multiplayer option, has players vying for coins scattered across a stage in a competitive match. Here all the annoyances from cooperative play become tools of malice. Players stomp on each others' heads, pick each other up and throw them into fire, lob turtle shells at one another and so on. As all good competitive multiplayer games should be, players achieve victory through self-serving and dastardly means.

Super Guide, as previously mentioned, can help players in completing stages. But all it does is show the most direct route to completing a stage. Hint Movies, another new feature, offers players tips on secret areas and high-level play. You purchase Hint Movies with the large gold coins collected in each stage, and each hint movie shows off a variety of tips and tricks to master the game. You only need to watch the video which shows 4-player play-through of the game to realise the extreme co-ordination required to pass a stage flawlessly with other people. And then you realise how inadequate your friends actually are.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is just a good old fashioned 2D platformer that harkens back to the old SNES days. It adheres quite strongly to a well established model, which means that it will appeal to those seeking out these exact experiences. It's not groundbreaking like Mario 64 was in its day, but not every game needs to be a leader in innovation. Some just need to be well built and fun.