The Jon Venture

By Jon Venture

Growing up as a gamer, there was nothing more annoying than waiting to play Super Mario Bros. with my father. Koopa shells would bounce back off a pipe and knock little Mario right off the screen, but Dad would grip the NES controller for just one more chance to play. Now, I very well could have played as Luigi, but I didn’t want to play second. No one wants to play second. I wanted to play Mario Bros. at the same time, on the same screen, because I thought our combined efforts would be able to take out Bowser and save the princess. All it took was 23 years and four console generations to finally get not just two, but four players on the screen at the same time. Not counting Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be the first platforming game in the series to support local multiplayer when it arrives on shelves during the fourth quarter of 2009.

Thankfully, Nintendo had not changed, but built upon, the Super Mario formula in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. SFX Big Ant and I got a chance to play the game at the Nintendo booth during E3 ’09 and felt instantly at home. The combined experiences and moves from Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario World, and even Super Mario 64 were all present: fireballs, spin jumps, and wall jumping were all accounted for, as were Yoshi in their classic transport role. I was told that even Bowser’s evil brood, the Koopalings, will make their return as villains. New to the lineup were the Propeller Suit, which allowed players to zip up and slowly drift down the screen by shaking the Wii Remote, and the Penguin Suit, which allowed players to freeze enemies and use them as stepping stones. Without fail, Mr. Miyamoto has remained faithful to the iconic plumber we all know and love.

Before long we were outmaneuvering the two Nintendo reps playing Super Mario Bros. Wii with us thanks to the simple controls that took no time to master. By flipping the Wii Remote horizontally players direct Mario (Player 1), Luigi (Player 2), or either a blue or yellow nameless Toad (Players 3 & 4) with the directional pad, dash with Button 1, and jump with Button 2. To spin jump or throw a fellow player, presumably for puzzle solving and not out of spite, players just shook the Wii Remote. Upon death, your character would float back onto the screen in a bubble towards the remaining players, waiting for them to pop you as the team moved on. Since less time had been spent reading diagrams and learning the controls for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, we were able to spend more time actually playing the game as the crowds formed behind us. All of the frantic coin collecting gameplay you know and love was intact during the playable demo available at E3 ’09 this year. With each of our Toads mounted on Yoshi, we tore through the quirky level that played and looked like seamless extensions of the classic side scrolling Super Mario experience.

Even though it had already been mentioned during an interview with Mr. Miyamoto, I had to ask the cheerful Nintendo reps about a possible online mode for New Super Mario Bros. Wii. “Sorry, but no,” proclaimed the youthful employee with a disappointed tone. Figured I had to ask just in case. Apparently the Wii’s power is all going towards providing a smooth experience for four players at once locally, but online had not been possible. I paused momentarily hoping she was going to follow that heartbreaker with a sly “yet”, to no avail.

The millions of fans of the classic Super Mario Bros. games will undoubtedly love New Super Mario Bros. Wii upon its release later this year. Those wishing for something radically different from a Mario title might have to look elsewhere, but the comfort that comes from the series’ familiarity and charm will be more than enough to solidify New Super Mario Bros. Wii as a top seller and hit holiday title. After all, it’s-a still him, Mario!

Expect a full review when New Super Mario Bros. Wii arrives during the fourth quarter of 2009.