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25 years ago, a video game was released alongside a video game console. That video game console was the Nintendo Entertainment System and the video game, which has since become a global success played and loved by tens of millions of people, was Super Mario Bros., the spiritual sequel to the hit arcade game. For the many that haven't played it, there's no doubt whatsoever that another rather important part of the game - its theme tune - is instantly recognisable to anyone. Regardless, the game has become a phenomenon and it's no surprise that, in some shape or form, it has graced nearly every video game console there is.
After the release of Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988, the name seemed to fade, replaced by the likes of Super Mario World and the new series of 3D Super Mario platformers. The games were still hugely successful, but it seemed as though the Super Mario Bros. name was done and dusted. That was back when nobody could have anticipated the success of the Nintendo DS and Nintendo's new casual market. New Super Mario Bros. remains one of the handheld's best-selling, highest-ranking titles and proves to the non-believers that the Super Mario Bros. name is well and truly alive once more. Following that, we find ourselves, four years later, with the Super Mario Bros. name back where it belongs: on a Nintendo home console.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is undoubtedly an amalgamation of the best bits of all preceding Super Mario Bros. titles. Not only that, it cleverly lifts from other Super Mario titles as well. When you start the game, you're greeted with an invitation to Princess Peach's castle (á la Super Mario 64) to celebrate her birthday. During your celebrations, a cake is rolled into the room: however, this is no ordinary cake, as it is a cake filled with pesky Koopalings (á la Super Mario World) who swiftly whisk the Princess away on Bowser Jr.'s airship (á la Super Mario Bros. 3). We're sixty seconds into the game and already Nintendo have awarded us with three lovely homages to the series.
From here, it's difficult to know exactly where to start in terms of the gameplay. When you start off in World 1, you'll see the new world map for the first time. Even a map such as that for World 1, which is one of the simplest maps in the entire game, is so much more dynamic than even those from its DS predecessor. Throughout the game, you'll find maps that not only go from left to right, but that also go up and down, onto various different levels, and even some that get bigger the further you get into the stages. Not only that, but there are so many secret exits this time around that you might end up spending as much time trying to find them as you do going through the main game itself.
Never mind all the new features of the world maps, though: you want to wait and see what's new in the levels themselves. It's not so much about the rolling hills and the clouds that you can move with a spin jump; it's more about the little things that use the Wii Remote so brilliantly. Some levels include metal platforms that tilt whichever way you tilt the Wii Remote, giving you access to higher or lower areas that you wouldn't normally be able to get to without a little help (but more on the multiplayer later). Others, mainly underground levels, include floats with twistable lights on: when it's pitch-black, you'll be able to twist the Wii Remote to twist the lights as well. Not only is the Wii Remote cause to bring in new little features, though, it's also great reason to bring an old move back from the grave: shake it and Mario will perform a good old spin jump.
Of course, with every new Super Mario game, you can expect more than just new features: try a few new items as well. The most notable of all the new items are the two that Mario and company can use: the Penguin Suit and the Propeller Mushroom. The Penguin Suit allows Mario to slide around on water and ice, swim with near-perfect precision much like the Frog Suit did in Super Mario Bros. 3, and throw pelts of ice at enemies akin to Ice Mario. The Propeller Mushroom is one of the items that makes greater use of the Wii Remote as it allows Mario to reach greater heights by spinning up into the air. Thankfully, it appears throughout most of the game (first appearing in the very first level), as it's definitely one of the most useful power-ups in the entire game. It's enough to make you forget about the exclusion of the Blue Shell from the original New Super Mario Bros., which, whilst missed, has two fine replacements.
Let's not get too excited over penguins and propellers, however, as there is one even more exciting item for you to get your hands on: the Yoshi egg. Yoshi seems to be getting a little neglected recently: he wasn't in Super Mario Galaxy, nor the original New Super Mario Bros., yet he takes pride of place in both games' sequels. That's far from a complaint, though, as Yoshi adds something spectacular to the game: apart from being a mode of transport, he can also swallow and spit fireballs back at enemies, swallow items such as Super Mushrooms for safekeeping and he can even swallow fellow players. Whether you do this to keep them safe or ensure they end up down a hole is up to you, but it can be pretty hilarious in the right context. All four players can have a Yoshi of their own and bouncing on top of one another couldn't be more fun. Yoshi eggs, however, only appear in a select few levels, and when you finish the level you don't get to keep him. There's no denying that this could be a lost opportunity for the game, as the prospect of using him in whichever level you choose would have been an excellent one.
When talking about any Super Mario title, you don't consider the idea that you can play with several friends at once because they're historically single-player funfests. Some of them have given players the option of adding a second player, but none have gone quite so far as New Super Mario Bros. Wii and its exciting four-player possibilities. There are two separate multiplayer modes: the free-for-all lets up to four players play through any completed level in an attempt to get the best high score, whilst the self-explanatory coin battle has players trying to get more coins than anyone else. The multiplayer aspect of the game shines through, ironically, in the single-player mode more than any other. Whilst on the world map in single-player mode, you can choose to add and remove players as often as you like. You might, for example, choose to recruit a helping hand if you're struggling with a particular level, or you might just have a personal favourite that you want all of your friends to play along with. The seamless integration between single-player and multiplayer is one of the many things that make this game a very special one.
Nintendo have also made a major step in terms of the game's difficulty. Whilst many commented that New Super Mario Bros. was all too easy at times, its bigger-and-better successor throws that ball out of the court by introducing Super Guide. For players having difficulty on any level, after kicking the bucket a few times, the Super Guide block will appear. Hitting this lets the computer take control of Mario and any other characters in the level, taking them straight through the level, whilst the player still has the option to take control of their character at any time. Super Guide won't head for any extras - it won't show off any secret exits and it won't collect any of the three Star Coins in the levels - but for some of the hugely-difficult levels (and there are many of them), it could be a lifesaver.
You find, with New Super Mario Bros. Wii, something that doesn't happen every day. You find a game that's recognisable, yet entirely new; a game that anyone can play, because everyone will find it incredibly difficult at times; and a game that, regardless of how many times you actually finish it, you won't want to stop playing. It's a testament to the entire Super Mario series that, even after twenty-five years, it still feels completely fresh, and it's a joy to play a game that you won't forget about in a very, very long time.
