We love
The manic multiplayer mode, brilliant level design, return of some much-loved gameplay features
We hate
Pointless waggle controls and the lack of any true innovation

Reader Rating:

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars
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Verdict
It’s Super Mario x4; while the single player experience is unquestionably fantastic, get three mates on board and you have one of the most enjoyable video games going
Launch Price
£39.99
3 Pages
123

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Nintendo has gone back to its roots with New Super Mario Bros Wii but is this a trip down memory lane that’s worth taking or will it leave you hankering for more modern thrills? Read our full New Super Mario Bros Wii review to find out.

If you’re a gamer with a long and proud heritage then chances are you’ll vividly remember the first time you jumped on a goomba’s bonce or collected your first Power-Up mushroom. Nintendo’s Super Mario series is a certified video gaming legend and has entertained and enthralled millions of fans the world over.

Following on from the astonishingly successful DS outing New Super Mario Bros, New Super Mario Bros Wii is all about taking the tired-and-tested gameplay found in the 8-bit and 16-bit entries of Nintendo’s million-selling franchise and dressing it up in a more modern visual package.

The world that New Super Mario Bros Wii inhabits will therefore be instantly familiar to hardcore retro addicts, with many of the same conventions – such as mushrooms which make you grow, flowers which imbue fire-throwing abilities and wacky costumes that allow you to fly – all being present and correct.


Read our Wii Sports Resort review now


However, Nintendo has multiplied the fun factor of New Super Mario Bros Wii by including a multiplayer mode which sees four different characters tackling a level simultaneously. Because players can both help and hinder each other during play, gaming sessions invariably end up being more amusing than a 24-hour marathon of Harry Hill’s TV Burp; just as was the case with the evergreen Wii Sports, Nintendo’s paragon of social gaming more than proves its worth here.

Mean-spirited pessimists may point out that despite the welcome inclusion of the manic multiplayer mode, New Super Mario Bros Wii represents precious little in the way of innovation and the tiresome “waggle” controls are just as ineffective here as they are in practically every other Wii title that chooses to feature them. Thankfully, Nintendo’s title is so fantastically enjoyable it’s easy to disregard these concerns.

The best way to describe New Super Mario Bros Wii is something of a “Best of” compilation that skilfully cherry-picks the best elements of the entire Mario lineage and wraps them all up in a delicious multiplayer-themed package. It may not feature guns, cars or girls, but Nintendo’s latest platform classic has that signature gameplay that has made Mario’s outings so essential in the past. If you own a Wii then you need to have this game in your life – it really is that simple.

4 Responses to “New Super Mario Bros Wii review”

  1. Ben Sillis says:

    I absolutely cannot wait to play this. I’ve waited 18 months for another decent Wii game after Mario Kart, and now it’s here. Goodbye plans to see friends this weekend!

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  3. [...] Read out New Super Mario Bros Wii review As you sing the words it indicates whether you are on key and holding the notes for the right amount of time, so you don’t just sing the songs once and that’s it, you want to improve your score and reach that perfect 9999. You can have sing-offs in Versus mode or First to 5000 mode. And that’s where having at least two microphones is worth it. We Sing lets you duet with a friend on certain songs, but it’s up to you to decide who will be Elton John or Kiki Dee, Charles or Eddie, The Pussycat Dolls or Busta Rhymes. The terrifying options are endless. [...]

  4. [...] a new category this year – best original video game score. We’re big fans of the classic Mario soundtracks but what modern titles best typify great game [...]

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