At this weekend’s Big Apple Con in New York City, I got a chance to spend a few minutes with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. A sequel to 2006’s New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, this game will be the first game in the Mario series to feature simultaneous multiplayer gameplay since Mario Bros.
The game performs much like Super Paper Mario did. The Wiimote is held sideways, and you control Mario, Luigi, or Toad with the directional buttons. Simple things like jumping or attacking are performed using the buttons, while more complicated things like Luigi’s spin attack are performed by shaking the Wiimote. Overall, the controls were familiar and easy, and I never found them frustrating. Graphic wise, this game looks exactly like New Super Mario Bros. but performs well on the Wii.
All the reading I’d done about this game told me that New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a cooperative side scrolling multiplayer. But after myself and a fellow Flickcast contributor were handed our Wiimotes and told how to play, what ensued was an all-out battle. We fought over mushrooms, power ups like the Propeller Suit, coins, and reaching the end of the level. We trapped eachother against walls and ran eachother into enemies.
This was a frustrating and unexpected aspect of the game. As much as you do need the other player to reach the end of the game, it can become a contest to see who will end up with the most points at the end of the level, or who can frustrate eachother the most.
You’ll be able to get your hands on New Super Mario Bros. Wii November 15th.
