New Super Mario Bros. Wii

A few weeks back, I had a chance to sit down with a classic Nintendo game, with a current day make-over. This game is "New" Super Mario Bros. for the Wii. I figured I may as well review it, seeing as it is quite a rarity; A wii game I truly enjoyed.
Again, could be due to the minimal use of motion controls.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is is a side-scrolling platformer, published and developed by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released on November 12, 2009 in Australia.

STORY
This review will be starting with one of my least favourite things about this game; and in fact, many games. The story begins at Princess Peach's birthday, where Mario, Luigi and two differently coloured Toad characters are celebrating with the birthday girl. All seems well until a large cake rolls in; out pops Bowser Jr. and "The Koopalings" (that's right, Bowsers children pop out of a cake like a stripper) and guess what they do.
That's right! They kidnap Princess Peach. Again. Once again proving that the Mario series, much like the Zelda series, are just ONE game in a number of different dresses.

Seriously, are Nintendo writers just not trying anymore?

PRESENTATION
Crappy story aside, the game looks and sounds really cool; from the 3D graphics on a 2D plane, to the retro sound effects that resonate from the wii-mote.
The 2.5D graphics are really cool, and hit home on the retro front of the game, as do the sound effects. The soundtrack was also ripped from previous games; however, unlike the story, will never get old.

...Until of course, you hear it over and over again. As awesome as the classic Mario music is, it doesn't hurt to make some new additions.
Really, what more can I say about this games look and sound... Its just like a classic Mario game, though perhaps too much like one.

I suppose the lesson here is.. You can have too much of a good thing.

GAMEPLAY
Just like everything else in this review so far, the gameplay is more or less ripped straight from the Nintendo Archives of Mario. Sidescrolling platformer gameplay is the core of this game, and I'm struggling to think of anything else this game gave me.
As little variety as there is in this title, its done extremely well. Though that should be expected, since New Super Mario Bros. Wii has been done many, many times before.

Its amazing how little there is to really comment on, yet i still found it fun. Of course, this game has a large focus on multiplayer; as many areas require the aid of at least one other player, but some of the biggest problems I found with the gameplay occurred because I was playing with a friend.

Multiplayer platforming in NSMBW is like putting cricket balls in a washing machine, and watching the madness unfold. Characters just bounce off of each other if they get particularly close, and are in the air; and I often found myself accidentally picking my friend up... then throwing her down a pit. Completely unintentional. I swear.

Oh, and the game is easy. REALLY EASY. And I'm pretty sure you have the ability to just watch Luigi perform a walkthrough of the level, before you even take a try.

REPLAYABILITY
Theres a lot of hidden stuff to find in this game, and getting 100% will include multiple level run throughs, with more than one player. The game is still really easy, and you'll breeze through it.
Also, without the incentive of achievements or trophies, most players won't bother going back through the game.

OVERVIEW
This was an extremely short review, simply because theres not enough to comment on. What little there is, however, is done quite well; fans of the original games are definitely in for a treat, whereas newcomers will probably enjoy this too. Although, for newcomers, the retro soundtrack and sound effects might get a bit boring after a while.
In all, an enjoyable platforming experience (so long as its in single player) and one of the better reasons for buying a wii in my opinion.

So... that was shorter than I thought it was going to be. Next week, Assassins Creed 2; because I'm just so excited for Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. See you guys next time.