New Super Mario Bros. - Wii

This game is a GREAT CHRISTMAS present for the whole family! Now I don't usually do reviews... but I have to do one on this game. I think it is fitting for a blog post because this is a game that can definitely be a "family game." [This presumes that you play video games as a family.]

I bought the Wii for my wife.... and I last year around this time for her birthday. I didn't have a ton of money... but I got her the Wii fit as well and that was about it. Since then we haven't played a ton, or bought many games. As a matter of fact, our game library is Wii Play, Wii Sports, Mario Kart, Wii Fit, and Call of Duty World at War. She has downloaded a lot of the older Mario games and had a lot of fun with those.

Then we heard about NEW Super Mario Bros. Wii - at first we were a little skeptical. We heard it was a mix of Mario Bros.; Super Mario World; and Mario 3. We also heard it was a lot of fun and a lot harder then the older games, and at the same time VERY playable.

The quick review is that it is GREAT! You can play up to 4 people at once. Think: older mario games, but everyone taking there turn at one time. It does lead for some interesting and sometimes frustrating game play, but at some points you almost NEED teamwork to get beyond a certain point. In other words, this game is GREAT for a situation if you need more than one person playing a game at once.

The more in depth review:

The game play is a lot like the older mario games with the added bonus of multi-player. On top of that, they took a lot of the elements that people liked from ALL the past games and threw them together with some twists specific for the Wii. [For example... shaking this controller has its own functions.] You still have your power ups, and there are a lot of new items that help you along the way.

The levels are a lot like games of the past with some added twists. You move through the game in a map similar to Super Mario 3. You are able to go to Mushroom huts, different levels, get power ups and various other things. It isn't simply level to level. You also encounter a lot of past favorites like Ghost houses, ships, and castles.

The characters are about the only thing really that disappointed me. The in-level characters are great! Just about everyone is back... PLUS SOME! You have ghost style FISH for example! EVEN YOSHI IS BACK! Your character selection for playing though is limited to Mario, Luigi, or two toads. 

The game is a little difficult and takes some getting adjusted to it, yet, once you get into the game play, the new features really make the game an adventure and losing a few times on a level gives you a challenge and time to explore things a bit. There are tons of new features that ensure the game isn't monotonous for long time players. There are also features for younger players to help when things get a tad too tough!

Overall we love the game. Like I said, my wife is a huge fan of the past games and has played this more than I have seen her play any game. We only rented the game, but I could definitely see us buying it down the road when it would be financially responsible. Which leads me to the other drawback. Because it is a new game, it is $49.99. This is a pretty steep price for Mario, but right in line with just about everything else. All in All, I think this could be a "Gift for the Family" and be worth the money.

Rating is using a 10 scale I would give this game a 9.5. The only drawbacks are the price and the characters you can play as. I also would have liked to have seen some online functionality with it for the price but the game stands on its own. I know this review was limited... but if you google reviews on the game they do a much better job than I EVER COULD. Plus... I wanted to bring this game to your attention more than doing a full out review. [Also: the screenshots above don't do the game justice... check out YouTube for some video of the game to check out the new features]