A fantastic little gem of a game that is loads of fun with multiplayer.
It has the nostalgic feel of the original 2-D games that made this such a c-l-a-s-s-i-c. There are little 3-D perks though, objects that move and give an illusion of three dimensions without forfeiting the two dimensional feel - just enough to accent the game and remind us it isn't an old game after all.
It appears like it would be easy, but it has all the jumpoffs into oblivion and meeting your death running into monsters as the previous games, and then some, making it exceedingly frustrating at times. It really sucks to play so repeatedly only to die and lose your progress if you havent had the luck of beating a castle yet. So, it's HARD, in this gamer's opinion. But not so hard that it's impossible, and I beat this game in a good two weeks of non-obsessive playing, maybe a half a level at a time. It is set up with eight levels, and two castles each level, one mid-way, one at the end, and the occasional airship. And when you beat Bowser at the very end, a twist prolonged game makes you scared you might not have beat it after all! But then you get the satisfaction of credits and a whole new level - Level Nine - opens up. So the game isn't even over when it's over.
And what really makes this game unique and worthy of note is the multiplayer option. It at first may seem like anovelty while you are getting used to a two player game without split screen. It takes some acclimation to play simultaneously, but once you get the hang of it, you can copperatively kick butt. You can SLAY boards with a friend, and with two indefinite continues, you won't lose your progress. Unless you both die at the exact same time. It's great fun to work together as a team, and even to accidentally kill the other player. It's fun and funny to be in the midst of a palm-sweating death-filled chaotic scene only to be picked up over your friends head and thrown off the ledge to your death. Really, it IS fun, lol.
So, in this gamer's opinion, New Super Mario Brothers Wii is a must-have game for any respectable Nintendo fan or Wii owner.