Best 2D Mario platformer period!
Let me begin by saying that Super Mario Bros. is my favorite franchise of all time and I consider Super Mario 64 to be the greatest game ever created.
I have been playing these games since the original Super Mario Bros. was released but I am in no way a nostalgic 2D platforming fan. I believe that this franchise is a 3D beast now and am thoroughly looking forward to playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 now that I have finished this game.
Having laid that foundation, on to the actual review. I have been playing this game alongside Super Mario All-Stars (Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Edition) so I have a direct side by side comparison to the old games and this new one.
The first aspect of New Super Mario Bros. Wii that I want to get into is the control scheme. As a platforming afficiando I understand that controls are everything. This game controls almost perfectly. I can make Mario do whatever I need him to do and get him to wherever I need him to go with ease. The one complaint that I have is with the wall jump. Pressing into the wall that you are jumping off of instead of in the direction you want to jump to seems counter intuitive to me. Not only that, but you face the possibility of limiting your jump distance if you do not immediately switch directions after you input the jump command because you might still be holding the analog stick (I played with the Wiimote and nunchuck combination) in the direction of the wall, which is now the opposite direction of where you are trying to go. I thought the spin jump was a worthless addition (I never used it and did not know what the purpose of it was) and the triple jump was somewhat out of place as there was never a need for it and not a lot of room to pull it off with the levels designed as they were anyway. I would have dropped these two moves from Mario's arsenal and included the backflip jump which I was longing for on a number of occassions.
Speaking of level design, these levels are perfect. Working your way through these levels is an absolute delight and there is plenty to do in all of them; from reaching the end, collecting all of the Star Coins (some of these were frustratingly challenging), to the Red Ring challenges (an absolute blast) to finding alternate exits.
Mario platformers focus a lot on powerups and it seems relevant to mention them here. You have your basics like the Super Mushroom, your Fire Flower and your Star. Added for the first time is an Ice Flower (with a nod towards the Ice Mario powerup from Super Mario Galaxy), a Mini Mushroom (which added the possibility for innovative level design but was drastically underutilized) a Penguin Suit (which is basically a combination of the Ice Flower and the Frog Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3) and the Propellerhead powerup.
For some reason, ever since Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo has seemed intent on making Mario fly. Super Mario Bros. 3 probably did it best with the Racoon Tail powerup whereas Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 are probably tied for worst with the Cape and Wing Hat respectively. The Propellerhead falls in the middle as it does not let you fly so much as kind of drift and glide. It is without a doubt the most helpful powerup in the game with a number of the Star Coins hidden in places where you need it to get them.
The Koopalings return and are as easy to stomp as ever. Yoshi returns as well and is fun to tinker with in the few levels where he makes an appearance but does not really add anything to the game. Bowser Jr. is here as well providing comic relief (at least I find him funny) and the final battle with Bowser is EPIC! This is without a doubt the best Bowser battle I have ever experienced (Super Mario Galaxy is a close second) with the musical orchestration complementing the frantic dash for the finish line perfectly.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii has everything you could want in a 2D platformer and picks up nicely where Super Mario World left off (I do not count Yoshi's Story as a mainline title). I have not had extensive experience with the multiplayer aspect of the game yet as the wife and kids are not seasoned video game vets yet and making it even through level 1-1 is a chore with them.
It takes a lot to grind a perfect ten out of me and the flat out fun factor of this game pushes it over that hump.
Job well done Nintendo.