The Nintendo Wii has always had a leaning towards party games and easy access with its first-party content. The scope of these titles has been that anyone can pick them up and enjoy them, regardless of age or skill. Nintendo has now given the gaming community something older gamers enjoyed as children and put a new twist on it with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It is a side-scrolling platformer with elements brought in from all corners of the Mario universe and can be enjoyed by up to four players at once, even in the main game! While there are mini-games to partake of, such as the free-for-all and the coin battle, Mario Wii really shines with its main adventure.

Parents have very little to worry about by letting younger gamers play New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Violence is cartoon-based, with stomping enemies and no blood or gore. The only possible questionable content for some is Magikoopa, who uses magic to transform stages and fires bolts from his wand. Ghost houses might scare younger players and they usually contain some of the more difficult puzzles. In a culture of gaming where few games can be picked up without seeing if it’s alright for kids to play, this is one that parents can buy with few questions asked.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of the few games that anyone can pick up and play regardless of skill. It is definitely an essential piece of any Wii owner’s game library. It makes a good party game, it can serve a single player’s needs, and it brings many classic elements of gaming into the modern era. Side-scrolling adventures may be things of the past, but Mario Wii puts a new twist on an old concept and makes it quite memorable.

» By Dave Herbert, Plain Games. Published 3/7/2010 11:53:03 AM.