I feel like this game usually gets a bad rap in conversation with other Mario games or other platformers, and in all honesty I can see why. When you compare New Super Mario Bros. Wii to other platformers at the time, the game is very simple and plain. There isn't a whole lot here that other games haven't done, outside of how you use the Wii remote or the updated graphic qualities from the DS game. The story, like most Mario games, is no thrills, has no interesting ideas and is basically just yet another Peach rescue mission. The characters are basically interchangeable, which is a shame since having a Co-Op version of Super Mario Bros. 2 sounds fun as hell. The level designs are basically Nintendo making Mario Maker levels for their full priced game at the time. It's very, very, very easy, if you've played other Mario games, to look at this and not care. It's effectively the Foo Fighters of Mario: simple, to the point, no thrills, and just kind of a basic game.
And you'd think, with all those complaints, that I just wouldn't care, right?
Well, actually, I had a lot of fun!
See, here is the thing about video games for me. While the impact of better, more beautifully crafted video games make this feel very throw-away and plain, there is a simplistic beauty of this game, and it's one of the many reasons why I think it is a great game as well as kind of plain: it's just a Mario game. It takes the series right back to it's original intention, and creates a simple, fun, get to the end goal of interesting levels that I think makes for one of Nintendo's most refined games. Aside from the overly sensitive motion control shakes that sometimes occur, the controls are butter smooth. I feel like this kind of intuitive design in how this platformer feels to play makes this one of the most assessable video games in all of creation, letting anyone pick up, play, get frustrated but want to persevere in order to reach the goal, to get that last Star Coin, to find those cannons. Every level has a secret warp pipe that can get them coins, a Power Up, or a whole ass Star Coin, and you can feel the excitement that the developers had creating these little mini secrets in this game, just in love with the fact that this game is just simply fun. It's not just taking Mario back to it's roots in it's 2D aesthetic, but this intention is baked into the game itself; it's just a Mario game.
The music as well just adds such an upbeat personality to the game. I know it's a joke now how the turtles hit the goofy aah dance on the 'wah wah's on the music beat, but why add that if you didn't just love what you are creating? This music, while obviously not touching what came before or after, just has such a fun, lively and colorful groove to everything. I adore the melodies in World 2, the ominous Tower music, the rising tension of the Castle theme, the fact that these simple little melodies add so much happiness and joy, even in the most stressful situations. You can tell that these composers were doing a little boogie to this soundtrack when they added those little rhythmic background noises whenever you got Yoshi. Not a huge boogie, but a little boogie, and I find that lovely.
And the way it's fun just really tickles me. I would honestly consider these Power-Ups to be way more iconic then people want to admit, because these powers were built on one principle: fun. The Helicopter Mushroom feels so delightfully OP, but never in a "oh, well I'm just getting the Helicopter Mushroom and beating this game tonight" way. The Penguin suit has so much energy behind it. The Mini Mushroom, with it's slight glide, rushing on top of water, makes for some incredibly memorable moments that I feel could have been taken even further. Each of these powerups just feels so fun and exciting to use, and always feels like a slight cheat code when you get it, but it's baked into the game itself. The games challenges are baked into these power-ups, especially in the games final moments (FUCK 9-7 MAN) where it's all just up to the player. It's so fun.
And sure, it's simple, and my biggest complaints are with what the game didn't do as opposed to what it did. Because what it did do? Great fun, but dreaming of what could have also been done on top of that, as a Galaxy or a Sunshine or even a World did before obviously will lead to people saying that this is just a pretty boring release. And I don't think that's fair. Playing this game, I got reminded why I love these platformers, why I love coming home and turning on a console and trying my best to beat a level. Not because it's the most challenging thing in the world. Not because it's the most technical thing in the world. But because, at the end of the day, it's fun.
...but seriously, fuck 9-7 that level can suck my dense chode.
And you'd think, with all those complaints, that I just wouldn't care, right?
Well, actually, I had a lot of fun!
See, here is the thing about video games for me. While the impact of better, more beautifully crafted video games make this feel very throw-away and plain, there is a simplistic beauty of this game, and it's one of the many reasons why I think it is a great game as well as kind of plain: it's just a Mario game. It takes the series right back to it's original intention, and creates a simple, fun, get to the end goal of interesting levels that I think makes for one of Nintendo's most refined games. Aside from the overly sensitive motion control shakes that sometimes occur, the controls are butter smooth. I feel like this kind of intuitive design in how this platformer feels to play makes this one of the most assessable video games in all of creation, letting anyone pick up, play, get frustrated but want to persevere in order to reach the goal, to get that last Star Coin, to find those cannons. Every level has a secret warp pipe that can get them coins, a Power Up, or a whole ass Star Coin, and you can feel the excitement that the developers had creating these little mini secrets in this game, just in love with the fact that this game is just simply fun. It's not just taking Mario back to it's roots in it's 2D aesthetic, but this intention is baked into the game itself; it's just a Mario game.
The music as well just adds such an upbeat personality to the game. I know it's a joke now how the turtles hit the goofy aah dance on the 'wah wah's on the music beat, but why add that if you didn't just love what you are creating? This music, while obviously not touching what came before or after, just has such a fun, lively and colorful groove to everything. I adore the melodies in World 2, the ominous Tower music, the rising tension of the Castle theme, the fact that these simple little melodies add so much happiness and joy, even in the most stressful situations. You can tell that these composers were doing a little boogie to this soundtrack when they added those little rhythmic background noises whenever you got Yoshi. Not a huge boogie, but a little boogie, and I find that lovely.
And the way it's fun just really tickles me. I would honestly consider these Power-Ups to be way more iconic then people want to admit, because these powers were built on one principle: fun. The Helicopter Mushroom feels so delightfully OP, but never in a "oh, well I'm just getting the Helicopter Mushroom and beating this game tonight" way. The Penguin suit has so much energy behind it. The Mini Mushroom, with it's slight glide, rushing on top of water, makes for some incredibly memorable moments that I feel could have been taken even further. Each of these powerups just feels so fun and exciting to use, and always feels like a slight cheat code when you get it, but it's baked into the game itself. The games challenges are baked into these power-ups, especially in the games final moments (FUCK 9-7 MAN) where it's all just up to the player. It's so fun.
And sure, it's simple, and my biggest complaints are with what the game didn't do as opposed to what it did. Because what it did do? Great fun, but dreaming of what could have also been done on top of that, as a Galaxy or a Sunshine or even a World did before obviously will lead to people saying that this is just a pretty boring release. And I don't think that's fair. Playing this game, I got reminded why I love these platformers, why I love coming home and turning on a console and trying my best to beat a level. Not because it's the most challenging thing in the world. Not because it's the most technical thing in the world. But because, at the end of the day, it's fun.
...but seriously, fuck 9-7 that level can suck my dense chode.