Super Mario Bros Wii: How Does It Compare With Previous Sequels?

Super Mario Bros.wii is the latest sequel of Nintendo Entertainment System's best-selling platform game.

Will this 2D game delight Mario fans, whetted by 4 previous sequels, the last being Super Mario World? Or, will it fail to live up to expectations? This article aims at finding out:

Super Mario Bros.wii adds two power-ups to Mario's arsenal to help in his bid to rescue Princess Peach: a penguin suit allows him to throw snowballs at rivals to freeze them. It also helps Mario traverse more efficiently, on ice and through water alike. A helicopter suit propels Mario skyward where he can remain for short spells. These are in addition to the existing fire-flowers, ice-flowers and starmans. The green dinosaur, Yoshi, is also retained, and is seen at some levels.

The game can be played with a remote. The controls are simple to understand, as in previous sequels.
Four players can play at a time, but most, like me, might simply prefer to play it alone. You will get ample opportunities to practice the martial arts tricks you have learned before. Newer obstacles in this game force you to be innovative.

You get more rebirths as you are likely to die more frequently. But if you manage to kill yourself eight times at a single level, you are provided with a help feature, the Super Guide. It's really useful, especially if you don't want to throw the game remote, in exasperation. It will complete the level for you as you watch. You can then choose to retry the level, or go to the next level.

There are some negatives, too. There is no revolutionary development; this is just an advanced version of its forebear. For instance, if you die unfortunately, you get a new life inside a bubble that floats. But the disadvantage is that you are trapped inside, and can't break out of it. Only another player can release you by touching the bubble. You will have to keep shaking the remote to move closer to your nearest partner. Also, you have to shake the remote in order to use the spin attacking feature, or a rapid up-down movement to pick up something. Take care to not press any buttons, accidentally, when doing this.

Some gamers might complain about the lack of online play, in Super Mario Bros.wii. Still others might claim that it is actually a good thing, as online gaming is in the nature of a fad that's unlikely to outlive the popularity of Mario. If this game gets as popular as its forebears, as, going by its burgeoning sales, it threatens to do, I would attribute it to the fact that the game continues in the footsteps of its predecessors. It pays tribute to the formula that boosted the gaming industry 20 years ago, by acting as a constant reminder to gamers about what gaming is really all about -- pure fun!

Conclusion

Would I still recommend Super Mario Bros.wii to gamers including those other than traditional Mario fans? You bet!