Review by: Danielle Riendeau

I think I may actually be the perfect age to fully enjoy Super Mario bros. Wii, since I was a child in my own formative years when I first experienced the classic Mario Games – specifically, Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 and Super Mario World. All of my gaming instincts were formed in the late 80s-early 90s era, specifically in the bizarre fantasy worlds of The Mushroom Kingdom and Dinosaur Land, in what I later came to realize were the finest platform games of all time. Lucky me, no?

This new title is an enormously satisfying synthesis of Mario 3 and Mario World, done up in the cutesy style of 2006’s insane-selling New Super Mario Bros. It is, in effect, one of the most pleasingly nostalgic titles I’ve played in years, as it hits all the right notes while serving up consistently challenging gameplay. It’s also ridiculously fun to play with others, a feature that somehow brings all the magic of being seven years old and passing the controller back and forth playing through SMW.

Anyone who has ever played a 2D Mario will be at home right away here – you hold the Wii remote sideways (like an NES controller) and you run, jump, bump and bop through a series of wacky 2D stages, each with its own distinct flavor. Mario’s arsenal of moves is slightly expanded to reflect his more modern skills – along with your usual running and jumping, you can wall jump and “butt stomp”, and many stages have motion-related actions to perform, like controlling the orientation of a platform by tilting the controller in your hands. Think of it as “old Mario” with a few new twists.

The old power-ups (mushrooms, fireflowers, invincibility stars) are joined by new “suits” like the penguin suit, propeller suit, and ice flower, along with the “mini-mushroom” that made its debut on the DS, allowing Mario to explore tiny pipes and jump like a flea.

Just like the older games (particularly World) the stages are divided into themed “worlds” that consist of regular levels, fortresses, ghost houses and boss castles. Like Mario 3, you have an inventory screen where you can store power-ups, and little minigame houses dot the landscape, allowing you to stock up on 1-ups and items.

Everything about the game’s structure and pace is based on the same dream logic as the older games – and it’s dead-on. The flow among levels is superb, the balance between zany action and truly pulse-pounding moments is incredible - in one stage, you may don a penguin suit and zip around avoiding enemies, in another you’re on an insane lava-filled roller coaster deep underground. The mechanics are always consistent and basic, but there’s such variety in the challenges and environments in front of you that’s its impossible to get bored.