New Super Mario Bros. Wii

What’s the Story?

What better way to reinvent one of the most popular video game franchises of all time than by adding simultaneous multiplayer fun? This is precisely what Nintendo has done with NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII, the first game in the series to let up to four players jump, climb, fight, and fly through the vast Mushroom Kingdom -- all at the same time, on the same television. Featuring more than 80 colorful levels, this new "platformer" game has you running from the left side of the screen to the right -- just like the past games -- to collect coins, bounce on baddies, and reach the flagpole at the castle. But this time around, you can share the screen with up to three friends, each of whom holds a Wii Remote sideways to play. At the start of the main mode, gamers select a character to play (the mustached Mario, his brother Luigi, or one of two Toads), each with their own unique abilities, and attempt to rescue the kidnapped Princess Peach (on her birthday, no less). Worlds range from lush green towns to cloud-filled skies, dry deserts to icy levels, dark dungeons, and so on.

Is It Any Good?

This game is absolutely fabulous. If any game this year can bring together family or friends in front of the same television, it's this "Everyone"-rated title that's easy to pick up but hard to put down. Of course you can play New Super Mario Bros. Wii by yourself if you want, but the game was designed primarily for group play with its handful of cooperative and competitive modes, along with minigames. In fact, some actions require more than one player to pull off, such as hopping up and down on a seesaw to reach high areas. You can also pick up other characters and toss them into the abyss, ride Yoshi (and use his tongue-lashing attacks), or don special suits that let you fly, slide, or freeze baddies. As with its predecessors, this game includes many well-hidden secrets and surprises as a reward to those who explore. It could be extra coins and power-ups, underground caverns or the ability the warp to future worlds. Arguably the finest Nintendo Wii title of the year, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is an extraordinary game that should yield many weeks and months of multiplayer fun.