When tested 15 years ago: New Super Mario Bros. was also a success on Wii

In the test 15 years ago: New Super Mario Bros. was also a success on the Wii 39 comments

With New Super Mario Bros. Wii (NSMBW) (review), Nintendo brought the iconic plumber into its colorful fantasy world on the Nintendo Wii 15 years ago. The title proved that the same concept as it had been since the 1980s still worked.

Summary :

Mario as always

With New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo returns to the origins of the series. Instead of the 3D world offered to the series on the old SNES, the manufacturer used the classic 2D world of the popular jump ‘n run for NSMBW. This also meant that Mario 3D’s often suboptimal camera operation and much more complex controls were gone. For 2009, the overall graphics may have been too simple for some, but Nintendo retained the charm of the series and in general the Wii, even for Nintendo, was designed more for fun than graphics. When it comes to the plot, Nintendo also stayed close to the origin: as always, Princess Peach, who had been kidnapped by the evil Bowser, had to be saved. Players had to wait almost seven hours to rescue the princess from Bowser’s clutches.

The presentation cards are also simple but good, photo 1 of 4

The game world was varied with eight different worlds. One moment the player had to drag Mario through hot deserts, the next through a cold, icy landscape. As usual, the game world offered many secret sections, various enemies and obstacles and interesting items. In addition to classics like the mushroom or the star, there were some new features like the penguin tailcoat or the propeller head. These allowed the player to slide quickly on the ice while lying on his stomach or to fly across large chasms. The control of the Wiimote ran smoothly and the motion controls were used judiciously – for example to do a pirouette or start a propeller – without being disruptive. The biggest innovation of the game was a local multiplayer mode in which up to four players could experience the adventure together. The camera work was cleverly realized thanks to a dynamic zoom in and out. As long as all players were roughly the same skill level, this mode was compelling. However, if one player was noticeably clumsier than the others, frustration could quickly arise as the entire group was slowed down. This mode did not work online, so it was mainly intended for LAN parties or a quick round in between.

Conclusion

With New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo gamers got exactly what it said on the label: Mario in his purest form. Even nearly 30 years after the first Mario game, the concept was compelling and a lot of fun. If you wanted vast 3D worlds, unusual control concepts, or a plot other than “save the princess”, NSMBW was not for you. Everyone could expect a nostalgic Mario title with perhaps a little too simple graphics.

In the category “In the test 15 years ago”, the editorial staff consults the test archives every Saturday since July 2017. We list the last 20 articles published in this series below:

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