A few weeks ago, Nintendo released its latest Mario game. Straight-forwardly titled New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the new game is what the name says. It’s a new Mario game, on the Wii. And yes, as you may have deduced, if they say it’s for the Wii, it means that they added “wiigling” motion-based moves into the plumber’s arsenal. Although it’s a brand new game with remixed mechanics and controls, to me, the game feels like a big “déja vu”. It felt to me as if they took all the previous major Mario games and shoved them in a blender. The best way to describe my feelings is by comparing the game’s experience to a nice tall glass of homemade fruit juice. It looks good. You just know that it’s going to be good since only good stuff have been used when making it. But as you drink it down, you feel lumps going down your throat. Your head tells you it’s okay because it’s all good stuff but at the same time, you’re not sure if you like that feeling. It leaves you wondering if you didn’t like it better before everything got blended. Well, that’s how I felt when playing the game.
Nintendo knows what it’s doing and they would never screw up on an official Mario game. With the talent and experience at Nintendo, there is only a slim chance of failure when they make a classic 2D platformer. They succeeded in making a good game with New Super Mario Bros. Wii so, why am I not satisfied? Well, I thought about it for a while and figure it out. I’m not a kid anymore. Mario has been in my gaming world since my first button smashings. I’ve been through most of his adventures and enjoyed them. Mario’s solo career officially started in 1985 with the release of the Super Mario Bros. game on the NES. It’ll be 25 years in a few months that I’ve been playing his games. 25 freakin’ years. Can you imagine that? He’s been in my living room when I was a kid, during my elementary school years and entertained me through high school. Mario was there while I was in college, saw my first loves, my first break-ups, when I got my first job, when I moved in my first apartment. He was there when I met my best friend, there when I lost close relatives, there when I was up and when I was down. I’m not 12 anymore. I’ve seen a lot of Mario games. I’ve seen many others trying to copy his moves, his style. I’ve seen some succeed, I’ve seen a lot more fail. When I pick up the wiimote and hold it like a classic NES game-pad, it makes me realize that, this new game, this new generation of Mario wasn’t designed for me. It was designed for today’s 12 years old kids. Those boys and girls that are going through tough times without knowing it. Their lives are changing, they are blooming slowly under the sun of the modern world. And Mario is right there with them. Just like he was with me.
I can’t say I like the game much. The controls feels sluggish, mostly because of Mario’s inertia. Anyone who’s been through most major Mario games can spot where all the mechanics were taken from. A little bit of Super Mario Bros 3 here, a Little Mario 64 there, a dash of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and mix it all up with a good dose of Super Mario Bros. And don’t forget Super Mario World! I guess you get the idea. Many existing mechanics, such as the whole Yoshi concept, have been incorporated in the game but remixed in a way that makes them react in a different fashion than their original iterations. For example, you don’t get to keep Yoshi if you finish the level. Also, colored shells do not give Yoshi special abilities, like throwing fireballs or stomping the ground. When it comes to controlling Mario, his new moves give him a MegaMan-esque feel, specially the wall slide, and the new costumes, although well designed, feel less polished and less of a part the game’s world. Sure dressing up as a penguin canbe fun but it doesn’t feel as interesting and solid as putting on a raccoon costume or putting on a feather cape. The development team did a good job. They had a huge task in their hands. They pulled out a good game and they should feel proud about it because I’m sure that the new generation of gamers will highly appreciate it and will feel the same kind of emotions I felt when the previous games of the series hit the market. Unfortunately for me, New Super Mario Bros. Wii doesn’t feel novel nor original enough to keep me going in the solo mode. It feels as if I’m just repeating what I’ve already done and not enjoying it as much. It got me thinking that I might as well just pop the old games in instead of playing this one.
I must admit that I’m looking forward to play this game with other players. I haven’t had the chance to do so as I write this and I’ve read and heard many good comments about the multi-player facet of the game. Perhaps I might feel as if that feature would have been sweet it it had been released 16 years ago and make me feel like a kid once again.
Tags: Culture, Game Life, Culture, Mario Bros.
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