I’ll never forget the first time I played a Mario game.  It was my first time ever really playing a video game at all. Duck Hunt may have been the first game I attempted to play. But I didn’t even know what I was doing. It was just awkward and I never shot anything.  But Super Mario Bros. on the NES truly took my gaming virginity. I knew more about what I was doing then. I remember walking to the right as the screen followed. Then I came up on my first goomba. Somehow I knew I shouldn’t touch it, so I turned around and went left only to realize that I was stuck between the side of my TV screen and that damn goomba. And that my friends, was the first of many times I got to see Mario throw his arms in the air and fall off the screen. The music that played as I died really made me feel like a failure.  It didn’t take long before I was running, stomping, kicking, breaking blocks, collecting powerups, and throwing fireballs. It was a feeling I’ve only experienced a handful to times. It was a “magical” feeling. That feeling got even stronger when I first played Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.    

Super Mario Bros. for the NES

We had to wait 15 ½ years for a new side scrolling Mario adventure before New Super Mario Bros. was finally released on the Nintendo DS in 2006. And for me, the game lacked that magical feeling that I got from Mario’s past 2D outings. It’s a shame too, because I really wanted to love that game. Don’t get me wrong, it was a decent Mario game. But I really feel that Nintendo took a few too many steps backward when developing it.  Where was the magic? Yoshi’s Island had it. Super Mario 64 had it. And they were both quite a bit different from a traditional Mario game.    

New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS

I have yet to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii. So this is my pre-play impressions.  I’ll be sure to write a review when I finally get my hands on it. But I’m really hoping for a taste of that Mario magic. With NSMBW, Nintendo took a giant leap forward from all those steps back it took with the DS title. And that is exactly what I think they needed to do. The Wii sequel has Yoshi, the Koopa Kids, and new items that actually come in handy.    

The biggest update in the game is definitely the option of playing co-op with up to four friends. Back in the days of the original Super Mario Brothers, player two had to wait for player one to die before they even got to play. If player one was an advanced player, this could be a very long wait. That just wouldn’t fly in today’s fast-paced, impatient world. And I think Nintendo realized that when developing New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Although, I think they should have replaced the two Toads with Wario & Waluigi. But Shigeru Miyamoto cleared that up in Nintendo Power with the following quote, “if we had Wario in there, we’d have to program it so he could fart.” That’s the Shiggy we all know and love. If you can’t state a reason for something, throw the interviewer off with a joke.    

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Many people who have had the pleasure to play the new Mario game feel that it doesn’t have that “magical feeling” we all use to know so well.  Have mind-blowing graphics spoiled us to the point that we can’t appreciate the types of games we grew up playing?  Will New Super Mario Bros. Wii be the last Mario game of its kind? Are the days of 2-D side scrollers over? Have games evolved for good? If that is the case, Sonic will never have a chance to get back up to speed.  But the answer to all of those questions is no. It all depends on the individual player.  There may be some people that can’t get into a 2D side scroller anymore. But there are still plenty of people who can. Capcom went as far back as to using 8-Bit graphics for Mega Man 9. And it actually went over very well. Some people hate it while others love it. Nonetheless, it did well enough that Capcom are taking the same route with Mega Man 10.    

It’s hard to get that “magical feeling” from new games nowadays. As kids, we didn’t have as wide of a selection in games as we have now. And there weren’t as many different genres around 20 years ago as there are today. When Super Mario Bros. was released in 1985, there was nothing else like it.  It was the game that defined the platforming genre.  That is why we loved it so much back then. Nostalgia is the main reason we love it now. We remember when it was the greatest game of all.  Mario games still have their magic, but the older we get, the harder it is to satisfy us.    

[UPDATE] Now that I’ve had the chance to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I can gladly say, Mario still has the magic. Check out my review of New Super Mario Bros. Wii for more.