New Super Mario Bros

New Super Mario Bros. Ninetendo: 2009. ASIN: B002BRZ9G0.

Summary & Evaluation
Mario and his brother, Luigi are back in this Wii game that is very reminiscent of the classic Mario games of the past. It's now a multiplayer game, and the players can choose their character from Mario, Luigi, or one of two Toads. The game steps up the challenge for players because of the many concealed rewards and secret places that offer a lot of replay value. Like the standard Mario games, the point is to make your way through all of the levels while avoiding hindrances and bad guys—and each level gets harder with more secrets and unknown things. To successfully get thru the levels, players need to be very aware of what's going on around them, be fast and anticipate many hazards in the shape of mushrooms and evil Bowzers.

It can be very stressful to play the game in multiplayer mode because one player can be very skilled, while the other is a novice. However, while multiplayer games can be tough, players can also work together to help each other. For example, players can pick each other up to save them from peril. Also, Wii has incorporated the motion abilities of the Wii-motes to tilt see-saws to reach high platforms, or tilt it away to foil their competition. Players who grew up playing Mario, won't be disappointed with this game, and new players will enjoy the challenge.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages: 10+

Why I included this title...
Wii gaming is popular is many libraries, and I can see how using videos games would draw in teens who may not use the library for any other reason.

Graphic from InsaneBear.com. Retrieved from http://www.insanebear.com/986/e3-09-nintendo-announces-the-new-super-mario-bros-wii/ on December 14, 2010.