New Super Mario Bros. Wii is 'pretty difficult'

by Andrew Yoon on Oct 16th 2009 11:20AM

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is "pretty difficult," series creator Shigeru Miyamoto told us at a NYC press demo yesterday, acknowledging complaints that the previous 2D iteration of the franchise was too easy. After our disastrous performance in last week's hands-on, we'd agree with that assessment.

While "Demo Play" makes concessions towards novice players, NSMBW celebrates hardcore gameplay. By earning the super coins hidden through each level, you'll be able to unlock a series of "Super Guide" videos that highlight "super skills" tactics. These videos will reveal how to get infinite 1-ups, find the secret goals and show alternate ways of playing the game. (One video we saw showed three Yoshis working in tandem to lick and spit a hapless Luigi throughout the level.)

The newly released video above highlights some of the various stages in NSMBW. Does it look "difficult" to you? You can also check out North America's all-red packaging after the break.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Tags: miyamoto, New-Super-Mario-Bros-Wii, Nintendo, Platform, shigeru-miyamoto, Wii

Reader Comments (94)

Bring it!

Time to dust off the gamecube controller...

I believe this game can only be played with a sideways held Wiimote.

@snarfoogle: If that is the case, it would explain why the game is so difficult.

If demo play lets Nintendo really make games harder than I'm going to love it. All their games have been really easy in the past few years. I really didn't care for Mario Galaxy all that much because I never felt a real challenge.

why? The only concern there is d-pad size, otherwise it's an ideal representation of the classic NES controller of yore.

Ideal? No. Of course, the original NES pad wasn't ideal either. I hate holding the Wiimote sideways. I dislike how one end it fatter than the other, plus it's a bit too narrow. Really, it kind of blows.

Oh, and am I now going to have to yank off the WM+ and longer sleeve? I haven't actually tried holding it sideways since I put that thing on.

Maybe they'll let the classic controller be a control scheme. It'd be the ideal solution.

I agree, if Demo Mode makes games tougher, I'm changing my opinion on it, and hope they use it as an excuse to make game harder in general. That would make me so happy :P

@Boost: Eh, I thought Mario Galaxy was more than hard enough. Sure, *most* of it wasn't that hard, but Luigi's f**king purple f**king coins, I'm looking at you - that 'made up' for the difficulty level of the entire rest of the game.

Also, I haven't finished NSMB on the DS. I'm right near the end, maybe I didn't try the level that many times, but still... personally I like games reasonably easy. Not ridiculously easy... but not hard, thanks.

(Please tell me you can at least save anywhere on the overworld this time?)

"One video we saw showed three Yoshis working in tandem to lick and spit a hapless Luigi throughout the level."

Who the hell hacked into my porn cache?

I swear I wasn't part of this.

Pure win.

This is good news. I really enjoyed the DS NSMB, but that difficulty was definitely my main complaint. I finished the game with my extra lives maxed out (99 IIRC).

I actually got to play this at Long Beach Comic Con. I didn't come off as "pretty difficult." Unlike Contra ReBirth which was right next to it. THAT game is beyond difficult. But New Super Mario Bros is good ol' fashioned platforming fun. Even better with more people. I'll definitely be getting this when it comes out.

So a bit like Mario Bros 2 (the proper sequel ie what eventually became the Lost Levels) was to Mario Bros then?

Looks nice. Don't down vote me for saying that I wish it were on DS though. I just would like the option to have quick bursts if I chose, as I'll only play the Wii version if I know I have a few hours free.

The US version of Super Mario 2 was the proper sequel, in my opinion. Lost Levels is a pathetic disappointment. I don't care what the game was originally published as, it was a Shigeru Miyamoto design that he decided to release as Mario 2.

Meanwhile, some other dude just threw some ugly graphics and craptastic frustrating level designs (completely lacking in compelling gameplay in favor of just being stupidly difficult) into an old engine for the Japanese version without Miyamoto's involvement.

I'm sick of people saying that the Japanese version is the proper sequel to Mario just because it came out first, or because it was the Japanese one. Both games aped an engine from an existing game, at least the US version completely overhauled the control mechanics (doki doki didn't even have a run button) and made the graphics better instead of worse.

Completely agree, chefgon. I downloaded Lost Levels on vc and that game sucks unbelievably bad. The ridiculous difficulty automatically kills any chance of having fun but it was also glitchy as hell which made the whole thing about 10x more frustrating.

Fair enough. I was just going from what I picked up from the masses as I wasn't around to the NES generation (SNES onward really) and had heard that the Lost Levels were the sequel and also never knew Miyamoto had nothing to do with it.

"The US version of Super Mario 2 was the proper sequel, in my opinion. Lost Levels is a pathetic disappointment. I don't care what the game was originally published as, it was a Shigeru Miyamoto design that he decided to release as Mario 2."

Hell, the fact that the remake of SMB2 was the US one, plus the presence of Shy Guys in later Mario titles...even Miyamoto seems to admit the US SMB2 is better.

ugh November is always a painful month for my wallet, but the good kind of painful that leaves me with video games in hand.

Oh god, why can't they make Sonic games with such obvious inspiration by classic design? This looks phenomenal.

I was a Sonic child, and he abandoned me. Now all the Mario kids are laughing.

We've always been laughing, Sonic child. I sympathize.

Here's hoping?

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/09/sega-making-all-new-2d-hi-def-sonic-game-for-2010/

Don't worry — we're not laughing AT you. We're laughing from *pure, unfiltered joy*

@Greyseal

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/125/1219784882919by0.png

This is what I think happens:

"Okay, guys, the last game sucked. We're going back to Sonic's roots!

*cheers*

*guy busts in*

"Stop the presses! I was joking around with my buddy and we came up with an AWESOME gimmick!"

"NO FLIPPIN' WAY!!! Screw going back to his roots, lets do that!"

*louder cheers*

(Repeat process with each new Sonic game)

And NSMB Wii looks awesome, day one for me, as long as it doesn't cut into my MW 2 budget.

I love playing Sonic Rush on the DS, because it is one of the last great 2D Sonic games IMO.

Doesn't look hard at all, according to the video above. It might only be difficult for those of us who feel the need to co-op is stupid and chose to play solo.

That actually did look like a decent challenge; I'm just hoping this isn't another Mario game filled with more 1-ups than coins.

Glad to see some single-player in the video. I don't know a lot of folks I could count on to play this with me from start to finish, so I'm hoping solo play will be just as fun.

well fuck. My wife and I are buying a wii for our oldest son for his birthday in november and was considering buying this game for him. I guess that won't happen. If this is too challenging, he won't play it. Guess I'll pick something else.

You act like that's a bad thing WINterfang

Dude, it's a *Mario* game. It will do more for your son then any other game I can imagine.

So fangy, were you gonna set the game to autopilot and wank to it? Three Yoshis licking all over Luigi does sound appetizing, doesn't it?

My son will be 6 years old. I might wait before getting this game if it's too difficult.

He is quite old for a game to be too hard for him, I got my NES when I was 3. Besides there is the new Demo Play if it's too hard.

Growing up playing Nintendo games are one of the best experiences your kid can have. Specially Mario games.

"If this is too challenging, he won't play it."

Kids are OK with such stuff, as they have excess of energy to dissipate.

I'm too old to get into such stuff - I personally hate the Mario games - controls and overall design are simply way too outdated to me.

But for kids, this might be actually something interesting and engaging. Mario games have the right fun factor for them. Heck, even the design is appropriately infantile.

If you are 20+ and new to it - Mario games are chore and bore.

If you are kid and new to it - it might be just the right thing to become a gamer.

Look Guibs, kids today arnt into hard games.

Look guys, kids today aren't into hard games. This is not the 80s anymore.
Hell, I fell in love with Mario 3 because I could rent the game genie and cheat all the time. I made my own fun from it until I was old enough to beat it on my own.
I thought it was only entertainment, I didn't know anything about future e-penises and what not.

Guibs, a 4 player Mario game is perfect for a kid, especially if he has friends siblings or cousins. If he runs into anything two hard and doesn't have a sibling to pass the game off to for help he'll just use the Demo Play until he finds a level he is good at or likes enough to master.

Ah Dummy00001, to be 13 again. You're in for a fun year.

Funny how the DS iteration looks better than the wii version though...

Whats not funny is your horrible vision. You should see your optometrist immediately.
Poor vision can lead to problems later in life as you get older, such as glaucoma, increased susceptibility to viruses such as pink eye and even vision impairment that can effect your ability to legally drive!

Here:
http://www.localeyecare.com
Use this link and find an eye doctor nearest you!

Oh crap, I think I need to see an optometrist too, I can barely see what he said now!!

The return of the flutes?? One can hope...

There was a mini game in Wario ware for the gamecube that had four stick men running around and jumping off each others head in an attempt to be the first to grab a dollar bill floating down from above. I always found that to be hilarious and fun and wished for a fleshed out version of that . That mini game seems like a precursor to NSMB Wii. Now I am happy.

Damn this is the Mario game I was waiting for the last 15 years. And now, my soul is complete!

Loving the throwbacks to the previous Mario games. Obviously it's taken a lot of inspiration from Super Mario World. Which of course is a good thing. I love me some OldSkool Mario!!

Wait, they can do that? Release all red packaging?

They're Nintendo, they can do whatever they want! As long as they keep bringing in the games.

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New Super Mario Bros. Wii is 'pretty difficult'