New Super Mario Bros. Wii is 'pretty difficult'
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Oct 16th 2009 at 11:20AM } 
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.
Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Obie @ Oct 16th 2009 11:23AM
Bring it!
INTERNET SUPERHERO @ Oct 16th 2009 12:44PM
Time to dust off the gamecube controller...
snarfoogle @ Oct 16th 2009 12:57PM
I believe this game can only be played with a sideways held Wiimote.
Wai @ Oct 16th 2009 1:02PM
@snarfoogle: If that is the case, it would explain why the game is so difficult.
Boostjunkie @ Oct 16th 2009 1:16PM
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.
Mr Khan @ Oct 16th 2009 1:27PM
why? The only concern there is d-pad size, otherwise it's an ideal representation of the classic NES controller of yore.
Vidikron @ Oct 16th 2009 1:55PM
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.
Vidikron @ Oct 16th 2009 2:00PM
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.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Oct 16th 2009 3:48PM
Maybe they'll let the classic controller be a control scheme. It'd be the ideal solution.
Levi @ Oct 16th 2009 4:14PM
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
sam @ Oct 16th 2009 5:29PM
@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?)
Mr.ESC @ Oct 16th 2009 11:32AM
Looks fun almost like a New Super Mario World.
VaultBoy @ Oct 17th 2009 7:06AM
Sold. Nothing else to say...
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 16th 2009 11:32AM
*Jealous*
copa @ Oct 16th 2009 11:34AM
"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?
dark_inchworm (stronger than never, ever before) @ Oct 16th 2009 12:19PM
I swear I wasn't part of this.
Ipsum @ Oct 16th 2009 1:51PM
Pure win.
Vidikron @ Oct 16th 2009 11:38AM
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).
Jack Hollow @ Oct 16th 2009 11:40AM
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.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Oct 16th 2009 11:44AM
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.
chefgon_ign @ Oct 16th 2009 12:57PM
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.
Santos L. Halper @ Oct 16th 2009 4:50PM
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.
Mr Mobius - the wandering artist @ Oct 16th 2009 5:19PM
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.
ChibiKawase @ Oct 18th 2009 10:32PM
"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.
Nineset @ Oct 16th 2009 11:44AM
ugh November is always a painful month for my wallet, but the good kind of painful that leaves me with video games in hand.
jettoki @ Oct 16th 2009 11:44AM
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.
Martin @ Oct 16th 2009 11:53AM
We've always been laughing, Sonic child. I sympathize.
Greyseal @ Oct 16th 2009 12:06PM
Here's hoping?
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/09/sega-making-all-new-2d-hi-def-sonic-game-for-2010/
samfish [is sad there is no Gene in Tats v Cap =( ] @ Oct 16th 2009 12:07PM
Don't worry — we're not laughing AT you. We're laughing from *pure, unfiltered joy*
Quiggy @ Oct 16th 2009 2:57PM
@Greyseal
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/125/1219784882919by0.png
Burnflare @ Oct 16th 2009 7:07PM
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.
filthyvillain @ Oct 21st 2009 10:03AM
I love playing Sonic Rush on the DS, because it is one of the last great 2D Sonic games IMO.
Maxx the Slash @ Oct 16th 2009 11:45AM
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.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 16th 2009 11:46AM
I would give both balls if the next Sonic was like this, Project Needlemouse please please be good.
dark_inchworm (stronger than never, ever before) @ Oct 16th 2009 12:36PM
I dunno, sex is kind of important to me. But if you're willing to give it up so we can all enjoy a classic Sonic title, then good on ya.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 16th 2009 1:12PM
It's a great sacrifice but someone needs to do it.
BTW this kind of games pisses me off that the wii isn't as powerful as the Xbox, because then we could get 2D mario games that looks exactly as the cover.
bongoes is no longer a Black Lantern. @ Oct 16th 2009 3:18PM
"the wii isn't as powerful as the Xbox"
You mean 360 right? The Gamecube was more powerful than the Xbox.
MRLN (The Comment God) @ Oct 16th 2009 3:59PM
Nope, the Xbox is about as powerful as the Wii, though maybe with inferior CPU architecture. Both about 730 MHz according to Wikipedia.
It goes PS2
BPMOmega [XBL, PSN, Steam] @ Oct 16th 2009 6:41PM
You can't just compare raw clock speed. They're entirely different architectures.
Xbox had a Pentium III processor (733MHz), and GameCube's IBM Gekko was PowerPC (486MHz). Both were pretty much comparable in terms of performance, though. The main way GameCube was lacking compared to Xbox was it didn't have programmable shaders (same issue with Wii), so developers would have to compensate for that.
So, numbers alone don't say what was more powerful. Seeing how GameCube and Xbox, at their best, were pretty much neck and neck, it's safe to say the Wii is more powerful than the Xbox.
OmegaWarrior @ Oct 16th 2009 11:49AM
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.
dantebk @ Oct 16th 2009 11:49AM
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.
Guibs @ Oct 16th 2009 11:50AM
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.
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 16th 2009 12:00PM
Don't worry man, the game has an option of it to play itsellf so he can still see the end.
TwEE @ Oct 16th 2009 12:08PM
You act like that's a bad thing WINterfang
WINterfang ( Now with the power to piss you off ) @ Oct 16th 2009 12:18PM
I think I'm the only one that likes the idea of games playing itself =/.
Josh @ Oct 16th 2009 12:24PM
Dude, it's a *Mario* game. It will do more for your son then any other game I can imagine.
dark_inchworm (stronger than never, ever before) @ Oct 16th 2009 12:24PM
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?
Guibs @ Oct 16th 2009 3:49PM
My son will be 6 years old. I might wait before getting this game if it's too difficult.
Matias @ Oct 16th 2009 5:21PM
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.
Dummy00001 @ Oct 16th 2009 7:29PM
"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.