RETURNING TO THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Red Carpet w/ Ray Carsillo

Video by Jared Bodden

He is the most recognizable figure in video games and Nintendo is celebrating his 25th anniversary (23rd in the US) by releasing an old-school side-scroller that pays homage to his decorated lineage. Of course I am talking about Mario and speaking of that lineage, Nintendo threw a party at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center for Mario's anniversary and I was lucky enough to attend. Take a look at the video!

The new game is New Super Mario Bros. Wii and it takes elements from the greatest of Mario's titles from over the years (mostly Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, with hints of the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Super Mario 64 sprinkled in). Princess Peach has been kidnapped by Bowser for the millionth time and it is up to Mario to traverse eight worlds (inspired by Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World) broken up into 69 different stages.

To make matters more difficult, Bowser has pulled out all the stops. After their 18-year hiatus, the seven Koopalings (again from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World) Larry, Morton Jr., Wendy O., Iggy, Lemmy, Ludwig von, and Roy are back along with Bowser Jr. to defend the castles at the end of each world. Bowser Jr. is also traveling in style since Bowser's old airship has been rebuilt and will continue to pester Mario on his quest. Also brought back into the mix are the many varieties of brothers who used to pester Mario way back in Super Mario Bros. 3. Hammer, Boomerang, Giant Hammer, Fire, and Wrench brothers are back along with the all-new Ice brothers, and always seem to pop up in Mario's path at the worst possible moments.



To help combat the largest roster of baddies Mario has ever had to face, Mario has been given several brand new powers along with his payload of Invincibility Stars, Fire Flowers, and Super and Mini-Mushrooms.

The first is the Propeller Mushroom that gives Mario limited flight abilities (anyone remember the Tanooki Suit, Raccoon Leaf, or Cape Feather?) as well as increases his spin attack. The next item is the Ice Flower. Similar to the Fire Flower, Mario throws snowballs now that freeze his opponents in huge blocks of ice that he can then use as stepping stones to make it to higher ground or to pick up and throw at other enemies. The final new item, the Penguin Suit, is a multi-purpose tool. It not only allows you to walk on ice with minimal slipping, but you can throw snowballs like with the Ice Flower and swim better as well (memories of the Frog Suit come flooding back to me now). They even brought Yoshi back, but unfortunately, he can only be used on the stages you find him in, he can't travel with Mario anymore.

This game is the ultimate shot of nostalgia for any gamer who grew up with the Mario Bros. franchise. There may be a few new additions to the franchise like new items and the 4-player co-op gameplay, but aside from that this is just plain old-school Mario Bros. (they even brought back item reserves that you can access from the world map like in Super Mario Bros. 3).



The graphics are crisp, clean, and make this probably the best looking side-scroller I've ever seen. Mix that with the classic Mario music, SFX, and Charles Martinet as Mario and the peripherals for this game don't come much better.

The plot is the same as it is in every other Mario Bros. game, but we wouldn't have it any other way and with 4-player co-op adding new levels of fun and intensity, this could be the greatest Mario game ever. Along with the 4-player co-op adding tons of replay value and a new level of difficulty to the game, there are also three special star coins on each stage that unlock something special at the end of the game if you collect them all...

The only real knock I have with this game is the single-player difficulty. I beat the entire game with 50-plus lives in just under 6 hours and was left wanting more. With an abundance of items and 1UP chances available, there is no reason why you should die repeatedly on any stage or against any boss (all you need is to jump on all their heads three times, works every time). I think Nintendo was worried about trying to cram in every single obscure reference to previous Mario incarnations that they forgot to add a little more difficulty to some of these levels.



New Super Mario Bros. Wii is available now and looks to stack up as the greatest Mario side-scroller of all-time.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

Graphics: 9.0: This is the best looking side-scoller ever in the Mario series simply because this is the most advanced system for a Mario side-scroller to be on. Need I say more? Although tiny Mario (before he eats the Super Mushroom) did look a little weird at times.

Audio: 10.0: Charles Martinet coming back for a Mario's limited dialogue combined with the classic SFX and music we've all come to know and love and the audio is spectacular.



Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: I don't know how the same thing has worked for the past 25 years, but it has and I'm more than happy with it just being "Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser, Mario chases after Bowser, Mario stomps on Bowser (or throws fireballs), and Mario rescues Peach". If something is not broken, don't fix it, and Nintendo knows that better than anyone.

Gameplay: 8.5: For the most part the game handles perfectly and is classic Mario action in every way. I love the new items, I love all the nostalgia, I just wish it was a little more difficult.

Replay Value: 9.0: Like I said, the lack of difficulty might keep you from wanting to come back, but 4-player co-op, tons of collectibles, and classic Mario action should outweigh the difficulty factor.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: This game is a must have for any Mario fan and gamers who grew up with the series will jump for joy with all the old-school elements brought back. The only real knock on the game is that I didn't think it was as hard as it could've been or had been hyped to be. At the end of the day though this is still a great game and most gamers should go crazy for all the nostalgia this conjures up. And hopefully it won't be another 18 years before we see the Koopalings again.

-Ray Carsillo

VIDEO GAMES LIVE!

Since the video game revolution really started plowing forward back in the mid 80s, one of the most underrated aspects of the aspects has been the music. The 8 and 16-bit processors that the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis systems could produce were not much more than melodic beeps and pings made to sound like a catchy tune.

Of course, times have changed. Now, many of the best and brightest games have scores composed by full orchestras or big time, main-stream bands, but those original compositions still bring back childhood memories of simpler times to go along with our simpler games. The themes from Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Castlevania, are still lovingly talked about alongside the newcomers from Metal Gear Solid, Halo, and Kingdom Hearts.

The music from these games and the feelings of nostalgia they conjure up are only now starting to get the respect they deserve on a scale worthy of the sales of these monolithic franchises. In that vein, I present to you Video Games Live.

Video Games Live was founded back in 2002 by celebrated game composers Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico and has been a tour de force ever since. With a full orchestra and choir in tow, Wall and Tallarico have put together a show that needs to be seen to be believed. Fortunately, I saw it about two weeks ago. With musical selections from over 20 video games played, and 40 more waiting in the wings ensuring that an audience will never see the same show twice, Wall and Tallarico mix in geek-based humor with a light show, scenes from the greatest games ever created, and musical acumen that rivals the best and brightest out there.

The show I went to at the Beacon Theatre was the most fun I've had in a long time. You had a costume contest for people dressed as video game characters, a Guitar Hero competition, and a random drawing for a Nintendo DSi. You had special messages from Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear series, as he gave a special recorded greeting before the playing of the Metal Gear music, and Koji Kondo, the composer of the Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda themes, give a special message as well.

There was a live Q & A with Ralph Baer, the man credited with inventing video games (he is also credited with inventing the light gun, the first video game system peripheral, and the popular kids' game Simon in the 70s), over Skype and it was impressive to see this legendary inventor at the ripe age of 87 still smiling at how his invention has changed and influenced the lives of so many people across the world.

You had YouTube sensations, pianist Martin Leung and Laura "Flute Link" Intravia, come on and do what made them famous on the stage. Martin is best known for playing the Mario theme on piano blindfolded and Laura plays a stunning rendition of the Ocarina of Time music on flute, in full green tunic like the Hero of Time. Both would accompany the orchestra on several songs over the course of the night, usually to standing ovations (I nearly leapt out of my seat when Martin started playing the Super Mario World theme).

There was a request portion (where I nearly lost my voice screaming for the Mega Man theme and starting a Mega Man chant in my section of the Beacon Theatre; I was pleasantly surprised to find it was incorporated later into the show) where everything many fans called for was played and many were pleasantly surprised when Martin broke into the original Tetris theme, just because.

There were classics played from Mega Man and Chrono Trigger to more recent games like Halo and Shadow of the Colossus, but no matter if you were young or old, newbie or wily old veteran, there was something to make every geek and video game fan smile and laugh.

Video Games Live is now on their fourth world tour, and much like the game music they play, are just beginning to receive the respect and recognition they deserve. Playing to sold-out shows all over the world and constantly adding new and beloved video game music all the time (including the one I went to at the Beacon Theatre), Video Games Live is an ever-evolving entity much like the games off of which they are based. It is with the utmost praise that I recommend that every video game fan should see this show when they come to your town.

-Ray Carsillo