Eurogamer frolics with NSMB Wii

By Robert Purchese Published 27 October, 2009

Tom, Ellie, Matt and Bertie go at it.

One of the star attractions at the Eurogamer Expo 2009 will undoubtedly be New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Before the Leeds crowd flooded the halls, Ellie Gibson, Tom Bramwell, Matt Martin (editor, GamesIndustry.biz) and yours truly stole some hands-on time with the game.

'Eurogamer frolics with NSMB Wii' Screenshot 1

Visible fun.

"I liked gobbling you up and spitting you off a cliff," editor Tom told me, after a brutal spell on the back of Yoshi. "But you should probably quote me paying tribute to the level design and how it entices you to cooperate one minute and compete the next, or something else that makes me sound intelligent."

Matt Martin admitted he'd "forgotten how fun 2D Mario was". "I enjoyed it even though I didn't know or care what I was doing," he said, pointing out that I "lost worse" than him.

Ellie, who will be sharing fuller hands-on impressions soon, said she tried the game with one other and two others, but had "significantly more fun" with the full complement of four.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be released on 20th November.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (19) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shinetop #1 2 years ago

    Bertie or Ellie?

  • mingster #2 2 years ago

    gobbling you off?

  • Darren #3 2 years ago

    So this highly anticipated game, which EG awarded its Game of E3 2009 to, got just 7/10 from Edge magazine?

    Yes, I know that *is* a good score but nevertheless it still carries with it a tinge of disappointment considering this is a first-party Nintendo game and one of the few (only?) major exclusive for the Wii in the run up to Christmas. :(

  • Petulant_Radish #4 2 years ago

    Is there some kind of games show happening somewhere or something?

  • Burkey123 #5 2 years ago

    Darren in fairness, you're saying that NSMB Wii is disappointing based on one review score(and an Edge one at that)!? Have you played it? I don't know but in every wii article, you just bash the wii and how there is no good games on the system( I haven't bought a game for my wii in a year, etc). When a good game(it looks it anyway, have yet to play it) comes, you still bash based on a bloody Edge magazine score.
    And yes, it did get game of E3 from EG so it's obviously a bloody good game whether it deserved game of E3 or not.

    Anyway, can't wait for this, the 4 player just looks awesome.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/09 @ 13:12

  • Nabokov #6 2 years ago

    I don't care what scores this gets, I know it will be great, most anticipated game of the year.

  • Darren #7 2 years ago

    @Burkey123 - I didn't say the game WAS a disappointment - how can I, I haven't played it? No, all I said was that there is an air of disappointment in seeing a highly respected magazine such as Edge awarding this game just 7/10. There is a difference. ;)

    But then I guess I should be preparing myself for another Wii disappointment anyway as the console has had an extremely poor 2009 IMO (to say the least) with nary a quality release from Nintendo. Last game I bought for my Wii was Klonoa in April, a remake of a decade old PSone game, and before that it was Super Smash Bros. Brawl in June 2008! With worthwhile releases so thin on the ground, I'm beginning to wonder exactly WHY I'm hanging onto my Wii to be honest? :?

    (The truthful answer to that question is that I'm waiting for the next Zelda and Super Mario Galaxy 2)

  • peterfll #8 2 years ago

    Bertie! What's going on with that barnet of yours?!

  • kinky_mong #9 2 years ago

    "Edge know more about games than EG so I will trust them"

    ...is the most stupid thing I've read in days. Edge is staffed by a bunch of miserable jaded cynics who wouldn't know a fun game if it slapped them across the face with a trout while hooting an airhorn. Borderlands only a 6 out of 10?! Absolute pillocks the lot of them.

  • mingster #10 2 years ago

    You can trust EarlBasetts judgement.
    He only likes to play online games with goodlooking people.
    /?

  • Burkey123 #11 2 years ago

    @ Darren

    It's not the Wii's fault the last game you've bought is Klonoa. I'm not going to list out a load of wii games that you could buy but Wii Sports Resort and Dead Space Extraction seem to be just ignored by you. These are ''worthwhile releases'' whether you like it or not.
    And how is NSMB not a reason to ''hang onto your wii''. 2d Mario, 4 player coop/battle. What's not to like?

  • roz123 #12 2 years ago

    @Darren: Official Nintendo Magazine gave it 96/100 so it cant be that bad. But then this game is completly lost on you anyway as its meant for multiplayer and im pretty sure you have mentioned many-a-time that you dont play multiplayer games.

    Personally i am very much looking forward to this as me and my friends/family get fairly competitive at games and it sounds as if we are going to have a great laugh playing this.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/09 @ 14:59

  • Darrengamer #13 2 years ago

    New Super Mario Bros Wii is sooooo bad, the graphix are so low def it's not even funny!

    And four players at the same time?!?!?! Only losers with fwends who don't have a soooooooper compooter like me play multiplayer games!

  • Beano #14 2 years ago

    "So this highly anticipated game, which EG awarded its Game of E3 2009 to, got just 7/10 from Edge magazine? "

    Just ignore that Edge score - I'm sure it's a blast to play :)

    These days Edge only gives out 10 to titles beginning with "H" and ending with "O" anyway...

  • smelly #15 2 years ago

    "So this highly anticipated game, which EG awarded its Game of E3 2009 to, got just 7/10 from Edge magazine? "


    The magazines which rates games according to how advanced and at the cutting edge they are gave a fun 2d platformer a low score? Oh heaven forbid! MUST be shit then. The SAME edge which gave Resi 4 seven out of 10?!?

    I've just read their review online.. read like crap.. i'll wait for a real review thanks.

    And since when was 7 considered "shit" anyhows? Honestly gamers are dumb.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/09 @ 22:00

  • GamesConnoisseur #16 2 years ago

    I DO play online with certain games ie mainly X360, with Uncharted 2 on PS3 but no friends on Wii, that can be rectified sure. Though there would be quite a few multi platform Wii owners who neglects the online side of Wii and how would this influence our enjoyment of the game?

    This is not a weak attempt at trolling, as I know will be on my must buy and will have fun, but same way as silver subs only X360 owner would get much less satisfaction with Borderlands or ODST. So hoping that single player would get considered well into the equation for the reviews.

  • smelly #17 2 years ago

    @GamesConnoisseur : I used to program video games.. I know a fair bit about online stuff.. there's NO WAY they could've gotten mario running online without having the controls feel floaty - and without it not feeling like a "twitch" based mario game with pixel perfect timing. There would have to be lag between button presses and seeing what happens on the screen - which'd suck.

    Sure LBP did it.. but there was a noticable delay on button presses and jumps were (for want of a better word) "guided".

    Now fps games and racing games dont have a lag between button presses and seeing it on the screen, but they "cheat" it doesnt matter in a fps or a racer if you get out of synch with each other slightly (and synch up later) - who'd be able to tell if they got shot by someone who thought they were in the same room as you, but on your game they're not (maybe he was behind you)?.. on a game where you can see all 4 players on screen at once - it does.

    You COULD make mario play online, but then it wouldnt feel like mario - so what's the point?

  • smelly #18 2 years ago

    But I agree- if i buy - it'll be for the single player game (from what i read of Edge's review - it was mainly down on it for the multiplayer component, which doesnt interest me anyways)

  • JayScott #19 2 years ago

    These days Edge only gives out 10 to titles beginning with "H" and ending with "O" anyway...

    H.E.R.O.? I mean, it was good back in the day but hardly a 10. Silly Edge!