A couple of days ago, I found myself in an interesting situation. I found, that I had no desire to play my next-gen games. Hell, I didn’t even want to play my PS2. No, I wanted to play something 2D, and not the 2D with a 3D twist like Odin Sphere, but something truly classic, retro. Something … Mario.
 
I reached for my technology bin, which is cleverly hidden underneath my bed, and reached for my Super NES. After blowing the dust off and setting it up, I was pleased to find that it still worked. Initially, the hard choice came in finding a game to start with. I still have all my old SNES games, mostly for the sad fact that I can’t get more then 89 cents for them at my local Game Crazy.

After scanning, I found the one that I wanted — the one game that started my gaming carrier. My earliest memory with videogames is the first level in Super Mario World. I was 5, and I was feverishly excited by the fact that, by pressing buttons, I could jump on turtles and pop them out of their shell.

I would later find that this does not apply to real life. 

 
When I found out about Yoshi, my 5-year-old life was blown away. I remember the joy I got when I made Yoshi eat an apple, and the laughter I got when I would watch my grandmother try as hard as she could to get on Yoshi, only to fail miserably, throw down the controller, and say words my Mother would say not to use.

Super Mario World became my catalyst, and as the years past, and more and more time was consumed by games, and the greater my parents’ concern grew over that time, my videogame carrier can be traced back to Super Mario World, and the joy and reward it gave me. So, I found it rather befitting that I should pop in the game that started it all. 
 
I blew the cartridge, and flicked the switch. The simple tune of the SNES intro was enough to get me started for an epic journey into my past. I was surprised to find that I still had a save file for this game, and amazed that the SNES still retained all the information for a game I have not played in 10 years or more. I decided to start a new game though, for I desired the full experience. 
 
Everything was as I remembered. The buttons felt comfortable and familiar. Every secret tunnel or area was remembered. In high school, I had a hard time remembering math equations I’d learned the day before. It’s funny that I remembered all the secrets and button schemes from a game I have not played since I was nine. 
 
SMW is a 2D-scroller at its finest. Challenging, but certainly surmountable. Every cannon bullet fired at me and mushroom I collected was a constant reminder as to why I love games so much.

When I was little, nothing else mattered when I was playing that game, and I guess, a little bit of that thought process has stayed with me. When life is brining me down, all I have to do is pop in my Call of Duty or GTA, and nothing else matters.

Super Mario World reminded me what games use to be like. Graphics were not so much the huge focus it is today, it was about game play. I was about challenging and fun level designs, it was more about, what does the played need to do skillfully, to beat this section? Now a days, that seems to be a bit loss. Do not get me wrong, there are plenty of current games that do that, but much has been loss to the ‘graphics’ war.

I guess that is why I am a fan of the Wii. Say what you want about the Wii, – I know it is not the best console – but Nintendo did something wonderful by forcing people to think outside the box. 

Pop in your “first game” sometime. Look at the differences between old school and current generation, because this is the only way to see how far we have come, as in industry and as a daily consumer.

Our needs have changed, and the game industry has changed much to keep up with these demands. I don’t know, maybe I’m just nostalgic – I don’t even think I am old enough to be nostalgic – but it is always good to sit back, kick in an old game, and realize how simple your demands use to be.

A career as a video game hero must not pay very well. Look at Mario, undoubtedly the biggest icon in the history of the industry, forced to moonlight in countless side jobs when not doing his best to keep the mushroom kingdom and his beloved Princess Peach safe. America’s favorite plumber has done everything from being a doctor (which in itself is scary – who goes from plumber to doctor?) to music composer, to mixed martial arts fighter, to professional multi-sport athlete.

However, the most successful of Mario’s side jobs is that of professional go-kart racer. Debuting on The Super Nintendo in 1992, the Mario Kart series has always been a guaranteed moneymaker for Nintendo. Built on a steady structure of deceivingly simple yet incredibly strategic and fun gameplay, the series is still thought of by many as one of the company’s premier franchises. But will Mario Kart Wii, the first for Nintendo’s motion sensing sensation, be able to continue the tradition set forth by its predecessors?

Yup.

While it still does suffer from some of the problems of the older games, Mario Kart Wii takes the simple and accessible formula set by it’s predecessors and tweaks it enough to make it feel fresh and fun, creating one of the most entertaining and rewarding gaming experiences in quite some time.

The biggest addition in Mario Kart Wii is in the introduction of the Wii-Wheel. There was understandable doubt leading up to the game’s release regarding the wheel after last year’s “Monster 4×4″ came packed with a wheel that controlled horribly. But rest easy. Those fears have no foundation with the new Wii-Wheel.

Controlling with The Wii-Wheel is incredibly comfortable and feels so natural. In a change from past Mario Kart games, the “go-button” has been mapped to the 2 button on the Wii-mote which will throw veterans of the series off, but this new system makes more sense when taking the Wii’s face button layout into account.

At the heart of Mario Kart is the Grand Prix mode. Sticking true to the original formula, Grand Prix pits racers against 11 AI opponents in one of three (more are unlockable) race circuits. A total of 32 new and old tracks are available, and most are quite fun. A lot of the returning tracks feel quite tame compared to the brand new ones. It’s not much, but it can make going through these courses feel like more of a chore than the enjoyment they were meant to be.

For the first time since the series’ inception, players are not limited to racing karts. Mario is bringing a brand new toy with him: a motorcycle.

Each racer has multiple bikes and go-karts to choose from, each with different pros and cons, adding to the game’s less-than-obvious yet deep strategic aspects.

The addition of bikes leads to one of the most useless, yet fun additions to this generation of Mario Kart in the form of a midair stunt system. By flicking the Wii-mote in any direction as you leave the ground, jumping off any of the game’s makeshift ramps and obstacles, your character will perform X-games style tricks. It’s really a nice aesthetic touch, but it really clashes with the basic gameplay of Mario Kart. Plus, some of the tricks keep you in the air for a while or throw you off the course.

Of course, it just wouldn’t be Mario Kart without the trademark question mark box items. Boxes marked with a question mark are littered throughout each course. Running into these boxes gives the player a random item that they can use to help them get ahead in the race. All of the fan favorites from the past are back, including the shells, mushrooms and banana peels, along with a few new additions including a mega-mushroom that makes you super-size.

While the item/weapon combat is an institution in the Mario Kart universe, its part of what could be the game’s biggest flaw. Take a spin around the course and go through, say, six of the item blocks. Odds are most of the items you get will be of the less powerful variety like the aforementioned mushrooms, banana peels or green shells. Sure, you’ll get some of the bigger, more powerful items but not nearly as much as it seems the computer controlled racers get. Far too often when in first place and especially toward the end of races, you’ll find yourself getting hit by multiple red shells or be hit at just the right second that you can’t recover in time to get back into the top spot. Sadly, cheap gameplay like this will cause you to enjoy the game less at certain times, but then again any veteran Mario Kart player should be well accustomed to this by now.

Kart has a very robust multiplayer suite. Returning, of course, are the time tested multiplayer race and battle mode – but this year, the race finally goes online. While the Wii’s Wifi support has been lacking since the system’s launch, the quality of the online support in Mario Kart almost makes up for it. Sure, there’s the expected online match-ups and leader boards, but it’s the extra features that really make Mario Kart online so special. Someone completely smoke you online? Download their ghost to see exactly how they did it. Besides a few small setbacks and connection dips, actual online races were amazingly well done with little to no lag.

Last month, Nintendo released the amazing Super Smash Brothers Brawl, an amazingly deep game aimed to rope in the hardcore gamers that felt ignored by the company’s new system. With Mario Kart Wii, the Nintendo releases another Triple-A title. This one not only caters to a wider range of gamers, but creates the most solid, accessible and fun experience console gaming has seen in some time.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Genre: Racing
Players: 1-4
Launch Date: April 27, 2008

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars Editor’s choice

Massively-hyped games never seem to deliver. It’s not that they’re no good; it’s just that they seem to be held to a higher standard, and to please everyone they would have to do things that no game could do.

A producer at Sega recently told me: “In the gaming community, there will always be complaints – you just have to do your best to put out what you feel is a quality game.”

For the last few years, no game has seen as much hype as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the latest chapter in Nintendo’s long standing fighter series.

So does it deliver?

For those unfamiliar with the world of Smash Brothers, think of it as a way to relive some of those arguments you had back in grade school. It’s a 2D, action-centric fighting game that pits legendary and recluse Nintendo universe characters against each other in mortal cartoon combat.

But it’s more – oh so much more.

Brawl plays and feels like a love letter to the Nintendo universe. Sure, there are the expected mainstays like Mario, Link, Peach and Zelda, but much credit has to be given to the developers for including names that the mainstream might not get, but that dedicated gamers will freak out over.

Look for names like Olimar from Pikmin, Meta-Knight from Kirby and Sheik from Zelda. Fancy a trip back to the 80s? Try not to smile too much as you unlock characters like Mr. Game and Watch and even R.O.B the gaming robo.

For the first time ever, characters from non Nintendo titles enter the fight. Solid Snake, complete with cardboard box and rocket launcher from the famed Metal Gear Solid series sneaks in, as does everyone’s favorite hedgehog, Sonic.

While these are great additions, it also begs the question: if this is the final Smash Bros. game, as stated by producer Sakurai, why not push for more outside characters? Who wouldn’t love to see Cloud from Final Fantasy VII take on Link, or Mega Man go head to head with Samus? Producers have gone on record as saying that they only included characters from companies that approached them, but imagine if they took a more aggressive approach.

Brawl’s in-game environments are amazing in their own right. Based off Nintendo games past and present, each stage has interactive environments that directly affect the outcome of each battle.

For instance, the Mario Kart stage has two different levels on which to fight, each with shy-guy’s racing full speed towards you get in their way and you can expect to be swept right off your feet. Some of these stages are not what you’d expect, like Pictochat, which places fighters literally in a message created on the Nintendo DS chat program while objects and terrain are being drawn all around them.

Even cooler scenes include a 3D creation of the first 2 levels from the first Mario Brothers and a Wario Ware stage.

These small touches really make Brawl shine. Sure, it was delayed countless times during it’s development cycle, but when you get a title with so much depth and replay value, it makes it worth it.

Brawl isn’t like most games, where it can be completed within a day or two of purchase. From mastering move sets to unlocking trophies and characters, this is a deceptively deep game.

Of course, at the heart of Brawl — like the other Smash Brothers games before it — is the actual combat. Damage taken by each character is represented as a percentage at the bottom on the screen. Matches, especially those featuring more than two characters and items, are incredibly frantic, so much so that players new to the franchise might be a bit overwhelmed at first.

However, the real beauty of Smash Brothers is that for a game adopted by the hardcore crowd, it’s incredibly accessible. The control scheme is intuitive and simple. There’s the jump button, a block button and two attack buttons. Which way you move the control stick governs your move choice, making it easier for new players to discover new attacks without having to worry about long button combinations.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is controllable through four different control schemes; Wii-mote and Nunchuck, Wii classic controller, holding the Wii-mote sideways and yes, even the sturdy old Gamecube controller. This ensures that everyone can be comfortable right from the start.

Each character and each stage comes with its own strategy and play style. Brutes like Donkey Kong and Bowser may not move very fast but they are incredibly strong, while Link and Mario’s attacks may not pack the most power but they’re quick enough to deal a lot of damage quickly. There are characters who can fly, who are better with projectiles, even ride motorcycles and … fart. Half the fun is playing around with each character and seeing just what they can do.

Ask any seasoned Smash Brothers player what’s best about the series and odds are they’ll say the same thing: multiplayer. For the first time ever, multiplayer isn’t limited to your console, as Brawl takes the fight online with the Wii’s Wifi service. It’s a nice touch, using a democratic voting system for players to chose match types and stages, but to fully open up the vast array of customization options, you’ll have to connect via the hated friend codes.

For the majority of matches played online, we experienced quite a bit of lag, which admittedly happens to many games upon their release, especially ones with so many players online at one time.

Capping off the already robust customization, Brawl features a Stage editor screen where players with a bit of patience and dedication can create their own arenas to use in game. You start off by choosing the size, background (only three sadly — has there ever been more of a case for Nintendo to introduce downloadable content?) and music you’d like to use. You’re then taken to a grid like screen where you’re able place terrain, and items anywhere as well as change the position of already placed elements. Though the choices are admittedly a bit lacking, it’s extremely rewarding to battle your friends on your own creation.

You can exchange stages you’ve built with friends and even submit then to Nintendo, which will pick the best ones and make them available to players all over the world.

Brawl is more than multiplayer. Gamers looking for more of a solo experience will find plenty to love as well. There’s a classic mode, which is your basic win and advance gameplay. There is also event mode which presents a rather robust series of challenges that deal with performing special moves at certain times or defeating enemies in a certain time frame. You can chose to put your fighters through training against customizable enemies and environments or try your hand at stadium mode, a retooled version of the bonus target breaking stages from classic mode.

The greatest draw for solo players is the Subspace Emissary mode, where each of the characters come together to fight a mysterious enemy (it’s a Nintendo game – is there any other kind?) An adventure mode that harkens back to the days of previous Smash Bros games, Emissary plays like an eclectic mix of Brawl and platforming game as each new level manages to channel the spirit of the source material while still maintaining the feel of Brawl. For instance, the level you play as Donkey and Diddy Kong, you feel like you’re playing a retooled version of Super Nintendo classic Donkey Kong Country. Emissary will take most players a good eight or nine hours to complete, even if they take advantage of the cooperative mode.

With it’s incredibly accessible and addictive gameplay and insane amount of replay value that will keep even the most fickle gamers coming back for quite some times, it joins Super Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess as games Wii owners need in their library.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl delivers.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Genre: Fighter, Action, Platforming.
Players: 1-4
Launch Date: March 9, 2008

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars Editor’s Choice

For someone who got their start as a humble Italian plumber, Mario has sure had his share of occupations.

Mario has tried his hand at everything from driving go-karts and prescribing medicine to becoming a multi-sport athlete and even a music producer. In his latest adventure; Super Mario Galaxy, Mario is once again trying out a new career field — one not only entertaining and addictive but which should prove to stand the test of time as one of Mario’s greatest adventures ever.

Galaxy’s beginnings can prove to be deceitful, as it starts in all too familiar territory. Mario receives a note from the lovely Princess Peach asking him to meet her at the annual festival because she has a "special gift" for him. Anyone who’s played any Mario game should know by now that nothing is that easy in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario arrives at the festival to find Bowser and his troops using a fleet of airships to abduct the princess.

While this may all sound like a retread, Galaxy wastes no time in veering sharp left from the tried and true Mario formula. Unable to catch up with Bowser, Mario is transported to Outer Space where he learns from an unusual race called Lumas and their mysterious leader Rosalina that Bowser has stolen a number of power stars from throughout the Cosmos. It’s here that we learn our mission, travel to the different galaxies and collect the power stars en-route to an eventual showdown with Bowser.

If it must be compared to something, traveling from galaxy to galaxy is similar to the way Mario 64 used paintings to transport players to other worlds, but that comparison ends rather abruptly as there is so much more going on here. Each galaxy contains multiple planets — each acting like a giant floating puzzle and each vital to obtaining stars. Prior to the game’s release, message boards were full of gamers worried that Nintendo’s choice to put Mario’s next adventure in space would ruin the wide-open gameplay that was a major factor in Mario 64 being great. Those claims were unfounded. Sure, the world’s aren’t as prevalent in Galaxy as in previous games, but they are there — and each galaxy is designed so uniquely you won’t be pining for the old days for long at all.

In fact, the new spherical levels are almost a breath of fresh air — new territory to discover if you will. In most cases, Mario can run completely around the planets, and use launch stars to send himself to new, unexplored areas. It’s these factors, along with other little touches that make Mario Galaxy’s level design so extraordinary. With no time limit, gamers will find themselves exploring every inch of each galaxy looking for each item, secret or nod to a previous chapter in Mario’s universe, and there are a lot of them. Just look carefully at some of the planet shapes, or listen to the remixed Mario 3 music.

Perhaps the best thing about the Mario franchise is how accessible it has always been. Everyone, from children, to the most hardcore gamers, even those who have never held a controller before, feels right at home in the Mushroom Kingdom. This is also the case in Galaxy, as the difficulty starts out very easy, but progresses as the game does, easing the player into the later and sometimes frustratingly tougher levels.

What would a Mario game be without abilities and power suits? Naturally, Mario can turn invincible, and shoot fireballs, but Galaxy introduces players to a number of new suits including that of a bumblebee (which allows Mario to fly for short periods and stick to certain surfaces), and a bouncy spring to help Mario jump even higher. The coolest of the new power-ups has got to be the ability to turn into a boo and float right through most walls.

Galaxy does an incredible job at using the Wii-mote in new and unique ways. Mario’s movements are controlled by the thumbstick on the nunchuk, but most everything else is done with the Wii-mote. For instance, launch stars and vines are controlled by shaking the Wii-mote, and the camera is controlled by the d-pad.

In some cases Galaxy uses the Wii-mote in familiar ways, but does it much better than the games who originated it. Take for instance the level where Mario find himself on top of a ball rolling in a very monkey ball-like fashion. Unlike in the clunky controlling Monkey Ball title released earlier in the Wii’s lifespan, players hold the Wii-mote straight up and down, as if it’s an arcade joystick, which makes for an incredibly responsive and entertaining control scheme.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in control revolves around the game’s reliance on star bits. Almost taking the coin’s place as the most important collectible in the game, Star Bits are used for essentially everything in Mario Galaxy. They can be collected and fed to hungry Lumas in exchange for launch stars, used for 1-ups or even shot at unknowing enemies to stun them. What’s unique about this is that players must merely aim the Wii-mote cursor over the Star-bits to collect them, making collecting coins (which still must be touched to be collected) seem like a hassle. This new way of collecting also brings about the game’s “multiplayer” aspect. Using a second Wii-mote, players can collect Star bits for Mario, and shoot them at enemies, or help clear obstacles. While it’s a novel idea, the multiplayer mode comes across as tacked on, and minimal. Is it too much to ask to go back to the old school style of having players take turns as Mario and Luigi?

As amazing as Galaxy’s gameplay is, it’s no slouch in the visual department. Fantastic art design, along with the superb character designs and animation makes Galaxy easily the best-looking game on the Wii. The game’s cinematic camera system is phenomenal, and is usually able to pick the best angle to portray the action on screen with little or no player action required.

With its simple, yet addicting gameplay and amazing visuals, Super Mario Galaxy is by far the best game available for the Wii, along with the best Mario title released in years. Everyone with a Wii should experience Mario’s latest adventure, over and over again.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Genre: It’s Mario.
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: November 14, 2007

Playability: 5 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Sound: 5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars Editor’s Choice