Retro|Spective 075R: Super Mario

[Neon Ignition]

Game 92 - Mario Kart Wii
Multiple control methods, 32 courses, single player, multiplayer and online modes. The sixth entry looks incredibly similar to Double Dash at a glance, worse even on some occasions, but it took things back to one character per vehicle with a greater number of vehicles and characters to be unlocked .The game scored well, not quite as massively high as some entries before it but still very good - but it was a monster in sales demolishing its way to be the highest selling entry at the time with 37m units sold globally.




When it comes to the six entries so far, was this one the absolute Wii-nner of them all?

[Asura]

For me, the series nadir. I didn't like the DS one all that much but as it was portable, that made it novel. The Wii version just felt like a bigger, not-portable version.

[wakka]

My view on this is entirely skewed by the fact that it's, by far, the one I've played the most. I played lots of Super Circuit, DS, 7, and 8 as well, but this is another game that falls into the period when I was a student living with my best mates, and it therefore saw a frankly demented amount of four player splitscreen.

We literally played this game every day for three years. It was really fun

Oh, and we always used nunchuks. No motion controls here.

[Neon Ignition]

I liked it, I think, a tiny bit more than Double Dash but that's about all I could say. At this point I felt I was circling losing interest in Mario Kart altogether, there's so much about MKWii that felt low effort from Nintendo and the whole thing just felt soulless and lacking despite the success the system afforded it. Not bad but the least interesting the series has ever been on console.

[Nu-Eclipse]

For me, the series nadir. I didn't like the DS one all that much but as it was portable, that made it novel. The Wii version just felt like a bigger, not-portable version.

MKDS is absolutely nothing like MK Wii whatsoever.

MK Wii is as bad as, if not worse than, Double Dash.

[Asura]

MKDS is absolutely nothing like MK Wii whatsoever

shows how much I played it

I can't actually even remember playing it; just know that I have and that I would've literally played any other MK title instead.

EDIT: It's important to state though, before we move on, that Mario Kart Wii sold over 37 million copies, which, frankly, is somewhat insane.

[Nu-Eclipse]

It's important to state though, before we move on, that Mario Kart Wii sold over 37 million copies, which, frankly, is somewhat insane.

When you consider that New Super Mario Bros. Wii outsold Super Mario Galaxy & Super Mario Galaxy 2 combined, then it really isn't all that insane in comparison.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 93 - Mario Super Sluggers
The second baseball entry in the series, this release was denied an Australian and European launch. It used the Wiimote to offer motion controls for the gameplay and expanded the character roster. Whilst its release was more limited, so too was its critical response only getting a mixed reaction by those who reviewed it.





Out!?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 94 - Dr Mario Express
I don't expect anyone to have anything to say on this one as Nintendo knocks out another Dr Mario for the launch of the DSiWare line up. This new entry stripped a few modes and offered nothing new




A Bitter Pill to Swallow?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 95 - Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
In this third entry, Mario and Luigi find themselves shrunk down in size and stuck inside Bowser's body as he fights the enemy Fawful who is trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. The battle system remains the same as the previous entries though the setting and way the story pans out has made this the entry that many consider to the be best.




What's the Inside Story on Bowser's Inside Story?

[Nu-Eclipse]

What's the Inside Story on Bowser's Inside Story?

Definitely the best game in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. Brilliantly written as well, and Fawful is arguably one of the great Mario universe villains.

Nintendo probably goofed by releasing the 2019 enhanced "+ Bowser Jr.s Journey" port on 3DS instead of making it for the Switch - for owners of the DS OG there was no point in buying, especially given the 3DS backwards compatibility.

[Neon Ignition]

Game 96 - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
The first Winter games based incarnation of this sporting crossover franchise, it launched for the Wii and DS and was very much more of the same but with the mini-games focused on the events of the winter sports. As such it proved to be another big success for the franchise racking up millions of sales.





A worthy addition or a reskinned rehash?

[Neon Ignition]

Game 97 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
With 4 player co-operative play, the new game used this as its hook as Nintendo looked for a new title to help maintain Wii sales momentum. The result was a largely straight forward sequel otherwise to the prior release but none the less reviews were strong and so were sales with just over 30m copies sold.




Wii-nner?

[wakka]

I played this all the way through with four players and it was a fun if chaotic experience.

Because of the quick reaction and timing based gameplay of 2D Mario, what tended to happen is that effectively the three laggards were pulled along by the fastest and most skilled player.

Deaths by any player, including falling behind the squad, would result in a 'bubble', instead of a true failstate. Their character be placed inside a big soap bubble, and they'd automatically bounce along with the rest of the players, unable to manually move but invincible, until someone popped their bubble by jumping at it and got them back in the game.

It was pretty fun but unless you were pretty evenly matched it tended to result in one player doing most of the actual platforming while everyone else bounced in and out of bubbles and were effectively just along for the ride.

Good one for ganking your mates by jumping on their heads at crucial jump timing moments though.

[Nu-Eclipse]

2D Mario endures, even if NSMB has rendered the experience bland, identikit and devoid of any of the charm that the older games had.

But yeah, NSMB Wii proves that Nintendo EAD are the undisputed masters of 2D platforming.