Super Mario Bros. Return To Their Roots

Nintendo returns the Mario franchise to its classic 2D-sidescrolling style with the help of Luigi and two Toad characters for some hectic four person multiplayer action in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Most people will remember Super Mario Bros. in their traditional games on the NES and SNES consoles. Since then, the series has taken on a 3D look and feel to its graphics and gameplay. Nintendo brings it full circle with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. While it is the sequel to the acclaimed DS game, New Super Mario Bros., this is the first time classic Mario has been seen on consoles since Super Mario World in 1990.

The game features cooperative multiplayer for the first time. Instead of having to take turns, you can have up to four people playing at once. Luigi, a blue Toad, and a yellow Toad help Mario save Princess Peach once again from the evil Bowser and his Koopalings. In traditional Super Mario games, you would have to take turns playing different levels while the other person sat idly watching the action. Being able to play simultaneously completely changes the game and makes it even more fun than before. You can choose to play nice and help out your friends are try to kill them off and take all the glory for yourself.

While you will see traditional power-ups and items like the mushroom, 1-Up, Yoshis and the fire flower, New Super Mario Bros. Wii adds some new ones as well. The penguin suit allows you to glide on your belly, swim better, and shoot ice at enemies. The ice flower works similarly to the fire flower, letting you freeze enemies and use them as a platform. The propeller suit lets you fly up in the air. These new additions look to complement the traditional items very well.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii takes elements from several of the older titles such as the ability to save multiple power-ups for future use and a world map from Super Mario Bros. 3. You have the ability to pick up items and other players that was taken from the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 and save points within levels from Super Mario World. But perhaps the biggest thing to take away from the game is its level of challenge and difficulty. The older games were notoriously known for their complexity, multiple secrets, hidden items and passages, and much more. New Super Mario Bros. Wii marks a return to this style but with some added help from Nintendo. The Super Guide feature brings in Luigi to show you how to beat any level and hint videos are available on the disc to show the way for secrets and helpful tips.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is like a nice ride of nostalgia for anyone who has played the classic games. It also serves as a nice entry point for people that are playing traditional 2D Mario for the first time. And with the addition of simultaneous multiplayer, it makes for a good party game.

Nintendo Expands Handheld With DSi XL

The DS platform gets larger with the introduction of a bigger version of the DSi, coming with a pair of 4-inch screens compared to the previous iteration's 3.25-inch and the DS Lite's 3-inch screens

A size comparison of the original DSi (inset) versus the larger DSi XL.

Nintendo has recently announced a new version of their touchscreen handheld called the DSi XL, set to release in the first quarter of 2010 in North America & Europe and launch as the DSi LL in Japan on November 21 for ¥20,000 ($218.50). Details surrounding the DSi XL release are still unknown, though full details of the Japanese release and more pictures can be found in this helpful FAQ.

The evolution of the DS: The original, DS Lite, and DSi.

The evolution of the Nintendo DS has been an interesting ride. There has been a tug-of-war battle to make the form factor smaller and larger. Since the release of the DS Lite, the handheld has been getting increasingly bigger to perhaps match competition with other handhelds and smart phones like the Sony PSP and the Apple iPhone. It's currently being marketed as a system to be played with others in person, touting the LCD's wider viewing angle in addition to the increased size.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has also recently discussed the idea of an always-on 3G internet connection for the DS similar to Amazon's free WhisperNet 3G network on their Kindle e-book reader. The cost of the connection is built into the cost of the system, so there would be no monthly fees or data plans. A feature like this could really improve the DS's abilities & potential with constant access to the online store and online multiplayer gaming anywhere. There are currently no plans to put this into development, though things may change leading up to the DSi XL launch next year.

However, the timing of this DS refresh seems a little odd. Nintendo has always included new functionality or a variety of improvements to form factor to each new iteration, but the only change from the previous version is the larger screens. This is coming just a year after the initial DSi release, which featured a pair of digital cameras, an SD card slot, internal memory, an online store, and the loss of Game Boy Advance support. The DSi XL will support all DSi enhanced and DSi exclusive titles and the entire library of DS titles. It comes with both a traditional stylus that fits into the system and a larger, pen-shaped stylus that can be carried around externally.