Philippine Sports and Entertainment Portal Online

At this year's E3, Nintendo announced many interesting games. One of them is New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

This latest entry in the Mario series, like its predecessor New Super Mario Bros. for the DS,combines 3D graphics with classic 2D platforming. This combination introduces younger gamers to old-school gameplay and makes it look appealing. New Super Mario Bros. was widely considered successful at this goal. New Super Mario Bros. Wii appears to be on the same track.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii does not push the Wii's graphics to the limit. Its style strongly resembles the original DS game, though the graphics are just as bright and crisper. They fit well into the Mario series. Graphics are not this game's focus, however.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is about adapting classic 2D platforming to modern consoles. It also adds several new features to the classic Mario experience. The most important one is the new four-player cooperative mode. Players can carry less experienced friends across tricky jumps, throw each other across the classical bottomless pits, and work together to collect the inevitable special coins. They can also use all these tools to work against each other. It depends on how the people playing feel at the time. Regardless, the four-player cooperative mode should provide hours of entertainment.

Other additions include Yoshi and new power-up suits reminicent of Super Mario Bros. 3. Yoshi can eat enemies, which is always fun. As for the suits, the current roster includes the high-flying propeller suit and the penguin suit, which allows Mario, Luigi, and their Toad allies to fire ice at enemies.

It's hard to know if a game will live up to its promises until its release. For now, though, all indications point to New Super Mario Bros. Wii updating the classical Mario formula for the Wii console.