New Mario games are always a reason to jump for joy for Nintendo fans, but I find myself itching like a crack fiend to get my hands on the retail version of New Super Mario Bros. Wii after getting to toy with it a bit. As you may know, the game is being presented much in a similar style to the DS hit New Super Mario Bros., but contains completely new levels, power-ups, and storyline, if there is anyone that actually cares about the story of a Mario game. I got the chance to spend a little time with the game's single player at this past weekend's Big Apple Con, and I'm happy to report that come November 15, I'll be able to put my Wii to use again after a long drought of games since the release of MadWorld last spring.

Essentially, the structure of the game is what you've come to expect from a side-scrolling Mario adventure, with the top down view of the overworld map that leads you from level to level. The level design should be familiar to every gamer in existence, but Nintendo again manages to spice up the 20+ year old formula with something new. You'll find goombas, koopa troopas, and the familiar question mark blocks, but the two levels I played felt surprisingly fresh. The first level featured a traditional Mushroom Kingdom environment, and even had a throwback to the original NES classic Super Mario Bros., with the first set of blocks nearly identical to those iconic first moments of the original, goomba included. As I progressed through the level, there were cool new moving platforms that rotated in a circular fashion, leaving a portion of the platform available to walk on when it was above the surface. Each crevice of the platform featured a different element, as one crevice might have a green pipe to warp down, and the others some coins, a power-up, or even a baddie. These sort of elements are scattered throughout the level, making secrets more of a treasure to find, but keeping the vintage intuitive feel of the old games.

The controls keep the traditional NES setup, using the Wii Remote horizontally with the D-pad for control and the 1 and 2 buttons for running, jumping, and throwing fireballs. On the ground, Mario also carries over the abilities from New Super Mario Bros. on DS of the butt-stomp and being able to scale walls bounding back and forth. However, up until my experience with the game, I was unsure if Nintendo would be incorporating the other features of the Wii Remote into the game, and my questions were answered. I came across one particular power-up in this first level that gave Mario a helmet with a propeller fixed atop it. To use it, you make Mario jump and then begin shaking the Wii Remote back and forth to spin the propeller and keep Mario flying through the air to collect coins or reach previously unreachable areas. If you stop shaking, Mario starts floating downward. Alternatively, when you are on your way down, you can shake the controller again to do a drill attack down to the ground, similar to the old cape dive from Super Mario World, breaking certain blocks into new areas below. Shaking also has an effect on your normal jump, and causes you to stall a bit mid-jump, useful to better land on moving platforms and enemies.