New Super Mario Bros. Wii has several distinctions. First, it probably has one of the worst names a video game has ever had, since the DS game, at least. I recall when the DS game, New Super Mario Bros., came out; I had a terrible time communicating with several store employs what I was looking for.
“Do you have New Super Mario Bros.?”
“Umm, let me check? What's it called?”
“New Super Mario Bros.”
“Yes, but what's it called?”
“No, it's New Super Mario Bros.”

And so on. In addition, it's one of the few 2D Mario platform games released since Super Mario World that hasn't been a remake of an earlier game. On a more minor note, it's the first Wii game to be in a red box, oh and it is an absolutely fantastic game.

It was, as the name implies, released on the Wii, and came out on November 15, 2009. Developed and produced by Nintendo. It's your typical Mario fare. Coins, Yoshis, power-ups, Bowser. You know the drill.

Moreover, that is what makes it so great. It is a Mario game. He is not in space. He does not have a FLUDD. He is not playing baseball. He is not teaching typing. This is just Mario, Luigi, and two Toads, jumping on Goombas, shooting fireballs, and grabbing flagpoles.

Of course, there are new things. Most of the new features good, but some of them not. We have Bowser, we have Bowser Jr., but we also have the Koopa Kids. Remember them, from Super Mario Bros. 3? They're back. Not new, but they've been absent so long that bringing them back seems new again. There are new power-ups. A propeller helmet to send Mario skyward. An ice flower to shoot balls of ice to freeze enemies. A penguin suit that does the same, plus making it easier to swim and adding sliding across ice.

Also added? Annoying controls. Now, the game lets you play holding the Wiimote sideways NES-style or by using the Wiimote and nunchuk. I opted to go with the sideways, since I can't physically hold both things at once. Now, in previous games, spin jumping was a matter of a button combination. Now this is accomplished by shaking the Wiimote. Which means sometimes you don't spin jump when you want to. Other times you do it just by shifting your position. The shaking method also picks up things like throw-able blocks. Some platforms you get on can be controlled and shifted by tilting the controller in certain ways. This usually works fine, but sometimes the feature gets in the way. These two control aspects combine in one fight against Bowser Jr. that was probably the worst part of the game. But it was over soon enough, and the combination of mechanics wasn't utilized again.

Now, if you've played New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, you know how fun it was, and how awesome. But one thing about it was... it was terribly easy. New Super Mario Bros. Wii does not have this problem. The game is hard. Very hard. Some levels are downright brutal. Especially if you go after the level’s star coins for the purpose of opening up the special World 9, which is made up of even harder levels.

But, the game makes up for it. Extra lives come at you from everywhere. You can easily have 99 lives by World 3. If you fail at a level enough times, you can choose to have the computer show you how to do it properly with the Super Guide, even beating the level for you. However, you don't get the star coins unless you go back and do it yourself. Power-ups come easy too. Wandering enemies on the main map lead to mini-games to get mushrooms. Power-up Toad Houses decorate the landscape. You can even go to old levels and escort a Toad out safely to get more power-ups. Still, you will die in this game. A lot.

My only regret in reviewing this game is that I didn't get to review the multiplayer. This is a Mario game with simultaneous, four-player multiplayer action. And from what I've seen, it looks to be a lot of fun for sure. You can work together or smack each other around, though it makes getting coins a lot easier and getting even more extra lives and points.

So, how does New Super Mario Bros. Wii stack up in terms of accessibility? Are there sound cues? Only one. In the previously mentioned Toad escort levels, Toad makes noise as you near the block he's trapped in. But since most people just tend to hit all question mark blocks anyhow, this isn't much of a problem. Is this game colorblind friendly? I can imagine a bit of a mix-up during multiplayer, with both Mario and Luigi running around on a sometimes-hectic screen, but it seems fine besides that. You certainly can't play this one-handed, and if shaking a Wiimote is a problem, then this probably isn't going to be an easy game to play.

Overall, while not the most physically accessible game, it is probably the best Wii game I've ever played. It has that old Super Mario Bros. feel to it. It's one of those games that is easy to pick up and learn, but you'll still find yourself challenged at nearly every turn. The graphics are colorful and fun, the music is great, it's just amazing. So, I have to say, if you have a Wii and can use the controller as needed, pick this game up immediately.