So, we finished World 6 last night, and I just wanted to jot down a few final thoughts about NSMB Wii. First of all, it's probably the best gaming purchase we've made all year. There's always been something magical about traditional 2D Mario platforming, and that hasn't changed.

Though the single-player game is damn-near perfect, the multiplayer thing leaves me with a few frustrations:

1. Any time you or one of the folks you're playing with either dies or shrinks from hitting an enemy, the screen pauses. This might not sound like a big deal, but it is. Usually it screws everyone else up by either plunging you to your death or into an enemy. Not cool! This is my main complaint about multiplayer.

2. They should have locked the camera. If one of your friends or family members runs ahead, it's too easy to get killed. Once you're no longer present on the screen, you're dead. Locking the camera would force players to cooperate. That being said, I can see why they didn't lock the camera. If someone's trying to navigate a jump and their buddies are too far behind, they'll likely end up falling to their death because the screen won't move with them. So, in the end, it's a compromise I can live with, but it's still a bit frustrating.

In spite of these complaints, I think I'm having more fun with the multiplayer in NSMB Wii than I ever did playing Melee. It's cooperative, but it's just as frantic. You've got to work around its shortcomings and limitations, but Nintendo still managed to give families one heck of a good time they can enjoy for years to come. I know some folks feel like this sort of gameplay is no longer worthy of being on consoles (EIC of Gametrailers for one), but I disagree. This is Mario how I've always loved him, and I think this game is destined to be another classic.

I finally got a chance to play some NSMB Wii solo. We broke it out on Tuesday, but then decided to just buy our own copy the next day. We've been playing it together mostly, with my youngest son at the helm, while my wife, my other son, Graham, and myself tagging along. Let me tell you, the game's a lot different in multiplayer...

All I can say is, I love NSMB Wii. Big surprise, right?

The multiplayer is kind of a mess...but in a good way. The thing is, though, when playing with folks like my youngest son, who get their feelings easily hurt, you have to go easy. Characters die fast in multiplayer when you don't keep track of each other, and well, people die easily even when you do keep track of each other. But it's fun! It also makes the game loads more difficult, I think.

I sat down a little while ago, though, and started my own slot, and man, if the end castle for the first world is this challenging, I can't wait to see what else the game has in store for me. The game obviously looks a whole lot like NSMB DS -- I mean, heck, they are using lots of its assets -- but it's a very new Mario game. It also looks really gorgeous on Wii. Some of the 2D elements look a tad washed out, but certain 3D elements and effects are just beautiful.

I'm gonna wrap this blog up with two words: propeller hat!

It's my favorite power-up in the game so far. When you play NSMB Wii and try the suit out, you'll know why.

Mmm...NSMB Wii arrived from Gamefly this morning. Was nice knowin' y'all.

We'll actually be buying a copy here soon, but we couldn't quite swing it this week with all the other Christmas expenses. But I made sure to put the game in my Gamefly Q a few weeks ago. It shipped Saturday, to my surprise. Just waiting for my youngest son -- the resident Mario fanatic -- to get home from school before jumping into the game. I so can't wait!

In other happenings, I played Pokemon Rumble (WiiWare) for review this morning. It's about what you'd expect from a Pokemon offshoot -- kind of repetitive, way over-priced, yet still undeniably charming. It's a hard one to score, since Nintendo decided to get outlandish with the price (1500 Wii Points). That said, it's got a certain something that's sure to satisfy Pokemon fans. Those folks (by all rights, I can probably include myself in that company) forgive a lot. It's not much more than a simple brawler/dungeon crawler, but there is some hidden depth there. It's a hard game to recommend for $15, but I also wouldn't warn anyone against getting it. It's a quality game, but again, way over-priced.