So much more could have been done, but the co-op in this game is lacking, and not nearly as well thought out as the level design, for example. There are few resources that can be shared with one another. A weak player holds back others, instead of being brought along by them. There is not much you can do to help one another, and indeed, there are very little in the way of positive interactions at all. All the hallmarks of good co-op are missing from New Super Mario Bros. Adding in four players does not make the game co-op in fact, it's quite the opposite. The simple fact of the matter is that 2D Mario games are meant to be played in single player. The bubble is meant to help those who are struggling with the game, obviously but being in the bubble takes you from playing the game to merely spectating. You don't have any real control over the bubble's flight path, though if you shake the Wii-mote you can nudge towards a teammate.

If a stray fireball hits your bubble while you are on top of an enemy, well, that's just too bad. Other players can pop the bubble by touching it or throwing a projectile at it. At any time during play, you can press A to go into the bubble, which seems like a balancing feature at first. When players die, and have lives remaining, they come back in a floating, protective bubble, totally immune to damage. ( Penny Arcade doesn't like this too much either.) Why not make any power ups work for all players, just like the 1Ups earned by collecting coins do? That’s not really fair, and that’s the best outcome! Often, mushrooms fall off the screen, or get picked up by a player who was already powered up. The best case scenario is that one player gets to shoot fire while the other two grow to Super size. It becomes a mad dash to get to the Fire Flower. Mario bumps a power up block, and a Fire Flower and two mushrooms fly out of it. For example, let’s say you are in a three player game. When the power ups pop out of a block, one “good” power up appears, and the rest are mushrooms, the number depending on the number of players. This leads to some awkward moments between teammates.Īnother major issue is how power ups are handled in multiplayer. Experienced players will want to move quickly, and more casual players won't be able to keep up.

Again, the problem is worse when playing with folks of different Mario skills. This is fun for neither the “squasher” nor for the “squashee”. That’s fine if you are the one who is ahead, but if you are lagging behind and get stuck behind a pipe, block, or even an enemy, when the screen scrolls, you are shoved into them, often to your doom. It is very easy for one player to run on ahead of his partners, and the screen will eventually scroll to follow them. Another issue that will have you pulling your hair out is how the screen scrolls.

Super mario bros multiplayer