Rayman Origins is just like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, except you can slap the other players. And I think we can all agree that is the exact feature Mario needed.

Wired Top Stories

This is one series of games that doesn’t need to be retooled, revamped, updated, or changed dramatically in order for it to compete with the likes of Modern Warfare 2. In fact, there really is no competition for Mario Bros games. Historically, they sell, are highly rated, and have a long shelf-life. This game is no different. It is classic Mario at his best.

The game really feels like they took some of the best ideas, bosses, levels, and music from each of the Mario bros games and retooled them for NSMB Wii (New Super Mario Bros Wii). In fact, it feels mostly like Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 3 rolled into one, with a little bit of Super Mario Galaxy thrown in as well… and that, my friends, is an AWESOME combination!

New Super Mario Bros game. Wii, like all the previous releases in the Super Mario Bros. franchise is a side-scrolling platforming game where players collect coins as they attempt to make their way through progressively more difficult game levels using their ability to time jumps over obstacles and avoid a slew of enemies.

But although the game contain several well-deserved nods to previous games in the series in the form of iconic characters like Mario, Luigi and two Toads, as well as familiar enemies, sound effects and levels, it is not simply another trip down Mario Bros. memory lane. Taking advantage of the flexibility and power of the Wii and Wii Remote, New Super Mario Bros.

Wii manages to preserve the retro experience that fans love about the series, while adding new game features. Notable additions among these include, expansive play levels and new powerups and characters, but by far the most important, and in fact game-defining new feature is simultaneous multiplayer.

Key Game Features

• New Super Mario Bros. Wii offers a combination of cooperation and competition. Players can pick each other up to save them from danger or toss them into it.
• Supports 2-4 players in multiplayer mode.
• Mario, Luigi and two Toads are all playable characters, while many others from the Mushroom Kingdom make appearances throughout the game. Players can even ride different Yoshi characters and use their tongues to swallow enemies – or their fellow players.
• In some areas, players use the motion abilities of the Wii Remote controller. The first player to reach a seesaw might make it tilt to help his or her character reach a higher platform – and then tilt it incorrectly just to mess with other players.
• New items include the propeller suit, which will shoot players high into the sky with just a shake of the Wii Remote and Mario’s new ability to transform into Penguin Mario.
• At the end of each stage during the simultaneous multiplayer mode, players are ranked based on their score, the coins collected and the number of enemies defeated.

I was able to play Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the new MGS title for Sony’s PSP, at last year’s Tokyo Game Show (where the game was playable for the first time). I thought it was pretty good back then, and now the Famitsu, Japan’s (and probably the world’s) best selling video game magazine reviewed the title and gave it a perfect total score of 40.

That 40/40 score means that four Famitsu editors rated Peace Walker with 10/10, the first time for a PSP title ever. Maker Konami plans to ship the game in the US on June 8 (see cover art above) and in Europe on June. The Japanese version will be released as early as April 29.

The last game getting this score was New Super Mario Bros. back in November 2009. For some reason, the number of perfect scores awarded by Famitsu has accelerated in the past years.

Here is a time line for all of Famitsu’s 40/40-games so far:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, for Nintendo 64)
2. Soul Calibur (1999, for Dreamcast)
3. Vagrant Story (2000, for PlayStation)
4. The Legend of Zelda – The Wind Waker (2003, for GameCube)
5. Nintendogs (2005, for the DS)
6. Final Fantasy XII (2006, for PlayStation 2)
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, for the Wii)
8. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008, for PlayStation 3)
9. 428: Fusasareta Shibuya de (2008, for the Wii)
10. Dragon Quest IX (2009, for the DS)
11. Monster Hunter Tri (2009, for the Wii)
12. Bayonetta (2009, for PlayStation 3/XBox 360)
13. New Super Mario Bros. (2009, for Wii)
14. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010, for PSP)

I was able to play Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, the new MGS title for Sony’s PSP, at last year’s Tokyo Game Show (where the game was playable for the first time). I thought it was pretty good back then, and now the Famitsu, Japan’s (and probably the world’s) best selling video game magazine reviewed the title and gave it a perfect total score of 40.

That 40/40 score means that four Famitsu editors rated Peace Walker with 10/10, the first time for a PSP title ever. Maker Konami plans to ship the game in the US on June 8 (see cover art above) and in Europe on June. The Japanese version will be released as early as April 29.

The last game getting this score was New Super Mario Bros. back in November 2009. For some reason, the number of perfect scores awarded by Famitsu has accelerated in the past years.

Here is a time line for all of Famitsu’s 40/40-games so far:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, for Nintendo 64)
2. Soul Calibur (1999, for Dreamcast)
3. Vagrant Story (2000, for PlayStation)
4. The Legend of Zelda – The Wind Waker (2003, for GameCube)
5. Nintendogs (2005, for the DS)
6. Final Fantasy XII (2006, for PlayStation 2)
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008, for the Wii)
8. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008, for PlayStation 3)
9. 428: Fusasareta Shibuya de (2008, for the Wii)
10. Dragon Quest IX (2009, for the DS)
11. Monster Hunter Tri (2009, for the Wii)
12. Bayonetta (2009, for PlayStation 3/XBox 360)
13. New Super Mario Bros. (2009, for Wii)
14. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010, for PSP)

You’ll find no one here who’s not down for a round or two (or 10) of Street Fighter. No one! In fact, I’m half-convinced that that’s Greg under that helmet.

There’s a room set aside here at PAX for free play, where you can take a load off and try your hand at Heavy Rain, Bayonetta, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and, of course, Street Fighter IV.

I can guarantee that even ol’ Blockhead here would destroy me in the game.

Oh, Ubisoft. You so quickly went from the guys that brought us Splinter Cell (young people: Splinter Cell used to be cool in the early to mid 2000s) to the guys that have created the stupidest DRM known to man. Oh, and you’re also incapable of telling the truth. The authentication servers for Assassin’s Creed II (I thought that comes out tomorrow?) and Silent Hunter V were completely inaccessible for a number of people yesterday. Why? Ubisoft claimed it was because of “exceptional demand,” but the real reason is that some punk kids (I assume it’s punk kids) decided to launch a denial of service attack. I suppose, technically, a denial of service attack involves, on some level, demand…

I’m almost overwhelmed with what I have to say about this. Let me put this in bullet points to better organize my thoughts.

• The people who initiated the denial of service attacks are morons. No one looks to them as heros for attacking Ubisoft. Seriously, the only civilized way to complain/protest the DRM measure is to simply not buy the game AND not pirate it. Pretend it doesn’t exist, and Ubisoft will be all, “Hey, why don’t we have more money? Is it because our DRM is dumb?”

• Why can’t Ubisoft just tell us the truth? If your servers were attacked, just say so! Don’t make up stories to make yourself look good. “Exceptional demand” my foot! Let’s be honest: Silent Hunter V isn’t exactly Modern Warfare 2 or New Super Mario Bros. Wii, sales-wise. And Assassin’s Creed II came out last fall: do you really mean to tell me that SO MANY people were looking forward to play the port that you didn’t have enough servers on hand to meet demand?

• This obviously doesn’t justify piracy, but man alive does it prove the adage that only legitimate customers are harmed by DRM

Those bullet points only slightly helped.

I seriously don’t understand what Ubisoft’s deal is. Did you know that Ubisoft said would consider an “offline” mode it if and when the DRM was broken? Then why bother in the first place?!

Pirates are going to pirate your game! You have plenty of people who would love to buy the game, either from Steam or from a boxed copy, who don’t want to be treated like Australia-bound thieves in the 18th century!

JUST LET US INSTALL THE GAME AND WE’LL BE ON OUR MERRY WAY~! BLAH~!