What Kind of Platformer are You?

At this time, American gamers (of any variety) are playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii, with every other territory having their opportunity soon. You can play the game by yourself, sure, but the game is also an absolute blast with other players working with and/or against you. In fact, I highly recommend that any individual player experiences playing with other people, because there's no better time to gauge what kind of platformer you are. You may feel like you already know the answer, but it's actually something that can only be discovered through hands-on experience.

When I played through about five levels of NSMBWii at VGXPO, for instance, I came away with the realization that I'm actually a rather methodical Mario player. It's something I didn't realize while playing through any Mario game, including New Super Mario Bros. for DS. At points, I had to struggle to keep up with some of my accomplices/competitors as they pushed the screen along. Situations like that will create a unique environment among your friends for a short amount of time; something everyone involved will likely remember.

And of course, you'll need some of the hardest and most nerve-racking levels to determine where you are. When I was in a level that required jumping through multiple hoops and platforms, I found that I always wanted to line my jumps so that I could make it to the other side without sustaining any damage (or shrinkage, if you prefer). This required planning, which really isn't an option when either one of the other players is faster or, worse, someone else is also lining up their jump. When four of you are playing, you'll collide very often.

Not to say it all isn't in good fun, though. I have no doubt that anyone who doesn't hate the act of having fun will derive a healthy sense of enjoyment out of this. I'm surprised that Nintendo was actually able to craft a game that's just as good as a single-player title as it is multiplayer. It feels like the game will answer the "Who are you?" question Nintendo asked in one of their marketing campaigns during the Gamecube era, but in the context of what kind of player you are. A game like this only comes every once in a while, making it something that everyone should cherish.