Super Mario Bros. Wii

Is there a formula for fun? It certainly appears so; Nintendo has done it again with New Super Mario Bros. Wii – a 'traditional' Super Mario Bros. platformer that's split down the middle for co-operative and counter-operative multiplayer fun. At all times reverent to more than twenty years of Mario platforming, NSMB Wii never feels tired, repetitive or stodgy, which is something of an achievement unto itself. In simple terms, NSMB Wii is refreshing and approachable – something of a trademark for Nintendo's Wii releases.

It's also a blast to play. If you have four Wii remotes, prepare for the best, most entertaining multiplayer experience since Super Smash Bros. Brawl; that's no exaggeration. In all honesty, we were expecting a ho-hum multiplayer experience, given that co-operative platformers like LittleBigPlanet are decent but rarely incredible when played through in that mode. Expectations can be humbling when turned on its head.