New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 6-Fort -- Pagoda Fort

This level has a long, wide spike pillar running through the center, moving independently, like the central column in a pagoda. I get an Ice Flower and a 100-coin 1-up. I lose the Ice Flower to a Dry Bones. I reach the midgate and discover that there is another spike pillar coming down from the ceiling and the two meet where one of the Star Coins is located. I skipped it and got an Ice Flower. I use the cannon pipes to shoot to levels, but I didn't time it well the first time, and shot into the pillar. I lost my items and died on the pillar.

Take 2- I used a Super Shroom and got an Ice Flower. I skipped the Star Coins and got a Fire Flower near the boss door. This boss is Morton Koopa Jr. and he is flanked by two spike pillars and two slight columns to contain his shell spin. The pillars alternate when they lower. Morton also pounds the ground like Roy in World 2. However, there is not enough room to dodge Morton when he is spinning in his shell, so you have to stand under the spike pillars. I touched the pillar, but I get in 2 hits before I die from touching his shell.

Take 3- I use a Super Shroom, get and lose an Ice Flower to the pillar and get and Fire Flower. I lost both items to Morton, but I got in the 3 hits and dodged him on the column platforms.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 6- Toad Rescue -- Saving More than Toad's Life

After beating 6-3, a Bullet Bill Blaster starts firing Bullet Bills at regular intervals. I can't avoid one, and start a Toad Rescue mission. I lose my Fire Flower to a Bullet Bill while trying to negotiate them on a raising and lowering platform. I get all of the bubbles, and because there are so many Bullet Bills on screen at the time, I get 2 1-ups as well as the requisite 3 Super Shrooms.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 6-3 -- Piranha Plant's Home

After 6-1, the path on the map forks into 2 paths. The path to the left has 2 levels, one of which is marked with a fruit bush with the fruit Yoshi likes to eat. This level most likely has Yoshi in it, but I'm taking the path on the right because it should be faster. It has one full level and a Toad Rescue, which should go quickly and easily, and I want to get to the Fort and its save point as soon as possible.

This is a pipe world on the map, but most of the level takes place inside the pipe, which is much more spacious than the width of the pipe from the outside would lead you to believe. I lose my Super Shroom to a giant Piranha Plant in a pot on a rising and lowering pole. I get another Super Shroom and the 1st Star Coin. I kill a Piranha Plant with a Buzzy Beetle shell, but lose my Super Shroom to a Buzzy Beetle and die from a Piranha Plant.

Take 2- I use a Super Shroom and get a Fire Flower, which I lose to a Piranha Plant. I get the 1st and 2nd Star Coins, but lose my Super Shroom to a Buzzy Beetle. I get another Super Shroom and reach the midgate. I get a Fire Flower and find an are with 3 Piranha Plants. There is a secret pipe above them that goes above ground. There is the 3rd Star Coin, which I can't reach from here. I go back down and go through the next tunnel over by wall jumping. I reach the pipe and get the 3rd Star Coin. I later use water to reach an area so I can wall jump above ground and reach the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 6-1 -- Precarious Platforms

I got a Super Shroom and dodge a Spike with a spike ball that it drops straight down. There are thin platform ledges, like in the prequel, where Mario must side-shuffle, because walking normally causes him to fall and hang on the ledge. Mario can move while hanging from the ledge as well. Timing is crucial here, because Mario moves much more slowly and cannot jump as high or as far. I lose my Super Shroom to a Bullet Bill and get another. This level has stone ladders to climb. I lose the Super Shroom to a Koopa. A precarious ledge goes under a rock wall, so Mario has to cross by hanging on and side-shuffling with his hands. I power up at the midgate and get an Ice Flower and the 2nd Star Coin. I lose the Ice Flower to a Bullet Bill. I get a 100-coin 1-up and another 1-up at the goal because there were enough Bullet Bills when I reached the flag pole. This world is getting off to good start.

World 6 -- Rocky Road

World 6 is a rocky world. There are large canyons, with pipes in the middle. There will probably precarious ledges where you can easily fall off, have to hang on for dear life, and have to sidestep. These ledges make jumping difficult because Mario has to jump from a sidestepping position. I don't know how we will reach the Castle if we have to go over the gaps.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5-Castle -- Walking the Dog

I got an Ice Flower and climbed up the rotating grate wheels. I once again have to dodge fire, this time green. I lost the Ice Flower to a Podoboo and fell in the lava.

Take 2- I used a Super Shroom and lost it to a Podoboo, but got another one. This was good because I found a Helishroom. I use it to get the 1st Star Coin. I lose my Helishroom to a Podoboo and die from a bad wall jump.

Take 3- I use a Super Shroom, get an Ice Flower, and fall in the lava.

Take 4- I get a Super Shroom and a Helishroom, which I lose to the green fire. I die from another bad wall jump.

Take 5- I get a Super Shroom and a Helishroom. I lose it to the green fire and fall in the lava.

Take 6- I get the Shrooms, reach the midgate and find some springy green checkered blocks. I reach the boss door. Iggy is sitting in a saucer-like object chained to a Chain Chomp. Kamek's magic makes the Chomp grow bigger. The Chomp will move along, dragging the saucer around a rectangular path. After hitting Iggy, he does not go in to a shell cycle, but the Chomp becomes enraged, turns red, and starts lunging around the room, while Iggy sits upside down. I get in the last 2 hits, but I lose my Shrooms. After Iggy is defeated, Mario chases the airship saying "Stop!"

This is the second level where I have had to re-evaluate my strategy for defeating the Koopalings. Normally, my strategy is to get in a hit, and then hit them after they stop spinning in their shells, preferably before they can use their magic wands again. I had to re-evaluate the strategy in 4-Castle, because it was impossible to stomp Wendy O. while she was under water. My strategy also needed re-evaluation in 5-Castle, because Iggy does not spin in his shell at all and you have to dodge the Chomp instead. My strategy seems to always work in the Forts. Let's see if I need to make any changes for 6-Castle and 7-Castle.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5- Ghost House -- House of Doors

I tried 5-5 a couple of times, but decided to put it off for later, which means I have to do this level to progress. This level is very dark, but there is a Light Block to carry. There are several doors to choose from, making this a very non-linear level. I go through the 1st door and get a Super Shroom. I come back to the main level where I started. When I try to go through doors, some of them are disguised Boos that leave coins. I get the 2nd Star Coin, as well as Super Shroom, which I lose to a Boo. Another door holds Fish Bones, whose eyes glow in the dark. I go through the very last door, where there are slowly swinging lights. I get and lose a Fire Flower to a Boo here, but this is the last door, and I reach the goal.

I did this level 2 more times so the vines blocking my path to the Castle would move, so I wouldn't have to go through 5-5. In Take 2, I headed straight for the last door, got a Super Shroom, and went to the goal. In Take 3, I got a Fire Flower and a 100-coin 1-up at the last door and reached the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5-4 -- Purple Water Rafting

This level seems normal enough. I got a Super Shroom from an invisible block. After going through a pipe, I land on a raft. I get an Ice Flower and kill off some Koopas with a frozen Koopa. I miss the 1st Star Coin. I hear a ding and the raft stops. The circles on the raft are red and have the number 5 in them. Five or more enemies will stop the raft, (the number will not go higher than 5), allowing you to get a lot of coins or 1-ups depending on how you defeat them. I got a Fire Flower and killed off most of the enemies, but lost it to a Goomba. I get an Ice Flower and kill of the Micro Goombas. They appear on their own, but behave the same way as in Super Mario World 3, which means they hover around you, impeding your ability to jump. Spinning will get rid of them. I lose my Fire Flower to a Bob-omb and my Super Shroom to a Piranha Plant. All of the enemies are falling from the sky. I die from a Bob-omb.



Take 2- I get a Super Shroom and an Ice Flower. I got the 1st Star Coin from stepping on a frozen Koopa. I lose both of my items to a Goomba and a Koopa. The raft stopped several times because it is easy to let the enemy count get out of control. Thankfully, every item block has a power-up. I cleared the raft with Koopa shells. I got a Super Shroom and lost it to a Micro Goomba. I die from using a Pow Block, which activated and detonated a nearby Bob-omb.



Before Take 3, I played some games to get some items. I got a Penguin Suit, a Starman, and a Mini Shroom, 3 Super Shrooms, and 5 1-ups. I then returned to 1-1 where I got the 2nd Star Coin there. (Now that I have all of that level's Star Coins, I got some more applause.)

Take 3- I used a Super Shroom and get a Fire Flower and the 1st Star Coin. I lose the Fire Flower to a Koopa, get an Ice Flower, and lose it to a Piranha Plant. I get a 100-coin 1-up and die from a Bob-omb. This level is difficult because it is easy to lose control of the enemies on the raft, and the water is purple, but fortunately every item block on the raft part of the level is a power-up. I also like the music in this world.

Take 4- Use Super Shroom, get Ice Flower. Got and lost both a Fire Flower and an Ice Flower to a Goomba and a Koopa. I got another Ice Flower and lost it to a Piranha Plant. I kill that Piranha Plant as well as a giant one with a frozen Koopa. I die from a Bob-omb.

Take 5- Use Super Shroom and get Ice Flower. I got the 1st Coin and a Fire Flower, which I lost to a Bob-omb. I missed the 2nd Star Coin. There are lots of enemies falling down from the sky near the pipe. I lost the Ice Flower, which I left sitting on the raft until I needed it, but lost it and my Super Shroom to a giant Piranha Plant. I get to the pipe and reach the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5-Fort -- Nice Platforming

I am still going solo on this level. This level contains a moving spiked wall that covers and uncovers platforms. There are a few Dry Bones, but the main challenge is negotiating the platforms while avoiding the spiked wall. I got and lost a Super Shroom to the spike wall and the spike wall killed me.

Take 2- I got a Super Shroom and the 1st Star Coin. I get and lose an Ice Flower to the spike wall. I eventually reach the Boss Door. Iggy shoots green flames and jumps on 3 raising and lowering platforms. This is kind of like the battle in 1-Castle, but there is nothing to contain Iggy in a smaller area. I got in one hit, but touched the shell. Fortunately, with the platforms, and Iggy's shell timing, there is always a height advantage to be had in avoiding his shell. I got in the last 2 hits and sent him to the castle.

Since World 4, the Koopalings will not stand on top of the Castle while they wait for you. All of them so far will stand on top of the Fort.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5- Toad Rescue -- Doing Most of the Work

We had to deal with Piranha Plants that could stretch. Because I was the only one with an Ice Flower, I had to take out most of them, which was hard, because the platforms protected the Piranha Plants. I lost the Ice Flower, but we gathered all 8 Toad Bubbles and got 3 Super Shrooms from the Toad in the chest.

There are two more Toad Rescues in this world. The last two I dealt with solo.

Take 2- I lost my Super Shroom to the walking Piranha Plants. I saved Toad, got 3 Super Shrooms, and got a Starman from a Star Toad House.

Take 3- I killed all of the walking Piranha Plants with a Fire Flower and got 3 Super Shrooms.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5-3 -- Another Multiplayer Disaster!

This was a difficult level, made more difficult with another player. We tried 5-2, but I did not want to continue after seeing the cave. The level's primary enemy is called a Bramball- an orange ball with a face, two spiky vine legs, and suction cup feet. It moves by flipping itself end over end, like a Slinky. The only way to defeat them is to hit the orange ball part from above. Hitting it from below produces a coin, and send it walking back in the opposite direction. There is also purple water. We reach a pipe with 18 coins. We use the item block to get 1-ups, Starmen, or Super Shrooms, when we hit it. We skip the 1st Star Coin and reach the logs. You have to keep jumping or run quickly on the logs because they will rotating and send you into purple water. There are Bramballs on rock blocks over some logs, but running quickly allows you to go under the blocks as the log turns, so you can completely avoid them. We reach the midgate. One Bramball sits over a pipe. Defeating him allows you to enter the pipe, which behaves like a cannon. Time it correctly and you can defeat a Bramball above you, releasing a lot of coins. We figure out how to get to the 2nd Star Coin, but ultimately ignore it. We find a rock wall that blocks our progress on a log. There are 2 invisible blocks next to it, so the Bramball has somewhere to walk and you can progress. In this area, we kept dying, so much that at the end of it, I had 13 continues total and Yellow Toad had around 5. Yellow Toad had to leave, so I continued on my own. At the cannon pipe, there is a pipe we did not notice next to the Bramball that releases a lot of coins. It leads to a secret area, but most importantly, it drops you off past the rock wall. Holding the control pad too far to the right, however, can lead you to fall in the water. After that area, there is a fast Bramball, and another one blocking the exit pipe. I then ran to reach the goal.

I think I might be better off completely the really difficult level on my own. You can't just walk past the other players if they're in front of you and multiplayer requires a large amount of communication, cooperation, and coordination.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 5-1 -- Tripping up Over Each Other

After Yellow Toad takes his continue, we start the level. There are lots of walking Piranha Plants that stretch to block the path. We take damage from these as well as Piranha plants that float and blow spiky green balls in the air. We rush through, so we take a lot of damage, instead of waiting for the enemies to lower their attacks. We find the 1st Star Coin and reach the midgate. We try to power up as much as possible. We find a place that gives us a ton of difficulty: there are a series of vines over a few walking Piranha Plants. At first, we get on the same vine, which prevents us from effectively moving. It takes several tries, but we eventually cooperated enough that one would wait for the other to get off the vine. We reach a wheel that requires us to stand on the correct platform to turn it and move us. We were above blue water, thankfully, because we could not coordinate it enough for both of us to operate the wheel at the same time. I was powered up with the Ice Flower, so I took out the floating Piranha Plants while Yellow Toad swam. When the wheel reached the end of the line, he got back up. I took out some more of the walking Piranha Plants, but I lost my Ice Flower in the process. We reach a wall with a pipe and a huge Koopa shell. I use the vine to swing up into the shell, which contains another pipe. I enter the pipe and Yellow Toad waits for the game to send him through the pipe automatically. We use the Pow Block and get the 3rd Star Coin. We exit the shell and I use the vine to get on a ledge so I can get a higher score at the goal. Yellow Toad does not make it to the goal in time.

Later on, we both get Game Overs, so we had to replay the level, but we got through it a lot better and faster.

World 5 -- It's a Jungle out There... or is it a Forest?

World 5 is some sort of forest level. There are lots of trees on the map. If this is anything like World 4 from the DS, there will be vines, new creatures, and purple water. I hate the purple water. It's like the lava- an instant death, without the burning. Levels with purple water are difficult enough to deal with alone, so I wonder how multiplayer will work out.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4- Airship -- Ditched!

We find Bowser Jr. yet again on the roof of the castle. He taunts us as usually, but the airship leaves without him. He jumps off the castle and we follow him as he tries to catch up with the airship. It is like the airships from Super Mario World 3 with remixed music. It is not an automatic side-scroller. The crates can be ground-pounded. The challenge is to dodge the flames that arch 180 degrees. There are also Mecha-Koopas to deal with. We ground-pounded through crates to a pipe. Yellow Toad had difficulty staying on the screw, and died a few times. I tried to avoid popping his bubble, but it got in the way. He wanted to stay out of the way so I could get through because I am better at it. After getting the 2nd Star Coin, the area got tricky with Bob-ombs and flames. Yellow Toad lost his last life here, so I was left to face Bowser Jr. alone. Before I could face him, I had to use a Propeller Block to reach the level. Bowser Jr. has his own Clown Copter now. I was regular Mario, but with the Propeller Block I needed to reach him, I was protected somehow from his fire. After 3 hits, he was defeated. I saved the game again (you can save right after the castle, as well).

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4- Castle -- Communicating to Victory

This level has spiked pillars moving horizontally, and lots of grates. The pillars and grates catch Yellow Toad off guard, especially after punching the gate and flipping to the other side. But this allows us to get the 1st Star Coin. The pillars move quickly, but we are also able to get the 2nd Star Coin. We reach the midgate and take a lot of damage trying to negotiate the pillars. We lose lives here, but continue. The Fish Bones give us a little trouble, as we are not prepared for them to chase us. We find the 3rd Star Coin in a pipe under the Boss Door. Yellow Toad stayed near the pipe, so after I got the coin, he'd enter the pipe, so we could quickly escape. The only problem was getting up the Boss Door due to a long spike pillar. We noticed that the stereo aspect of the sound was extremely good. If your headphone are on the correct ears, you can hear the pillar coming from the left. Taking out Wendy O. was more difficult this time, because Kamek's magic made the level periodically flood and drain. When the level is flooded, you can't jump on the boss. We did our best to dodge so we could hit her when the water drained. Yellow Toad got in the last hit and we left to chase Bowser Jr. We had great communication and got all 3 Star Coins. Multiplayer just might work for me.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4-5 -- Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

Yoshi's back! Just when I started thinking I'd never see him again and that he was a one-time only character, he finally shows up again. We haven't see him in two entire worlds, but maybe deserts and ice lands are not his habitat. Either way, it's good to see him again. We see a cloud block above a palm tree. I hit it, and release a Lakitu, with another one on the way. We now know never to do that again. We get Yoshi, and while standing on palm trees, my Yoshi eats a Lakitu, so I take off in his cloud. I get a lot of coins, while Yellow Toad continues on the ground, negotiating with the Spinies. We frequently lose our Yoshis to enemies, and swap them when they are recovered. I make sure to feed my Yoshi lots of fruit so I can get items from the eggs he lays. We enter a pipe above a palm tree, where we see the third Star Coin. We continue on to the end of the level.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4- Ghost House -- First Ghostly Encounter

Darn. I actually have to go through a Ghost House level. I never liked these on the New Super Mario Bros (DS) because the map on the touch screen that shows your position relative to the goal is blocked by Boos. That was a relatively good idea for some non-linear levels, but it made knowing the goal's location difficult. This level has lots of Boos and some rats. The item blocks also swing along slowly, making them harder to hit. There are also platforms early in the level that either raise or lower when you stand on them. We frequently hit Boos because they were in the way and avoiding them was difficult on the moving platforms. We had difficulty moving past the first area because the door was blocked off by blocks that could not be ground-pounded. I stood on the nearby platform and it rose. I jumped, and the screen lit up the area that I thought was the ceiling. There is a P-switch up there, which I activated to get rid of the blocks so we could continue. An arrow of silver coins points to the door. Gathering all silver coins also earns applause. After that, there are several rats and some coins and item blocks. Yellow Toad slid down the slopes to kill off some rats, but was hit by one while sliding up. We ran to the goal, but made it out alive.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4-4 -- Underwater Challenge

I once again attempted multiplayer mode. This player has played the game, but only up to World 2, so he was surprised that I decided to continue my game, and he had to play levels he had not reached. He chose Yellow Toad, due to the fact that Yellow Toad had the most lives on my file. He wasn't too happy when we started on a water level. This level has Bloopers hiding in pipes that will come out as you're about to pass over them, which makes it easy to take a lot of damage in this level. With proper aim, you can take them out with a Fire Flower. There are also blue Cheep Cheeps and Blooper Nannies to make the level more difficult. We did not attempt to get Star Coins that were not immediately within reach nor search for secrets. We may have died a few times, but we made it to the goal. We cooperated and communicated well. This may turn out to be a good multiplayer experience and this player might make for a good gaming buddy. This multiplayer thing just might work out.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4- Fort -- Abrupt Change in Scenery

For a beach world, this level feels very industrial. I am killed by blocks/platforms that fell off the conveyor belt. That was fast. Take 2- I go up a pipe, with no power-up and skip the Star Coin. I use the block/ conveyor belt combination to reach higher places. I get an lose a Super Shroom to a Dry Bones and power up at the midgate. I use a Propeller Block to get higher up and reach the pipe that is producing the blocks. I have to wait a while for one I can jump over. I miss another Star Coin in the falling staircase, but reach the boss door. I enter the battle room immediately without entering a corridor. Wendy shoots rings that bounce around the room for while, then disappear. I got in one hit, then I touched her shell and died. Take 3- I get a Fire Flower from 8 red coins and reach the boss. I use the fireballs, but stop because they take more time and precision (plus, you don't get as many points). I get in a hit after she hits me with her shell. I get in another hit after the shell cycle, before she makes another ring. The old ring disappears during the cycle, so I don't have to dodge 2 things. After she gets out of that cycle, I get in the 3rd hit. Victory! Wendy hops over to the castle.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4-3 -- Mini Mario Goes to the Beach

This level has 1-armed crabs throwing stones at you. I kill some of them, and get and lose a Penguin Suit. I lose and get a Super Shroom. I get the first Star Coin and another Penguin Suit, which I lose to an Urchin. I skip the 2nd Star Coin. I get a Mini Shroom and reach the midgate, but do not power up. I can't enter any of the nearby mini pipes, so I keep moving. I then run on water to the mini pipe that has the 3rd Star Coin. I get a 100-coin 1-up and reach the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 4-1 -- No Place for Penguins

This is a beach level, with part of the level underwater. I get and lose a Penguin Suit. I can't reach the first Star Coin nor the Red Coin Ring. There are large and small Cheep-Cheeps here, including blue ones that chase me near the pipes with current jets. I get and lose another Penguin Suit to a blue Cheep, but I get a 100-coin 1-up. I utilize a Starman, but do not get a 1-up. I reach the midgate and get another Penguin Suit. I miss another Star Coin. Twice I lose and gain Penguin Suits. I see giant Urchins, that don't move and mostly sit at the bottom. I fail to ground pound them after freezing them and lose my Penguin Suit. I reach the goal under the stair pipes. Swimming is very different with the Penguin Suit. Instead of pressing (2) to keep from sinking, the suit allows you to completely control it in water using the control pad. This was startling at first and takes some getting used to.

World 4 -- Life's a Beach

World 4 is a beach level, which means palm trees, lots of sand, rising tides, fish that will eat you alive, and awesome beach music! Seriously, Nintendo makes some great beach music. My personal favorites include: Oho Oasis/ Gwarhar Lagoon, BeachBowl / Seaslide Galaxies, Shy Guy Beach / Cheep-Cheep Island, and Gelato Beach. This should be a nice change from World 3. Here's hoping it goes a lot more smoothly. I think I do better on these kinds of levels. Wendy O. is dropped off at the fort.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3- Castle -- Circus on Ice

This is a difficult level, because they incorporated the ice theme into the level. This level has one of the annoying snaking block platforms, made more annoying because they're icy and slippery, as denoted by the subtle fuzzy and crystal appearance. I have to contend with spikes and icicles in this level. I did this level initially multiplayer, but both of us got game overs and had to start over. I will just detail the solo mission. The large icicles fall on the snaking platform, and when done well, make it easier to avoid the spikes in the middle of the level. I reach the end of this area to find large ice cubes blocking my path. Some of them have black spots in them. There is a pipe spewing Bob-ombs, so I use one to clear through the ice (fireballs don't work here). The second time, I blow up an ice cube with a black spot, which sends a chain reaction throughout some of the other ice cubes. There were Bob-ombs frozen in the ice. I get on another snaking block platform. I get the first Star Coin in an area with Donut Lifts. After the red coin ring, I find an area with bouncy balls like the one Lemmy used in the Fort battle. I use them to get the third Star Coin. They nearly bounce me onto the spikes and I nearly miss the snaking platform to the boss door. This time, Kamek makes Lemmy's circus ball grow huge. He uses it to bounce high, then come down on Mario to shove him off the edge. I went off the edge and could not wall jump, so I died. Take 2- Cutting to Lemmy's battle, I gathered enough speed to wall jump high enough to hit Lemmy. I hit him again after the shell cycle and touched him, losing my Fire Flower. I hit him again after the shell cycle, before he could use magic to make his circus ball appear. This world is finally over.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3-4 Replay -- Almost Impossible to Fail

Now that the switch has be activated, this level becomes much easier. You reach it after completing 3-5. New features with this switch include the fact that it can be activated from the map (no going through another level to reach it) and it can be deactivated. We're going to leave it activated because you cannot progress without it. With the blocks filled in, almost all gaps leading to the void are covered up. It is also easier to dodge some enemies and the paths allow you to avoid difficult areas, such as that immediately past the midgate. Finally, a red pipe is accessible, which takes you to the main goal (black flag), allowing you to progress to the castle. I got this within 2 tries playing solo.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3-5 -- Yay! Something Easy!

When I reached this level for the first time, I was still in multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, Luigi was on his last life and fell into the void, so I did this level essentially alone. This is another rotating block level, made somewhat easier with Propeller Blocks. I got a Super Shroom and made it to the pipe at the top (this is a vertical level), without using the Propeller Block. I then used a Propeller Block to get a 1-up at the goal. The second time I played this level, by myself, I got the 1st Star coin, and noticed that the level has block outlines. I used the Propeller Block to save me, but it made getting a Super Shroom extremely difficult. I died a couple of times from fire balls from the Piranha Plants. I made it to the goal to unlock the block switch.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3-4 -- Absolute Disaster!

I tried doing this level in multiplayer mode. It was nothing short of a disaster and is making me reconsider wanting to play this game in multiplayer. I played initially with Sarah Raezler, but the two of us could not make it through the level. Soon, she switched out with another Archive staff member. We still could not beat the level. Soon, he swapped out with someone waiting for a system to open up. We finally beat the level, but not before I got 7 continues. Up until this point, I had 1, maybe 0 because I had to restart, so that continue I received on 2-1 may not even exist on my file. Anyway, I am now up to 8 continues, just from this one session. Becuase that accounts for over 35 lives lost, I will not post details on every single take. This level has several sliding platforms, which can easily crush a player who does not get out of the way. This caused many of the deaths in this level, but not compared to the number of deaths from falling in the void. There are block outlines, showing that this level could be much easier and have lots of secrets. They mostly cover the void. There aren't very many enemies, but there doesn't need to be. We maybe got one Star Coin out of this level. The level is much harder after the midgate. There is nothing to save you from falling in the void and the moving platforms are slippery. After much trial and error, we beat the level, but after another game over, I had to restart the level. All the other Player 2s left, so I beat the level solo in a few more tries. Wait a second- the flag is red! Only secret goal flags are red! What's going on here? The goal at the very end of the level is supposed to have a black flag! Oh, we're not going to the castle just yet, we have to make a quick detour to 3-5 and the switch.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3- Fort Replay -- So Much Easier

I got over the rotating platforms much easier this time. I got an Ice Flower from the 8 red coins. I reached the midgate. I use the Pow Blocks effectively, after the spike balls got rid of the Dry Bones, I took them out 2 at a time. I lost my Ice Flower to a Dry Bones and my Super Shroom to a spike ball. I reached Lemmy. I hit him, and twice more after he got out of the shell cycle, once before he could get on his circus ball again. I saved the game.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3- Toad Rescue -- Grabbing Items

I killed all three Ice Bros, 2 of them by bumping the blocks underneath them, saved the Toad and got 3 Super Shrooms. Take 2- I did it again, the same way, to get more Super Shrooms.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3-2 Replay -- Barely Avoiding Super Guide

The flow is gone now. That didn't last long. I lose the Super Shroom to a Goomba, but get another, which I lose to a Bullet Bill. I got the 1st Star Coin. I die from an Ice Bro. Take 2- Get Super Shroom, but lose it to a Goomba while sliding. I get the 1st Star Coin, lose to a Koopa, and die from an Ice Bro. Take 3- Got a Super Shroom and the 1st Star Coin. I get an Ice Flower and a Starman, which I use to dash to the midgate. I save myself with a wall jump and lose the Ice Flower to a Bullet Bill. I ignore the secret pipe. I lose my Super Shroom to a Koopa and die from a Bullet Bill. Take 4- Got a Super Shroom and within a short time, I fell into the void. Take 5- Got a Super Shroom, lost it to a Bullet Bill, fell in void. Take 6- Got a Super Shroom, lost it to a Bullet Bill, die from Ice Bro. Take 7- I died from a Bullet Bill. Take 8- Got a Super Shroom, got 3rd Star Coin, lose Super Shroom to a Bullet Bill and reach the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 3-1 Replay -- Seeing Improvement

I start the level powered up as Fire Mario. I use fireballs to kill off some penguins, but lose the Fire Flower to another penguin. I get the Penguin suit, but lose it to a Piranha Plant. With the Penguin Suit, you can't pick up anything because your hands are in flippers, and the just-in-time instructions for picking up stuff are missing. I get another Penguin Suit and the 1st Star Coin. I lost and got another Penguin suit to a penguin, and fall into the void. Take 2- I get a Super Shroom and saved myselft with wall jumps. I got a 100-coin 1-up and reach the goal.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 2- Castle Replay -- Feeling Like the Master

I used the Helishroom to get the 1st Star Coin. I get the 2nd Star Coin and a 100-coin 1-up. I get the Fire Flower to kill the Piranha Plants. I get the 3rd Star Coin and reach the boss. I get in the three hits easily and Roy only goes in the pipes once. This strategy of hitting the Koopalings immediately after they come of the shell cycle is working very well.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 2-6 Replay -- Easy as Bread Sandwiches!

I get the first Star Coin this time and find a pipe above the swinging blocks. I get the 2nd Star Coin and see a Propeller Block. I reach the midgate and kill all of the Fire Chomps. I get the 3rd Star Coin and a 1-up from 8 red coins. I get a 1-up at the goal. Mushrooms appear in the gorge to allow passage to the castle. I skip the explosions, so I don't have to rescue Toad. Later, while doing the QSC, I found the red goal by bouncing off of a Fire Chomp near the end of the level and flying with the Propeller Suit into a red pipe overhead. It leads to the red flag goal which opens up a path to the cannon which blasts you to World 5.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii: 2-4 Replay -- It's a Breeze!

I get a Helishroom and find a vine that takes me to the first Star Coin. This area is hard to get out of due to the invisible blocks. Everything goes smoothly and I reach the midgate and get a 1-up at the goal.