Join the Pixel Verdict crew for a look back at their favorite games of 2009—a list that includes RPGs of the role playing and rocket propelled variety, a bad night for a bat, dragon punches, mustachioed mushroom eaters, and a true Renaissance man. Because when you aren’t forced to choose just one Game of the Year, everyone is a winner! From all of us here, our sincerest thanks for listening this year. We’ll see you bright and early in 2010—but not too early, we were up late last night.

Submit your picks for 2009’s best games in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Ah, 2009. A fun year for video games and a broke year for this reviewer, who in his shame admits freely to having not played as many games as his esteemed colleagues-in-pixilated-arms. I mean, I just got Borderlands as a Christmas gift, so there’s no making it onto my list this year (blasphemous, I know.) Always lagging behind, I am. And look—not a single PC-only game on my Top 5. I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror anymore.

Click the jump below to check out my Top 5 picks of the year, as well as two noteworthy honorable mentions.

#5. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360/PS3)
You get to play as Batman. ‘Nuff said. Wait, I’m mixing my comic metaphors there.

No, seriously—you get to play as Batman. We’ve seen Batman in other video games before—many, many other games—but Batman: Arhkam Asylum is the first game that lets us be Batman in all his Dark Knight glory, sneaking through the shadows, swinging from cables, swooping onto unsuspected prey with merciless, non-lethal efficiency. The ultimate nerdy thrill, no game has been able to capture so perfectly the superhero experience as satisfying as this. Beautiful art design, faithful voice acting and a Rogue’s Gallery full of adversaries to stomp, Batman: Arkham Asylum is a delight to play.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Some of the puzzle mechanics get a tad repetitious, like when you’d walk into a room and be thrust into a “swing from the gargoyles” stealth scenario again and again. Oh, how I yearned just to be able to drop to the floor and start pulverizing people proper.

Or any sequence involving the Scarecrow. Nuts to that guy.

na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na... BATMAN

#4. Scribblenauts (DS)
This one gets a nod on my list out of sheer tenacious creativity and innovation. Rarely has a game, let alone a Nintendo DS game been so discussed, analyzed, anticipated and dissected as Scribblenauts was after its memorable E3 showing. Audiences asked, “So what, you can create… anything?” And 5th Cell, the little scamps, just smiled enigmatically and showed another clip of God on a skateboard with a shotgun fighting Cthulu.

Once the game arrived, its flaws became immediately apparent—no, you can’t create anything, and the control scheme was a flaming nightmare of awkwardness, but how many truly original game franchises does one see emerge in any given year? Most simply recycle mechanics and engines from other titles, polishing here or tweaking there. Scribblenauts was something new, something genuinely innovative and creative—an open-ended puzzler with seemingly limitless potential, based entirely around your ability to think outside the box and develop emergent gameplay. Ask a guy like Peter Molyneux, and he’ll swear that this is the future direction of video gaming.

Yes, the game overpromised, and expectations were impossibly high, but Scriblenauts still deserves a place on this list. It may be imperfect, but I’ll take an ambitious-yet-flawed game over a redundant one any day of the week.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Did I mention the control scheme was awful? This cannot be overstated.

Please do not ride Cthulu in a race against God on a dinosaur. Cthulu does not like this.

#3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
Nostalgia, pure and simple, will make New Super Mario Bros. Wii one of the best-selling video games of all time. This is not a deep game, or a particularly challenging game, or a terribly innovative game. In fact, it bears more than a passing similarity to the previous New Super Mario Bros. title on the Nintendo DS in design and game play. With the possible exception of Rock Band, I challenge you to find a more entertaining or satisfying gaming experience that you and three friends, be them hardcore gamers or casually curious, can sit down and just play to your heart’s content.

Young and old, man and women alike, Nintendo has a knack at cultivating games to appeal to all parties, almost to a fault. Even this reviewer’s wife, a vehement non-gamer, looked upon this title fondly in our household, remembering days of yesteryear rescuing her own Princess back on the SNES in Super Mario World. But boy, the Princess sure gets kidnapped a lot. That girl needs a LoJack system.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Nintendo feels obligated to cram motion control elements into all of its games, whether the game actually benefits from them or not. Wagging your controller to fly into the air is an awkward gaming element, and will make you look stupid in front of your three friends. Thanks, Nintendo.

Too much waggling can be hazardous to your health.

#2. Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
Again with the nostalgia titles! Apparently I’m a soft touch for things that remind me of my childhood. And nothing reminds me more of my childhood than cramming rolls upon rolls of quarters into the Street Fighter II machine at the convenience store by my house, day after day. Capcom has hit this one out of the park by resisting the temptation to make something new—like Street Fighter Alpha, or Street Fighter III and its various incarnations, or some mash-up pairing Ryu with giant robots.

No, none of that nonsense. Street Fighter IV is a return to form, a loving homage to the glory days of arcade and the pure simplicities of button-mashing, spinning piledrivers and fireballs. The 3D graphics and 2D game play blend perfectly. You don’t need an instruction manual for this one. You just sit down, turn it on, and know what to do.

Also, do not play Dave in Street Fighter IV. He will pile drive your face.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Capcom may have avoided the pitfalls from its various Street Fighter incarnations over the last ten years… except for one unfortunate area—the boss fight. Seth is a douchebag. He just makes things up to win fights, like the physics engine or the laws of gravity. He feeds on your tears.

But thank the lords up above that he can’t reincarnate himself like Gill. Capcom can go @#$% themselves over Gill.

This is you, losing the fight.

#1. Dragon Age: Origins (PS3, XBOX360, PC)
If you make a Top 5 list of the Best Games of the Year, and one of your factors is “time you have spent playing the game”, then Dragon Age: Origins deserves its crown. The latest epic RPG from BioWare, Dragon Age is as satisfying a role playing experience as North Americans can envision without stealing ideas from Square Enix. Beautiful visual designs, an engrossing and complex plot and a large and colorful cast of characters with surprisingly well-defined identities make Dragon Age a rewarding gaming experience that will suck the marrow from your bones like a vampire.

Do not be alarmed at the seemingly spontaneous two-inch beard growth that springs from your face every time you sit down to play Dragon Age. It isn’t a side effect of the game per se—it just means you’ve been sitting in a pile of your own filth for two weeks solid. It happens when you play a game this good. Fans of BioWare’s other games (Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect) will feel right at home. This is the kind of world you can get lost in.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Boy, I wish I bought this on PC. I don’t care how good you make a navigation or control scheme on consoles—it can’t hold a candle to a keyboard and a mouse when it comes to unleashing tactic-based combat on hordes of enemies. Forget the sissy “wheel” menu– give me an F1 key and I’ll whump any dragon that steps to me. Oh snap, I went there.

This is Morrigan and she blows things up for you. Try to avoid sleeping with her.

Honorable Mentions
If this was a Top 7 List, these would be #6 and #7. Lousy editors.

The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)
This one just barely missed the #5 spot list for me. More a love letter to four mop-heads from Liverpool than a rhythm game, The Beatles: Rock Band is the ultimate fan boy gift for Beatles fans—a living, breathing documentary of music, song and obscure collector’s memorabilia. It may masquerade as a video game, but the real beauty and joy in this game is being an obsessive fan of the band in question. This one rekindled my love for The Beatles.

On a personal level, it’s hard to express the joy this title brought me. But judged purely from a game merit standpoint, it gets edged out by the competition. It’s a cruel world, I know.

Torchlight (PC)
From the creators of Fate and Diablo comes… well, a carbon-copy clone of Fate and Diablo, without a hint of irony. Proof that games don’t need to break new grounds to deliver superb gaming experiences, Torchlight filled the empty stomachs of hungry PC gamers anxiously awaiting the dungeon-crawling feast of Diablo III (release TBD).

As meals go, sure, it’s all empty carbohydrates—and the game experience is short and repetitive—but the sugar rush is fantastic, and you’d be hard-pressed to get more gaming value out of a Jackson these days.




See you all next year!

Whew! This year was a close one.  With a wedding so pay for this coming March, and full year’s worth of can’t miss games released over the course of 2009, I didn’t think I was going to make it out alive (or at the very least, out of shark-tank debt).  I’m in agreement with Steve that trying to pick just five out of the squall of sterling digital offerings we’ve had this past year is a cruel endeavour.  After spending much of the holidays in tears, trying to trim the fat from my list, I think I’ve finally tapered it down to an unfortunately circumscribe five (plus two honourable mentions).  So before we ring out the Aughties, or Zeroes, or whatever you hipsters are calling the soon to be decade past, I’d like to regale the gamers among you with my personal favourite games of 2009.  And no…Prototype is not on the list.

Honorable Mention: Resident Evil 5 (PS3, XB360)

A full five years after Capcom reinvented (and reinvigorated) their flagging zombie franchise with ‘Resident Evil 4’; along comes the fifth mainline title.  I don’t know if I’d call it an evolution OR a revolution, but I do know that I’d call it awesome.  While there isn’t anything cerebral, or even outright frightening at play in this survival horror title, “Resident Evil 5” is a non-stop adrenaline ride akin to a Michael Bay or James Cameron movie.  If the massive action sequences and pretty much endless gun play don’t hook you (which they will), the countless firearms and robust co-op campaign surely will.  Joining returning hero Chris Redfield (along with his his 24-inch pythons), and series newcomer Sheva Alomar is a twisty, over-the-top horror/action experience that could only be plausible as a Resident Evil title.  Capcom deserve props for not attempting to reinvent the wheel again, instead just building upon what was done in 2004, and knocking it clear out of the park.  Just never play online with Kaiblaker, I hear that dirty Newf bogarts the best of the ballistic hardware.

Why it’s off the A-List:

As much as I loved RE5, playing it always made me want to go back and explore the terrifying confines of the Ishimura in Dead Space.  As well, as awesome as those big action set pieces are, I found that whenever the heat was turned up in RE5, the exity strategy was always; “back up into a corner and pray the bullet sponges run out of lead porrousness”.

Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Gamers have been crying for years that the PlayStation 3 was lacking that system seller, that killer-app that they simply needed, a game that everyone would clamor over.  Here it is.  Nathan Drake’s second fantastic adventure, “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves”.  Gamers join Drake and company on a roller coater ride of a quest to discover Marco Polo’s lost fleet, and find the hidden city of Shambala.  The characters are among the most amicable available in games today, and let’s be honest folks, if archaeology included this many rocket launchers and machine guns, ever red-blooded male in North America would be taking it in university.  Though I did think that the gun fighting towards the end was a bit much, the moving train and Buddhist monastery levels alone are worth the entry fee.  And it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s possibly the prettiest game of all time.

Why it’s off the A-List:

95% of Uncharted 2 is immeasurable badassery.  The remaining five percent is comprised of the seemingly limitless gunfire that begins once the temple of Shambala has been infiltrated.  I sweare the last 90 minutes of that game is playing hide and shoot with Lazaravich’s goons.  Oh, and let’s not forget history’s most frustrating last boss battle.  Nathan Drake combats a busted camera and a roid raging lead villain in a showdown based around a gimmick that belongs in The Legend of Zelda.  Only the timing is so precise, and the bad guy has teleporting grenades.  5o attempts later and I no longer care if i ever finish Uncharted 2.

5.  Brütal Legend (PS3, XB360)

What do you get when you take real-time strategy, epic hack and slash game play, and coat the entire thing in heavy metal?  Brütal Legend was 400 horsepower bad ass.  A soundtrack encompassing more epic heavy metal licks than most gamers have ever listened to, a great voice cast, and a hilarious (and often touching in a cliched way) story, and one of the greatest in game beheadings ever designed, Brütal Legend is the type of game I think any player with an open mind should spend some time with.  All you My Chemical Romance fans who whined that the demo miss sold the game, or the RTS segments were too difficult and the too much a departure, your emo sniveling is not true metal, this game is.

The Contrarian Fanboy Speaketh: Brütal Legend suffers at its halfway point from a serious case of schizophrenia.  After about 6-8 hours of pummeling Hair Metal sellouts and charging, axe in hand across a exultantly over-the-top Heavy Metal game world, Brütal Legend up and decides that the bitter war between Eddie Riggs, and the Black Tear transformed second act villain needs to be taken somewhat seriously.  The laughs are sadly dialed down, and one of the missions in particular really slogs as a result.  It’s like watching Delerious, only to have Eddie Murphy suddenly transform into post oscar win Jamie Foxx.

Jack Skellington shirts and your sister's jeans are not True Metal!

4. InFamous (PS3)

Sucker Punch; easily the most underrated of Sony’s in-house developers, followed up their critically acclaimed ‘Sly Cooper’ trilogy with InFamous, an open-world action game steeped in the mythology of the early to mid 90s comic boom.   This title combined breathtaking parkour style acrobatics, with surprisingly well-crafted 3rd person shooter mechanics and a genuinely interesting storyline, and blended it all within a breathtaking city full of citizens to either save or enslave villains to either overcome or enlist, and a bevy of incredible lighting based super-powers.  The best thing about it, is that you get to do it all twice.  This was probably one of the strongest PS3 exclusives to be released all year long.  If you haven’t checked this out yet, give it a spin.

The Contrarian Fanboy Speaketh: How is it, that in a game portraying an everyman’s struggle to still maintain his humanity in a world that is becoming more savage, whilst he himself is rapidly becoming a god; did Sucker Punch manage to make every primary character so unlikable?  Cole is like the love child of Batman and a T-800 terminator, only without all the warm and fuzzy.  Trish is the picture perfect ice queen, her boyfriend survices the explosion that claimed the life of her sister, so she hates him for surviving.  And Zeke?  Ugh.  Zeke is like every Rob Schneider movie role ever, only fatter and even more obnoxious.  Even the strongest willed heroes out there would be hard pressed not to throw a lightning bolt down these joker’s paths.

Unlimited POWAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, XB360)

Wow!  Smash hit of the third quarter of 2009; Batman: Arkham Asylum is not only one of the finest superhero titles that has ever been crafted; it’s simply one of the greatest games of this current generation.  Rocksteady were an underdog going into this title, having only the lackluster ‘Urban Chaos’ for the PS2 and original Xbox.  They delivered in spades however, giving gamers a chance to really feel like the Dark Knight, pitting him against an assortment of foes on what was advertised as the longest night of batman’s life.  Moody and atmospheric in places, darkly humourous in others, and pretty much balls to the wall intense the entire time; Batman: Arkham Asylum looks like it will only be one-upped by its own sequel.  I’ve heard certain jaded old gamers say that it suffered from ‘Bioshock’ syndrome, only doing as well as it did in the absence of more competition, but I honestly believe that even released in November, Batman: Arkham Asylum would’ve cleaned house.  It’s the first time in nearly 20 years that a Batman title has been a must-play.  Besides, that inverted take-down never EVER gets old.

The Contrarian Fannboy Speaketh: I guess if I was forced to complain, the recycled army of thugs that Batman pummels his way through for the entirity of the game could have used a little more variety.  As well, more than a couple of the big boss fights fell a little flat for me.  Something a little more epic or well though out for Bats’ big baddies could’ve served as a nice break from all that stalking and puzzle solving.

You can't tell me that Danny Elfman's theme isn't playing in your head right now.

2. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii…duh)

Don’t even read this section, just go buy the game, buy a Wii, and be transported back to a more innocent era of gaming.  New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a triumph, a complete improvement on its predecessor for the DS, and a celebration of the most creative and fun titles in the Mario franchise.   Amazing levels, fun power ups, and a multiplayer campaign that borders on Lovecraftian madness.  Honestly, just grab a copy…if you can find one.

The Contrarion Fanboy Speaketh: Certain…volatile couples may experience certain marital issues if they attempt the more than a little loose multiplayer aspect of New Super Mario Bros. Wii.  I know Mrs. Aspersclager still has those papers stashed in her desk for the next time Erich knocks her into a pit to grab that Propellor Suit.

Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night, I can see paradise by the dashboard lights.

1. Street Fighter IV (Ps3, XB360)

Lighting a fire under the glutamus maximus of not only the Street Fighter franchise, but the entire genre in general, Street Fighter IV was hands down my game of the year for 2009.  There have been a bevy of Triple-A titles released in its wake, but none have even compared in the amount of time I’ve spent Cannon Spiking the competition online with SFIV.  Colourful visuals, explosive music and absolutely flawless game play spelled an easy KO for the returning king of fighting games.  And what’s even better is the upcoming release of Super Street Fighter IV, an updated version with a rumored 10 extra fighters, four extra backgrounds, and new special and super moves; all of which look to make not only a potent online fighting cocktail, but also a front-runner for my game of the year in 2010.

The Contrarian Fanboy Speaketh: Shut it Shakespeare!  I’m trying to play Street Fighter IV!

Pictured: Things about to be restored to their natural order.

Well, there you have it.  My picks for the top five titles of 2009.  And believe me; I tortured myself over whether any of the other countless great titles released over the course of the year also deserved a spot.  It’s been a great 2009 for gaming, and its looking like 2010 is going to hit even harder right out of the gate.  I’m hoping for more greatness from the franchises we all know and love, praying for success for new IPs like DarkSiders, and wishing that Microsoft will finally deliver me a good reason to fire up my 360 again.  That’s it for me for the rest of the year.  Everyone have a great New Year, and whatever you do, don’t drink and drive.  You can’t play me online in Street Fighter IV if you’re in the hospital or on a slab.

As Dave explained in his kickoff post, ’tis the season for “best of” lists, and who are we to buck tradition?

Just to warn you, my list isn’t going to look like the rest of the lists you’ll see on this site over the next few days. Compare my picks with Dave’s and you’ll see what I mean. That’s because I don’t own all three consoles, or play a lot of new games. In these harsh economic times, can you blame me? Somehow, though, I managed to play a few—mostly on Nintendo systems. Go figure. Click through for the best of what 2009 had to offer the Asperschlager household.

5. Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Everything old is new again in 2009 Nintendo-land, a trend that began in February with the release of Punch-Out!! Part re-imagining, part re-creation of the ’80s NES classic (sans “Mike Tyson”), this retrotastic entry updated the original puzzle fighter with sweet graphics, smooth animation, and nods to the days of gaming yore. Although the game sported various motion control set-ups, the only way to play is by holding the Wii-mote sideways, NES-style. If Punch-Out!! only had Career Mode, the limited roster of opponents would have seemed like a cheap move, but the addition of an expanded Title Defense Mode (featuring much tougher remixed versions of the boxers), and the masochistic Last Stand Mode, made sure old-school game fans had plenty to keep them busy. Is Punch-Out!! too hard? Maybe. Or maybe you’re just a wimp.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: I sure hope you like all the old characters, ’cause they only came up with one new fighter, the cringe-inducing gay stereotyped “Disco Kid.”

A knockout blow for retro gaming... and for cheesy captions.

4. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS)
For fans of Nintendo’s Mario & Luigi RPG series, the wait was worth it with the third entry, Bowser’s Inside Story. Trading the Mario babies dynamic of 2005’s Partners in Time for a starring turn by the biggest bad of them all, this game takes full advantage of the DS by dedicating the top screen to Bowser and the bottom screen to the brothers, who start the game by being shrunk down and ingested by the Koopa King. So while Bowser trundles around the overworld, Mario and Luigi traverse his innards—exploring, battling enemies, and helping their sworn enemy solve puzzles from the inside out. The interactive battle system and varied enemies make this way more than “my first RPG.” The sharp writing and willingness to poke fun at the company that created it makes Bowser’s Inside Story one of the best things a Nintendo fan can put into their DS.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: I know RPGs are supposed to be long, but good-sized chunks of this game feel like padding. Quantity does not trump quality.

Burn, Bowsy, Burn!

3. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
2007’s Phantom Hourglass proved that Zelda could be played with a stylus. Spirit Tracks proves that it can be done even better. Instead of endlessly retracing your steps through Hourglass’s Temple of the Ocean King, Tracks lets you bypass completed levels of its central dungeon, the Tower of Spirits. Instead of mapping the roll attack to a tough to execute curlicue stylus motion, Link can now roll with a simple double tap. Minor changes, sure, but add in a unique twist to the Link-Zelda relationship and the love-it-or-hate-it train travel (I dig it) and Spirit Tracks is the perfect fix for Zelda fans waiting for the forthcoming Wii entry. The difficulty ramps up gradually—maybe a bit too gradually for the experienced player—but as you move into the second half of the game, Tracks piles on the side quests, new gameplay mechanics, and head-scratching puzzles. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a dungeon or two away from finishing the game. But what I’ve played so far makes this an easy choice for my Top 5 list.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: Although the game does occasionally force you to take on a sidequest, Spirit Tracks is a linear experience for a long time, and with only four major dungeons in the game, you hit the “halfway” point way too soon.

Clickety clack, Link fights back!

2. Borderlands (Xbox 360/PS3)
I’m not sure if I would have gotten Borderlands if not for two things: Xbox Live and the constant nagging of Dave Johnson. Thanks to both for getting me into one of the most addictive first person shooters I’ve ever played. The constant loot drops, character progression, and ability to tear through the Pandoran desert with three friends has made this one of my most-played games this year—and it only came out in October. This game also marks the first time I chose to play a female character. Who knew a sci-fi gunfest could also strike a blow for equal rights?

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: This game is a blast to play with friends, but unless you host everyone else, you’ll be playing in someone else’s game. It’s fine as long as you can keep regular multiplayer sessions going, but the game turns into Boringlands when you’re forced to replay all the early missions in your solo campaign.

Pandora the Explorer

1. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
When this game was revealed at Nintendo’s E3 press conference this year, there was much hemming and hawing on the internet. Some people assumed it was a port of the DS game. Others thought it was multiplayer only. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect it to be my personal game of the year. While much of New Super Mario Bros. Wii feels like the DS game, it is way more fun, varied, and challenging than its handheld brother. Gone are lame power-ups like the mega mushroom and koopa shell, replaced by legitimately useful items like the ice flower and penguin suit. The game is just as fun alone as with friends, and is equally rewarding whether you’re brand new to video games or have been mashing the B button since the ’80s. The tweaks to the tried-and-true Mario formula are subtle yet rewarding, and even after you’ve beaten all eight worlds and bested the Koopa clan, trying to find all the hidden star coins will keep you coming back. Ignore the whining of jaded gamers. This is a must-buy if you own a Wii, and may even be a reason to buy one.

The Contrarian Fanboy speaks: The 2.5-D graphics are hit-or-miss, with the backgrounds often looking better than the characters you’re playing. It’s a reminder that in Nintendo’s world, despite the Wii’s popularity, the DS is king. Expect to see more Wii games take their cues from the lower-res handheld juggernaut.

Jumpman of the Year

In this week’s episode, Erich, Jon, and a distant-sounding Dave talk about games they’ve played, games they want to play, and games no one’s actually played yet. After a lengthy Bayonetta discussion, chat turns to other forthcoming titles including Darksiders and Dead Space 2. In other news, Dave rents Band Hero, Erich is stuck on Mario, and Jon refuses to acknowledge alternate pronunciations for “guillotine.” This week’s Symposium Ad Nauseum: who do you want in your foxhole (besides Angela Lansbury, of course)?

Share your favorite Jessica Fletcher stories in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

Tim and Erich hop on board the BP Express for an hour-plus of gaming goodness. First stop, new games they’ve been playing, including a lengthy discussion about New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Doc Louis’s Punch-Out!!, and a DJ G-Raff musical Thanksgiving two-fer, Beatles: Rock Band and DJ Hero. In honor of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks hitting shelves next week, the back half of the show is dedicated to Link’s handheld adventures, from the original Gameboy to his first dual screen incarnation. Will Erich turn out to be Ganon after all? Tune in to find out.

The adventure continues in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by email at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player below, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

Opening Statement:
Like any gamer worth his salt (or born before the rise of New Kids on the Block, take your pick), I have a bit of a history with Super Mario.  Having cut my gaming teeth on the plumber’s first three adventures, and his 16-bit debut being the first game I ever cracked wide open, dedicating myself to discovering its every secret.  Since those days long-gone-by, things as cherished as a simple Mario 2D platformer are few and far between.  This is precisely why I write this review with my eyes still wet with nostalgic tears.  New Super Mario Bros Wii has arrived for the Nintendo Wii (duh), so grab a beverage and hike up your courage; we’ve got a purloined princess to liberate.

Apparently the Koopa Kids all studies under Professor Wil E. Coyote, PhD

Facts of the Case:
It’s Princess Peach’s (that’s Toadstool to us 80s kids) birthday.  Mario, his wingman Luigi, and a cadre of unimportant Toads (little mushroom people) have gathered for a regal shindig.  Of course, the iniquitous Koopa clan show up and shanghai the damsel (their kidnapping scheme this time out is nothing short of cartoon genius).  Now, the Super Mario Bros are on the case, trekking across more than 80 levels, putting steel-toed boot to Koopa ass.  I doubt gamers would want it any other way.

Purple Drink!!

The Evidence:
How does one put an experience like NSMB Wii into a single sentence?  Distil nearly 25 years of gaming nostalgia into one phrase?  After putting in a weekend’s worth of attention, and spending an entire evening watching others do the same, I think I finally have the words.  New Super Mario Bros Wii is the modern age of gaming had the jump to 3D never occurred.  Everything we ever loved about running and jumping in a left-wise direction, tossing fireballs and kicking turtle shells has been smelted down into an alloy of the strongest construction.  This is the truest Mario sequel in 17 years.  And I say that as a frothy mouthed groupie of Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo’s 2007 gaming opus.

Dont give Mario a brainer dude...not cool.

But what exactly makes NSMB Wii worthy of such praise, what turns that which we all thought would be a nice nostalgic throwback into a golden idol of gaming?  For one, the effortless and vast imagination that was once the sole possession of Nintendo, something that was at the very heart and soul of the best Mario titles.  That empyrean sensation of playing a game where everything works absolutely flawlessly, a masterwork that any gamer can pick up and play, no matter what their preference.

I'd like to see Crash bandicoot do THIS!

Effectively a time capsule of the Mario franchise, NSMB Wii delivers the sort of visceral gaming thrill that NES and SNES owners knew in the very marrow of their souls that lesser fare like Sonic the Hedgehog was completely incapable of.  While it contains all the fire flowers, invincibility stars, power suits, and Yoshi the green dinosaurs that gamers would hope for, at no point does NSMB Wii ever feel like a Mario’s greatest hits album.  It feels much better than that.  Gamers will traverse worlds of fire and ice, spelunk through caves filled with bottomless pits and crevices of magma, even make the obligatory pit stop at the occasional Ghost House or boss fortress.  Yes it sounds terribly cliché, but remember; we are playing a title in the franchise that invented the cliché.  It’s just taken the rest of the gaming world 24 years to catch up.

A person needs a little madness, or else they never dare cut the rope and be free.

It is obligatory I am told, that I mention the new multiplayer aspect of the Mario universe.  For the first time in a side scrolling Mario adventure, more than one player can pick up a controller and tackle the game’s eight themed worlds.  And while I breathlessly describe the single player mode as pure side scrolling ecstasy, the multiplayer is a beast of a different cloth, a creature of mirth and chaos.  The level design doesn’t change at all, but when up to four gamers are hopping and bouncing across the screen, all dashing towards coins and trying to spring across pits and over obstacles, it becomes an event in the retinal Olympics just to keep up with the action on display.  I took part in a fiasco where over 30 lives were wasted just trying to keep up with one gamer who managed to score Mario’s new Propeller Suit, and was content to spin and soar through the stage at a rapid pace whilst the rest of us were crushed by walls or thrown down inescapable pitfalls left in his careless wake.  To be honest I was a little put off by the level of mayhem on display, but once the Wii-mote was again in my hand, clutched sideways like an old school NES brick, I was captivated.  Name me one other game franchise that would send 4 players, dressed as penguins sliding down huge ramps of ice, trying to build up enough speed so at least one of them clears the chasm ahead so the rest can continue along?  Nintendo has succeeded where most games fail; they’ve turned what has always been a solo occurrence into a 4-player adventure without sacrificing a single inch of game play.   Yes it’s a little more tumultuous, but really, does a bit of harum-scarum hurt every now and again?  This is more of a party game than Mario Party could ever hope to be.

The most fun one can have without committing a misdemeanour.

Rebuttal Witness:
It eventually ends.

Closing Statement:
I realize I’ve spent close to a thousand words now just rambling about things that only fellow gamers could fathom, and all for a title that can be enjoyed by anyone.  I didn’t want to go into any real details about the new power-ups, or any of the multitudinous surprises that are waiting just around the corner in the Mushroom Kingdom.  This is pure Shigeru Miyamoto magic on display and I want each and every one of you to experience for yourself.  I feel so confident in this game’s unequivocal charm that I plan on unhooking the Wii from my television, carting it down to my parent’s house giving my mother and father (who have not played a game for any amount of time since the original ‘Super Mario Bros’) the controller and testing just how potent New Super Mario Bros Wii truly is.

The Verdict:

This review demanded a sacrifice of me.  A toll that had to be paid.  An indelible sin that all the waters of the world would not wash away.  Something that no one over the age of 10 would ever consider doing.  Holding my controller, I sat not two feet away from my television, feeling it tan my face.  The way 2D Mario was meant to be played.

- J

Platform: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: November 15th, 2009
Rated: E for Everyone