Rumblings in the distant future aside, New Super Mario Bros. Wii was about the only first-party Nintendo title on display at this year’s E3 event that had much of the traditional audience interested. For that stalwart gaggle known as the hardcore it had been a dry season on the Nintendo front, and the bright 2D side-scroller just oozed their particular old-school musk. To the casual onlooker, however, the title looked pretty darn similar to the games coming out a few decades ago.

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