E3 09: New Super Mario Bros. For the Wii

Imagine the fun of New Super Mario Brothers mixed with the competitive madness of Mario Party. That is exactly what Nintendo introduced at E3 during their press conference. The game is called New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and it is coming to consoles this holiday season.

During the demonstration, four players were thrown into what appeared to be a traditional Mario level. The goal of the game was to get to the end of the level with the most points possible. Points seemed to consist of coins collected, enemies beaten, and interactions with other players. As the four players attempt to make their way to the flag pole at the end, they will either have to work together with the other players, or attempt to beat them. You can attack them with traditional Mario attacks like stomps and ground pounds.

If any player loses a life, from an enemy or from another player, they will reappear on the level, floating in a bubble. The other players will then have a chance to save the player by popping the bubble, or let them continue to float.

New content includes hidden areas in the stages, found from poking around the levels, as well as a propeller suit. The propeller suit outfits the player head-to-toe in a skin tight suit with a propeller on the head. Twirling about allows the player limited floating abilities as well as more options to attack.  Of course, we can expect other familiar (and possibly new) Mario power-ups to come.

At the end of each level, players are given a score, based on how many coins they collected, and whatever other shenanigans grant you points, such as hurting or helping other players.

The game will also have a single player mode, that was not displayed in as much detail. For now, it appears to be the same type of deal, just without the other players.

Update: Check out the trailer above!