Old school and new school gamers rejoice, Mario has returned! Nintendo stepped back into their basics today by announcing Super Mario Brothers for the Wii. This new Mario game won't be a fancy 3D adventure, instead it returns to Mario's roots as a side-scroller. Super Mario Brothers Wii looks a lot like its predecessor, albeit with respectably updated graphics.

What's going to make the new Super Mario Bros special is the multiplayer feature. At any time during the single player game, you can switch over to multiplayer. Need help on a hard level? Call up to three of your buddies. You can switch right back to single-player on the next level too, if you get tired of playing with your friends.

Or, you can compete with them. Players don't have to work together. You get ranked based on points made, and you can stymie and steal from your buddies in order to get ahead. Watch out though; when you die, you resurrect in a bubble that your friends will have to pop in order to rescue you. I expect a lot of friendships to end over those little bubbles.

Players will be able to choose between Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad. Super Mario Brothers for the Wii will launch worldwide in "Holiday 2009".