If you read my Wii U review a few days ago you may recall I picked up New Super Mario Bros. U (if you haven’t yet read my Wii U review, you can read it here). I figured that since it is rare that I actually complete a game (*cough* Pokémon Black 2 *cough*) I might as well do a review on what is, in my opinion, the best Wii U launch title. If you don’t feel like reading the whole review I will sum it up for you: New Super Mario Bros. U is a must-have title if you are picking up a Wii U. Now for those of you wanting to know why it’s a must-have title, here is my review of New Super Mario Bros. U.
Presentation and Story
If you’ve ever played a Mario title in the past then you know the story here: Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and it’s up to Mario (and Luigi…and some nameless Toads that no one wants to play as) to defeat Bowser and rescue her. Same old, same old. This would normally be an issue for other games but this is Mario we’re talking about. We don’t play Mario games for the story. Standard plot aside, the presentation should look eerily familiar to you if you’ve ever played Super Mario 3. That is, it’s nearly exactly like it. There’s the standard layout of each world but what really brings back the Super Mario 3 memories is the on screen enemies scattered throughout the world. Running into one of these goons will start a mini-battle where you have an allotted amount of time to defeat all the enemies on screen. Doing so will net you a special item you can use on the world map such as Stars, Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, etc. I’ll be honest, I didn’t play much of New Super Mario Bros. Wii so I can’t remember if this aspect of the game was in it or not. Regardless, it is a welcome throwback from one of my favorite Mario games.
God I love this game.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics in New Super Mario Bros. U aren’t all that much different from its predecessor on the Wii. The biggest difference is that everything in the game is now crisp, colorful and vibrant thanks to Nintendo finally joining the HD game. It’s wonderful to see Mario and the gang getting the HD treatment although it won’t likely wow any of your friends. I’m sure future installments will push the Wii U’s capabilities further than this game does but even if they don’t I’ll still love them. Graphics have never been all that important to me. True, if a game’s visuals are so bad that they become distracting it can impact my enjoyment of a game. In the case of New Super Mario Bros. U they do what they set out to do and that’s honestly all I expected them to do.
The music and sound effects in New Super Mario Bros. U are nothing new but are enjoyable (if a bit forgettable). I do wish the newer themes were catchier but honestly you’ll be too busy running and jumping to really care. Like the story, however, we don’t play Mario games for the graphics or the music. What we play them for is the gameplay and New Super Mario Bros. U delivers it in spades.
Gameplay
New Super Mario Bros. U is a blast to play. The Wii U allows you to play the single player game with either the GamePad or a standard Wiimote. It’s really up to you how you play it. I personally found that playing the single player game on the GamePad was a little more cumbersome than it was with a Wiimote. The reason for this is that the buttons on the GamePad are a little more spread out than I would like them to be for a platformer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s entirely playable on the GamePad. I just feel that, given the choice, I would pick the Wiimote over the GamePad every time. Like other Wii U games, New Super Mario Bros. U is completely playable on the GamePad alone which (as I mentioned in my Wii U review) is fantastic when you have someone else in the room who doesn’t feel like watching you play.
Playing New Super Mario Bros. U alone is great and all but the real fun begins when a friend (or four) joins you. You have the option of either playing with only Wiimotes or with one player on the GamePad and the others on Wiimotes. Multiplayer without the GamePad is just like it was with New Super Mario Bros. Wii. It’s a lot of fun and can lead to some hilarious moments when you’re accidentally (or in some cases, purposefully) killed by your friend. What makes New Super Mario Bros. U different than its predecessor is in the use of the GamePad. If a player is on the GamePad, they no longer have an onscreen avatar. Instead, they play a sort of “invisible hand” role that can create platforms, knock enemies down and assist the other player (or players) in completing each level. I found this much more enjoyable as helping the Hive Leader get to normally hard to reach places and saving his ass when he misjudged a jump felt incredibly rewarding. The game isn’t terribly long (that is, if you rush through it and ignore all of the collectible Star Coins that are in each level) but it has near infinite replayability.
Something that I didn’t really play much of before this review is the Challenge mode. This is a secondary mode that gives you a set of objectives that you can try and complete as quickly as possible. I tried one or two of them and they were certainly fun but not exactly my cup of tea. However, players who strive for squeezing the most out of their games will find plenty to do here.
Verdict
If you can’t tell by now I loved New Super Mario Bros. U. Sure, it doesn’t bring anything wholly new to the franchise but it’s a solid game that does very little wrong. I’m sure later down the road we will get a Mario game that brings a slew of new game mechanics but for now I am more than satisfied with this recent offering. If you are thinking about getting a Wii U anytime soon, this game should be at the top of your list.
TheHiveLeader 