dbarry_22's Game Review of New Super Mario Bros. U

Nintendo Shouldn't Have Put "New" in the Title
dbarry_22 - wrote on 09/17/13

New Super Mario Bros. U is a solid side scrolling Mario platformer but is far too similar to the Wii version to make it stand out amongst the rest of the series.

At the core NSMBU is pretty much exactly the same as the original on the Wii. You play as Mario and can add up to 3 friends to jump with you through the stages. In each stage there are 3 big coins to collect. This in no way is necessary to beat the game but instead is incentive to check every nook and cranny in each level. There are the familiar power ups like mushrooms, fireball and iceball upgrades, mini-Mario, and Yoshi. Instead of the helicopter power-up in the Wii version, there's a squirrel power-up. It too is pretty much exactly the same as the original except you can grasp onto walls to save yourself.

What is new in this game is the addition of the game-pad controller. Here you can play the game yourself without the using the TV or it can be a helpful addition to you and your friends fighting through the levels. A fifth person can join in on the action and place helpful (or hurtful) blocks to jump on assisting you to get 1ups, big coins, or even avoiding death. If one of your friends in your group is terrible at Mario games, this is the perfect way to include them in the gaming action. Sometimes you might feel like you're cheating your way through the level, but having four people on the screen gets crazy enough at times so I was okay with it.

The graphics on the game are the best Nintendo has presented so far. The HD graphics are not only crisp but highly colorful as well. The sound effects and music are still solid and the game doesn't have any bugs.

The level design in general was quite bland. Out of the eight worlds you play through, I didn't truly enjoy the level design until the last 2 or 3, meaning the first 5 or 6 worlds felt so rehashed that the programmers could have taken them from old games. That and that alone is a major flaw to this game. From the beginning this is an identical sequel. While there have been many Mario games throughout the years, there is rarely a sequel that has the exact same feel and level design. That may have been the case with Super Mario Bros 1 and Super Mario Bros 2 (Japan version), but that's pretty much it. No offense Nintendo, but I have higher expectations from a Mario game, don't give me the same exact thing. It's just not as fun.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good time playing through the game with my friends but it wasn't nearly as memorable as other Mario games I've played in the past, including New Super Mari Bros Wii. Was this game worth the $60 I spent for it at launch? For the first time with a Mario game I'm not so sure it was worth full price.

3.5/5