New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U)

Mario in HD is something everybody needs to experience. This game is crisp, beautiful and vibrant in colour and graphics. Gameplay is divided into challenge type mini games that include speed runs (very fun - and I find helps improve your gameplay ability) and the regular story mode. It's worth noting that even after all these years, and using the same foes Nintendo continues to provide unique level design. The real beauty of this game (and those before it) is the level of difficulty. It walks a fine line between being easy for a beginner who takes their time, and being quite difficulty for a veteran who wants to get through levels very quickly and with all coins/not being hit. Simply brilliant game.

I was rather sceptical about this game since so many reviews and blogs stated it was just another re-hash of the former NSMB for the Wii. Since I love all Mario games I still got it (expecting to enjoy it but still feel bugged about all the supposed 'drawkbacks' people were talking about).

My mind was soon changed and I was completely captivated by the crisp, beautiful graphics of this game. I'm still not quite over my initial surprise. The small videos throughout the game are a great addition and the background scenery to the stage really makes you feel like your in a BIG world compared to the former game. There are many nostalgic touches like the return of baby yoshis - which are just awesome - and boom boom as well.

There are a lot more new things in this game compared with the wii version such as the titles for each level, the world map, the videos throughout the game, yoshi abilities, different challenge modes, squirrel suit - the list just goes on. The twist in the storyline actually makes a big difference in my opinion.

So far, this games has just been pure enjoyment and bliss - I go into my own content world when I play it, the stages are extremely captivating and engaging. I'm enjoying the music as well.

I don't think this game needs to be compared with NSMB Wii because this just blows it off the scale!

If your thinking about getting this game, I wouldn't hesitate in buying it, despite what more picky people may say about it.

Control. Precise, responsive and unmitigated control over Mario is the fundamental ingredient which makes New Super Mario Bros U the best launch title on the Wii U and an excellent game in its own right. As you navigate the various worlds of the game and attempt to capture the perilously located star coins dotted about each stage, it is your ability as a player to shape Mario's movements exactly as you want - that is, as recklessly or as cautiously as you want, depending on your playstyle - which makes the game a breathtaking experience as you narrowly escape death due to a well timed running jump which if you had pulled off a millisecond later (or perhaps earlier) would have resulted in a game over screen. In this respect every success empowers you, knowing it has been fought for by your own skill and rapid reactions, whereas every failure compels you to pick yourself back up and try again knowing that your death was not because of cheap level design or unresponsive controls (two pitfalls which so many platformers fall into) but because you simply were not good enough or sharp enough on that particular occasion. But you will be, next time. In this respect the game's difficulty is perfectly pitched, challenging enough that you will certainly fail numerous times especially as you go after those pesky star coins, but not so difficult that you feel the task ahead is insurmountable. And thus, because of this finely tuned balance, New Super Mario Bros U keeps you coming back.

And the graphics. They are glorious. The game is by no means a technical marvel pushing an obscene number of polygons and shader effects in your face, but Nintendo's art design shines in HD as Mario, his adversaries and the varied backgrounds are rendered in a crispness and vividness that makes them shine and makes you smile. The colourful graphics are also a highly refreshing change from all the grey, brown and basically drab backdrops which have plagued modern videogames for what seems like an eternity. The music, mainly a rehash of previous titles is less impressive but nevertheless perfectly complements the visual spectacle on screen and never detracts from it.

None of this is to say that the game is not without its shortcomings. The boss fights, apart from the last few (and the final one is a real treat) are painfully generic affairs as bosses hop around the screen in extremely simplistic patterns usually resulting in their defeat in less than a minute. Their straightforwardness being an unfortunate aberration in a game which is generally challenging enough to keep things always interesting. And it is also disappointing that the singleplayer game makes practically no use of the unique selling point of the console, that is the gamepad, with the touchscreen being merely a mirror of the action on the big screen rather than helping create innovative platforming experiences as demonstrated in the Rayman Legends demo, for example. Still, in the overall scheme of things these are minor quibbles. New Super Mario Bros U contains that quintessential Nintendo magic, namely pitch-perfect level design which results in hours of unadulterated videogaming fun, that makes it an essential purchase for any Wii U early adopter and is a tantalising indicator of things to come with regards to future Nintendo titles on this interesting new console.