New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. U is a 2012 2D side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is a sequel to the 2009 Wii game New Super Mario Bros. Wii and a follow-up to the Nintendo 3DS game New Super Mario Bros. 2 (released earlier in 2012 and a follow-up to the Wii game), being a first Mario game to have HD graphics. A DLC pack titled New Super Luigi U, was released in June 2013 with a standalone retail version releasing at the following month and later copies of the base game included the expansion on disc. The Nintendo Switch version titled New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe came out on January 11, 2019.

Gameplay
New Super Mario Bros. U is a platform game where players have to beat all nine worlds (with one being a secret world) and all 82 stages in total, like the previous game, players can also beat the game using 4 player mode, and also has the Blue and Yellow toads from the previous game return.

The goal of the game is much like the main games in the franchise, players have to progress the game by going from left to right while avoiding dangerous enemies and spots that prevent the player from winning. The game introduces a brand new power up, called the "Super Acorn" which allows players to glide like a real squirrel in a similar fashion to flying in Super Mario Bros. 3 using the Super Leaf and the P-Leaf.

The game also has a new mode called "Challenge Mode", Challenge Mode tasks players with completing specific objectives, such as clearing a course without touching a single coin or touching the ground. There are four single-player Challenge categories: Time Attack, Coin Collection, 1-Up Rally, and Special (miscellaneous challenges). Boost Mode Challenges require two players, once players complete a Challenge, the game saves a replay of the action so players can show off their accomplishments.

Plot
Princess Peach is held captive in her castle by Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings who invade and use a giant mechanical arm to throw Mario, Luigi, and two Toads far away. Mario and friends must now travel across this new land returning to Peach's castle in order to save her. On the way, they encounter seven Koopalings each controlling their own worlds, plus Kamek, Nabbit, Bowser Jr., and many minor enemies like Goomba. By conquering them, they get closer to Peach's castle, which has been transformed into an evil reflection of Bowser. By defeating Bowser, the castle returns to normal. As the heroes celebrate, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings attempt to escape, leaving Bowser behind. He manages to jump up onto the airship, but his weight causes it to crash, and they are forced to flee on Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car.

Original

 * 1) Unlike the other Mario games where Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, instead Bowser attacks her castle and invades it, which is a nice change.
 * 2) The game's HD graphics are absolutely beautiful, with the textures almost resembling an animated series and the character designs resembling a Pixar-like character despite running on 720p, not to mention, the backgrounds have a lot of attention to detail than the previous games and also look very beautiful.
 * 3) Catchy soundtrack by Shinzo Fuji and Mahito Yokota like the "Acorn Plains" theme, the "Glacier Plains" theme (which is a Christmas version of the said "Acorn Plains" theme), the "Sparkling Waters" theme and finally, the final boss theme, which is considered to be the epic one of all.
 * 4) * Also, the final world, Peach's Castle, plays a more menacing version of the classic Super Mario 64 "Peach's Castle" theme, which is a cool attention to detail.
 * 5) Smooth and convincing controls that feel quite responsive.
 * 6) Fun bosses that have their own fun strategy to them, the final boss is especially awesome.
 * 7) The game introduced a cool new power-up, the Super Acorn, which, in a similar fashion to Super Mario Bros. 3's leaf power-up, lets players glide, just like real squirrels.
 * 8) Pretty good replay value, as the game has more levels to complete after you've beaten the main game, not to mention, there are also three save files which you can play and delete.
 * 9) Like its predecessor, the game also has a very comically funny ending where the Koopalings accidentally leave Bowser behind after the castle returns to normal. Whereas Bowser jumps onto his airship which somehow crashes due to his weight, causing him then to jump onto Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Clown Car, which the Koopalings are also holding onto.
 * 10) Great funny moments in the game, such as the intro and ending of the game.
 * 11) There are 8 worlds to beat alongside 84 levels with a secret world that can be playable is beaten the entire game.
 * 12) You can finally play as Miis, which can replace the characters and also allows you to "be" the character.

New Super Luigi U

 * 1) The game is quite difficult than its main game, which is pretty cool to say the least by having a 100 second time limit for all of its levels.
 * 2) You can finally play as Nabbit, a character where players have to chase in order to get a free item. His status as a playable could have you consider him a redemption.
 * 3) The game also has an additional 82 levels, meaning that if you add up New Super Mario Bros. U's 84 levels to this game's levels, then it has additional 166 levels to beat!
 * 4) As a result of the game's increased difficulty and limited time, the levels are now replaced with shorter, but challenging levels to beat.

Deluxe

 * 1) To improve the experience, the graphics are now in 1080p as opposed to the Wii U version's 720p and also looks just as beautiful as the original.
 * 2) You can finally play as Toadette, making it the first time she's playable in the mainline.
 * 3) * Additionally, the game introduced a new power up that is exclusive to Toadette called the Super Crown, which transforms Toadette into Peachette, which lets you play as a fusion of Peach and Toadette, and also has an ability to glide and also bounce off a level if closer the the edge.
 * 4) The game is also bundled with New Super Luigi U, meaning that players won't have to waste their money on buying a game that's the same as the base game.

Original

 * 1) Lack of variety when compared to other Super Mario games.
 * 2) The game somewhat feels like a reskin of New Super Mario Bros. Wii since it has the exact same core gameplay, character design, and the graphics, heck even the game also has the exact same power ups from the previous game, making it feel like a definitive edition of that port rather than a launch title for the Wii U.
 * 3) *The game was also released a short time before New Super Mario Bros. 2, and both in the same year.
 * 4) There are some gold coins that are wrongly placed, the worst offender being Thrilling Spine Coaster, since the third coin is placed at the end of the level, and with the terrible surprise that it is with the black piranhas and is placed a little close, which can be frustrating and tedious as you can lose a lot of Power-Up or lives.
 * 5) It's still $60 even today despite being almost 10 years old on a discontinued console and despite getting remastered and bundled with New Super Luigi U.

New Super Luigi U

 * 1) Because of how hard it is, it can be somewhat difficult to younger players since the game starts with 100 seconds left, meaning that players have to speedrun the game.
 * 2) While the Luigi Easter eggs are kinda cool, some can be highly obvious even to the point where there was one straight at the beginning of the first level.

Deluxe

 * 1) Like most Nintendo games ported from older consoles, the game had a $60 price tag, no matter how old the game is.
 * 2) Unfortunately, since it is a port of the original game, there is no auto-save feature, so you have to manually save the game by selecting "Quick Save" (becomes Save when you get a star in your save file) in the menu.
 * 3) Boost Mode challenges are removed due to control limitations on the Nintendo Switch.

Reception
The game was met with positive reviews from critics and gamers, the game was praised for its graphics, controls, soundtrack, and the game's new power ups.

Damian McFerran of Nintendo Life gave the game a 9/10 stating "If you load up New Super Mario Bros. U with the expectation of playing another genre-defying escapade like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Galaxy, then you're likely to be disappointed. Mario's first game for the Wii U plays it safe when it comes to theme and concept; like previous titles in the 'New' series, this is essentially a rehash of the blueprint laid down by the very first Super Mario Bros. back in 1985. The mechanics remain the same, but they have been gilded by decades of subtle refinements and enhancements, leading us to what has to be one of the most accomplished 2D platformers ever created. New Super Mario Bros. U may not offer the cataclysmic genre shift that many badly crave, but it's the gem of the Wii U launch lineup and a must-have purchase."

Tips

 * 1) It is possible to encounter a secret exit in each version of the game, which can be helpful during a speedrun.
 * 2) Peachette will also do a boost if the player falls down by accident.

Trivia

 * This is the first New Super Mario Bros. game to be released as a launch title.
 * In E3, it began as a tech demo called New Super Mario Bros. Mii, which allowed players to play levels as Miis in every single mode.
 * In New Super Luigi U, to play as Nabbit, you need to hold ZL while selecting a level, Luigi will be playable again if Nabbit dies or the level is complete.
 * It spawned the "Bowsette" meme where Bowser wears the Super Crown from the Deluxe version of the game.

Longplays
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Original
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Luigi U
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Deluxe
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