Review comes from Nate PN VP/business development. 

Mario, Luigi and friends are sitting down for a nice cup of tea. Heard this story before? The one where Mario and company get thrown out of the castle and into mushroom kingdom? Well that’s because this is a MARIO game. You’re not playing for the hard hitting story-line, so as long as you understand that, please keep reading.

This is something Nintendo fans have been waiting for ever since HD televisions were released, a high-definition version of everyone’s favorite plumber. Well, now we have it, and how did it fare? Quite well actually. The first thing you’ll notice is the interconnected overworld, just like Super Mario World on the SNES. It’s a joy to play in. It provides entertainment by just looking at it. You can see paths that aren’t on your route and levels that aren’t in your reach but must be….right? Yes!

All you need to do is start the first level to see the difference HD can make. Stunning backgrounds and depth of field shots make this a joy to look at. You’ll know you’re looking at a high-definition game when you see the Kooplings (yes! They’re back!) Airships up close when you’re about to go to battle. The game really does look good. Now, does it look as good as Rayman Legends? No. But it certainly does the job of a 2D Mario title.


Let’s move on to Gamepad functionality. Sadly, it’s not used. I would’ve loved to see an extra item on my gamepad like the 3DS Mario games. It is nice however, that I can play the game on the gamepad itself and not feel like I’m losing anything in the visuals department. I would’ve enjoyed playing with the Pro controller as well.

Multi-player is both fun and frustrating. Being able to place blocks to help (or hurt) your fellow players is a nice touch. 4 players on the same screen is just as chaotic as you remember and you may end up being a bit more frustrated than jumping for joy. But hey, if you’re looking to have some fun with your friends and your new Wii U, this has plenty of that. I will warn you, unless your friends are as skilled as you are, I’d let them sit out on the levels where you’re after Nabbit… that can be pretty tricky!

New Super Mario Brothers U shouldn’t take long to review. The amount of time it takes you to read this is the amount of time you need to go purchase the game. It’s a nice game you can easily lose yourself in for a while.

You know Mario. You love Mario. Let’s all save ourselves a little time and stop reading this and go pick up New Super Mario Brothers U. You’ll be happy you did.

N8sylvia score – – 9.0

Pros: Sharp HD graphics. Tight gameplay. You can play on the gamepad

Cons: Not the gamepad functionality I was hoping for. Multi-player can get a bit messy

Purchase? YES