New Super Mario Bros U ReviewIn November of 2012, the first of the 8th generation consoles was released. That of course was the Wii U, which is the successor to the super successful Wii. With the release of a new console, it needs great launch titles to generate sales. One of the Wii U's launch titles was New Super Mario Bros U. It currently stands as the 3rd best selling Wii U game so far. Now, I'm sure some of you may be wondering how this title is compared to the many other Mario Bros games with the word "New" in it. I'm going to tell you what what I think of this game by making this review.
Graphics: 8/10 New Super Mario Bros U was the first true HD Mario game, and it shows just how good Mario games can look in HD. The level designs are great, and were one of the first ways that players could see just how visually appealing Wii U games can be. I will admit there are better looking games on the system though, some of which are other platforming games like Super Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. While there are better looking Wii U games out there, I say the graphics are good enough for an 8.
Sound: 6/10 This is the category where Super Mario Bros U falters. The soundtrack is just as generic and mediocre as all the other Super Mario Bros games with the word "New" in the title are. The final boss is great, but the rest of the music doesn't come close to being as memorable as the classic NES Super Mario Bros games soundtracks. With that being said, the music in this game isn't bad by any means, but there are way better Wii U soundtracks out there. For these reasons, I'm giving the sound a 6.
Addictiveness: 8/10 New Super Mario Bros U offers gameplay that's just as addicting as any other gameplay in the series. For some reason, jumping on enemies, jumping on flagpoles, and saving the Princess never seems to get old. There's a great variety of levels to complete, and there's some interesting new modes that make the game a little fresher than other games in the "New" series, but I'll get to those later. Overall, this game offers a good amount of replay value, and it offers gameplay that we all know and love. For these reasons, I'm giving the addictiveness an 8.
Story: 2/10 The storyline in Super Mario Bros U is similar to other games in the series. The game starts with Mario, Luigi, a yellow Toad, and a blue Toad having a tea party at Peach's Castle. All of a sudden, Bowser and the Koopalings show up in airships, and Bowser scoops up everyone except for Peach and throws them out. Bowser then kidnaps Peach. Now, Mario and friends must go through multiple worlds, battle the Koopalings, and eventually, save Peach from Bowser. Nothing's really changed here, it's still just the same concept as other Super Mario Bros games. Since this kind of plot has been used many times before, I'm giving the story a 2.
Depth: 7/10 As far as content goes, New Super Mario Bros U offers a good amount of content to satisfy platforming fans. In the main story mode alone, there's 9 worlds to travel through, with plenty of levels to complete in each world. There's also several new game modes that give this game more depth than other games in the series. One of which is Challenge Mode (I'll go over that in the difficulty section), boost rush mode, and coin rush mode. These modes offer this game more depth than any of the other games in the "New" series. For these reasons, I'm giving the depth a 7.
Difficulty: 4/10 While New Super Mario Bros U isn't as tough as other Mario platformers out there, it still provides a decent challenge, especially when it comes to the challenge mode. The main story levels aren't all that tough compared to other platforming games. Fortunately, there is one mode that provides a good challenge, which is challenge mode. In that mode, you have to complete different types of challenges ranging from 1 up rallies to collecting a certain amount of coins, or in some cases having to avoid coins and getting to the end of a stage. While most of the games levels are pretty easy, challenge mode gives the game enough of a challenge for me to give this category a 4.
Overall Score: 8/10 Out of all the Mario games with the word "New" in it, New Super Mario Bros U is the best of the bunch. It has really good graphics, addictive gameplay, and a good amount of levels and game modes. It may not be as fantastic as classics such as the NES Mario games or Super Mario World, but New Super Mario Bros U is still a great game that deserves a final score of 8.
Graphics
8 Sound
6 Addictive
8 Depth
7 Story
2 Difficulty
4
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