New Super Mario Bros. U

This game is my personal babysitter, whenever I have to take care of my nieces, I pull this out and they're enthralled and have a great time. Those kids love Mario. Even if they could be playing way better Mario games. But they're kids, they need something basic and simple so they don't become overwhelmed. Although I do need to be careful cause one time one of them pressed the home button and accidentally opened Resident Evil 4. Maybe it was a sign from god that they need to play Resi 4 but if I do that, I'm gonna get a restraining order.

Honestly, this is just another basic Mario game, it was originally on Wii U but later released on Switch. New Mario Bros U is actually a decent newer entry, but it really pales in comparison to the classic games. The level design in this game is pretty damn basic and most of the levels in this game are just too easy, and the boss fights in this are incredibly bland and feel very similar. There are a variety of levels in different settings, but I really can't give this game too much praise because it really doesn't do anything new or interesting, the story is typical Bowser kidnapping the Princess and the game plays exactly like every other 2D style Mario game and the power ups in this aren't really the most interesting either. I mean its fun enough and with 2 players it can be interesting, but I'll take the original Mario Bros., 3, and World over this any day of the week.

This was really fun, unfortunately I'm just very bad at this game and was incapable of beating it. I liked that Van Gogh inspired level a lot.

The central power-up mechanic, the Super Acorn, is probably the most balanced flight power-up since the Super Leaf in SMB3, which was 22 years old at the time of this game's release. In addition to being able to stick to walls, it allows for a downward-slanted glide that surpasses the player's maximum running speed, with one large gust of upward momentum permitted by tapping the RT button. Should you use the gust, Mario descends much more quickly with slowed horizontal momentum. So you are somewhat punished for using its largest benefit at poor times, and rewarded for using the Acorn in smart ways, because your momentum will be preserved.

Aesthetically, this is the best looking NSMB game by a mile. HD textures and HDMI output aside, the colors pop compared to the duller DS and Wii entries, and the hand-drawn backgrounds are quite beautiful. The camera is also zoomed out quite a bit more, which I preferred immensely. Knowing what's coming is paramount in these sorts of titles.

My largest complaints are commons ones - it appears that Nintendo didn't really care much about any criticisms of the Wii version, notably its strict, generic world order, poorly design boss fights, and confusingly drab choice of P3 and P4 characters. All three problems are still present in NSMBU, and their continued existence put a ton of people off from even playing this game. I realize that the Switch port has been somewhat successful, but the days of 2D Mario selling a billion copies are over until major changes are made struturally. It makes no sense to pour half a decade of creative movement mechanics into every new 3D Mario release, and keep the equally profitable NSMB series away from any sense of evolution. With every new 3D Mario release, the NSMB formula feels more dated.

For those reasons, NSMBU is not going to make new fans. I sincerely doubt it is going to appeal to anyone as a single-player experience unless they are platformer enthusiasts. If you are, and you have a tolerances for Nintendo tropes, there is a high-quality, polished platforming experience here for you to explore. It just isn't going to shatter your world or provide any unique take on the genre. It's "merely" the best in a series that excels at treading water.