New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. U was one of the Wii U's launch titles, tasked with showing what the console could do the very first time it was plugged in. It's a classic two-dimensional platformer in the tradition the New Super Mario Bros. series established on the Nintendo DS, but this time in high definition for the first time, with a world map assembled into one continuous, seamlessly connected continent with no loading screens between areas. Bowser has seized Princess Peach's castle, and Mario fights his way toward him through forests, deserts, icy mountains, and lava-filled caves, while the map also offers detours and hidden paths.

The gameplay rests on precise, instantly readable movement and on cleverly assembled levels that first demonstrate each new mechanic safely before turning it against the player. Alongside the familiar power-ups comes a new flying squirrel suit that lets Mario glide through the air and cling to walls, plus baby Yoshi, whom you carry in your arms and who, depending on the type, inflates, glows, or swallows enemies. For Wii U, the most interesting addition is Boost Mode, where a fifth player with the GamePad doesn't fight but instead creates platforms and freezes enemies with a touch, letting them help a less experienced friend — or deliberately sabotage them.

The visuals are clean and colorful, though artistically the game stays within the boundaries the series set earlier, which is exactly what some critics held against it. The sound design leans on brisk brass arrangements and rhythmic enemy reactions to the music. Reviews were good, if not wildly enthusiastic; the most common verdict was that this is a very solid but safe game. The standalone add-on New Super Luigi U replaced every level with short, much harder variants, and is more interesting for experienced players. Today it's an honest, undemanding platformer that works brilliantly as a four-player couch game. Three collectible coins per level also give a reason to come back and hunt for paths that weren't visible on the first run.