In 2024, I 100%ed New Super Mario Bros U. Deluxe, and I thought it was really fun. But, I've seen a lot of people criticize it, and I can agree with them on some of it. For example, it did lose a TON of personality. After NSMBWii, the games felt lazier and lazier. What do you think?
Is New Super Mario Bros U. really that bad?
- Thread starter Paradox
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Pixelcraftian
Super mario is so awesome
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I'd say it's at it's best in multiplayer, which makes me confused as to why NSMBUDX got skipped when it came to GameShare
Cloudwalker
Flower (Wo)Man
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I think it's a pretty good game but I can see why people dislike it
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I didn't really play too much multiplayer, so i kind of prefer single player (idk if that's because I'm an introvert)
Princess Viola
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nah, i legit think it's one of the top tier mario games
i'd say a significant reason for the dislike is because it was the fourth game in the sub-series that all look very similar at first glance and (as i've mentioned a few times before on these board) nintendo's stupid ass decision to release it and NSMB2 on the 3ds only a few months apart
i'd say a significant reason for the dislike is because it was the fourth game in the sub-series that all look very similar at first glance and (as i've mentioned a few times before on these board) nintendo's stupid ass decision to release it and NSMB2 on the 3ds only a few months apart
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- #7
I think their decision to do that is so people with the Wii U and the 3ds could still play new super Mario bros
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- #8
I think challenge mode was super unique
Princess Viola
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you mean the people who somehow had the totally non-existent versions of the 3DS and wii u that weren't backwards compatible lol
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- #10
Nah, I'm talking about those bootlegs
Farrah Goodfairy
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It's been a few years since I played it and I only ever played the Wii U version and never Deluxe, but I thought it was a pretty enjoyable game and a solid platformer, though it's far from my favourite 2D Mario game.
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The game isn't bad but it's a ridiculously mediocre, bog standard Mario platformer released as the fourth entry in a series that has gotten very stale, in a time where we've gotten so much better 2D platformers released since (Rayman Origins/Legends, Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Donkey Kong Country Returns)
Is it good? I guess. Is it better than its competition? Absolutely not.
Is it good? I guess. Is it better than its competition? Absolutely not.
Dorayaki
King Bowser
The main issue is not it's bad, but not as innovatie as expected. NSMBU took the "NSMBWii sequel" too literally and refused to be innovative, and obviously Wonder learned that lesson.
As comparison, 3D World and Tropical Freeze made enough difference to convince fans that they're different from the prequels. The final NSMBUDX version is acutally okay, so it would had been nice if NSMBU made a bigger step.
As comparison, 3D World and Tropical Freeze made enough difference to convince fans that they're different from the prequels. The final NSMBUDX version is acutally okay, so it would had been nice if NSMBU made a bigger step.
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- Thread starter
- #14
I agree, i think they should've packed it up once they finished Wii
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- #15
Yeah, I'd honestly say that even though I've never played on a 3DS, I think that 3d world is even better than 3d land. and i don't really play donkey Kong, so idk about tropical freeze.
I think it's a step up, but the decision to release it a couple of months after New Super Mario Bros 2 really hurt the series. It made people think NSMB was all Nintendo cared about and contributed to the unfair reputation the series has for being cashgrabs. It should have waited a year or two, so it could have some distance and been promoted along with Luigi U.
The game does have some unique things, such as the interactive world map, having to get back to Peach's Castle instead of going to Bowser's, new powerups such as the Flying Squirrel and Baby Yoshis, even new music themes. It's certainly more original than Mario Bros 2. But it still feels too similar to Wii in many aspects.
I really believe the New Super Mario Bros games had the potential to become just as legendary as the original Super Mario Bros games for the NES and SNES. It certainly looked that was going to happen with the DS and Wii games. But when 2 came out, it felt like it had copied Wii and added little of its own. When you combine that with U being released just a couple of months after, that really tanked the series reputation.
The game does have some unique things, such as the interactive world map, having to get back to Peach's Castle instead of going to Bowser's, new powerups such as the Flying Squirrel and Baby Yoshis, even new music themes. It's certainly more original than Mario Bros 2. But it still feels too similar to Wii in many aspects.
I really believe the New Super Mario Bros games had the potential to become just as legendary as the original Super Mario Bros games for the NES and SNES. It certainly looked that was going to happen with the DS and Wii games. But when 2 came out, it felt like it had copied Wii and added little of its own. When you combine that with U being released just a couple of months after, that really tanked the series reputation.
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- #17
Yeah, i think that's why they stopped with the nsmb games, tbh, i think luigi u was cool. Although it did follow the same plot. It felt a bit like a more fair lost levels ig.
Sparks
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I tried playing through it again about 5 days ago after not having played it in about a decade. Compared to amazing platformers like Wonder and Rayman Legends, it just cannot hold a candle to them and is so boring in comparison. I stopped halfway through world 3… hopefully one day I can get through its entirety.
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- #19
Yeah, i just 100%ed it again RIGHT after playing Celeste, It can't even hold a candle to Celeste
fantanoice
I can see through time
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I honestly find it probably in the top 2 NSMB games alongside Wii; it's just pretty un-memorable. My housemates and I played Luigi U when it was new and I found that a fun and interesting challenge. Haven't seen a local multiplayer 2D platformer hit the same levels of difficulty and socialability as Luigi U.
I found New Super Mario Bros. U and its companion game New Super Luigi U to be competently made, and I have had a good with with both. Because of that, I have zero reason to get the rerelease since none of its changes are something that would inspire me to get it. The only thing is I wish that the New Super Luigi U had some videos showcasing Mario playable, could be a game mod (which I am surprised had never been done as to have video proof).
Now I wonder if New Super Mario Bros. 2 is something Nintendo wants to re-release, given how it's still on 3DS and it's not resold on a later console yet. It's fairly unremarkable in that, outside of its coin collectathon conceit, it didn't really introduce much new to it (I guess the Reznor returning could be the biggest "new" to it). Would this game be its own (e.g.: New Super Mario Bros. 2 Deluxe), or would it be bundled with the other two New Super Mario Bros. games to create a "New Super Mario Bros. All-Stars"?
Thank you for reading.
Now I wonder if New Super Mario Bros. 2 is something Nintendo wants to re-release, given how it's still on 3DS and it's not resold on a later console yet. It's fairly unremarkable in that, outside of its coin collectathon conceit, it didn't really introduce much new to it (I guess the Reznor returning could be the biggest "new" to it). Would this game be its own (e.g.: New Super Mario Bros. 2 Deluxe), or would it be bundled with the other two New Super Mario Bros. games to create a "New Super Mario Bros. All-Stars"?
Thank you for reading.
twodollarhero
Goomba
I like New Super Mario Bros. U, but I love New Super Luigi U. I always love it when sequels or follow-ups to Mario games are allowed to bare their teeth a bit and give me a real challenge. Loved having to wrap my head around Luigi's squirrely controls; the quicker pace and the shorter levels really nailed that frantic Luigi feeling. NSMBU is a totally solid experience on its own, but it's Luigi U that pushes things over the edge for me.
twodollarhero
Goomba
I'd love for them to bundle NSMB, NSMB Wii, and NSMB2 as an "All-Stars" collection! It'd be a fun chance to replay and re-evaluate those games. Haven't gone back to any of those in a long time.
Nintendo made a lot of stupid ass decisions with the Wii U
1. Is the marketing
2. Is this
I actually like what people call the NSMB formula--great graphics, great level design, great mechanics, great gameplay, great presentation. As such, I don't think the conservatism of NSMB2 was bad by itself, but how and where they chose to emphasize it. I'm especially talking about the boss fights that aren't Ludwig--they're either too easy, too boring, or both. Iggy's boss fight is literally a rehash of his fight in Wii, and it's not even made tougher or more interesting. In Wii, it had the element of taking place in a tight space with a huge Chain Chomp that moved around unpredictably and got bigger after the second hit, so you had to be careful with where you went, lest you get hit. In 2, those elements are removed, making Iggy much easier to hit. And it's not just the boss fights--the levels are often too easy and combined with the insane amount of coins in the game, you'll virtually never risk getting a game over.
The sad part is that the game actually does have moments of genuine creativity and innovation--just look at the levels in Worlds Mushroom, Flower, and Star. World Flower-1 is set against a sunset backdrop on a mountain and features snake blocks interacting with pipes. Flower-Ghost House features an underwater section where you're being chased by a gigantic ghost. World Star-1 is set at night and has switches that move block formations. Star-6 is an underwater level that takes place in a castle in a haunted forest. There's so much here that's creative and works well. Heck, the very idea of collecting huge amounts of coins is actually genius for the game to center around.
But the game doesn't build upon these elements and instead opts for recycling old content from Wii and DS most of the time, even downgrading it. Luigi has to be unlocked by beating the game. The Spin Jump is gone. The multiplayer requires both players to have the game and makes the camera centered on one player at a time. Coin Rush needs to be bought when it could have been unlocked by the in-game coin counter. But by far the biggest flaw is the complete lack of Wario anywhere. For a game that emphasizes coin-collecting and greed, Wario would have been a perfect fit as a playable character, complete with additional moves that complement his style, and unlocked after certain conditions were met. The game could have added him in, brought back the Spin Jump, fixed Coin Rush and multiplayer, and allowed Luigi to be playable from the start, all without compromising its identity. Just look at Super Mario 64 DS, which ironically also has Wario as a playable character. That game honors and preserves the core elements of the original Super Mario 64, yet manages to establish its own identity. Adding Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario and giving Yoshi the spotlight in the beginning of the game, superior graphics, new stars, new requirements for existing stars, new ways to play existing stars, new levels, even minigames, the game revolutionized Mario for the DS while maintaining its ties to the original game. New Super Mario Bros 2 should have focused on building on the DS and Wii games instead of copying them, and it should have expanded on its positive elements instead of downplaying them. Heck, adding Wario alone would have given the game a better reputation.
Now, what does this have to do with U? Well, U seems to try to build on what Wii established, adding Baby Yoshis on top of the regular Yoshis, having all four characters return, and the inclusion of Nabbit. But it doesn't do anything truly groundbreaking enough to justify being released just months after 2. It doesn't add any new moves, doesn't build on the traditional level themes, and its story, while an interesting take on Mario, feels minimal. U feels like it's trying to make up for the lack of ground that 2 gained, and as a result, even though it's a genuinely good game, it feels unable to truly rise to the level of legendary status it should have. Had 2 done all those things I said, it would have gone from a good, but flat, game to truly great, thus continuing the series' iconic track run that started with DS and Wii, thus allowing Mario Bros U and Luigi U to get even better and become truly great in their own right, and thus ensuring the entire series would be renowned as legendarily as the original 2D Mario series from Super Mario Bros to Super Mario World. Heck, we might have gotten even more New Super Mario Bros games later in the decade, and even unto today.
The sad part is that the game actually does have moments of genuine creativity and innovation--just look at the levels in Worlds Mushroom, Flower, and Star. World Flower-1 is set against a sunset backdrop on a mountain and features snake blocks interacting with pipes. Flower-Ghost House features an underwater section where you're being chased by a gigantic ghost. World Star-1 is set at night and has switches that move block formations. Star-6 is an underwater level that takes place in a castle in a haunted forest. There's so much here that's creative and works well. Heck, the very idea of collecting huge amounts of coins is actually genius for the game to center around.
But the game doesn't build upon these elements and instead opts for recycling old content from Wii and DS most of the time, even downgrading it. Luigi has to be unlocked by beating the game. The Spin Jump is gone. The multiplayer requires both players to have the game and makes the camera centered on one player at a time. Coin Rush needs to be bought when it could have been unlocked by the in-game coin counter. But by far the biggest flaw is the complete lack of Wario anywhere. For a game that emphasizes coin-collecting and greed, Wario would have been a perfect fit as a playable character, complete with additional moves that complement his style, and unlocked after certain conditions were met. The game could have added him in, brought back the Spin Jump, fixed Coin Rush and multiplayer, and allowed Luigi to be playable from the start, all without compromising its identity. Just look at Super Mario 64 DS, which ironically also has Wario as a playable character. That game honors and preserves the core elements of the original Super Mario 64, yet manages to establish its own identity. Adding Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario and giving Yoshi the spotlight in the beginning of the game, superior graphics, new stars, new requirements for existing stars, new ways to play existing stars, new levels, even minigames, the game revolutionized Mario for the DS while maintaining its ties to the original game. New Super Mario Bros 2 should have focused on building on the DS and Wii games instead of copying them, and it should have expanded on its positive elements instead of downplaying them. Heck, adding Wario alone would have given the game a better reputation.
Now, what does this have to do with U? Well, U seems to try to build on what Wii established, adding Baby Yoshis on top of the regular Yoshis, having all four characters return, and the inclusion of Nabbit. But it doesn't do anything truly groundbreaking enough to justify being released just months after 2. It doesn't add any new moves, doesn't build on the traditional level themes, and its story, while an interesting take on Mario, feels minimal. U feels like it's trying to make up for the lack of ground that 2 gained, and as a result, even though it's a genuinely good game, it feels unable to truly rise to the level of legendary status it should have. Had 2 done all those things I said, it would have gone from a good, but flat, game to truly great, thus continuing the series' iconic track run that started with DS and Wii, thus allowing Mario Bros U and Luigi U to get even better and become truly great in their own right, and thus ensuring the entire series would be renowned as legendarily as the original 2D Mario series from Super Mario Bros to Super Mario World. Heck, we might have gotten even more New Super Mario Bros games later in the decade, and even unto today.
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