New Super Mario Bros. U | Feb 5, 2019 | 25hrs | rating: 4.5/5
An absolute blast if you have someone to play with, which is really the whole point of the game.
– GAMEPLAY: The collision detection is a little stricter which occasionally surprised me when I died from jumping “on” an enemy, but other than that, it’s near perfection. Each level has its own little gimmick, and it makes it fresh and varied. The main thing that separates Mario from other platformers is the abundance of well-designed secrets, so it’s always satisfying to go out of your way just to see if anything is there.
– AUDIOVISUALLY: Looks plain and the music is nothing special. Worst aspect of the game for sure.
– STORY/PRESENTATION: The standard Mario plot. I like that the world map is back though, as it helps the game feel like a journey, and it’s satisfying to see where the road takes you.
– MULTIPLAYER: Compared to most other co-op platformers, this one has “friendly fire” on, so you have to communicate and collaborate, and it elevates the game so much and makes it one of my favorite co-op games!
SMB3 and SMW were more creative and impressive considering release dates, but for me, the co-op of NSMB just takes it to a new level.