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Honestly, I think New Super Mario Bros. Wii U is the best 2D Mario game in the series

braves01

Banned
Oh? Opinions and all, but it seems the critics agree with me:

Oops. NSBU Wii U would be in the 90s if it didn't have the "New" stigma attached to it.

Tbf, I think DK was pretty stigmatized by the press, too. First for not being a Metroid game, and secondly for being too hard.
 

impact

Banned
Oh? Opinions and all, but it seems the critics agree with me:

D6pK6Q6.jpg


TJI23aA.jpg


Oops. NSBU Wii U would be in the 90s if it didn't have the "New" stigma attached to it.

That's how we're doing this eh? I guess they both can't even come close to this masterpiHAHAHAHAHAHA

7ut9tRr.jpg
 

enigmatic_alex44

Whenever a game uses "middleware," I expect mediocrity. Just see how poor TLOU looks.
Tbf, I think DK was pretty stigmatized by the press, too. First for not being a Metroid game, and secondly for being too hard.

Yeah, Tropical Freeze being at 83 is ridiculous too. Should be at least 90.

That's how we're doing this eh? I guess they both can't even come close to this masterpiHAHAHAHAHAHA

7ut9tRr.jpg

I love Littlebigplanet, especially the 2nd one. Great game. Only the 3rd LBP is kind of mediocre so, not sure what your point is? LBP does level creation better than Super Mario Maker too, though Mario Maker is way more user friendly.

Though LBP shouldn't score higher than NSMB Wii U or Tropical Freeze, maybe a few points less.
 

mStudios

Member
Yeah, Tropical Freeze being at 83 is ridiculous too. Should be at least 90.



I love Littlebigplanet, especially the 2nd one. Great game. Only the 3rd LBP is kind of mediocre so, not sure what your point is? LBP does level creation better than Super Mario Maker too, though Mario Maker is way more user friendly.

Though LBP shouldn't score higher than NSMB Wii U or Tropical Freeze, maybe a few points less.

Mario Maker is supposed to create Mario Levels.
LBP is a -anything- level editor.

Not the same!
 
lol it got completely destroyed and made irrelevant by it's own DLC

Super Luigi U is seriously so much better than the base game. I wish they would make a Super Luigi 3D World to offset the complete lack of difficulty in that game too.

I really wanted to agree, but I think the tiny levels in NSLU really hurt it. If it had full-length levels I'd be fine with calling it one of the best in the series, but as it is the levels don't create enough tension for it to even be better than NSMBU.
 

cireza

Banned
It's a fine game, but I was already fed up with the environments and musics for three games, so it does not help.
 

JoeM86

Member
I agree. If New Super Mario Bros. U had a different aesthetic, it'd quite likely be such more highly regarded. More would have given it a chance. Its levels are just top notch.
 

FStubbs

Member
I agree. 4-player made NSMB Wii the best, and now this is NSMB Wii in HD. Gamepad mode can add a totally different dimension too. So it's the best.
 

jwhit28

Member
I was so tired of the World themes at the time. Those alone made me prefer the tougher Tropical Freeze over NSMBU. That's before comparing the soundtracks. I actually had the most fun with NSMB2 of all the NSMB games. It was nice having real flight again. I love the idea of SMW style world maps coming back though.
 

ramparter

Banned
Yes, Yes, Yes!!! And yes its better than DKTF, at first I liked that more but it managed to frustrate me enough to think it has serious design flaws.

Can't decide if I liked Mario U or Luigi U more but together they are the best 2d platformer I've played.
 
I really do feel this is the best 2D Mario game in the series, and it's downplayed because people were burnt out on having had three games in the "New" series before this one.
You are right.


(I disagree with Tropical Freeze being inferior, though.)

Oh? Opinions and all, but it seems the critics agree with me:

D6pK6Q6.jpg


TJI23aA.jpg


Oops. NSBU Wii U would be in the 90s if it didn't have the "New" stigma attached to it.
Disregard the critic score. Tropical Freeze is downplayed for the exact same reason, it looks too much like DKC Returns. Both are excellent platformers on their own.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I agree, OP. Way ignored and underrated. Better than TF, though? Please.

Also, I LOL every time I see that LBP rating. Every single time.
 

dickroach

Member
absolutely the best "new" game.
I just can't bring myself to say it's better than World tho.

but I will say that 3D World is the best 3D Mario game
 
It is the best since Super Mario World for sure. If only they'd been more daring with the art style like in the Starry Night themed stages.
 
If we're grouping NSMBU and NSLU together as one game (on top of challenge mode) then I'm inclined to think it's the best 2D platformer.

Though I don't really agree with comparing it to Tropical Freeze. They're so different and have a vastly different level design basis. NSMBU is more open and allows the player to approach its levels however they want (see the Super Play videos), and DKCTF is completely linear in comparison and you have to play the way it wants you to play but it's so dynamic, fast paced and engaging.
 

jwhit28

Member
If we're grouping NSMBU and NSLU together as one game (on top of challenge mode) then I'm inclined to think it's the best 2D platformer.

Though I don't really agree with comparing it to Tropical Freeze. They're so different and have a vastly different level design basis. NSMBU is more open and allows the player to approach its levels however they want (see the Super Play videos), and DKCTF is completely linear in comparison and you have to play the way it wants you to play but it's so dynamic, fast paced and engaging.

I still don't think NLSU helps the case, DKCTF has it's own challenge mode, and different characters to play as in it. Also online time trials.
 

Haganeren

Member
No, i don't agree.... Well... I agree with New Super Mario Bros U having the best worldmap of the serie. It was incredible, finding all those secrets was so fun ! They were everywhere !

We were talking about Tropical Freeze, i find the secret of Tropical Freeze to be a little less fun than New Super Mario Bros U to find... Even if the game is miles ahead in my opinion for everything else.

But... The level on themselves ? I don't know, they don't have that "crazy" feel i found on Super Mario Bros 3 which only 3D World recreated in my opinion. And Mario World had more interesting and memorable moment in my opinion. (First apparition of Ghost house, the forest of illusion that secret spot on the middle of the lake, the fact you have to activate green blocks at the green block palace etc).... Even the cape feels more fun than the Propeller Mushroom which is more... Well... "practical but restricted" ?

So yeah, levels from New Super Mario Bros rarely makes me feel anything on contrary to Mario World/Bros 3. This is why i don't really like the serie that much. Actually, levels from Mario Maker, even if they are less good from a design standpoint interest me generally a lot more. (Well.... GOOD levels.... Not what i found on 100 Mario Mode... )

It also help i really don't like the aesthetics of New Super Mario Bros, the picture from OP is one of the only place i really found attractive... The rest of the game is much less interesting in their artistic direction in my opinion.

That being said, is the New Super Mario Bros 2 on 3DS worth it ?
 

Ein Bear

Member
From a level design/gameplay standpoint, I definitely agree, NSMBU is easily the best in the series.

I just wish it looked nicer. The whole New series has one of the blandest art styles I've ever seen in a game. Being able to switch between titles in Mario Maker really highlights just how visually uninteresting NSMBU is.
 
Oh? Opinions and all, but it seems the critics agree with me:

D6pK6Q6.jpg


TJI23aA.jpg


Oops. NSBU Wii U would be in the 90s if it didn't have the "New" stigma attached to it.


I honestly couldn't care less what the "critics" think about 2D platformers. They think the recent Rayman games are the best thing to happen to the genre in years and they think Yoshi's Woolly World is a middling experience.

I no longer take most media outlets seriously when it comes to platformers.

With that said, I can't really disagree with you OP. NSMBU is really, really fantastic.
 
Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer Super Mario 1 on NES! It's amazing how addictive and refined it still is today. Plus it's nice sometimes to play some straight up Mario, running and jumping with no gimmicks. I also prefer games like SMB 1 with limited lives and continues because it enforces mastery (although that is balanced out by warps and 1 ups).

NMSB U was really good, though, I agree. I wouldn't quite put it up there with the classics on its' own, but adding on the Luigi expansion really put it over the top. Great levels, world map, attractive graphics, good power ups.m, and very challenging with the Luigi worlds. I also like how it reimagined the traditional Mario world tropes as food: i.e. the desert world is actually pound cake. It was a nice touch.
 

Ninjimbo

Member
I think I agree. I need more time to sit on it though since I just finished my first run through NSMBU a couple of months ago. It was a fantastic experience from beginning to end.

Better than Tropical Freeze? That's tough since they're different sort of platformers. TF is also excellent.

It's a toss up for me.
 

eXistor

Member
If the game (or series rather) wasn't so derivative I'd agree. Almost everything, game design-wise, is easily the best in the series, NSMB or not. It's just the music and bland art-design that hold it back from true greatness.
 

RagnarokX

Member
It's the best in the 'New' series by far but if you consider all factors like stage design, graphic style, music, variety, and originality, I'd put any of the 8 or 16-bit consoles games over it.

Well, let's look at these factors.

Stage design: NSMBU has BY FAR the best stage design in the entire franchise.
Graphic style: Very subjective, but the graphics look great. Very colorful and detailed while maintaining the clean look that all Mario games share. The dynamic lighting looks especially good.
Music: Not the best music, but not exactly bad, either.
Variety: NSMBU features the most variety in the franchise. Every single level features a different concept or set of concepts.
Originality: As part of the amount of variety it has, it also has a ton of originality. A lot of the concepts are new or used in new ways.

People undersell the NSMB games because Mario has a well-defined look, now. Increasing the polygons on a model is less noticeable than creating new sprites. And they also oversell the older games. You want to talk about stage design, variety, and originality and want to hold up SMW as a better game? The game that regressed to SMB1 stage themes and featured mostly flat level design with less variety than its predecessor?

What is NSMBU derivative of?
iP3tkGb.png


2D Mario.

It's a 2D Mario game so it looks like a 2D Mario game. The visuals haven't changed as much as people let on over the course of the whole series and they've changed more between the newest games than people admit.
 

boiled goose

good with gravy
They should have scrapped the New branding.

Clearly folks agree the gameplay was there but style held it back.

Imagine if it was a brand new 2d mario game as a launch game for wiiu instead of New U. It just felt like tread water rehash.
 

ASIS

Member
I also don't think the controls are as tight and as responsive as the 2D games. And the stages tend to go on too long. Super Luigi U made massive improvements in that regard.

Oh yes, NSLU is the only game from the new series that I would call great. It was utterly fantastic.

The rest range from good to very good, but I honestly feel comfortable putting NSLU on the same level as TF
TF is clearly the better game IMO, but I think NSLU can give it a run for its money.
 

B_Bech

Member
If Mario Maker has taught me anything, it's that each Mario style has its own merits. I'm a bit more partial to Mario 3, because that game is a miracle on the system it was on. That, and it practically invented most of the Mario conventions we now take for granted. I will say that NSMBU is probably a close second, though-- and for all the reasons you mentioned. It combines everything that worked accross the various incarnations of Mario and puts a candy gloss on them. I, too, was floored when I saw the level inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. The levels reward experts with speed and acrobatics, as shown in the pro videos. The challenges, 3-Coins and secret worlds add loads of replay value-- and that's not even mentioning the stellar DLC.

Super Mario Bros. 3 edges the win out for sheer innovation, however. I can't get over how amazing the play aesthetic is, too.
 
Oh? Opinions and all, but it seems the critics agree with me:

D6pK6Q6.jpg


TJI23aA.jpg


Oops. NSBU Wii U would be in the 90s if it didn't have the "New" stigma attached to it.

Metascore is pretty darn meaningless at super-specific percentage points like that. It's useful for separating the terrible games from the good ones, and maybe even the good ones for the great ones, but not really anything beyond that.

You need to think of metascores like you would survey results: ie, there's a margin of error.
 
It's enjoyable if you have skipped Nintendo for the past 10 years or if your memory works like the one in Memento.
This game is so unremarkable, almost every defense has nothing to give attention to other than that single ghost stage with a different style than usual (and it's not even done that well). Everything else is nothing to write home about, as it's just taken from the previous games for the umpteenth time, including stage mechanics.
 
I saw on the E-Shop you can get New Super Mario U and New Super Luigi U for $59.99

Is this a deal I Can get in stores? I'm not a huge fan of Digital for Wii U.
 
I think the way Tropical Freeze beats Mario its on its music and presentation, otherwise both are good and well designed games.

And yes Mario U is the best of the NSM series and would had been better recieved if it was not derivative of that formula, especially the art direction and music.
My feelings exactly; although I asked my 6 year old son which style he prefers in Mario Maker and he chooses NSMB style over everything else.
 
It's a 2D Mario game so it looks like a 2D Mario game. The visuals haven't changed as much as people let on over the course of the whole series and they've changed more between the newest games than people admit.

Ehhh

Even just looking through those photos, there's a pretty big art-style shift between SMB1 -> SMB3 -> SMW -> NSMB.

I don't fully understand why Nintendo hasn't tried mixing up the art style in the NSMB games. They do it all the time for Yoshi, Kirby, and Zelda games. Heck, even Mario Kart seems to get fairly large artistic changes between iterations, albeit a little more subtle.
 

NEO0MJ

Member
I agree with this statement. My nostalgia for classic Mario isn't really strong (was more of a DKC/Sonic kid).
 

Kyzon

Member
NSMBU and SMW are the best 2D platformers of all time imo. I love world's artstyle, but New's control on mario and moveset are top notch. If I had it my way these would mix together to make the prettiest, most amazingly controlled mario game yet.
 
But yeah nsmb u is pretty good ( I like its physics the best ) outside.....the effing music

People keep saying this, but I honestly think two factors make the "New" series feel stale.

1. Character design (Mario, peach, bowser, and bosses).

2. Music.

Yeah, the music in particular is really garbage. They've been re-using the same tracks for far too long.

This is the music everyone hates, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLg8oUE4H9E&index=6&list=PLD902F5E40D382277

I think everyone has this preconceived thing about the music sucking so ingrained that they never noticed NSMBU has a totally new main overworld theme, which is awesome and feels perfectly Mario-ish. In fact sounds quite inspired by the progression of Mario 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6fq3973SK4&list=PL2XjmdkuVL-2mOm9bZ7R87o8kzQK6otz-&index=16


But... The level on themselves ? I don't know, they don't have that "crazy" feel i found on Super Mario Bros 3 which only 3D World recreated in my opinion. And Mario World had more interesting and memorable moment in my opinion. (First apparition of Ghost house, the forest of illusion that secret spot on the middle of the lake, the fact you have to activate green blocks at the green block palace etc).... Even the cape feels more fun than the Propeller Mushroom which is more... Well... "practical but restricted" ?

This is even more of what I'm talking about...criticism of NSMBU is often criticism leveled at the NSMB series in general, without considering what's unique about NSMBU.

NSMBU doesn't have the propeller suit until endgame, as a special appearance sort of thing. Its flying mechanic is the squirrel suit. Which could be considered better or worse, I don't know, but let's examine NSMBU itself and not the whole series. On its own, it's an awesome game.
 

jwhit28

Member
This is the music everyone hates, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLg8oUE4H9E&index=6&list=PLD902F5E40D382277

I think everyone has this preconceived thing about the music sucking so ingrained that they never noticed NSMBU has a totally new main overworld theme, which is awesome and feels perfectly Mario-ish. In fact sounds quite inspired by the progression of Mario 3.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6fq3973SK4&list=PL2XjmdkuVL-2mOm9bZ7R87o8kzQK6otz-&index=16

I appreciate what they did to try and change it up. Still didn't like it. 3D Land and 3D World did the music so much better.
 
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