Not the most creative it could have been, but almost.

User Rating: 8.5 | New Super Mario Bros. U WIIU
When I played New super Mario Bros 2, I was worried Nintendo had run out of new ideas, but New super Mario Bros U has proved me wrong. This is the best modern 2-D Mario game apart from the original New Super Mario Bros. The world map is all connected, a bit like Mario World, but it's not really different from the world maps in the other mario games. Mranwhile, the levels are fantastic, full of creativity, challenge, and great design. Almost every level was cleverly designed, and the perfect difficulty balance. Especially the last three worlds were challenging, but super guide is usually there to help out noobs. Multiplayer makes it yet crazier. Some may not like multoplayer but I do. It is annoying though when the screen freezes mid-jump while someone else is collecting a power-up. That is a stupid idea. But the game doen't end there. There is also challenge mode, which contains about sixty challenges, each of which tasks you with a specific aim, eg speedrun a level, or bounce on bullet bills withput touching the ground to earn sixty 1-ups. Even the easier challrnges could have you failing many times, and the hardest could possibly have you dying hundreds of times. Challenge mode is a fantastic addition. There are also boost rush modes and coin battle. But how does nsmbu make use of the gamepad? The answer is boost mode, in which players use wiimotes, and an additional player places blocks using the gamepad. Is it fun? No- it's as creative as it sounds. But despite not using the gamepad in a good way, NSMBU is a fantastic mario game.