To the surprise of no one in attendance, Nintendo announced New Super Mario Bros. U as a launch title for their new Wii U system during their E3 presentation today. As the name suggests, this is a return to the 2D side-scrolling roots of the series. There is still four-player multiplayer action just like the Wii outing (along with the two boring anonymous Toads), but this time a player can use the Wii U GamePad to add blocks to the levels to help out. Nintendo is calling this GamePad helper “Boost Mode.”
New power-ups shown included a flying squirrel suit and multiple colored Baby Yoshis. Each color Baby Yoshi has a different ability, like shooting bubbles to turn enemies into coins or inflating like a balloon to help the players reach higher platforms. Gameplay appears similar to the Wii outing.
The biggest difference this time out is the upgraded HD visuals the Wii U can provide. I mean just look at that screenshot above. I absolutly love the Starry Night style background and pipe colorization for a ghost level. Everything looks crisp and clear and full of that Mario style we’ve come to love over the years. People worried about things looking stale because of last year’s screens need not worry. Plus I have two words for you…Giant World!
Nintendo intends to make this a truly social experience by adding in loads of Miiverse features like comments from your friends appearing on screen. No word on if there will be online multiplayer. This one is already on my must have list and I can’t wait to see and hear more about it. How about you?
