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New Super Mario Bros. U is a 2012 side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Nintendo for its Wii U console. It is the fourth installment in the New Super Mario Bros. series, part of the larger Super Mario franchise, and the sequel to New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009). The game follows the traditional Super Mario storyline: Bowser, the king of the Koopas, takes Princess Peach hostage, and Mario sets out to stop him. With his brother Luigi and two multicolored Toads, Mario traverses various worlds, encountering Bowser's minions and fighting the Koopalings, Bowser Jr., Kamek, and Boom Boom.

The game is played from a 2.5D perspective with a primary focus on jumping and avoiding hazards. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the game supports up to four players, who control Mario, Luigi, or the two Toads; Mario's pet dinosaur Yoshi is also playable at certain points. They traverse various overworlds and levels filled with gold coins and power-ups while avoiding obstacles such as enemies and bottomless pits. New Super Mario Bros. U introduces functionality with the Wii U GamePad allowing players to interact with environments using the controller's touchscreen. It also features three game modes in which players can control Mii avatars, and was compatible with Nintendo's now-defunct Miiverse social network.

Gameplay
Like its predecessors New Super Mario Bros. (2006), New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009), and New Super Mario Bros. 2 (2012), New Super Mario Bros. U is a side-scrolling platform game presented from a 2.5D perspective. The game features a traditional Super Mario series story: Bowser, the king of the Koopas, takes Princess Peach hostage and sends his army—including Bowser Jr., the Koopalings, Kamek, and Boom Boom—to invade the Mushroom Kingdom. The Italian plumber Mario, alongside his twin brother Luigi and two multicolored Toads, sets out to rescue the Princess, traveling through multiple worlds and encountering Bowser's minions. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the main game supports single-player and multiplayer gameplay. Mario is the only playable character in single-player, while all four are in multiplayer. The game can be played either using the Wii Remote horizontally, like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, or the Wii U GamePad, which supports the system's Off-TV Play function. Support for the Wii U Pro Controller was added in a June 2013 update.

As they start the game, players are placed in an overworld map connecting the eight locations, called worlds, they must traverse. Unlike previous New Super Mario Bros. games, which have separate maps for each world, New Super Mario Bros. U features one large map containing all the worlds. The map contains paths leading to levels, as well as minigames housing bonuses. The main gameplay takes place in the levels, linear obstacle courses where players must navigate to a flag pole within 400 seconds to progress. The playable characters can run, jump, wall kick, and ground pound. Certain levels are set underwater, where the player must swim to traverse. In the Super Mario platforming tradition, the player must avoid spikes, bottomless pits, and hostile enemies such as Goombas. The Wii U GamePad's touchscreen can be used to interact with the environment; the GamePad user can place blocks that serve as platforms or stun enemies to aid players. Some levels feature a second, hidden flagpole that unlocks an alternative path. The Super Guide from New Super Mario Bros. Wii returns; if players die multiple times in a single level, activating Super Guide moves their characters through it automatically.



At some points, a bandit named Nabbit will raid a minigame location, steal its item, and hide in a level, and players must enter the stage to catch him. Once Nabbit is caught, the player will receive the item as a reward. Most worlds feature two boss levels in which players must defeat a stronger enemy by hitting them three times. The first, a fight against a minion like Boom Boom, takes place in a tower about halfway through the world, and the second, a fight against one of the Koopalings, takes place in an airship guarding a castle. Bowser Jr., who pilots a helicopter-like vehicle, is fought on two separate occasions on a larger airship, Kamek is fought in one tower, while Bowser himself is fought at the end of the eighth world. Each boss has a different behavior pattern and method of attack. For example, some of the Koopalings use magic wands to shoot projectiles at players, while Bowser Jr. throws bombs that must be used against him. After completing the game, players gain access to a ninth world, but its levels are locked. Players can unlock these by collecting all of the hidden Star Coins in each of their respective worlds.

New Super Mario Bros. U features a number of power-ups, which can be earned in minigames or found in floating blocks. All the power-ups from New Super Mario Bros. Wii return, such as the Fire Flower, allowing the player to shoot fireballs, and the Starman, which grants temporary invincibility. A new power-up, the flying squirrel suit, allows players to glide long distances, slowly descend down vertical paths, and cling to the side of the walls. Yoshi, Mario's pet dinosaur, appears in certain levels and can be ridden, granting the player an additional jump in midair. Yoshi can eat enemies with his tongue, as well as berries granting the player power-ups. Baby Yoshis can be carried by individual players and have special abilities based on their colors, such as inflating in midair, blowing bubbles to attack enemies, or illuminating dark areas. The player loses a power-up or Yoshi if they are hit by an enemy, and will lose a life if they are hit with no power-up, get crushed, fall down a pit, or fail to complete a level in time. Losing all lives results in a game over, at which point the player must restart from their last save point.

The game features three game modes separate from the main story. Coin Battle, where players are pitted against each other to collect the highest number of coins, returns from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, albeit with a new feature allowing players to customize coin placement with the GamePad. Challenge Mode adds unique objectives to levels, such as clearing them quickly or earning as many 1-ups in a row as possible without touching the ground. Boost Rush takes place on an automatically scrolling level that increases in speed as players collect coins, with the goal to clear the stage as quickly as possible. These modes allow players to control their Mii avatars. The game also used Nintendo's now-defunct Miiverse social network, which allowed players to share comments about particular levels.

The Deluxe version of the game adds Toadette and Nabbit as playable characters, and players can choose any character in single player. Toadette can run faster and stop shorter than the other characters. She can also collect a special power-up to transform into Peachette—causing her to resemble Princess Peach—which gives her the abilities to float and jump out of pits. Nabbit retains his characteristics from the New Super Luigi U downloadable content. Deluxe runs at a higher resolution than the original version, although most GamePad-related features are absent due to compatibility issues.

Development

 * http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wiiu/nsmbu/0/0
 * Page 1
 * Directed by Masataka Takemoto
 * Development began after New Super Mario Bros. Wii was released and lasted three years.
 * Daiki Iwamoto was a planner and joined production after development on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) wrapped up.
 * Shigeyuki Asuke, the director of both the New Super Mario Bros. titles for the Nintendo DS and Wii, was also a planner and provided counseling for Takemoto.
 * Asuke told Takemoto what he thought were the "good elements" of the older Super Mario games and advised him to explore new ideas. As New Super Mario Bros. 2 was released on the Nintendo 3DS not long before, the team knew "[doing] the usual" would not satisfy players.
 * The team started working on the game on the Wii because development equipment for the Wii U didn't exist at the time. They used materials from New Super Mario Bros. Wii knowing the basic gameplay wouldn't change, but pondered how to incorporate new elements.
 * As this happened, the team received the Wii U GamePad. Takemoto explored some ideas and consulted veteran Super Mario developers Takashi Tezuka and Hiroyuki Kimura.
 * The three discussed the idea of using the GamePad to place blocks during gameplay. Takemoto wasn't sure if this could be implemented. During the development of the DS New Super Mario Bros., the team attempted to implement features involving the touchscreen, but found the were underwhelming for Super Mario gameplay. Takemoto also wanted to implement something that did not require explanation.
 * Takemoto knew using the touchscreen to move Mario would be inferior to a Wii Remote, since Mario's actions are suited for a controller with buttons.
 * He realized placing blocks was easier to understand and fun. However, he was worried it would disrupt the difficulty and ruin the game, so he consulted Asuke.
 * Page 2
 * Takemoto and Asuke experimented with the idea and had particular fun using the blocks to hurt players instead of helping them.
 * They then played cooperatively and found it useful. However, some staff didn't understand it. Iwamoto, for instance, was unsure if it was a good idea but saw Takemoto and Asuke having fun and thought it was interesting.
 * Challenge Mode was implemented for players who could complete the story on their own. To come up with challenges, team members set their own rules in levels. Takemoto usually set goals for himself when developing Super Mario levels and recognized the potential of an objective-oriented mode. Challenge Mode was also intended to extend the replay value and introduce new ways to play.
 * Page 3
 * Not much worth noting here.
 * Page 4
 * Boost Mode was an evolution of the Free-for-All Mode from New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The team tried to merge levels together, but found them uneventful and lacking surprise. They eventually applied new rules to the stages and thought these fit the Super Mario gameplay, introducing puzzle and racing elements to the gameplay.
 * Unlike previous New Super Mario Bros. games, which followed Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) format of separate, board game-like world maps, New Super Mario Bros. U features one large map like that of Super Mario World (1990). Takemoto was baffled by the previous games' maps, since he found Super Mario World style more fluid. He wanted to recreate this map and "take it a giant step further" using the Wii U's technology.
 * Page 5
 * As having separate maps would be easier to make, Takemoto faced a lot of opposition from the designers and other staff, but he insisted that it was important. Asuke said they eventually came together on the map and put in considerable effort to achieve the final result.
 * Asuke described Takemoto as a "very particular" director who paid considerable attention to detail.
 * Miiverse is a major Wii U feature, so the team decided to use New Super Mario Bros. U to promote it. Iwamoto conceived and helped implement Miiverse functionality with the map, which could not have been included had the team stuck with the Super Mario Bros. 3 map format. Originally, Miiverse messages were going to appear on the TV screen, but they only appeared on the GamePad because they were hard to read.
 * Page six (finally)
 * The team tried to implement Mii avatars in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, but the Wii's low-resolution graphics made the characters difficult to distinguish during gameplay.
 * Miis are not playable in the story mode because, without Mario, it did not feel like a Super Mario title.
 * Tezuka thought the team achieved what they were striving for with the final product—a game a variety of people could enjoy—and that the multiplayer was more fun.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U was the first Super Mario title Iwamoto had worked on since Super Mario 64 (1996).
 * The game was developed with New Super Mario Bros. 2 simultaneously. Tezuka said the team would shift focus between the Wii U and 3DS games at points. It was the first time Tezuka had worked on two Super Mario titles at once, and although it was not difficult, it was tiring for him.
 * http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/e32011/newhw/0/5
 * After New Super Mario Bros. Wii came out, Shigeru Miyamoto said people were confused as to why there were two Toads as playable characters. Someone brought up the idea of playing as Mii characters, which Miyamoto knew would be popular among consumers.
 * As the HD visuals made the environments clearer, it was easier to tell who was who when playing.
 * http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/iwata_asks_reveals_new_super_mario_bros_u_took_three_years_to_develop
 * Goes over the Iwata Asks interview, could be useful as a secondary source
 * https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/05/e3-2012-behind-the-scenes-of-new-super-mario-bros-u
 * Tezuka noted that a guiding philosophy for the development of Mario titles is to take advantage of the console's unique features. For New Super Mario Bros. U, these were the GamePad and high-definition video.
 * The Wii U's HD visuals made it possible for the introduction of Miis, since the high resolution made the characters easy to distinguish.
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYJ74YiWxok&list=FLTG6QjMcfiJQGqJJe54Ly3Q&index=955

Release
Switch leaks:


 * https://www.destructoid.com/the-final-nintendo-power-cover-is-perfect-239590.phtml

New Super Luigi U
An expansion pack, New Super Luigi U, was released via the Nintendo eShop on June 20, 2013, with a standalone retail version following in July. A part of Nintendo's Year of Luigi campaign to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mario Bros. (1983), the expansion makes Luigi the main playable character and replaces Mario with Nabbit. Unlike the main game, Luigi has less ground friction and can jump higher; as such, the levels are redesigned to suit his gameplay. Nabbit, on the other hand, is immune to enemy damage but cannot collect power-ups. The time limit is also reduced to 100 seconds, which, combined with the altered level design, makes the game more difficult. New Super Luigi U is bundled with newer versions of New Super Mario Bros. U, including the Deluxe version.


 * http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/new_super_mario_bros_u_to_jump_into_dlc

Reception

 * https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/nintendo/images/3/37/NP285_NSMBU.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20121230033700&path-prefix=en
 * https://business.financialpost.com/technology/gaming/nintendos-first-hd-mario-game-melds-old-school-play-with-modern-tech