I'm a big fan of the New Super Mario Bros. games and plan to collect, play and beat em' all. This Holiday I was fortunate enough to have been gifted New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe on Switch and have been playing it a lot since that joyful day. Is it a good entry in the series or does it fizzle out and is made ENTIRELY OBSOLETE by Super Mario Maker 2? Read on for the answer...
Is New Super Mario Bros. Obsolete Now?
We live in a hyped social media and hot take first world where the opinions that make it to the top aren't always the best but the most controversial. I suppose it's hard to say what opinions are "best" but we are all driven to serve up our takes as fast as possible and that doesn't always mean things are well considered. Take for example the extremely hot take that SUPER MARIO MAKER 2 MAKES SIDE SCROLLING MARIO OBSOLETE or at least future side scrolling Mario or something? Where as this thought isn't owned by all it seems popular enough and it's not entirely wrong as it's based on some truth but comes to a needless conclusion.
Is Super Mario Maker 2 really good. Hell yep. Are the Nintendo created single player stages contained within Super Mario Maker 2 _VERY_ unique, fun and refreshing? Oh yeah. Are the top of the crop player created levels a breath of fresh air and the inclusion of the Mario World mode that allows you to thread levels together in a pack a Godsend? Yeah it is but all of that being true doesn't mean that a more traditional side scrolling Mario is dead or need not exist.
I appreciate that I played a lot of Super Mario Maker 2 before New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe because I appreciate them both for what they are and it's not at the exclusion of the other. New games that do something unique or even better than games of the past doesn't need to invalidate the past game, it just means we have more good things. I think one aspect of hot take culture is that it likes to dish on the past because saying "old thing bad" is a fun angle. It's often reductionist and simplistic but it's also a lot of fun as being cynical often is.
Thanks For Whatever That Was, Can We Talk About The Game Now?
Sure! We can yadda, yadda our way to the crux of my thoughts on New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch which is "if you enjoy classic Mario side scrolling and want more of that, get this game." Frankly I'm not sure a lot of people really love that formula save for a very focused audience which I am very much part of.
I'd say New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe feels more like a sequel to the Wii version but improves it in a very helpful way. I think the biggest flaw of Super Mario Bros. Wii wasn't that it was challenging but alongside that made the worlds too long. I'm not sure what the proper amount of stages for a Super Mario World zone is but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe nails it. I found myself VERY annoyed when you'd beat a Koopa Kid boss and they'd rally to the "real castle" and you'd have another half of the World to go. Felt way too tedious and is why I haven't completed the Wii version yet. (I plan to but the Wii game feels like a chore where the rest of the games in the series really don't)
My Thoughts On The Characters in NSMBUD
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe adds Toadette and Nabbit and that was fairly contentious for a few fans that lamented you _HAD_ to select one of the "easy" characters if you played 4 player co-op. This critique is valid and there is no way to play 4 player co-op I know of with Blue toad meaning you _HAVE_ to pick Toadette or Nabbit and I also don't care. If I was playing couch co-op with hardcore New Super Mario Bros. players and someone had to fall on the sword of an easy character I'd do it. I'm not sure it would be a hard sword to fall on because Toadette is a fun character to play as and Peachette is kick ass even if she is a form of easy mode. From time to time I play as Toadette in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and don't care I might miss some secret Mario street cred as she's a fun addition and I love the small changes they make to how she plays.
The Way Things Are Headed
Playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is a joy and at the moment I'm slowly unlocking all the secret exits for fun. At the rate I'm going I plan on completing each level in the base game. I don't care to collect each levels star coins, but who knows, I may end up doing it. I've never really been a game competitionist but somehow in New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe it just feels like the right way to play it.
Is New Super Mario Bros. Obsolete Now?
We live in a hyped social media and hot take first world where the opinions that make it to the top aren't always the best but the most controversial. I suppose it's hard to say what opinions are "best" but we are all driven to serve up our takes as fast as possible and that doesn't always mean things are well considered. Take for example the extremely hot take that SUPER MARIO MAKER 2 MAKES SIDE SCROLLING MARIO OBSOLETE or at least future side scrolling Mario or something? Where as this thought isn't owned by all it seems popular enough and it's not entirely wrong as it's based on some truth but comes to a needless conclusion.
Is Super Mario Maker 2 really good. Hell yep. Are the Nintendo created single player stages contained within Super Mario Maker 2 _VERY_ unique, fun and refreshing? Oh yeah. Are the top of the crop player created levels a breath of fresh air and the inclusion of the Mario World mode that allows you to thread levels together in a pack a Godsend? Yeah it is but all of that being true doesn't mean that a more traditional side scrolling Mario is dead or need not exist.
I appreciate that I played a lot of Super Mario Maker 2 before New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe because I appreciate them both for what they are and it's not at the exclusion of the other. New games that do something unique or even better than games of the past doesn't need to invalidate the past game, it just means we have more good things. I think one aspect of hot take culture is that it likes to dish on the past because saying "old thing bad" is a fun angle. It's often reductionist and simplistic but it's also a lot of fun as being cynical often is.
Thanks For Whatever That Was, Can We Talk About The Game Now?
Sure! We can yadda, yadda our way to the crux of my thoughts on New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch which is "if you enjoy classic Mario side scrolling and want more of that, get this game." Frankly I'm not sure a lot of people really love that formula save for a very focused audience which I am very much part of.
I'd say New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe feels more like a sequel to the Wii version but improves it in a very helpful way. I think the biggest flaw of Super Mario Bros. Wii wasn't that it was challenging but alongside that made the worlds too long. I'm not sure what the proper amount of stages for a Super Mario World zone is but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe nails it. I found myself VERY annoyed when you'd beat a Koopa Kid boss and they'd rally to the "real castle" and you'd have another half of the World to go. Felt way too tedious and is why I haven't completed the Wii version yet. (I plan to but the Wii game feels like a chore where the rest of the games in the series really don't)
My Thoughts On The Characters in NSMBUD
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe adds Toadette and Nabbit and that was fairly contentious for a few fans that lamented you _HAD_ to select one of the "easy" characters if you played 4 player co-op. This critique is valid and there is no way to play 4 player co-op I know of with Blue toad meaning you _HAVE_ to pick Toadette or Nabbit and I also don't care. If I was playing couch co-op with hardcore New Super Mario Bros. players and someone had to fall on the sword of an easy character I'd do it. I'm not sure it would be a hard sword to fall on because Toadette is a fun character to play as and Peachette is kick ass even if she is a form of easy mode. From time to time I play as Toadette in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and don't care I might miss some secret Mario street cred as she's a fun addition and I love the small changes they make to how she plays.
The Way Things Are Headed
Playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch is a joy and at the moment I'm slowly unlocking all the secret exits for fun. At the rate I'm going I plan on completing each level in the base game. I don't care to collect each levels star coins, but who knows, I may end up doing it. I've never really been a game competitionist but somehow in New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe it just feels like the right way to play it.
