There are curmudgeons out there who will skip this game because of the liberal Mario throwbacks, but they're missing the forest for the trees. Inventive level design, loads of content, and the shockingly profound boost mode make this one of the best 2D platformers out there.

New Super Mario Bros U is truly a "new" game in the series. A Must Buy for every Mario fan on the Planet.

Yes, the new 2D adventure is not a demonstration of Wii U's potential, but it's extremely competent as a plataformer, adding some elements that probably will accompany the series in the future and making, though perhaps unconsciously with its final boss, the eyes of players sparkle and give us a taste of what to expect of Mario in its next tridimensional adventure.

Nintendo rediscovers fun for the core gamer: New Super Mario Bros. U is hardly surprising, but delivers quite a challenge with its classic jump & run roots.

We were surprised, excited and twinkly-eyed during an excellent finale. [Christmas 2012, p.28]

The latest entry in the endless Mario series is hardly "new" in concept, but doesn't fail to entertain and to represent yet another excellent platformer.

Everything about New Super Mario Bros. U is pretty exciting, except the game itself. Is it possible that this is the best game in the "New" series to date--not to mention one of the best exclusive Wii U games on the market, by default--and at the same time kind of flatly uninteresting? Apparently so. The game is perfectly well made for what it is, and I had plenty of fun playing it in short bursts here and there, but at this point the series' by-the-numbers design philosophy is starting to lend the name "New Super Mario Bros." a degree of unintentional irony.