Review: Wii U and New Super Mario Brothers U (First Impression)

Could the name of the game be any longer? Besides that, I like the system and game in summary. This is from someone who's last system was the original NES and the last major investment of time playing was the Nintendo 64.

I spent several weeks deciding between the XBox One and Wii U. I finally decided to get a Wii U as a "gift" but of course I've been spending a lot of time playing on it. I really wanted to get the XBox for the Kinect because I heard that it was open for development. Finally decided I decided to go with the Wii U since it was meant to be a gift.

Setup

The setup did not appear to be too difficult. I was not setting it up as (supposedly) I take too much time to open the box carefully, reading the instructions, etc., etc. There is a part in the middle where it had to download the latest patches. I think it said it would take like 30-40 minutes, but we went to the gym during this time so I do not know exactly how long this process took (less than 90 minutes).

New Super Mario Brothers U

There was only the game (New Super Mario Brothers U) that came with the system. Although it (kind-of) states 2 games, it really is more like a mini spin-off of the same game.

Since I am technically not the primary owner, I kindly cede control but fortunately the system is at my house so there is plenty of time when it is available. Also, it is always fun to see someone else struggle with the game.

Basically, I just played through the game. It is quite similar to the original Super Mario Brothers in play-style. I kind of raced through it the first time and finished the game within 11 hours of play over the span of 2 days. That only included beating bowser (no star world attempt). I am not really interested in search for the star coins to complete the game so there is no plan to complete 100%.

There are options to play multi-players but unsure how that works. I will need another controller to test that out.

Mini-Games

At least that is what I like to call them. There are different types of goals the game gives. The first type is a speed-trial where you basically try to complete the level as fast as possible. Another type is to get as many 1-ups as possible. A third type is a boost which is like a time-trial but limited by the screen movement (like the airship levels in SMB3). The screen moves faster as you collect coins. The fourth type, I have not tried yet.

These games actually are more interesting to me because I get to play them in short amounts of time. Although it does bug me not to complete a game 100%, I no longer have that need... primarily I just have better things to do.

Cons

One of the reasons I got a TV was to play a console on it. I think I spend most of my time playing off the game pad. The game pad is like the hand held games like PSP, Nintendo DS, etc., but is limited to be within the sensor bar. Unfortunately, I cannot play on the game pad in the bed room or in the basement. The nice thing is that other people can watch TV or walk across the TV while playing (although it would be kind of weird that one person is playing while others are watching TV [but I guess that is nice if you had a kid]).

Summary

I have fun playing the Wii U. The purchase was worth it for me. Given that it is just under $300 and spent over 20-hours, $15/hour is not terrible. So, I already got my moneys worth within a week.

I may still consider getting an XBox. I was a little disappointed that it is not backward compatible with the 360. Probably be a few more months before I feel comfortable with the idea of getting it.