Gamer Unit

The Super Mario franchise has always been one to push co-op gaming, and the pattern continues with New Super Mario Bros U, for the Nintendo Wii U. NSMB U diverges from New Super Mario Bros on the Wii by adding more levels and more characters. Co-op, however, has undergone the greatest change. Co-op in the Wii U version has much more interesting gameplay, especially because of the Wii U gamepad. For example, if there are four players, three can use Wii remotes, playing a classic Mario platformer, while the fourth holds the gamepad, drawing helper blocks, or trying to get extra items. This boost in cooperative potential is needed, because the Star coins are more hidden, the levels are harder, and multiple people on the same screen definitely causes chaos. To make the game more interesting, several modes were also added. Coin mode involves you and your friends trying to grab all the coins under a tenacious time limit. Boost mode involves the screen auto-scrolling while you try to progress through the levels. Such extra challenges has made co-op in NSMB U extremely fun. With this game as a launch title, the Wii U and its gamepad has brought a much-needed refresher to the world of cooperative gaming and local multiplayer.
Super Luigi U is another Super Mario spin-off. It involves the same overworld levels as New Super Mario Bros U and some different underground stages. This game is surprisingly not just a copy of NSMB with a different character being controlled. There are many differences that make this game worth playing. The most obvious aberration is in the story-- there is not a single mention of Mario. It is as if the story was redone, except with Luigi in Mario’s place. But what really makes this game different is the irregularity in platforming mechanics. Luigi is much faster and harder to stop, and jumps a lot higher. Also, the time limit is much harsher, yet the level is the same. These extra challenges make it perfect for co-op. There are gamepad uses in this game, just like in NSMB U; in addition, there is a new character, Nabbit, who is virtually invincible. Some star coins are also hidden in different places. A combination of such challenges create a perfect atmosphere for cooperative play.