I'm giving my thoughts on every game I tried this week. Except for the fact I was using the new controller, this felt like New Super Mario Bros. Wii both from a visual standpoint and the controls. The same screen on the TV was seen on the controller. That itself doesn't bother me, but usually when Mario jumps to a new console, there is some difference in what the game looks like. There was no difference here. 
 
Hopefully this was only a demo? I'd like the next generation Mario games, even if it's 2D, to look at least a little different. But I admit, it was still fun to play.

All nintendo games for the wii U were just tech demos.

@RJay_64: This is exactly how I feel about it. It's a great game in and of itself but I don't really notice anything too original from the other installments.

New Super Mario Bros. U is best for those that haven't played any of the other recent NSMB games.

Well, I mean it looks different in that it is much higher res, and they do a lot of pretty great looking stuff in the background of the stages. But yeah, the art style and music are the same. From what I've played so far though, I'd say it has the most creative level design of the "New" franchise, although that isn't a particularly high bar to surpass.

It's definitely the best one I've played. I thought it was much more well-designed than the original.

@Hailinel said:

New Super Mario Bros. U is best for those that haven't played any of the other recent NSMB games.

Could be that it's best, but it also feels like the game assumed a certain level of understanding of Mario games to be able to play it effectively. The last Mario I played was Mario Bros 3, and it kinda feels like, between now and then, every game has been the last game with a bunch of new things added. I could handle it, but someone who isn't into playing games in general is going to have a pretty shit time with this since it assumes you've been keeping up with anything that's happened since the NES.

I still kinda had a good time with it, I guess. I'm sure it's no Rayman Legends though, that game looks awesome.

I'm pretty mehhhh about it. If only I could kick baby yoshis into the air and grow them like in SMW.

Also, the fact that there is no option to use the gamepad to control characters in a multiplayer session is fucking stupid. Controlling that game with a wiimote is gaddamn ass.

@ESREVER said:

I'm pretty mehhhh about it. If only I could kick baby yoshis into the air and grow them like in SMW.

Also, the fact that there is no option to use the gamepad to control characters in a multiplayer session is fucking stupid. Controlling that game with a wiimote is gaddamn ass.

It's curious that they have yet to bring back the kicking mechanic from SMW. I guess they've just done away with "pick up things, then kick them" in favour of "pick up things, then throw them".

I really liked it, although the caveat would be that I felt like it should have been on XBLA/PSN/Steam Indi and not in a $60 box. Not enough interesting music or artwork production efforts to really put it above anything you can get for $15, and lacking the imaginative side that a lot of the more recent semi-Indie type games have had.

And it would even pretty much fit within that small amount of space (2GB) that MS allows for XBLA titles. But eh, it is still one of my fav. games in 2012.