In 2013, The Year of Luigi was in full swing, and Nintendo was making Luigi inspired games to help celebrate Luigi's 30th anniversary. One of those games was Super Luigi U. The game was originally released on the Nintendo Eshop as DLC for Super Mario Bros U on June 20th, 2013. Later, a retail version of the game would be released, but that wouldn't happen until August 23rd, 2013. How does this game compare to Super Mario Bros U? Is it better than all the New Super Mario Bros games? Or is this game a letdown compared to those games? I'll tell you my view on this matter by making this review.

Graphics: 8/10 The visuals are the same as those in Super Mario Bros U. The level designs are very diverse, and show how good Mario games can look in HD. The characters all look really appealing, and the level designs are also very impressive. One of my favorite parts about New Super Luigi U's visuals is the Luigi paintings that are scattered across the land. There are better looking Wii U platformers out there though, such as Super Mario 3D World and Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. Still, the graphics in Super Luigi U are good enough for me to give them an 8.

Sound: 6/10 Like in Super Mario Bros U, this game falters in this category. The music is generic and mediocre like the other games in the "New" series, and they aren't anywhere near as memorable as music from classic Mario games. There are way better Wii U soundtracks out there but at the same time, there are worse ones to (Sonic Boom anyone?). Anyways, I'm giving the sound category a 6 since it's mediocre.

Addictiveness: 9/10 New Super Luigi U offers the same gameplay as that found in the Mario Bros series, only you're playing as Luigi. His jumps are higher, but he's a bit slippier than Mario. This gives Super Luigi U gameplay that's more unique than New Super Mario Bros U. In addition, it's funny to see Luigi be the one who has to save Peach for once instead of Mario, which adds to the games replayability. Also this game's more difficult than any of the other games in the "New" series. When it comes down to it, Super Luigi U is more addicting than any of the New Super Mario Bros games, so I'm giving the addictiveness a 9.

Story: 2/10 The story is exactly same here as in New Super Mario Bros U, except that Mario doesn't appear here and is replaced with Nabbit, who was the thief from Super Mario Bros U. The game starts with Luigi, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, and Nabbit having a tea party with Peach. All of a sudden, Bowser and the Koopalings show up in airships, and Bowser scoops up everyone except for Peach and throws them out. Bowser then kidnaps Peach. Now Luigi and friends must save Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings. Can they do it without Mario's help? It'll be up to your skills to decide whether or not they can. Storywise, it's the same as New Super Mario Bros U, so I'm giving this category a 2.

Depth: 6/10 New Super Luigi U has about the same amount of content as New Super Mario bros U. There's 9 different worlds in the main game, with a bunch of levels in each world. Unfortunately, there aren't any other game modes in this game. If you bought the retail version, then this is a major disappointment, since it would've been nice to have some extra game modes to play. Without the extra game modes, New Super Luigi U's depth gets a 6 from me.

Difficulty: 7/10 When compared to New Super Mario Bros U, this game definitely provides a bigger challenge. In each level, there's a 100 second time limit and no checkpoints, so you have to move fast and think fast if you want to get through each level. Honestly, this game provides the biggest challenge that any of the Super Mario/Luigi games have provided since the NES Mario Bros games. Is it the hardest game out there? No, but the game provides enough of a challenge for me to give it a 7.

Overall Score: 8.5/10 New Super Luigi U is a breath of fresh air from the New Super Mario Bros games that have been being shelled out recently. The higher difficulty and the fact that there are no checkpoints make Super Luigi U a more addicting game than the other Super game on the Wii U. If only there would've been extra game modes included, it would've been worthy of a higher score. Still, New Super Luigi U is great enough for me to give it an 8.5 out of 10. I hope you enjoyed this review.

Hun? Luigi is older than Mario? We learn something every day .

I just love your style of introducing games, showing a little of its history. And you also give enough details to each section so we have a clear idea of what you are talking about (especially in the difficulty section). You even give broad comparisons (music, graphics) to show that it is bad, but not as much as other games. High 5!

janus : Uum, Mario's been around since 1981 when he was Jumpman in Donkey Kong, and Luigi's been around since 1983 in Mario Bros. Anyways, I'm glad you liked my review enough to give it a 5.