Nintendo Wii U Deluxe Set: Super Mario Bros U & Luigi U (32 GB)

We'd been meaning to pick up a Wii U for some time, but financial constraints put the system out of our price range even after the price drop. Fortunately, we were able to get an excellent deal here, and purchased this bundle for as much as we paid for our original Wii! This bundle gives much of the same feel as the old SNES SMW + All-Stars bundle, if you're the kind of person that enjoys classic Mario platforming. If you wanted New Super Mario Bros U anyway, opt for this bundle over another; you'll get a better deal for your money! The system itself is wonderful. It's been getting something of a bad reputation due to it's poor sales compared to Nintendo's projections, but that doesn't mean it's a bad system at all. Nintendo has largely just been having a poor time advertising it, and it took them too long to get enough of their classic first party franchises into the party. That's really what makes a Nintendo system, not the hardware. However, those concerned about Nintendo's recent trend of gimmicky-controllers and peripherals should try out the system at a store before buying. I was worried initially too, but getting the controller in my hands convinced me that it simply looked clunky, but felt quite smooth. I have since become quite fond of it. Many games on the system allow (or even downright require, in multiplayer instances) you to use the old Wii Remote + Nunchuck combination instead of the gamepad, or even the Classic Pro Controller (although you'll have to buy that separately) for those who just want to hold a normal controller in their hands. Another particularly noteworthy improvement over the Wii is that this system has download management; you can now buy a game or try a demo off the Nintendo E-Shop, and play something else while it downloads, without interruption. To go with that, through December 2014, all purchases made in the e-shop from a Deluxe Wii U will earn 10% back in points that can be redeemed for store credit. Not a huge offer, but something worth noting if you plan to buy a lot of your games digitally. Onto the game(s), Super Mario Brothers U is simply more of what you would expect from the NSMB series. I loved the original DS one, but only played the Wii version while visiting family, so NSMBU manages to feel fresh for me. If you have enough Wii Remotes, you can play with up to four other people -- four people running around on screen, and one more using the gamepad to draw blocks and generally help the other players. It's a good mode for people who aren't very good at platforming. Players can also drop in or out at any time. That being said, multiplayer has basically no consequences for death, allowing for all levels to be completed (and specifically, all Star Coins to be obtained) with minimal effort. Those looking for an old-school challenge can still play the game in single player, where death means restarting the entire level and losing any Star Coins obtained (in-level checkpoints do retain Star Coins earned before that point, however). Long-time fans will probably not find 100% completion overwhelmingly challenging, but should enjoy it as solid platforming nonetheless. There are also hordes of challenge runs that require even more skill to complete, especially for the highest ranking medals. These range from simple time trials to completing a level without collecting a single coin, or even without touching the ground! Perfectionists will be banging their heads even if they manage a gold medal -- there is always room to improve your score. Of particular interest, I did not expect Super Luigi U to be very amazing -- simply an expansion of the base game. However, although it uses the same overworld map, the levels are all entirely different, and have a much faster-paced focus. The platforming physics differ from NSMBU, with much higher jumps that are put to good use.There are no midway points, and each world tends to throw much more at you than their counterparts in NSMBU. Throw in the challenge of collecting Star Coins, and you have difficult, intense, fulfilling stages that don't overstay their welcome or drag on. In many ways, I find it superior to the base game! As an additional, off-the-record challenge, each level in Super Luigi U contains some (usually hidden) art of Luigi within. It can be fun to search for these easter eggs, especially with friends or family. All in all, if you're a Nintendo fan and want to get your hands on a Wii U, this is an excellent bundle start with. From there you can pick up all the other big games that are out now, and you'll have a reliable library for your system in no time. Have fun!

NOTE: This deluxe set only comes with one game disc. It's a combo disc that includes both Super Mario Bros. U and Super Luigi U. The second game is actually just a DLC (downloadable content) expansion of the first game. This probably isn't a problem for most people (and it's actually convenient for me), but the image above is a bit misleading showing two separate game cases. CONS: * Kids can't play online unless you have a VISA or MasterCard, and can pay a one-time non-refundable fee of $0.50. Tough luck if you have a different brand of card. In order for children to use online features, they must prove they have parental permission to do so, which requires a credit card transaction. There doesn't seem to be any other 'legitimate' way around this. However, while making your Wii profile, if your birthday shows you are an adult, you will not have to go through that process to be granted access to online features. * Set up takes a long time. Downloading and installing the initial updates took roughly an hour, even though the console was sitting near the wireless router and our connection speed averages 20Mbps download / 10Mbps upload wirelessly. * The gamepad lets you play wirelessly, but you can't get too far away from the console. Moving about 30 feet away down the hallway into the next room killed the connection. Not really surprising, but I was hoping for WiFi-like range. * Not a whole lot of software yet, but don't worry, Zelda and Smash Bros are on their way eventually. * Switching controllers in-game can be extremely confusing and frustrating. PROS: * Love the TV remote control feature. Fast and easy setup, and it's quick to turn on and use at a moment's notice. * Gamepad has good ergonomics. I have smallish adult hands and it fits me perfectly. Though I think a child might have a bit of a tougher time hitting the shoulder buttons comfortably. Not a game-breaker though. * Super Mario Bros. U is a nostalgia-fest. Lots of gameplay, music, and effects reminiscent of the original NES and SNES mario games. Just don't accidentally confuse this game with Super Mario 3D World like I did! * The internet browser is way faster, smoother, and easier to use than it was on the original Wii. * Comes with Amazon Prime Instant Video built in!

Bought this wii u as an upgrade for my wii. At first I was a bit unsure about getting it, there were a lot of mixed reviews but it was worth every penny spent. I can get technical and talk about all the processors and chips and all new things inside wii u but keeping simple the wii u has great graphics and performance. Games look very nice in hd and gameplay is very smooth. Plus there's a lot of new games out for this system and coming out in the future.The gamepad its bit bulky at first but you'll get use to it and master it in no time and won"t even notice it when playing. Its a good family game console and for all levels of gamers too. Nintendo has nice system update that help the wii u performance and help fix some bugs make sure to keep your system updated. Plus there's the eshop channel which adds a whole new library of games that are really fun to play. some advice for my harcore gamers and regular players that sometimes play none stop make sure to keep your gamepad fully charge so it doesn't stop you in mid play. So always charge gamepad when your done playing and enjoy your wii u to the fullest.

Nintendo and I have always had a love/hate relationship. I liked the Wii for its outstanding exclusives. However, I hated how Nintendo was constantly trying to shove innovation down our throat. To a certain extent, I feel the same about the Wii U. That does not refrain the console from being entertaining though. And in the end, entertainment is the whole reason why we are gamers. Design: As soon as I unpacked my box, I was surprised by the size of the Wii U. The console itself is the size of a sandwich. However, the size is actually an advantage in my opinion. It fits comfortably alongside my PS4 and 360. My biggest gripe with the design is the gamepad. I know that a lot of people love this thing. However, I'm here to give you my opinion. I miss the days when Nintendo worried about fun more than innovation. And like you've probably hear, the gamepad is simply a gimmick. That doesn't mean that I dislike the controller. It fits nicely in my hands. There are a few games that take advantage of having a second screen. Despite this, it still feels unnecessary. Games: Now here comes the fun part. In terms of enjoyable games, the Wii U is leagues ahead of the competition. I purchased this bundle with several other games. From Super Mario 3D world to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, there is plenty of ways to game on the Wii U. The game I had the most fun with is Arkham City Armored Edition. Not only does this iteration of an already fantastic game include all of the DLC, but it also has plenty of exclusive features. Even if the Wii U doesn't have games on it right now that appeal to you, it has a promising future that includes games such as Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and the mysterious yet excitingly nicknamed "X". Conclusion: I'm aware that I didn't touch upon some aspects of the console that are customary, such as the interface and community. This is because the interface and community are perfect. Combine this with an outstanding library of games and ambitious lineup of games to come, it's fairly easy to forgive the Wii U for its sometimes poor design choices. This console is definitely worth a buy.

We bought this console for one very specific reason. We had beaten The New Super Mario Bros and Donkey Kong Country on the Wii and couldn't find anything else like them because the Wii U had already come out. Along with this deluxe addition (this is EXACTLY the type of Mario game we like) we ordered Super Mario 3D. So here we go. The Wii Console is not plug in and play! The update probably took well over an hour. I wasn't paying attention because I had housework to do. (I am a 24 year old professional/student/volunteer and my boyfriend is a 33 year old professional) Once the updates were run, it was pretty easy to set up. I haven't switched the information from the old Wii to the new Wii U yet, so I can't comment on how well that works. Anyways, since my boyfriend works 2nd shift, I was left to my own devices last night when I got off work so I plugged in one of the games. You cannot get bored simply because between the console, classic controllers, Wii controllers, and gamepad, there are so many different ways to play. Of course I just had to try them all. So I got to a part in the game where the instructions said to blow and had a picture of the gamepad. Blow? What? I shook it all over the place and finally (since no one was watching,) I blew on the gamepad. What do you know? That's what I was supposed to do! Maybe I'm just getting old, but I love this console. We own the PS3 and Xbox360 and I was bored with both of them after approximately 20 minutes. 3 hours into the Wii U I had to force myself to turn it off. We purchased the Wii U because our quality time consists of Mario games sometimes. We have fun and have a blast laughing together and working together to beat the levels and find all of the hidden items. As a student getting ready to enter the world as a therapist, I recommend this to every young couple as a way to spend time together in the cold winter months .You will NOT be disappointed.

I purchased a Wii U instead of a PS4 or XBOX One, after having owned both previous Sony and Microsoft systems, due the lack of fun looking games on those systems. All in all, I do really like the games I have for the system so far, but the system itself is woefully behind the times. It's interface is clunky, the software unbearably slow, and the tablet controller is a cool concept completely wasted by its ridiculously short range. I can barely sit outside and smoke a cigarette (next the TV stand on the other side of a sliding door (literally less than 5 feet from the system) without it losing signal. In 2006, this would have been a decent effort for the last gen, while the Wii was disgusting in how far behind it was. In this day and age, while I don't expect to be impressed with tech as it is all put together by the sloppiest people I've ever worked with, it is a pretty poor product. The games I have so far are listed below with a short blurb of what I think about them: * Mario Kart 8: Very good. The racing is the best I've felt in the series. The battle mode is poor, but the races are fun and the visuals and frame rate are excellent. Good party game, but not much reason to play alone. * LoZ: The Windwaker: I didn't play this when it first came out, and I'm glad I waited. For one, this is a great game that simply makes most action adventure games look like demos by comparison. This is one of my favorite series, but the Wii games didn't do it for me. * DKC: Tropical Freeze: Fun 2D platformer. It is very difficult, though * Super Mario 3D World (if that is the name, I can't keep track of Mario game names): It is the new 3D one with the cat suit. This is a fun game. It is also gorgeous in its own way, which just goes to show we don't need super advanced graphics to be visually pleased. * The included Mario games: Fun, hard, 2D games. Pretty much what you expect, thought the the game play is a little more slippery than the old school Mario games I remember from my childhood. I also bought Super Castlevania IV, and the chance to replay this gem is very, very welcome. All in all, the games are good but the hardware and OS are a generation and a half behind. Also, the controller variety and their limitations depending one what software you are in (in some apps, you need to use the Gamepad, and sometimes the screen will stay on the loading screen until you hit something on the Gamepad, but if you don't have the Gamepad and are using, say, one of the other half dozen controllers the damn thing takes, you will be waiting a while until you figure it out).

I purchased this package for my wife for her birthday as we're fans of the all the Mario series games and systems. With that said, the Super Mario Bros Wii U package is just simply the Wii U with the games Mario + Luigi Bros. So, it wasn't like it was a customized Wii U for Mario. That was a bit disappointing, but irrelevant to our game enjoyment. We've logged about 20 hours on the Mario Wii U game so far and it is quite fun! Still the challenge of jumping on each other and causing the other one to fall into the lava, water, etc. but that is part of the fun too. They managed to add some new stuff while maintaining all that made the prior versions great. I've heard very good things also about the Luigi version but have yet to play it. There are a lot of bonus games (challenges like time and coin, etc.) that make it extremely challenging for bonus play. In addition to the 3 star coins per level, there are additional inventive and fun play opportunities using the Wii U Game Pad. I was pleasantly surprised that you have the unique ability when using the game pad (note: you can NOT controller a player in multi-player with the game pad) to create up to 4 blocks at any one time that can allow mario or other characters to jump on them. This provides a great "life saving" option if mario misses a jump and you can quickly give him a lava-saving step. This is done flawlessly and quickly in game while the action is occurring. Lastly, there are secret blocks and other items that appear only on the gamepad, and the game pad user must "action" them to allow mario to access them. These include 1ups and more. In the end, we're extremely happy with this purchase and I already ordered Super Mario 3d World as I've heard it's simply a joy multiplayer and single. If you're on the fense as if you should purchase this new Wii U...especially if you already have an older Wii....ABSOLUTELY! It is very worth it and you can use your existing controllers and most accessories.

Setting up the console takes a bit of time (around an hour and a half), especially if you transfer data from an old Wii and set up an online account (which I highly recommend to get the most use out of the system). There are lengthy updates that need to occur upon booting up the system and plenty of wires and odds and ends to figure out a good spot for. The Gamepad is a great addition to a home console and allows for off-TV play (within a close vicinity to the console) and comes in handy when you don't want to hog the TV. And since the consoles currently play virtually every old Wii title, it's a space saver and worth the price. With other consoles having less and less exclusive titles and content, the Wii U is a breath of fresh air and the only place to play some of the most fun and innovative new games, as well as some third party titles that span all major consoles. It's not as powerful as its Sony and Microsoft counterparts, but for a casual gamer and lover of Nintendo properties, it's gotten tons of use in my home and I don't regret purchasing it at all.