New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. U is the fourth installment in the New Super Mario Bros. series. It was released on November 18th, 2012 (the Wii U's launch). This game allows for up to five people to play at once, four on Wii Remotes, and one on the Wii U GamePad.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to that of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, with additions like the Super Acorn, which transforms the player into his Flying Squirrel form, and the choice to play as a Mii. Like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, players have the option to play as either Mario, Luigi, Yellow Toad, or Blue Toad. Yoshi is back again, and just like in Super Mario World, players can carry him when he is hatched out of an egg. Yoshi also has the ability to inflate like a balloon, and float through the air. Baby Yoshis also reappear in this game with several different powers. In Challenge mode, there 5 different groups of challenges called Time Attack, Coin Collection, 1-Up Rally, Special, and Boost Mode.

Characters
These are confirmed characters for the game.

Playable Characters

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Yellow Toad
 * Blue Toad
 * Mii

Other Characters

 * Yoshi
 * Baby Yoshi (Magenta, blue and yellow colors)
 * Bowser (final boss)
 * Bowser Jr.
 * Koopalings
 * Boom Boom
 * Kamek

Enemies
Returning New
 * Amp
 * Ball 'n' Chain
 * Banzai Bill
 * Banzai Bill Blaster
 * Big Amp
 * Big Boo
 * Big Buzzy Beetle
 * Bill Blaster
 * Big Piranha Plant
 * Blooper
 * Blooper Nanny
 * Bob-omb
 * Bony Beetle
 * Boo
 * Boomerang Bros.
 * Bramball
 * Broozer
 * Bulber
 * Bullet Bill
 * Buzzy Beetle
 * Cannon
 * Cannonball
 * Chain Chomp
 * Cheep-Cheep
 * Cheep Chomp
 * Circling Boo Buddy
 * Cooligan
 * Clampy
 * Dry Bones
 * Eep-Cheep
 * Firebar
 * Fire Bros.
 * Fire Chomp
 * Fire Snake
 * Fishbone
 * Foo
 * Fuzzy
 * Gargantua Koopa Troopa
 * Giant Cannonball
 * Goomba
 * Grand Goomba
 * Ghost ? Block
 * Hammer Bros.
 * Heavy Parabeetle
 * Huckit Crab
 * Ice Bro
 * Jellybeam
 * King Bill
 * Koopa Paratroopa
 * Koopa Troopa
 * Lakitu
 * Magmaargh
 * Magmaw
 * Mecha-Koopa
 * Mega Cheep Cheep
 * Mega Goomba
 * Mega Fuzzy
 * Mega Pokey
 * Mega Urchin
 * Mega Wiggler
 * Micro Goomba
 * Missile Bill
 * Monty Mole
 * Muncher
 * Parabeetle
 * Para-bomb
 * Paragoomba
 * Piranha Plant
 * Piranhacus Giganticus
 * Podoboo
 * Pokey
 * Porcupuffer
 * Prickly Goomba
 * Raining Debris
 * River Piranha Plant
 * Rocket Engine
 * Rocky Wrench
 * Scaredy Rat
 * Skewer
 * Skull Box
 * Sledge Bros.
 * Spike
 * Spike Top
 * Spiked Ball
 * Spiny
 * Spiny Egg
 * Spiny Cheep Cheep
 * Stalking Piranha Plant
 * Stone Spike
 * Sumo Bros.
 * Super Dry Bones
 * Super Thwomp
 * Swooper
 * Thwimp
 * Thwomp
 * Torpedo Ted
 * Urchin
 * Venus Fire Trap
 * Wiggler
 * Baby Dragoneel
 * Balloon Goomba
 * Bowser Amp
 * Dragoneel
 * Fliprus
 * Goombrat
 * Grrrol
 * Gūrindais
 * Ice Piranha Plant
 * Mecha Cheep
 * Mega Grrrol
 * Nabbit
 * Red Skull Box
 * Targeting Ted
 * Waddlewing

Items

 * Acorn Mushrooms
 * 1-Up Mushrooms
 * Question Blocks
 * Giant Question Blocks
 * Brick Blocks
 * Coin Blocks
 * Giant Brick Blocks
 * Note Blocks
 * Coins
 * Star Coins
 * Red Coins
 * Red Coin Rings
 * Flying Question Blocks
 * Warp Pipe
 * Yoshi Egg
 * Beanstalk
 * Checkpoint Flag
 * Platforms created by the Wii U GamePad player (Heart platforms, Clover platforms, Spade platforms, Diamond platforms, Coin platforms)
 * Green Rings
 * Spinning Green Coins

Levels
Unlike previous New Super Mario Bros. titles with separated worlds, New Super Mario Bros. U has a seamless world map that bears resemblance to that of Super Mario World. The names of most of the sections are named after food items. Similar to previous games, there are Fortreses, Castles, and Ghost House levels within each world. Different themes are nestled within each section of the map.


 * World 1: Acorn Plains - A simple grassy level with squirrel enemies, Goombas, Koopa Troopas and Piranha Plants. A large "Acorn Mushroom Tree" and a large mountain are in the background.
 * World 2: Layer-Cake Desert - An underground desert level with a Fire Snake and yellow shiny Baby Yoshis.
 * World 3: Sparkling Waters - A beach level with the waterspouts and the sunken ship with Boos.
 * World 4: Frosted Glacier - A nighttime level with the spinning stars and the hills of snow.
 * World 5: Soda Jungle - A rain forest level with Mega Goombas, Goombas, a Gargantua Koopa Troopa and large Brick Blocks.
 * World 6: Rock-Candy Mines - A world with tall, pillar-like mountainous terrain.
 * World 7: Meringue Clouds - A level in the sky with Mushroom platforms, acorn-like Goombas and magenta-colored Baby Yoshis.
 * World 8: Peach's Castle - A lava area that shows similarities to World 1, with mushroom hills.
 * World 9: Superstar Road - An area shaped like a star based with missions based on previous worlds.

Forms

 * Mini Mario
 * Super Mario
 * Fire Mario
 * Flying Squirrel Mario
 * Ice Mario
 * Propeller Mario (Post-Game)
 * Penguin Mario (Post Game)

Trivia

 * This is, so far, the only Mario 2D platformer game that doesn't include or involve Bowser's Castle in any way.