New Super Mario Bros. U

Why did I buy it: Danielle got me the Wii U for my birthday/Christmas and I knew this was going to be one of the best launch games.

Thoughts: Though I have probably only fired this game up 8 times since November, each time has resulted in me wasting about 3-6 hours. Thankfully, most of those times were with two or more friends. In my opinion, the best thing that the New Super Mario Bros. series has introduced is co-op. Being able to go through the Mushroom Kingdom with friends is a blast. However, in some instances, it makes levels and bosses way too easy. The trade off is the fact that you die way more because your friends jump on your head and send you plummeting into oblivion. The worst part of that is when I end up yelling at Danielle. She didn't do it on purpose and it was probably my fault, but in the heat of the moment, someone had to take the blame. And as any red-blooded American would do, I blamed someone else. Anyway, this is easily the best New Super Mario Bros. game. From the graphics, to the overworld, to the inclusion of baby Yoshis, to the squirrel power-up, this would have been the best in the series even without the single best part of the whole experience, the second screen. The second screen adds two things to the mix. For one, a fifth player can take part in the action. Though he cannot control a player, he has the ability to draw platforms wherever he sees fit. This worked perfectly for someone like Danielle who did not like the pressure of being one of the four main people, but did like to feel all-powerful. Seriously, she could save anyone from dying if she saw fit. She could also cause death to anyone if they were pissing her off. Also, if you are playing on your own, you can experience the whole game on the second screen, without the need for a television. It works great for late nights when Danielle wants to go to bed, or you know, when I need to take a shit in the middle of a level but cannot be bothered to stop playing. Anyway, if you have a Wii U, there is no reason not to have this game. Also, if you don't have friends (I'm looking at you Webber), make them. Because this game is better with more people.

Should I have bought it: Yeah, especially because it was part of a sale. $60 is still too much for a video game.