• What:  New Super Mario Bros. U
• Where: Play
• Current Price: £29.99
• New Super Mario Bros. U Price Comparison
  
• New Super Mario Bros. U Review
  

Ninty's first party titles tend not to drop too quickly, so nabbing NSMBU for under £30 should be considered a must-have at this point in time. In fact, considering the dearth of Wii U titles out and about, NSMBU is a must-buy anyway. Nice spot michael mcnally at HUKD!

• What:  New Super Mario Bros. U
• Where: Zavvi
• Current Price: £35.96
• Discount Code: BESTOF2012
• New Super Mario Bros. U Price Comparison
  
• New Super Mario Bros. U Review
  

Nintendo's first party titles are terrible for dropping in price, but seeing as this is one of the best launch titles available, we've dug out the best price for you, saving you about £4 over other sites. While not a huge departure from the Wii game, the (finally!) HD visuals for Ninty's plumber mascot make this the best looking Mario game out there. Don't forget, you can use old Wiimotes for multiplayer.

We've been blessed with some utterly cracking games in the platform/puzzle genres this year, so much so that, again, the shortlist is notable for its many absences - not because those games were bad, but simply because there just wasn't any room. Both LEGO and Mario had double returns this year, with NSMB2 and LEGO Batman 2 narrowly missing out on slots in the table below. We could have counted Journey amongst the contenders in this category but ultimately felt that there were finer exponents of "pure" platforming and puzzling - though the unbridled joy with which we glided and floated across the desert provided some of the most striking and unforgettable memories of the year. Fantastic marketplace titles such as Quantum Conundrum, Mark of the Ninja, The Splatters and Vessel didn't quite make the cut, though that says more about the abundance of quality this year rather than anything particularly disparaging about those two games.

It should be noted, too,  that two of the very best platformers of the year arrived on iOS of all places. Written off in some quarters as a platform that would never be able to provide quality platformers, iOS served up the delicious double whammy of Beat Sneak Bandit and Rayman Jungle Run this year to silence detractors.

Put simply, if you were a platform/puzzle fan, 2012 was stuffed with win...

NB. Click on the thumbnails for price comparisons and the game's title for the relevant review where available.

	Title	Description
	Fez	In many ways, Fez reminded us of Portal. Both create moments of supreme frustration in the player at the limits of knowledge and understanding, and both provide exceptional payoffs when the player finally overcomes those hurdles. If you were willing to play the game and truly get involved, Fez rewarded you time and time again. With its simple conceit (and fantastic execution), Fez took a commendably mature approach to letting you discover things for yourself. It was a flawed work of brilliance to be sure (*cough* patches), but brilliance nonetheless.
	LittleBigPlanet Vita	LittleBigPlanet Vita was a triumph of handheld development, an unprecedented creative outlet that will remain relevant, varied and important throughout the console's lifespan. The campaign was great fun while it lasted, and once the community got into full swing, it literally became the last Vita game you'd ever need.
	LEGO Lord of the Rings	LEGO Lord of the Rings was charming and delightful, as all of Traveller's Tales' LEGO games have been. But it was also phenomenally authentic, with a humourous irreverence that proved simultaneously both utterly LEGO and absolutely LOTR. Superb fun with a friend, with some wonderfully cracking setpieces, it narrowly edged out LEGO Batman 2 to make this list. Made unmissable by having TT's LEGO pranks set to the RSC tones of Ian McKellen. And Boromir being killed with a banana.
	New Super Mario Bros. U	New Super Mario Bros. U might not have proven to be a revolution, but its tight level design, unpredictability, new features and thoughtful MiiVerse implementation made it one of the most enjoyable Mario games in years. A nigh-essential purchase for early Wii U adopters despite not being a perfect ambassador for the new system.
	Stealth Bastard Deluxe	A triumphant fusion of pure stealth, cerebral puzzling and technical platforming, Stealth Bastard Deluxe finally let us shower Curve Studios in money as they built upon their fantastic, free, retro-tinged stealth-em-up, making it an essential purchase for fans of both genres and one of the most exciting indie games of 2012.
	Thomas Was Alone	Mike Bithell's Thomas Was Alone delivered a bona fide indie masterpiece that reminded us just how powerful, engaging and ambitious videogames could be...all via the medium of geometric shapes. But even if you didn't buy into that, perhaps it was "just" a really neat puzzle game with great voice acting and a killer soundtrack. Either way, you owed it to yourself to play Thomas Was Alone this year.
	Trials Evolution	As well as being bastard hard, Trials Evolution was also enormous fun. Whether shaving nanoseconds off of your times, or enjoying the pick-up-and-play appeal of the multiplayer modes and racing your friends, Trials Evolution delivered ultimate satisfaction and boundless entertainment. Better yet, RedLynx took a leaf out of Media Molecule's book, providing a comprehensive level editor that has ensured that there's not been a week gone by this year without having engaged in some fast and furious motorcross platforming. Unmissable.

Platform: Wii U

Developer: Nintendo EAD

Publisher: Nintendo

If the minigame-heavy Nintendo Land is akin to throwing new Wii U owners straight in at the deep end, New Super Mario Bros. U is designed to gently ease players into their new console. It's a 2D Mario game. We know how they work. You (and potentially three friends) will caper through some colourful environments, stomp some Goombas, find some secrets and generally frolic in the cheerful timeless fun of it all.

However, Mario's latest outing has drawn a fair amount of pre-launch criticism for a perceived lack of innovation. Or to put it bluntly: it's another "New Super Mario Bros" game that plays out much the same as the Wii, DS and 3DS versions. Instead of a Galaxy, Sunshine or 64, it's an oddly conservative affair that plays to the strengths of the franchise - not the platform.

These criticisms may be valid, but New Super Mario Bros. U has a trick up its sleeve. Rather than being a Wii U tech demo or Gamepad proof of concept, it's just an exceptionally enjoyable and well-crafted game. With inflatable singing Yoshi babies.

Cheers of joy went over the land when Nintendo announced that Nintendo Land, the upcoming collection of party games featuring many of the company’s franchises, would be bundled with the Premium Pack version of the console at launch. To see what the fuss is all about, we’ve got a trailer for you to see, along with one for the next iteration of the Mario series, after the jump.

As well as announcing the drop date and pricing for the Wii U in Japan, Nintendo also revealed pricing for launch titles New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land in Japan. 

The latest issue of Game Informer, not to mention an enormous clutch of new screenshots, sheds some light on Mario's first adventure on Nintendo's new console. Seven varied worlds have been revealed, along with an incredibly stressful scrolling Boost Mode.

Following the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2 on the 3DS (review incoming), Nintendo has defended their decision to iterate on the franchise rather than innovate; stating that they only release a 2D Mario game "once per platform" before looking to fresh ideas. This practice seems likely to continue... unless Miyamoto decides otherwise.

Mario has never looked better. As I quipped within hours of arriving back to the UK after a long haul Los Angeles flight, the clunkily-titled New Super Mario Bros U could have justifiably been named Super Mario HD, such is the visual impact of the step up from Wii to Wii U. The lavish colourful levels and adorable familiar characters pop out of the screen, crisper and sharper than ever before. In many ways, it's a new lease of life for the plumber and pals.

In others, however, it's not quite so simple. Rather than attempting to cram an inordinate number of Wii U gimmicks into their new flagship title, Nintendo decided to iterate on the Wii's New (old?) Super Mario Bros: the four-player 2D platformer. You'll still hop along platforms, bop onto enemies, collect some powerups and mischievously cooperate with a few friends along the way. Instead of a Wii U tech demo, it's a masterclass in classic Mario gameplay, designed to immediately resonate with the legion of existing fans and sucker in new players with its simple premise. A strategy which has proved somewhat divisive in terms of early player feedback, to say the least.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Though some gamers feel that a new Nintendo console deserves an entirely new Mario game, the three levels I played at E3 showcased everything we love about the series, not to mention a few nifty surprises involving the Wii U Gamepad and inflatable dinosaurs.

Josh

By virtue of having arguably the most exciting news to tell in years, Nintendo's conference was perhaps the most disappointing of all. If last year was an exercise in how not to announce a new console, this year was an exercise in, well, how not to announce it a second time round.

Ubisoft had already piqued interest with Rayman Legends and ZombiU – two games that look to be making the most of the Wii U's unique selling point (that whopping great gamepad with built-in screen) – and we were ready for Nintendo to keep the momentum going with a host of fresh, vibrant new launch IPs with which to win back their hardcore fanbase. And hey, chuck in a few family-friendly titles too. We're not averse to good, wholesome fun.

Unfortunately, Nintendo's idea of catering to the hardcore seemed to me to be a procession of trailers for games we've already played, now with added gimmicks. Arkham City is a great game, of that there can be no doubt, but we'll have finished Harley's Revenge months before the Armored Edition hits store shelves. Mass Effect 3? Trine 2? Ninja Gaiden 3?

To their credit, bagging Scribblenauts Universe, Lego City: Undercover, and Aliens: Colonial Marines are a big deal, and getting hands-on with them in a literal sense is an intriguing prospect. Pikmin 3 also made for an endearing opening act, but by the time Reggie was wrapping up a laboured and overly long Nintendoland reveal, any momentum had long since stalled.

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Despite looking phenomenally like New. Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo's Wii U launch title New Super Mario Bros. U will apparently feature a number of things to set it apart from its predecessors.

Announced during the Ninty E3 Press Conference, New Super Mario Bros. U will integrate fully with the Wii U's MiiVerse, allowing gamers to play as their Miis, as well as throwing up challenges and notifying players when their level scores have been bested.