right? Turns out, when Nintendo said this would be the Year Of Luigi? Holy crap, were

they serious! As serious as Bowser's thing for blondes. That's pretty freaking serious.

Luigi's already starred in two of the year's best 3DS games, and now?

Dude gets to save the princess. Like, the blonde one.

Don't tell big brother. It's New Super Luigi U.

So this is kind of weird, but...this is both downloadable content, and not downloadable

content. Yes, New Super Luigi U is an add-on to the Wii U launch title New Super Mario

Bros. U, but...it's also a standalone product. You can either buy it on Nintendo's eShop,

as DLC...or you can buy it in stores, as its own product. That's awesome. Kudos to Nintendo

for not only making a great game, but for giving people options.

Figures, though, with Luigi. He's a man of the people.

It's his brother, that's the fascist.

Of course, to be fair, he is borrowing the framework of his brother's game. This is basically

Mario U: The Remix. It has the same worlds, the same map, the same basic structure...but

with entirely new level designs. So yes, it's still Acorn Plains and Soda Jungle, but...they've

never played quite like this.

I'm not saying this is the Wii U's answer to the Lost Levels...but I'm not saying it

isn't, either. I mean, the level designs in Mario U were some of the best Nintendo had

done in years for a 2D Mario game. But like most Mario games, the difficulty only really

picks up at the end. With Luigi U, it starts right at the beginning. Where Mario games

build to a crescendo, Luigi skips the intro...and just starts crashing the brass.

Actually, Luigi shows a similar disregard for physics, and gravity. As has become a

trademark of the Green Baron, dude floats and slips and slides all over the place. It's

kind of like playing every level with the physics of an ice world. On top of the game's

deliciously brutal level design, that makes Luigi U even more of a challenge.

His quirks take some getting used to, but they're really rewarding to master. And fun.

Actually, the gameplay's more interesting with Luigi, and a whole lot more complex.

Speaking of complex...seriously, these levels are ridiculous. And ridiculously creative,

too. With the game's framework already in place, all Nintendo had to worry about were

the levels. And when you play Luigi U...you can see the attention that went into them.

And they're created specifically for Luigi...as well as his 100-second time limits. So there's

a seamless marriage between the game's mechanics and its design.

Between ...Peach and Mario. Or so we thought. But alas, an empty chair...and a lonely red

hat, without an owner.

Maybe its owner is off with Pauline.

You know, this is like two games for the price of one. Playing Luigi U gave me this irresistible

urge to play Mario U again, and man...somehow, that game's even better than I remembered.

And playing it after this, especially...that really brings into focus what Luigi U is all

about. This is the familiar turned on its head. It's a game you're convinced you know...but

that surprises you, one level after another.

Obviously, it's a celebration of Luigi, decorated with his sprites like green balloons at a

birthday party, but New Super Luigi U is more than that, too. It's fantastic design, sharp

controls and endless charm, all coming together to say...

This is how you make a platformer, guys.

It also mumbled in fear a few times. But that's...that's just Luigi.