New Super Mario Bros. U is one of the major launch titles on the Wii U, but it has been clouded by negative publicity over the last few weeks. After the title was supposed to showcase 1080i graphics, the claim was retracted and controversy struck among fans.
Possibly in hopes to diffusing the negative press, Nintendo has just unveiled news on the title revolving around two new modes in the game: Coin Battle and Challenge Mode.
Challenge mode tasks players with specific objectives such as clearing a level without touching a coin or touching the ground. There are four single-player Challenge categories including Time Attack, Coin Collection, 1-Up Rally, and Special. With Time Attack, players must clear the level in a specific amount of time. Coin Collection pits them with collecting a certain number of times and Special forces them into different challenges.
In Coin Battle Mode, up to 5 players can compete to see who collects the most coins. One player uses the Wii U gamepad to place boost blocks to help the other four (using the Wiimote) reach harder coins.
The title will also feature "Nabbit," a creature who will appear on the world map from time to time. Players can challenge this creature to retain items he stole from Toad. If players can catch nabbit, they get a P-Acorn which allows them to fly continuously through a stage without stopping. It is the only way to reach a P-Acorn. The P-Acorn was featured in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Nabbit is similar to the Hammer Bros from the same title who when defeated gave players a free item for later use.