The problem for me is that Mario games, in the past, have been one of the (if not the) defining reason to buy a Nintendo console. Nintendo would take the systems features and craft a game that was not only fun and creative, but justified said features. Things like scaling and rotating objects/enemies in Mario World, the analog stick for true 3D movement in Mario 64, the double click on the shoulder buttons of Mario Sunshine, and the motion controls of the Mario Galaxy games. This is an update to a handheld title, a title designed around the fact that it can be played in true 3D. This game does not, yet it features the same design (including those cubed bonus rooms) of 3D Land and shares level themes with both 3D Land and the NSMB series. Where is the imagination? Where is the creativity? Where is the innovation? Where is the drive to take a risk and tell the industry No, this is how you are supposed to do it!? And most importantly, where is justification of the Wii U's signature feature (the Gamepad)? Nintendo poured so much R&D into that thing and yet not a single game from them really justifies its existence. That was supposed to be this game's job and so far it has failed miserably. Will it be a fun game? Of that, I have no doubt. Can it still be a disappointment? Absolutley. And for me, and apparently others, it is.