Unfortunately for them, their newest digital offering for the Wii U is Dr. Luigi, the newest game in the long running Dr. Mario franchise, that skins it with the lesser known Mario brother to celebrate the ongoing ‘Year of Luigi.’ Dr. Luigi is, like all Dr. Mario games, a good title, which can provide for a lot of addictive fun- indeed, judged on its own merits, it’s actually a fairly great offering that I would advise everyone to pick up. Unfortunately, Dr. Luigi is also shockingly priced, netting you $15, which is just $5 less than New Super Luigi U, which was essentially a full price game.

Ultimately, Dr. Luigi struggles to justify its price, and this is the largest knock against it- it’s a good game, that at a cheaper price would be recommended to everybody, but at its current asking price, should be avoided at all costs.

"Both Virus Buster and Flash modes make a return from Dr. Mario Online RX (the Wii entry), as does the aforementioned Online mode, and both largely feel as familiar as you would expect them to- nothing has actually changed between their previous appearance and this one."

Of course, the game has other issues as well, and these are only compounded when the price is considered in the equation- whereas Dr. Luigi is a surprisingly full featured game, offering multiple game modes, and even an unfettered online mode (once again, uncharacteristic for Nintendo), a whole lot of it will be largely familiar to any player who has played recent Dr. Mario games. Both Virus Buster and Flash modes make a return from Dr. Mario Online RX (the Wii entry), as does the aforementioned Online mode, and both largely feel as familiar as you would expect them to- nothing has actually changed between their previous appearance and this one.

That is actually a failing that pervades all of Dr. Luigi- I recognize that the game is by its very structure and nature restricted as to how much it can evolve and grow (for those who somehow do not know, Dr. Mario was Nintendo’s take on the Tetris formula, and it involves you lining up pills to eliminate viruses from the playing field), but there are still things it could do to expand the scope of the game and seem like more than an apparently cynical repackaging of Dr. Mario Online RX but with just a Luigi skin. We have the same mechanics, we have the same game modes, the game even seems to look and sound largely the same. General disdain at this perceived recycling of the product aside, the other bigger issue is that the game and its mechanics feel dated too, especially in light of some better puzzle games that have thrived on XBL and PSN in recent years.

One thing that has changed is limited to the new Operation L mode- in this mode, the only pills you get are, as the name suggests, L shaped (two pills conjoined to create a compound L). This creates an interesting new dynamic, as lining up pills always means you need to consider one arm of the L, making perfect placement almost impossible unless you give it some very careful thought. It can get frustrating at times, but it adds a wrinkle to the game’s mechanics and puts some challenge into the game again, breathing new life into a formula that is at this point very creaky and old.

"As it stands, it simply cannot be recommended at its current price at all. Maybe Nintendo set a bad precedent when an offering as meaty and substantial as New Super Luigi U was offered for $20, but when a game like Dr. Luigi costs nearly as much, you know somewhere down the line, their pricing curve went horribly wrong."

The great thing is that all of these modes, including, yes, Operation L, are however supported for versus and online play. So if the rather dated Virus Blaster or Flash modes don’t appeal to you for online play, you can always just try a match (ranked or unranked) in Operation L. Online play is lag free, and while there are some UI annoyances (you have to exit and make a room from the beginning if, for example, you chose the wrong game type while creating a room), it’s still a good offering from a company that is otherwise known to be almost shockingly online averse.

The core game product here is good- it has its issues, but it is a fun, good game, that would be recommended to Wii U owners were it not priced so obscenely. As it stands, it simply cannot be recommended at its current price at all. Maybe Nintendo set a bad precedent when an offering as meaty and substantial as New Super Luigi U was offered for $20, but when a game like Dr. Luigi costs nearly as much, you know somewhere down the line, their pricing curve went horribly wrong.

It’s a good game, I guess, and if there is ever an eShop sale, maybe you can look at it, but for now, stay away. If you have $15 to blow, go throw in another $5 and get the excellent New Super Luigi U instead.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Wii U.

Nintendo went nuts with downloading new, download only content and games for the Wii U during its Nintendo Direct webcast today, as they announced a stream of content for the faltering console.

One of these announcements included the NES Remixes, which are essentially NES ROM hacks, and put a new spin on a familiar game- for example, players might be tasked with completing a familiar Super Mario Bros. stage while running to the left. Or they might encounter a revamped level of Donkey Kong that allows them to play as Link from The Legend of Zelda series. The games come with Miiverse and Stamps (Nintendo’s version of Achievements) capability, and they sell for $15 each.

Nintendo also announced Dr. Luigi, as a celebration of the continuing Year of Luigi, which is essentially a Luigi themed Dr. Mario game. The game also comes with a Dr. Mario mode for all you purists, Wii U Gamepad support, and Miiverse compatibility. It will sell for $15.

Sonic: Lost World on Wii U will be getting free DLC, as it gets Yoshi’s Island Zone, done in the now famous Yoshi art style, and replete with pipes, coins, Shy Guys and Piranha Plants.

Finally, Wii Sports Club, the HD enhanced, online play enabled Wii U version of Wii Sports, will be getting its third sport, golf. Golf will play in a completely new way, asking players to place their Gamepad on the floor, and using the Wiimote to swing at the ball on the Gamepad, finally utilizing the promise of the tech demo shown off at E3 nearly three years ago.

“Today’s announcements reinforce that Nintendo systems are consumers’ best options for enjoying quality games now, and will continue to be in 2014,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president and COO. “From new upcoming games in the Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. series to original Nintendo eShop content like NES Remix, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS provide a combination of value and variety that only Nintendo can offer.”

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.