Support NeoGAF

[Sixfortyfive]

With the Wii version of Mario All-Stars on the shelves in most corners of the world now, I figure it would be as good of a time as any to revisit what is possibly the most iconic video game series of all time. Having never played All-Stars before, I'm going to be sitting down with the Wii version over the next couple of weeks or so replaying the series from start to finish, sharing thoughts on the games along the way: old memories, favorite/least favorite elements, some possibly obscure tips and tricks, and whatever else comes to mind. I encourage others to join in and do the same. Doesn't have to be All-Stars; any version of these games (NES, VC, other) would suffice. Feel free to share thoughts on other games in the series (World, Land, YI, etc.) if you like, but I personally have no intention of playing anything besides these 4 NES titles at the moment.

SUPER MARIO BROS (1985)

It is difficult to overstate just how important this video game was and is. Stuff like it just didn't exist, and it struck a sweet spot between accessibility, complexity, and just plain fun that few entries in the medium have done, imo. It's also the first video game that I ever played, when I was 4 years old, and if I think back hard enough I can still remember the absolutely mindblowing experience that was playing TV for the very first time. And also how long it took to train myself into hitting A to jump instead of Up, heh.

I much prefer to judge older games on how they hold up against their modern peers and successors. If a game can only be considered great by ignoring a ton of stuff that bested it, then it's not really great imo. I'm pretty quick to jump on people for viewing things through nostalgia filters, and it's not uncommon for me to come to dislike some games that I adored in my youth for one reason or another. Because of that, I'm generally surprised at how much I still enjoy the original Super Mario Bros. and how favorably I think it compares to several of its imitators and even some of its direct sequels. It can be a little repetitive at times, but busting bricks, stomping on Goombas, kicking shells around, and jumping over chasms at breakneck speeds are just inherently fun things to do and don't really get old. I've also come to appreciate games that give you a limited but fun skillset and challenge you to master said skillset, so the later entries of this series that give you a lot more power-ups and allow for a lot more exploration aren't necessarily better in my eyes, just different. Playing through SMB1 from start to finish without warps is still plenty entertaining for me, and if you've never done so before I really think you ought to give it a shot.

Protip: If you've somehow made it through life without knowing that Super Mario is 10x more fun when you're basically holding down the run button at all times, now you know.

SUPER MARIO BROS 2: FOR SUPER PLAYERS (1986)
aka SUPER MARIO BROS: THE LOST LEVELS (1993)

If SMB2J is known only for one thing, it's the comically exaggerated reputation it holds among gamers as some sort of platform hell experience nearly unrivaled in difficulty and cheapness. I've discussed this at length on the forum before, but to summarize: Every last one of you who believes this either does not remember what truly unfair NES games were like or are too young or underexposed to have experienced them. Most of my thoughts on this game are detailed in the previous link, so I'd rather direct you there than copy/paste that wall of text here.

In short, SMB2J is all about two things: testing and subverting your knowledge of the original Super Mario Bros. It exhibits pretty much everything that made that game great, with a few tweaks and additions. This is the first game in the series to incorporate a high bounce off of enemies you stomp on, but it works a little differently here and is dependent on little besides the angle and velocity you strike the enemy in question. While the game looks and sounds much the same, stage layouts can be a fair bit more complex than the first game at times. Mario and Luigi also have different physics; Mario handles much the same way he did in SMB1, but Luigi can jump higher at the expense of some traction.

And despite my assertion that this game isn't nearly as difficult as the Internet would have you believe, it's at least the most difficult entry in the mainline Mario series. It's also my favorite platformer of all time. Fuck all of those games that give you a ton of power-ups and abilities but never force you to master a single one of them.

SUPER MARIO BROS 2 USA (1988)

Howard Lincoln sucked at Mario 2. He sucked at it so bad, in fact, that he threw a hissy fit and prohibited it from being released on American shores. So Nintendo took some weird Arabian themed platformer, gave it a Mario makeover, and released that over here as Mario 2 instead. The End.

Despite that summary, I still think this game is plenty enjoyable in its own right, and it did introduce a few things that have been cemented into the franchise at large (Peach's unique moveset, various Subcon enemies, etc). I've only played it to completion once or twice though and am not nearly as familiar with it as I am with the others, so I'm actually looking forward to revisiting this game a little more than the other titles in this collection.

If nothing else, we got two "Mario 2s" instead of one, so that's kind of cool I'd say.

SUPER MARIO BROS 3 (1990)

While Nintendo probably could have gotten away with releasing very incremental updates to the original Mario formula with new stages, they seemed to have been wise enough to realize that they'd need something more than that to keep people coming back in droves. And Mario 3 is certainly a hell of a lot more than a fresh coat of paint. The stages are only about half as long as those of its immediate predecessor, but there are twice as many of them, and the locales, obstacles, and tools at Mario's disposal are packed with a ton of variety this time around. No matter what other games in the series may bring to the table from here on out, it seems that either SMB3 or SMW is always going to be held up as the gold standard among longtime fans.

This game probably deserves a longer summary, but I'm kind of sick of typing up this OP at this point and would rather start playing. I'll try to have some SMB1 posts up by tomorrow.

Get to it, GAF!

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

This is a cool thread. I think I'll participate in this, but I may only play 1 and 2j because those are the only ones I have available (the NES versions, at least, I have All-Stars).

I have to agree that 2j is a really great game, and people don't give it enough credit. I guess it looks like I'm parroting you, but I remember it being a lot more enjoyable than 3, although I haven't played through 3 for a long time.

 

[Android18a]

Just a quick thought, but the very concept of the Run Button is fabulous. They could have easily made Mario's regular speed into his running speed, but they gave you the option. I've played far too many platformers where the main character is so fast it's almost uncontrollable (not Sonic, I'm talking Zool and stuff here).

Is it just me, or do you just feel more in control when you're holding down a run button? If Mario had a running speed as standard, I fear I'd feel like I wasn't really in control. It's different in 3D, but on 2D platformers I can't live without a run button. :lol

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Just a quick thought, but the very concept of the Run Button is fabulous.

There was some guy in a Mario thread not so long ago that thought the very idea of a run button was The Worst Thing Ever and equated it to pointless double-jumps and lock-and-key mechanics. It was weird.

 

[Why would you do that?]

I'll participate. I have the NES 1, 2, and 3, and the SNES Lost Levels. (It's easier, i.e. not near impossible to make a certain jump in one of the later worlds. It also has awesome boss music.)

Can't wait for 7-4 in Lost Levels. Also 8-2.

Also, the lead-up to the final boss in Super Mario Bros. 2 is one of the most awesome things ever. I even made a thread because of it.

 

[fernoca]

Oh yeah, even up to this day every time I grab a 2D game, I immediately press and hold one button to run and sometimes also when pressing jump, to jump farther. :lol

For some weird reason, my most played Mario game out of the ones in the OP is Super Mario Bros 2 (USA). I think is my favorite, 3 which I really liked never clicked enough with me. But 2, is a game that even today I can play from beginning to end with no problems.

I'll see if I can jump into this.

 

[Why would you do that?]

Oh yeah, even up to this day every time I grab a 2D game, I immediately press and hold one button to run and sometimes also when pressing jump, to jump farther. :lol

I do this, too... Even in some 3D games.

As a side note, thanks to New SMB Wii, I also shake the controller when in midair. It's really bad when I'm playing on a DS. The screen flops everywhere when I shake it.

 

[Sgt.Pepper]

I forgot I had SMB3 in my wii. I'll find time to play it this week.

And the NES credits are much better than the All Stars version.

/runs

 

[Jucksalbe]

And the NES credits are much better than the All Stars version.

What's the difference?

 

[Marvie_3]

I'm in. I have them all on VC and still picked up the All-Stars version. :lol

 

[Shiggy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83N3CvonZh0

 

[Requeim]

The Nes version of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island are the best platformers ever made

also, Super Mario World is mediocre as fuck

that is all

 

[Boney]

Was just playing Mario 3 yesterday. Soo gooood.

 

[crowphoenix]

I beat Super Mario 3 for the first time last Christmas. I'll have to play some other Mario game this year.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Okay, so, a quick summary of the 25th anniversary package:

The box says that "interviews with the series creators" are included, but it's a bit of a stretch to call these little snippets interviews. It's basically a couple of sentences of comments on each major game in the franchise, 2D and 3D. If you're expecting Iwata Asks caliber stuff here, you're not getting it.

The booklet does include some full color photos of design documents and art, but it's only like a couple of pages worth. More of THAT kind of stuff would have made for awesome collector's edition material. Missed opportunity.

I haven't popped the soundtrack CD into my computer, and I'm probably not going to anytime soon. Ten music tracks I've heard before plus ten more tracks for individual sound effects from the original SMB, lol.

To refer back to an argument from a previous thread, Yoshi's Island is absolutely nowhere to be seen in the included materials in any form, so to all of you who consider it a "Mario" game.

This horse has been beaten to death aleady, but yeah, this is a pretty underwhelming package. Basically boils down to whether or not you feel All Stars is worth $30 or if you think this is going to maintain its value on the second-hand market as a collector's item in years to come.

Now to start playing. I think I'll be doing no-warp runs through each game and keeping track of my death count.

SUPER MARIO BROS

Straight ROM dump of All-Stars, seemingly. Still 1993 copyright dates on everything and such. All-Stars version of this game looks nice, but the music BLOWS. Holy shit. I can also immediately see what other people were talking about wrt the differences in how brick-smashing feels in this game compared to the originals. I can see that being annoying later, but this is still Mario, pretty much.

Emulation seems fine. Somebody was saying that he experienced lag in a store demo, but after playing it myself I'm willing to chalk that up to the TV he played on.

World 1-1: For those who didn't read it in Iwata Asks or elsewhere, the first stage of SMB was the one that took the longest for the team to design because they wanted to make sure that it served as a proper introduction for new players. For example, the very first stretch of the stage is designed so that the Goomba is easy to avoid but the Super Mushroom is not.

Score has always seemed stupid and pointless to me in Mario and probably always will.

1-2: Oh man, the brick-smashing change is definitely going to drive me up the wall by the time this is done.

1-3: Okay, you know how the first stage in the game has that hidden 1UP near the beginning? The first stage of every world has a hidden 1UP like that, but there's some kind of weird requirement to get it to show up. I think you have to (1) collect all the coins on the third stage of the previous world or (2) warp to that world to get it to show. Kind of obscure.

1-4: The fuck is the point of those 6 invisible coin blocks in the middle of the stage, anyway? And is that boss theme an All-Stars original or pulled from something else?

2-2: First underwater stage. If you didn't know this already, some Bloopers always move in the direction that Mario faces. If you look to the left, they'll swim to the left, and vice-versa. Usually useful when you want to get them off of you. Some of them always seem to chase you no matter what though.

2-3: First Cheep Cheep bridge. These stages are always easier if you hold the run button down at all times. The moment you stop to collect an item or something, you're asking for trouble. Doesn't stop me from trying though.

3-1: Koopa shell on the stairs trick is harder to do in this game than any of the others it's in, imo. I also thought it was funny that, in addition to being able to roll over the lives counter to negavite numbers in the original version causing an instant game over, the lives counter wasn't programmed to display numbers any higher than 9 without glitching.

3-3: This is the stage where you can jump over the flag, right? Can you still do that in All-Stars?

4-3: Always liked the way this stage looked. Also appreciated that the above ground area of 4-2 matches it. Nice little touch.

4-4: FUCKING MAZES. If there's one thing I like about All-Stars and SMB DX, it's the audio cues they give you to let you know when you fucked up. Least favorite stages of the original version, by far.

5-3: This is the first repeat stage, right? Same as 1-3, with smaller platforms and Bullet Bills.

6-4: WALL-OF-HAMMERS BOWSER! Shit's terrifying when you don't have a power-up.

8-2: First death of the game on a pit that I should have been able to jump easily. Whoops.

8-4: Easy way to remember the solution of this stage: Every time you cross a lava pit, take the very next pipe.

One death. Fucking hell. Maybe I'll go through the second quest after beating the other games.

Lost Levels tomorrow, probably.

 

[Marvie_3]

I think I'll be doing no-warp runs

The only way to play.

 

[Marvie_3]

Decided to start a no death, every stage playthrough of SMB1. Had to restart on 3-4 after I didn't quite make it under Bowser. Got back to 5-1 but I have to finish it tomorrow.

 

[Son.Ralph.Funk]

Don't forget about vs. Super Mario Bros., the arcade version of SMB. It was the same as SMB, except (I'm going from memory here, so it may not be 100% accurate) it was harder. For example:

-if you got a 1Up mushroom on a level and then died, it wouldn't appear again

-the warp zone in 1-2 only leads to World 2, and not World 3 and 4

-some of the levels are designed a little differently. There was one level where you were forced to hit invisible bricks and work your way up the screen to a green pipe for example

-you couldn't do things like repeated 1Ups from trapping a turtle on the stairs and doing the "inifinte" bouncing

The original arcade cabinets made the game unnecessarily harder as well, as they had a joystick that had to be moved a certain distance from neutral before any response. Terrible, terrible joystick. I don't know what they were thinking.

 

[jarosh]

SUPER MARIO BROS 2 USA (1988)

Howard Lincoln sucked at Mario 2. He sucked at it so bad, in fact, that he threw a hissy fit and prohibited it from being released on American shores. So Nintendo took some weird Arabian themed platformer, gave it a Mario makeover, and released that over here as Mario 2 instead. The End.

ah yes, the usual misinformation or summary dismissal of mario 2 usa. guess who developed doki doki panic (the game it's based on)? nintendo ead. guess who designed it? miyamoto. guess who wrote the music? koji kondo. so really, it was very much a nintendo game made by the mario team. and it was an excellent nintendo game. then it got an extra layer of polish when it was converted into a mario game. it also established many things for the mario universe that we take for granted today. alas, it will always be the black sheep of the 2d mario games. but it's still my favorite of the nes marios.

 

[mandiller]

I got the Super Mario Collection for Wii recently. I've started playing Mario 3 because I've never gotten further than the second world before in my countless times of trying to play it over the years and have always wanted to finish it. So I might participate and post some impressions when I play some more.

My favourite mario game is Super Mario World for the GBA. Portable and awesome. A good combination.

 

[Natetan]

ah yes, the usual misinformation or summary dismissal of mario 2 usa. guess who developed doki doki panic (the game it's based on)? nintendo ead. guess who designed it? miyamoto. guess who wrote the music? koji kondo. so really, it was very much a nintendo game made by the mario team. and it was an excellent nintendo game. then it got an extra layer of polish when it was converted into a mario game. it also established many things for the mario universe that we take for granted today. alas, it will always be the black sheep of the 2d mario games. but it's still my favorite of the nes marios.

smb2 was so awesome, and the retcon disdain for it seems all based on trying to be 'in' on all the stuff in Japan or something. Well everyone knows it's doki doki panic so there's no gamer cache anymore for knowing that. I think we should all realize that it is an awesome game.

 

[cvxfreak]

I'd argue Super Mario Bros. 2/Super Mario
USA aged the best out of all the NES Mario games.

 

[Chuckie]

smb2 was so awesome, and the retcon disdain for it seems all based on trying to be 'in' on all the stuff in Japan or something. Well everyone knows it's doki doki panic so there's no gamer cache anymore for knowing that. I think we should all realize that it is an awesome game.

You could be very right about that.

I have loved SMB2 since I was a young lad and I still love it today. Up untill this day I am still waiting for a Wart comeback... that dude was awesome. All the enemies were.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Vs. Super Mario Bros.

VSMB is a very nice remix of the game, indeed. The biggest difference you didn't mention is that some of the levels are pulled straight from SMB2J, usually to replace the duplicate levels and making the game both a little less repetitive and a little more challenging.

The only problem I have with it is that some of those SMB2J stages are not meant to be played with SMB1's physics (no high bounce), and it shows at times. Other than that, pretty solid.

SMB2 USA

For what it's worth, I knew most of that already and enjoy the game a little more than the OP lets on.

 

[LCfiner]

I tend to agree with Ryan Davis that SMB2 was so awesome because it was "weird as shit". Even as a kid playing it for the first time at a friend's house, I knew it was friggin' weird and I loved it for that.

I wish I knew more about the intricacies of the NES Mario games but I never played them to the point of memorizing all the warp zones and minus world tricks and all that.

SNES SMW remains the only Mario game that I ever really mastered.

 

[Oblivion]

ah yes, the usual misinformation or summary dismissal of mario 2 usa. guess who developed doki doki panic (the game it's based on)? nintendo ead. guess who designed it? miyamoto. guess who wrote the music? koji kondo. so really, it was very much a nintendo game made by the mario team. and it was an excellent nintendo game. then it got an extra layer of polish when it was converted into a mario game. it also established many things for the mario universe that we take for granted today. alas, it will always be the black sheep of the 2d mario games. but it's still my favorite of the nes marios.

Seriously, yo?

The box says that "interviews with the series creators" are included, but it's a bit of a stretch to call these little snippets interviews. It's basically a couple of sentences of comments on each major game in the franchise, 2D and 3D. If you're expecting Iwata Asks caliber stuff here, you're not getting it.

Go ahead and post them, please.

 

[Marvie_3]

ah yes, the usual misinformation or summary dismissal of mario 2 usa. guess who developed doki doki panic (the game it's based on)? nintendo ead. guess who designed it? miyamoto. guess who wrote the music? koji kondo. so really, it was very much a nintendo game made by the mario team. and it was an excellent nintendo game. then it got an extra layer of polish when it was converted into a mario game. it also established many things for the mario universe that we take for granted today. alas, it will always be the black sheep of the 2d mario games. but it's still my favorite of the nes marios.

Same here. Never understood the hate for SMB2.

 

[Sill4]

Played through SMW with my sister over the weekend, fucking awesome game. I may go through either SMB3 or NSMBWii this week.

Also, add me in with the SMB2 USA lovers. It is so much fun to play, even today. When I used to play the original Mario All Stars on SNES as a kid, it was my go to game. Probably the game I've completed the most times in my entire life.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

The booklet does include some full color photos of design documents and art, but it's only like a couple of pages worth. More of THAT kind of stuff would have made for awesome collector's edition material. Missed opportunity.

My favorite is the SMW era drawing of Mario on Yoshi. It makes clear that the "Hit Yoshi on head to make him stick out tongue" animation is really supposed to be Mario pointing at a target. :lol

 

[Koren]

Interesting topic...

Just...

So Nintendo took some weird Arabian themed platformer, gave it a Mario makeover, and released that over here as Mario 2 instead. The End.

Is it ?

If I'm not mistaken Miyamoto wasn't very involved in Super Mario Bros 2-Lost Levels. And on the opposite, I've read that he spent much time developping Doki doki panic. DDP also include many things close to the Mario Universe...

Some says that DDP is the SMB2 that Miyamoto wanted to create. I won't go that far... But at the end of the day, I wouldn't say that it's a "weird arabian themed platformer with a Mario makeover"...

 

[Son.Ralph.Funk]

VSMB is a very nice remix of the game, indeed. The biggest difference you didn't mention is that some of the levels are pulled straight from SMB2J, usually to replace the duplicate levels and making the game both a little less repetitive and a little more challenging.

The only problem I have with it is that some of those SMB2J stages are not meant to be played with SMB1's physics (no high bounce), and it shows at times. Other than that, pretty solid.


For what it's worth, I knew most of that already and enjoy the game a little more than the OP lets on.

The funny thing is, I only found out a couple of years ago that the home version actually came FIRST, and that the arcade version came later. For more than 20 years I assumed the arcade version came first, and the home version was a port. When did Super Mario Bros. come out in North America (ie, the NES version as opposed to the Famicom version)? Was it after the arcade? I certainly don't remember hearing about the game before I first saw it in the arcade.

The biggest difference you didn't mention is that some of the levels are pulled straight from SMB2J

Wait, you're saying that vs. Super Mario Bros. came out AFTER SMB2? Like I said above, I knew that it came out after SMB, but I didn't know it came out after SMB2. That's very strange.

 

[Tr4nce]

Super Mario 1 from 1985? Holy effing ****... Where did the time go?

 

[Like the hat?]

will play them all on my all-stars disc

I am going to be hated for this, but SMB2 USA is my favorite NES Mario game.

edit: guess I'm not the only one! subcon for life.

 

[Chuckie]

I am going to be hated for this, but SMB2 USA is my favorite NES Mario game.

I doubt you will get hated for that. Although I love SMB3 slightly more I (and many in this thread so far) totally love SMB2 USA (why USA btw.... it's also 2 in Europe)

 

[EvilMario]

The only game I can't stand the All-Star version of is Super Mario Bros. The controls compared to the original are not nearly as tight, and I actually enjoy the original sprites.

 

[BocoDragon]

I doubt you will get hated for that. Although I love SMB3 slightly more I (and many in this thread so far) totally love SMB2 USA (why USA btw.... it's also 2 in Europe)

It was called Super Mario USA when it was (re)released in Japan.

1. Japan loves America (especially a few decades ago), so "USA" is actually a selling point, and an easy way to sum up the origins of the game. Even today, would Super Mario "West Version" or whatever make sense to a Japanese audience, or otherwise?

2. Nintendo really was concentrated on America in the NES days, not so much "the West". Europe was a complete afterthought. When they developed games like StarTropics or Mike Tyson's Punch Out, they were thinking of America specifically. When they Mario-washed Doki Doki Panic, the decision was primarily for America.

 

[JPBrowncoat]

I played til World 7 in Super Mario Bros for almost 2 hours today and really got into it. I know the 30 dollar price tag and the somewhat lame extras make this release seem like a dud to some people. But I just love it. Gonna beat Super Mario Bros for the 1st time ever pretty soon.

I got stuck hard in World 5 and on my second Bowser attempt kicked his ass and sailed threw World 6 with only 1 death and creamed Bowser again. Felt great.

Edit: I started streaming it but I didn't know about this thread. You can see the past broadcast here: http://www.justin.tv/jpbrowncoat/b/275763519

Will probably play again later tonight.

 

[Anth0ny]

Beat both Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time this year (without any warps). Very fun experiences, but I still think Mario 3 is overrated. Fantastic game, one of the best the NES has to offer, but I like World more.

I'm gonna play SMB2J next. This will be the first time I beat it at all :lol

 

[Prime Blue]

ah yes, the usual misinformation or summary dismissal of mario 2 usa. guess who developed doki doki panic (the game it's based on)? nintendo ead. guess who designed it? miyamoto.

Miyamoto just produced it. Director was an unnamed individual credited as "Chappy" and designers were Kensuke Tanabe, "Yamahem" (apparently Yoichi Yamada) and Hideki Konno. I've never seen any interview where he said he was involved in any other way than producing it.

Nevertheless, good game.

If I'm not mistaken Miyamoto wasn't very involved in Super Mario Bros 2-Lost Levels.

That's actually just a myth spread by this speculative article.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

If I'm not mistaken Miyamoto wasn't very involved in Super Mario Bros 2-Lost Levels. And on the opposite, I've read that he spent much time developping Doki doki panic. DDP also include many things close to the Mario Universe...

If nothing else, the anniversary booklet indicates that Miyamoto designed stages for SMB2J, Tezuka was in charge of the project, and Kondo did the music for it (which admittedly isn't saying a whole lot considering that there's only one new song).

I am not familiar with SMB2 USA's credits.

The funny thing is, I only found out a couple of years ago that the home version actually came FIRST, and that the arcade version came later. For more than 20 years I assumed the arcade version came first, and the home version was a port. When did Super Mario Bros. come out in North America (ie, the NES version as opposed to the Famicom version)? Was it after the arcade? I certainly don't remember hearing about the game before I first saw it in the arcade.

Wait, you're saying that vs. Super Mario Bros. came out AFTER SMB2? Like I said above, I knew that it came out after SMB, but I didn't know it came out after SMB2. That's very strange.

The Japanese and American versions of SMB1 were released in the same year. I am pretty sure that SMB2J came out before VSMB but not 100% positive. They were also released in the same year according to copyright dates. The main reason I believe SMB2J came first is because, as I noted previously, some of the new stages feel like they were specifically designed for SMB2's physics and not SMB1/VSMB. The best example I can think of is that one Cheep Cheep bridge where you're meant to perform a high bounce off of a Paratroopa in order to hit a ? block from below. You cannot perform said high bounce in VSMB. It might still be possible to hit the block if you time it perfectly, but it's something that just feels very out of place in that game.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Finally getting ready to play through Lost Levels.

I touched upon this earlier, but SMB2J has a little more to separate itself from SMB1 than what you may notice at first glance. Despite sharing much of the first game's look and structure, the physics are different and the levels are usually a fair bit more complex, not just more difficult. Most of the scenery was also redrawn in the original version and the ending theme was changed (SMB SMB2), though this is lost in All-Stars and SMB DX because the two games share the same graphics and music in these rereleases.

Mario controls much the same as he did in SMB1. Luigi jumps 1-2 blocks higher but takes twice as long to come to a stop than Mario does. I believe that you can switch between the two brothers mid-game in All-Stars and some other versions, but in the original, you have to use the same character from start to finish. I have beaten the original version of the game dozens of times now, but I have used Luigi exactly twice: once on the numbered worlds, and once on the lettered worlds. His extra jump height is not needed to clear any level, and in a series dependent on precision platforming, he feels like he's constantly walking on ice in this game. I know some people here still prefer to use him over Mario for some inexplicable reason, though.

The game's initial quest is much the same as SMB1's: eight worlds, each consisting of an overworld stage, an underground / underwater / 2nd overworld stage, a high-elevation stage with lots of pits, and a castle. Completing the initial eight worlds without warping unlocks world 9, which is really just a trippy bonus world more than anything else. Completing the first quest eight times (with or without warping) unlocks worlds A-D, a legitimate 2nd quest with new stages. In All-Stars, I believe you only have to clear the 1st quest once to play the lettered worlds.

Sitting down to play it now.

 

[Teknoman]

Waiting till my Collection disc arrives...USPS taking its sweet time. Going to do a no warp run as well, since i've never done that in any of the NES games.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Lost Levels log:

1-1: You can do the infinite 1-Up trick with the very second Koopa Troopa you see, though that's not particularly useful in All-Stars.

Most underground bonus rooms have hidden power-ups, so make sure to look for them. Also, there's a flagpole magic number trick to get more 1-Ups if you need them. Get to the end of the stage with a multiple of 11 coins and touch the flagpole when the ones digit of the timer matches that number (example: 44 coins with 194 seconds remaining on the timer).

1-2: This stage has several branching paths, which lead to three separate warp zones.

2-1: Green trampolines... Have to say that they're one thing in this game that I don't particularly care for, but you can still get the hang of them and keep track of where you are as long as you keep moving the screen forward at a slow but steady pace.

2-2: This is the first stage where you're offered a Starman when you don't necessarily want to take it. If you use it, you won't be able to knock the next Koopa you see into a bunch of other enemies for a 1-Up. This sort of situation is relatively common in this game, to the point where you won't be able to complete certain jumps off of mid-air enemies in later stages if you're invincible. It's also the first stage where you need to search for invisible blocks to reach the next platform.

3-1: This is the first of two stages that have backward warp zones. This is probably the only thing about this game that I actually dislike, as being unfortunate enough to stumble across one of them kind of discourages you from exploring, which is a mindset you don't want to have because you'll miss out on a fair number of shortcuts and power-ups.

4-3: This is the first particularly difficult stage of the game IMO. The jumps in this one are a lot harder than anything you'd see in SMB1. I think it also has the first required mid-air Koopa bounce.

5-3: First non-castle maze and sort of a precursor to those auto-scrolling platform stages in SMB3.

7-3: lol

8-2: Best flagpole location ever.

8-3: This stage and the final stage are located in the clouds, which makes it the first sky world in Mario I suppose. The All-Stars version of this stage blows, btw. It's filled with tons of invisible blocks that are likely to ricochet you onto a Spiny or Hammer Bro for quick and unavoidable death. In the original version, said blocks aren't invisible; they're just camoflagued into brick wall backgrounds. They're also solid before you hit them and can be more easily utilized to jump over the enemies in this stage.

World 9: The All-Stars versions of these stages also blow. Much less trippy than the original, which kind of reminds me of the FDS version of the Minus World, among other things. You also only get 1 life to complete the entirety of World 9 in the original, so if you fuck up once it's over.

B-4: This is probably my favorite castle stage in the game just because it looks like a maze but isn't one. It also has a warp zone in it.

C-4: The most difficult fire wheel to dodge in the series is located in this level, but there's a hidden Super Mushroom earlier in the stage to give you an extra hit to help you get past it if you need it.

I noticed that Red Piranha Plants aren't as aggressive in All-Stars as they are in the original. Also, the wind seems to push you a little bit harder in All-Stars, but that might just be my imagination. I'd have to double check it. It bothered me on this playthrough more than it normally does, though. EDIT: I also noticed that enemies move faster in the lettered worlds, similar to SMB1's second quest. That's also different from the original.

About 40 deaths on this run, but probably 30 of those came from stuff I knew I wasn't going to get away with. Goofed around a lot this time.

Going to save the other Mario 2 for Friday, I think.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Went ahead and played through Mario 2 tonight. I now clearly remember why I've only ever played through it without warping once or twice before: it's soooooo sloooooow.

If there's one thing I generally dislike in video games, it's when I feel like my time is being wasted with busywork, and this game walks a damn fine line between action and tedium. Digging through sand is boring, diving through vases in a key hunt is boring, having to play slots after every single stage for extra lives is boring, and backtracking through rooms laid out to make you take as long as possible traversing them after obtaining a key is boring. There's nothing difficult about any of that either. It doesn't really test your reflexes or dexterity; it's just tedious. I just use Toad for every stage now because he's the fastest when it comes to lifting/digging.

Despite that, some of the stages are rather clever and most of them are at least fun. Even if the core gameplay is pretty far removed from standard Mario fare, it's still enjoyable and developed well throughout the game. I like having to ride enemies or even Birdo's eggs to cross chasms, and the last few worlds are laid out especially nicely. With only 20 stages in the game, though, you'd think you'd have a lot more of that caliber throughout. This game just feels like it has a lot of padding, and I enjoy it a lot more when I skip most of the early stages.

3 down, 1 to go.

 

[Teknoman]

Super Mario Bros 1 time! I cant believe I actually lost a life at the first goomba :lol I guess its just being used to NSMB style of gameplay and going back to SMB1 has its effects.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Super Mario Bros 1 time! I cant believe I actually lost a life at the first goomba :lol I guess its just being used to NSMB style of gameplay and going back to SMB1 has its effects.

I've had the same thing happen before. I honestly don't really notice much of a difference in physics between Mario games unless I play them back to back, but when that happens it's really jarring and throws me off for about one stage.

 

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

I played through Super Mario Bros. on Animal Crossing last night. I had no idea the colors were so off in that version, it was kind of distracting.

I ended up getting a game over because I fell into the first pit in 6-1 three times in a row, which kind of sucked. I ended up finishing the game as small Mario with one life, so of course I was tense at the end.

I thought beating the game's second quest would let you play the original again, but I guess not.

 

[JPBrowncoat]

I've been stuck on World 8 for a little while now in SMB. Kinda embarrassing. Everything feels possible, I just keep making mistakes. Made it as far as 8-3 with the 5th and 6th Hammer Bros.

 

[entremet]

Did anyone else rip their case because of the damn stickers?

Still surprised it is just a ROM of All Stars. Mario deserves better. I would have loved a Namco Museum/PSone treatment. Nice package though.

 

[Teknoman]

Did anyone else rip their case because of the damn stickers?

Still surprised it is just a ROM of All Stars. Mario deserves better. I would have loved a Namco Museum/PSone treatment. Nice package though.

Used a knife to open it without ripping stuff. I really like the Mario all-stars Mario 1 boss music, did they use a special version for the 8-4 battle?

Also heres a nice link on for this trip through Mario history:

The Mario you never knew

Alot of this is from the SMB collection book i'm sure, but still, it's nice to know. Also makes me feel more comfortable about wanting to place a few shoot em up stages in my LBP2 platforming game :lol

EDIT: Something i've always wanted to know...is that a mushroom or a skull on the green flag at the end of SMB1 stages?