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The original Super Mario Bros. didn't age well
- Thread starter ExFalsoQuodlibet
- Start date
tkscz
Member
Let's not talk about NSMB. The only good things to come out of those are coin rush and NSLB, and both of those are DLC for the most part.
NinjamicWZ
Banned
I don't feel that way. It's still playable as hell, very unique even among Mario games, looks great, runs great... with pixel art being more of a conscious choice than a given or a limitation now, it stands as the base line for quality pixel art imo. innumerable games are so far above and beyond, of course, but anything less than that is unacceptable. Even though I loved getting Super Mario All-Stars when it came out, I honestly can't stand the non-original look... it's just not what I want to see when I want to play SMB1. I want that real real.
The only thing that makes it feel dated imo is not having a modern UI and feature set the way something like 1001 Spikes does, and being the 4:3 game it was built to be (and not too long from now, 16:9 will be dated too)... but nothing about the gameplay or look does.
The only thing that makes it feel dated imo is not having a modern UI and feature set the way something like 1001 Spikes does, and being the 4:3 game it was built to be (and not too long from now, 16:9 will be dated too)... but nothing about the gameplay or look does.
NSMB helped bring 2D Mario back which I'm grateful for, but the DS original hasn't aged well. The other games in the series are pretty good however and I've never minded the art. Well NSMB2 has some odd looking trees in that one level.
eXistor
Member
I agree with this, everything in SMB1 has purpose and place, wheareas later Mario's add in non-essential fluff (not necessarily a bad thing). SMB1 is a great example of a lean, mean machine.
maniac-kun
Member
You have no taste. Get a new hobby.
Karakato_001
Neo Member
I agree with you OP. Played this to death as a kid but playing it again on the VC years later just didn't click with me. It's seems weird because I still find enjoyment in playing Super Mario Land for the Gameboy. Maybe it's too slippery for my tastes. It has a place in gaming history but I can think of 10 better platformers on the nes off the top of my head.
Never bothered with the Lost Levels after watching a Game Center CX episode of it.
Never bothered with the Lost Levels after watching a Game Center CX episode of it.
I completely disagree, the game has aged gracefully. I still play it on my GBC to this day. The platforming is perfect, its deceptively simple, but once you get into Super Mario Bros 2( The Lost levels) you realise how much weight these mechanics carry through the odd level design.
I would even say I enjoyed Super Mario Bros. 1 more than any other Mario bros game, not to say its objectively better. I can see why the visuals/sprites may be odd after the change to Super Mario Bros 3. and there on after, but I guess given that I started with this Mario game, I'm used to it.
I would even say I enjoyed Super Mario Bros. 1 more than any other Mario bros game, not to say its objectively better. I can see why the visuals/sprites may be odd after the change to Super Mario Bros 3. and there on after, but I guess given that I started with this Mario game, I'm used to it.
Pretty much disagree on this; it's got a handful of anachronisms but the core game holds up very well with modern platformers. Not that I don't personally prefer SMB3, but I don't do that at the expense of SMB.
Now, Mario 64, there's a game that hasn't aged well. I give it a huge pass because it was breaking a lot of new ground plus had to work with considerable technical limitations, but it's still hella awkward to play in modern times, especially when 3D Mario has done so much better since.
Now, Mario 64, there's a game that hasn't aged well. I give it a huge pass because it was breaking a lot of new ground plus had to work with considerable technical limitations, but it's still hella awkward to play in modern times, especially when 3D Mario has done so much better since.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
For anyone mentioning playing this on the Virtual Console or NES Remix:
There is a noticeable lag where, for a person like me who can play this game in my sleep, makes it unplayable. That might be why it's "not as good" as you remember it.
Super Mario Bros. is timeless.
There is a noticeable lag where, for a person like me who can play this game in my sleep, makes it unplayable. That might be why it's "not as good" as you remember it.
Super Mario Bros. is timeless.
Dragon1893
Member
This.
Lack of crouching when so many enemies are half your height, the map, copypasted rooms, some of the level design (either I was missing a trick or getting out of the room after Kraid is frustrating as heck) and just not being nearly as clever and well designed as Super in general. Metroid was a great game in the day, but I think it really shows its age now. I feel like Super accomplished what the original set out to do in a far better way thanks to better tech and the like.
Karakato_001
Neo Member
I played Super Mario Bros. Deluxe and I want to know, aside from the scrunch, if it has the same lag as the versions you just mentioned.
And again this has what to do with it being timeless? That just means there are 10 other timeless platformers on the NES.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I'd probably go so far to say that SMB1 is a better game than half of its direct sequels and the vast majority of 8 and 16-bit platformers.
Polioliolio
Member
It's like 30 years old. Show me another videogame that has aged better that's nearly as old.
Sanic
Member
Wii or Wii U VC? I've never heard of this.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
NES Virtual Console games are bad on the Wii U Gamepad. I noticed it immediately.
There's probably still some inherent emulation lag in the Virtual Console no matter how you play it, but I haven't noticed it when playing on a CRT or a low-lag computer monitor, so I don't think it's that severe in and of itself. The Gamepad feed is just fucked, though, and we pegged it at roughly 2 frames behind what the Wii U sends to the TV.
Neff
Member
Learning the levels isn't even really necessary. Still to this day I can only remember the layout of the first few. Being competent with Mario's physics and precision versatility becomes a holistic tool for a variety of expertly-designed situations. If you're good enough, you can pretty much daredevil your way through an unfamiliar stage. It's the foundation upon which almost every Mario is built, but SMB represents it at its purest.
Manmademan
Member
yep, no issue with that game at all. Plays fine.
OP is dead wrong, but just to humor you-
Scalpel Knight
Member
I'll be the millionth one saying this, but "I couldn't disagree more." When I think of games that age well, SMB is right at the top of the list. It isn't my favourite old school Mario, but it's such a perfectly and deliberately designed game that holds up extremely well to this day.
Karakato_001
Neo Member
I never said anything about the game's status as a timeless classic. I think SMB is still "fairly" good, but physics wise this is my least favorite of the series IMO.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
In both its physics and lives/continue structure, among other things, Super Mario Bros is a game of consequence. That is hugely to its benefit and something many of its successors lack.
Fuckin' instant gratification generation. Get off my lawn.
Sanic
Member
Ah, yeah I knew about that. I thought he meant there was some kind of lag inherent to the emulation itself. Good to be reminded to avoid the gamepad however.
Red Chocobo
Banned
Still plays better than most modern games.
I make sure to give it a run though now and then to remind myself that perfection can exist.
I make sure to give it a run though now and then to remind myself that perfection can exist.
Yes it is, it's still at the pinnacle of the platform genre.
Agent X
Member
I feel that the game has successfully endured the test of time. As others have said, it's a very "pure" platform game. Anyone can easily jump in and play, with controls that are simple and manageable. You're also encouraged to get better, as your continued success is highly dependent on your skills and learning the nuances such as enemy behavior. It's just an extremely thoughtfully designed game, and that's why it has held up as a true classic.
Karakato_001
Neo Member
The NES Mega Man games are also also about consequence and they are one of my most played games of all time. Maybe I just don't want the control physics to be part of the challenge, just give me a game where the characters feel tight in their movement and have the challenge centered on the stages and enemies.
And to hell with your lawn! I will step wherever I darn well please!
Polioliolio
Member
OP is dead wrong, but just to humor you-
You got me.
But that infant sized handful of games that still hold up from back then leave hundreds of other awful, old, unplayable games in the dust.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
I disagree. The original Super Mario Bros. is one of those few games that I revisit constantly and always have a great time playing. I actually find the physics/controls more enjoyable than those found in a lot of later Mario games.
It's probably the TV you were playing it on, which was a flat panel HDTV I presume; I noticed lag when I tried to play it on my Wii U as well and chalked it up to the HD, but just as a test I took my NES and hooked it up to the TV and it lagged too(I tried to play SMB 1, SMB 3, and Felix the Cat). In fact I can run my NES on both TV's at the same time, the HDTV via RF and my CRT via AV, and the lag is even more apparent. I only play these types of games on my little old CRT.
ElectricBlanketFire
Member
Why would it only be SMB though? On NES Remix, for example, the only game with lag is SMB (SMB 3 on NES Remix 2 works fine). I know others mentioned it in the Remix thread.
Not saying it's impossible though. It could very well be my TV.
Beren the Empty-Handed
Member
Nope and nope. This is a game people will be playing for a long time.
What if the jumping physics just seem superior because that was your first experience with platformers?
Portugeezer
Member
Whilst I think SMB3 and SMW perfected the controls, the original still plays well, just with more tank like physics and less enemy interactions (no object/enemy picking up)
Shadow Hog
Member
The design's aged pretty well, actually, but I'm going to have to agree that the physics feel really, really weird.
Like, taken entirely on their own, they're fine. Functional, mostly tight. However, in comparison to later entries, I can't help but feel the air control is pretty much garbage - a feeling I've had since my first proper revisit to the game (with SMB Deluxe back in '99 - prior to that I hadn't played SMB1 since '93 or so!). Like, if you try changing direction mid-air, you'll have highly limited momentum after doing so (although it's enough to get on top of platforms, which is mostly all you need). Also, the amount of height you get for landing on enemies is incredibly negligible in comparison to SMB3 or SMW, making chain stomps much more difficult (so I generally don't do any such crazy stomp chains when playing this particular game).
So, yeah, I can kinda see where you're coming from, even if I don't fully agree.
Like, taken entirely on their own, they're fine. Functional, mostly tight. However, in comparison to later entries, I can't help but feel the air control is pretty much garbage - a feeling I've had since my first proper revisit to the game (with SMB Deluxe back in '99 - prior to that I hadn't played SMB1 since '93 or so!). Like, if you try changing direction mid-air, you'll have highly limited momentum after doing so (although it's enough to get on top of platforms, which is mostly all you need). Also, the amount of height you get for landing on enemies is incredibly negligible in comparison to SMB3 or SMW, making chain stomps much more difficult (so I generally don't do any such crazy stomp chains when playing this particular game).
So, yeah, I can kinda see where you're coming from, even if I don't fully agree.