this point of view

75 Things: Beat Super Mario Bros. 2 (S(NES)

Sep 11

admingames, retrospective Mario, nintendo, SMB2, Super Mario 2 3 Comments

I’m continuing along with my quest to beat every Mario in order. I’ve reached my 3rd installment in the series – Super Mario Bros. 2. Technically, this is the third game in the series, but it was the second game released in the United States. This little gem of a game was released on October 10, 1988 in America. For the sake of entertainment value, I played this game on the All-Stars package. Like the lost levels, the game feels much less dated when playing it in all of its 16-bit goodness.

This game is less like any other game in the Mario series because it originally wasn’t even a Mario game. It was a game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (DDP). in Japan. Those clever executives at Nintendo thought us Americans couldnt handle the challenge of the lost levels.  They were probably right, seeing as the true sequel was a pain in the ass, but this game became a classic in it’s own right.

Unlike the other games in the series, before each level you get to choose one of four characters.  You get to play as either Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess.  Each character has their own individual strengths and weaknesses depending on what level you’re playing.

The premise of the game, and excuse for the variation, is that Mario has entered a ‘dream world.’ and is under a curse from the evil toad king Wart.  In order to wake up, Mario (or the other three characters) must play through the seven different worlds.  

Overall, this is a pretty fun game, but gets repetitive fairly quickly.  It was reminiscent to play through this game one final time.  I enjoyed the ice levels, hated the desert levels, and was pretty indifferent about the other levels.  

Playing through this game brought back a lot of childhood memories, specifically when I reached Mouser.  I remember watching the cartoons as a kid and hating this character more than anything.  It was nice, though brief, to relive kicking his ass one more time. 

I say one more time because although playing through this game was relatively enjoyable, I don’t really see myself taking the plunge into this particular adventure again.  It was always my least favorite game in the franchise and so far.

I’ve finally gotten past my least favorite games in the series.  I have a feeling things are about to start speeding up on this here blog!

75 Things: Beat Super Mario Bros: Lost Levels ((S)NES)

Aug 26

admingames, retrospective Lost Levels, Mario, SMB 5 Comments

I beat the first mario, but it was a pain in the butt.  The graphics were dated and it was over all just a miserable experience.  But seeing as I put it on the 75 things i need to do before I die, I had to continue. 

Here’s my experience with The Lost Levels

I never knew playing through every mario would already be so difficult.. and I’m only through the second one.  I need to start off by saying that playing The Lost Levels via Super Mario All-Stars was a great idea.  Granted, I don’t have the original cartridge, but the updated graphics relative to my play through Super Mario Bros. was huge.  I may go back and try to play the original via All-Stars just because it is so much more enjoyable.  the 16-bit era truly did usher in a new era of videogame development.  In Fact, I will play the rest of the games through All-Stars that are available (SMB2 and SMB3).

Back to the game, The Lost Levelsis a freaking difficult game.  It is much harder than the original, dont let anyone tell you otherwise.  From the wind on the clifftops, to the poison mushrooms, and REVERSE WARPS, this game took the original and amped up the pain in your ass difficulty.  But, I had a lot of fun.  I don’t know why I had such a better time with this mario than the original.  Was it the updated graphics alone?  I don’t think so.  I think the game was just too damn difficult for me in my youth.  I would die quickly and lose patience and interest. Now that I am older and wiser, I think I have more tolerance for the monstrosity that is The Lost Levels. 

Touching on my ‘memories’ of playing this game as a kid, the only memory I really have of this game is what a bitch it really was.  I hated this game more than anything, so it was nice to come back and give it a big F-U.

I really am glad I stuck with this idea and went back and took the time to appreciate this very difficult, yet satisfying game in the lore of the Mario Universe.

Two down!!

75 Things: Beat Super Mario Bros (NES)

Aug 19

admingames, retrospective games, Mario, retro 3 Comments

As part of my blog, I am coming up with 75 things that I want to do before I die. I think everyone should try doing this. It’s a good tool to help you find out what you really want to do with the little time we all have on this blue planet. I know its lame, but one of the things I wanted to do is beat every Mario game in order.  I assumed it would be a lot of fun and would also trigger some childhood memories I had while playing these games years before. 

Obviously, I had to start at the beginning, Super Mario Bros. (Super Mario Bros. Wiki). 

Now a little about this game.  It came out in the United States on October 18th, 1985.  I was three years old.  I am now 26!  To say that this game is dated is an understatement.  I know some Fanboys will still argue that the original Super Mario Bros.is the best game of all time.  I have to disagree wholeheartedly.  While I understand the impact the original Mario game had on the entire video game industry, the evolution past the original is pleasant and necessary.  Don’t get me wrong.  When I first booted up the game and stomped my first goomba, I felt a little piece of my childhood come to the forefront of my emotions, but the nostalgia soon faded and the primitive aspects of the game were all I could focus on.

I suppose if I had played the game through Super Mario All-Stars (SNES).  It may have been more bearable, I may try it out for a few minutes tonight and see if it can keep my interest. 

I did play through the game, but the only fond memories I had were during level 1-1 and 1-2.  I wanted to attempt to get through the game without using any of the warps, but by the end of 1-2 I was ready to speed my way through the rest of the game.  By the time I reached the warp zone in 4-2, I was having to convince myself not to just turn off the game.  I really was truly sad that the game that brought me so much joy as a child had dated so bad.  I guess playing through New Super Mario Bros. (DS) last year didn’t help the aging of this classic game.

While I am glad I took the time to play through the original on my journey through the mushroom kingdom, I am glad that I finally passed the most primitive game in the series.  The future looks bright as I continue my adventure through these Classic Mario games.

One down!