Oh! Mushroom Kingdom:
you're infested with turtles-
the plumbing's awry
Additional Comments:
(It was bound to show up sooner or later, so why not as a Christmas treat? Frankly, I'm surprised it took me this long to get around to SMB for Beat All Games.)
Having grown up on the NES, it's hard to talk about this game and not be nostalgic. Unfortunately, I no longer recall the exact specifics on how I acquired my NES, though it seems most plausible to associate it with my birthday, but I do recall hooking it up to my TV for the first time and inserting the cartridge for Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt. It truly was a glorious moment in my childhood. Albeit, I had an Atari 2600 up until this point (which I had to let go due to some BS-only-one-video-game-console-per-household rule that had been instilled on me; still infuriating me to this very day), and was quite familiar with the video gaming experience; the difference was just night and day. Watching that 8-bit plumber stomp Goombas on an 8 world quest through the Mushroom Kingdom to save the princess was something else. The experience was something that I really don't think anyone who has grown up on any of the later systems (except for maybe the N64 - as much as I hate that system, I do acknowledge the impact of the "next-generation" vision it tried to create) will properly understand or appreciate, much like how I will never fully appreciate how some of the original kingpins like Pong, Space Invaders or even Adventure may have affected those during the 70s.
But enough of that, let's talk Super Mario Bros. As a nostalgic piece, the game is tops and is one of those games that every gamer should try at least once in their lives. Even 25 years later, the game is still pretty phenomenal. However, as with any gaming franchise that has been spitting out title after title, the original is bound to fade into a pool of mediocrity compared to it's long line of successors at some point. And unfortunately, this is also one of those franchises where each successive title took monstrous strides, leaving it's predecessor in the dust. But that's not to say it's a bad game - it's anything but. It's just, if you want to play a genuine NES timepiece, play Super Mario Bros. - you're going to love it. But if you want to try your hand at a quality game from the Super Mario universe? Well, let's just say there's countless titles I would steer one towards before I'd suggest SMB.
Regardless, it's still an amazing game. But I have to admit, I haven't really sat down with this game in a long, long time. I've made a few minor attempts on the SMAS version over the past few years, but more out of boredom than anything. So, honestly, it's been at least a good 12 years since I really attempted a serious playthrough of the game. I've beaten the game numerous times in the past, attempted RTS's years before I would ever come to know the term, and glitched the hell out of it with a Game Genie more times than I can possibly recall. Basically, I learned every little secret I could. Amazingly, even after a decade's absence, it's still amazing what I can remember in this game. However, and I'm sad to admit, I completely forgot that there's a second quest. I don't think I can even express how shocked I am that I had forgotten all about it. Maybe it's because the second quest is exactly the same as the first, except for added/changed sprites. But what's funny, once I started through the second quest it suddenly hit me - I do remember this! Anyhow, I'm not entirely sure if I ever completed the second quest, and if not, well it's beaten now.
Despite it's purely 8-bit characteristics, I still love the design of the game, from the graphics to the music, but again, that may just be the nostalgia digging it's nails into me. However, stepping up from a 2600, it was amazing to see a game that had graphics that actually looked like stuff - and not just stuff, but lot's of stuff. And there was music, and it was catchy as hell. (I'd showcase some songs, but seriously, if you don't know any, or all for that matter, of the SMB tunes by heart, then you're on the wrong site.) And to top it all off, there was some serious freedom of movement compared to my early days of gaming. There were all sorts of impressive little movements you could make Mario perform.
Which brings me to my final thoughts: Mario's physics. Ah, the ability to play SMB as a virgin player is undoubtedly lost in time, and very nearly impossible for anyone nowadays. Having been one, I can recall how fluid the gameplay was. There was nothing to complain about, because as far as I was concerned, it was the best gameplay experience out there. But eventually, I too would lose the fantasy of this so-called "terrific gameplay" à la Mario's physics once SMB3, and later SMW, emerged on the scene. With Mario's physics now so much more controllable, the SMB plumber was nothing more than an unrestrained ice cube sliding off platforms or into enemies without a care in the world. Unfortunately, it seems Nintendo had reverted to this style of physics for its NSMB titles. Yea, t's not the end of the world, but I think Mario was at his best, physics-wise, during his SMB3/SMW era. So, although I could potentially rant about the physics, it would be heresy since I was lucky enough to experience the game fresh and enjoy the physics for what they were in their heyday - amazing!
Rating: 4 Minus Worlds out of 5
gears of war is better. ;)
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