Discontinued Free Battle Royal Platform Game Review: Super Mario Bros. 35

It's the tenth of March, and that means it's Mario Day. Today I decided to do something less expected and look at a fun Super Mario game that is still playable only thanks to the hard work of fans. 

Super Mario Bros. 35 was a version of Super Mario Bros. by Arika that was released in 2020 for the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Super Mario series. It was an online game that pit up to thirty-five players against each other. Players would play through the levels of Super Mario Bros. until they died. After that, the game would continue until only one player was left standing.

Along with a leaderboard, the game also kept track of enemies encountered and the levels played. The latter would allow the player to enter a match that started with the level selected.

The levels look, sound, and play just as they did in the halcyon year of 1985. The control is just as tight as it was then, allowing for the precise running and jumping that is needed for this battle royale. The music, graphics, and sound effects are just as they were back then as well, giving the game an authentic retro feel that is all the rage right now.

Like Tetris 99 or Pac-Man 99, which were both also developed by Arika, the game worked as well as it did because it was a classic game that was built to be picked up and played without the need for instruction. This way players new to the game on which it was based would be able to play it just as easily as seasoned players.

Super Mario Bros. 35 is sadly no longer available as of April 1, 2021, since Nintendo only intended to keep it going during Nintendo's thirty-five-year anniversary of Super Mario in 2020. Thankfully, fans have stepped in as they often do and created a server to bring this game back alive once again. It is good that they did, as this fun, free little game is worth playing as long as you have to means to do so.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Handheld Puzzle Game Review: Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario for the Game Boy is an adaptation of a falling block puzzle game that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System on the same day. 

The game has Nintendo's mascot Mario as a doctor throwing the pills into the jar of a mix of three different shaded cartoon-styled viruses. 

The viruses are eradicated by pills that contained two sides with differing shades of grey, or green if it was played on the original Game Boy model. The color scheme is the main drawback of the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario. Unlike the NES version, which had blue, red, and yellow pills corresponding to the color of the viruses, the Game Boy has monochrome graphics. This made the pills different shades of grey, or green if it was played on the original Game Boy model.

Because the pills simply have different shades rather than different colors, it added a level of difficulty to the game. It will be a bit hard to play until you get the hang of which pill side is which.

The aesthetic retains the same comforting cartoon atmosphere. Even with the smaller screen resolution of the Game Boy compared to the NES, all of the game elements survived. One minor change to compensate for the smaller game space is that the viruses were moved from the left to the right and placed in a tight bubble within the game's user interface. That's not an issue, however, as the viruses still move comically, albeit a bit differently than the NES version.

Thankfully, the gameplay remains the same. The control remains satisfyingly simple, so players will be able to play it right out of the box. Pills are moved right and left with the four-way gamepad. Pressing the down button on the gamepad causes the pill to drop faster. Both the A and B buttons are used to rotate the pills. The A button will rotate the pills to the left whereas the B button rotates them to the right.

There are three speeds available, low, medium, and high, or low, med, and hi as displayed in-game. Levels can be chosen, with more viruses being added as the levels progress up to level 20, which has 84 viruses. The game continues past level 20, however, the virus count remains at 84.

The cutscenes in the Game Boy version are totally different than those in the NES version. Instead of hanging out on top of a tree, the viruses are at the bottom of a body of water. Bubbles rise up to the surface and different kinds of sea creatures pass by such as blowfish and crabs. It's cute and much less crazy than the odd things that pass by in the NES version.

All of Hirokazu Tanaka's soundtrack survives the NES to Game Boy conversion. The title screen, menu, and cutscenes still contain their respective tunes. Thankfully the two compositions that act as stage music remain as well. The slower tune retains the name chill and the faster tune is still fever. This is a relief, as I can't imagine playing a Dr. Mario game without them, especially the fever tune.

Dr. Mario for the Game Boy is as fantastic a puzzle game as the NES version. However, it is let down by its monochrome graphics as it is hard to distinguish between the two-shaded pills as opposed to the two-colored pills on the NES. This can be mitigated by playing on a system that has color filters such as the Super Game Boy peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the GameCube Game Boy Player, or the Game Boy Advance.

Thankfully, the controls remain easy to understand, and are very responsive, which is needed for a falling block puzzle game. All of the memorable music is here, including the fever and chill stage tunes. The cartoon-styled viruses are still wacky, although their moves are different when compared to the NES version. 

I recommend playing the NES Dr. Mario versus playing the Game boy version. The monochrome graphics make it difficult to differentiate between the two-shaded pills. If you play the game with Super Game Boy color filters or use the fan patch called Dr. Mario DX which converts it into a Game Boy Color game, it might be worth playing to see the cutscenes that are unique to this version of the game.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Dr. Mario NES Review

Super Mario World Review

Kart Racing Game Review: Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 64 was the second game in Nintendo's popular Mario Kart series. It was also the game that brought the series into true three-dimensional gaming.

Mario Kart 64 was released on the Nintendo 64 which, save for the Super FX and Super FX2 chips in some Super Nintendo Entertainment System games, was Nintendo's first console that was capable of three-dimensional graphics. Unlike series that had to be redefined for 3D, such as Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Mario Kart series was made for three-dimensional gameplay.

Super Mario Kart faked 3D with Mode 7 programming that manipulated flat course graphics to twist and turn them around a two-dimensional sprite. This game took the series into true 3D for the first time, but the designers kept what had worked so well in the previous game, despite being less restricted. Courses were slightly larger but were still relatively small and tight to avoid monotony. There are still three speeds of play, 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc, with championship cups themed after locations in the Mario series.

Like the previous game, kart racers encompass the entirety of the Mario franchise at that point. Donkey Kong, replacing Donkey Kong Jr., represents the arcade era. Bowser, Toad, and Princess Peach represent the Nintendo Entertainment System era. Wario, replacing the Koopa Troopa, represents the Game Boy era, and Yoshi represents the SNES era. Mario and Luigi represent the franchise as a whole.

Each kart racer had its strength and weaknesses. Bowser, Wario, and Donkey Kong are heavy, starting off slow but they become the fastest racers when they get going. Their big drawback is that if they hit obstacles it takes them a long time to regain their speed. Peach, Toad, and Yoshi are the best all-around drivers. Their karts aren't the fastest, but they regain their speed quickly. Mario and Luigi fall somewhere in the middle.

At certain points in the courses, there are diamond boxes with question marks on the ground. These replace the question panels on the ground from Super Mario Kart. They contain powerups as well as objects that can be left on the course. 

There are objects that can be dropped, including the banana peel which is dropped behind the kart, and the green Koopa shell which is shot in front of the kart and bounces off walls until it hits a driver, obstacle, or water. The banana can be shot in front of the kart by pressing up on the directional pad and the shell can be dropped, stationary, behind the kart by pressing down. There is also a red shell, which will hit the first driver it comes across unless it hits an obstacle or water. All of these items can now be obtained in a bunch of three which can be fired or used as a shield against attacks.  

There is a lightning bolt that makes the other drivers tiny, the starman which turns a kart driver invincible, and a ghost that steals an item from another driver. A mushroom causes the kart to do a boost, similar to the effect when you drive over a three-tiered arrow. The mushrooms can also be picked up in a group of three. There is also now a super mushroom that allows the player to boost over and over within a fixed time. Another item that was added was the notorious spiny shell, which hits the kart in first place.

My favorite change is that the enemy characters pick up random objects like player characters, instead of using objects related to their character. It is a lot more fun than before because Mario and Luigi don't have a supply of unlimited starman to make them invincible. They would commonly activate it near the finish line to try to trip you up. As a result, characters run by artificial intelligence don't seem as annoying as before.

Mario Kart 64 is a classic as it took what worked in the previous game and made it better. It also added features to make the game fairer. The primitive 3D graphics are somewhat mitigated by the cartoon aesthetic. This is a fantastic game that deserves to be played by anyone who is a fan of kart racing games,

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart Review

Mario Kart: Super Circuit Review Coming Soon

Mario

Super Mario 64 Review

Super Mario Sunshine Review

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong 3 Review

Donkey Kong Country Review

Action Video Game/System Review: Game & Watch Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. by Nintendo Research & Development 1 was the twenty-fourth Game & Watch console. It was actually the first game that included both Mario brothers, Mario and Luigi, as it was released before their eponymous arcade game.

It is a frame-by-frame game on a liquid crystal display. In the game, Mario and Luigi work in a factory packing bottles and loading them on a truck. In the unofficial sequel for the Commodore 64, as well as the officially released Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Game Boy Color, the brothers pack up cakes instead of bottles.

Mario is on the right and Luigi is on the left. Mario loads the base on a conveyor belt, it goes through a machine and comes out the other side. Mario and Luigi have to go up and down ladders in order to keep the packages from falling to the ground. When the fully packed items get all the way to the top, Luigi tosses them in a shipping truck. 

In the Game & Watch Gallery 3 remake, Wario also sometimes messes with the process, and Luigi has to pull a lever to the left in order to fix it. Also in the remake, the truck takes off and a new one comes back to start the process again.

Like all Game & Watch games, Mario Bros. is simple. However, despite its simplicity, the game works well on double screens of this version of the Game & Watch system. Game & Watch Gallery 3 is the best way to play it, whether it is on the Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo 3DS, or Nintendo Switch. The addition of Wario throwing a spanner in the works adds more complexity, and the more advanced technology allows for color graphics as well as animation. This is much less remembered than the arcade game of the same name, which is a shame, as this is actually one of the most fun Game & Watch games.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Donkey Kong Jr. review

Mario Bros. Review

Turn-Based Role-playing Game Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

In the early 1990s, Square and Nintendo had a good working relationship. Most of Square's games were on Nintendo consoles, from the Rad Racer series to Square's bread and butter, the Final Fantasy series of turn-based role-playing games.

It's the latter that served as the inspiration for one of the most surprising team-ups at the time of its release. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars plays like a Final Fantasy game. It is played in a turn-based style with a party of three selectable from a total of five characters. The character's traits can be leveled up in a manner that should be familiar to Final Fantasy players. HP, or heart points, are represented by a bar that displays the number of hits that a character can take before they pass out. S stands for star and represents the amount of energy any character has to do a skill or perform magic, similar to the MP magic points or mana points in Final Fantasy games. POW, represented by a hammer, is the amount of total power a character is capable of using against enemies. These statistics can also be influenced by weapons and armor that can be purchased from shops in the game's towns. The Final Fantasy series similarities don't stop at the gameplay style, as there is an optional boss fight with remixed music straight from those games as well as a design inspired by them as well.

The story is about an evil force in the guise of a sentient sword named Exor who crashes into Star Road and then takes over the castle of Bowser, King of the Koopa. Star Road is the place where wishes turn into wish stars to grant the wishes of the people of the world. When Exor crashed down, Star Road was shattered into seven pieces.

Smithy's minions stole all of the star pieces so Mario teams up with Princess Peach, Mallow, a fluffy being that was raised by frogs, and a sentient doll named Geno. He also reluctantly teams up with his arch-enemy, Bowser, King of the Koopa, because he wants to get his castle back from Exor.

As this was released on the Super NES, the characters only speak through text, with one exception. Mario doesn't speak at all, instead communicating via pantomime. However, it works surprisingly well. This is helped by some spectacular character animation.

The game is presented in an isometric world with pre-rendered three-dimensional graphics converted into sprites. The process and appearance of the sprites are reminiscent of Donkey Kong Country. Super Mario RPG was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996, the same year the Nintendo 64 was released, so the choice of art style made sense since gaming was well into the three-dimensional era by that point.

The backgrounds are beautiful and fit in perfectly with the pre-rendered sprites. They also match the cheerful aesthetic of Super Mario games. The worlds Mario visits with his team really do feel right at home in Mario's universe. The new characters also fit in perfectly as well, as they have over-the-top personalities. The enemies range from characters that are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mixed with the Power Rangers, to the delightfully insane Booster. I really hope that Nintendo and Square work out a deal to bring Booster back into the world of Super Mario someday.

Super Mario RPG is an excellent game that merges Super Mario with Final Fantasy-style turn-based role-playing games surprisingly well. The music is spectacular and really memorable and the art is as cheerful as Super Mario games should be. The characters, both old and new, are really entertaining. On top of all of this, the game, from the tone to the storyline, sets up two different series of Super Mario RPGs and does it remarkably well. This is a game that should be played by all fans of Super Mario and role-playing games.

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5

Super Mario All-Stars Review

Super Mario 64 Review

Platform Game Review: Super Mario 64

In the mid-1990s, video games turned toward polygonal three-dimensional experiences in contrast with the sprite-based games of the previous console generations. Super Mario 64 was a seminal game that inspired countless others.

The storyline retains the simple story of previous Super Mario games where Bowser, King of the Koopa, kidnaps Princess Peach. However, there is a bit of a twist here, as Bowser used the power stars within the castle to imprison Peach and her servants inside the Mushroom Kingdom castle. Mario has to collect enough stars to open the three locked doors and defeat Bowser once again.

The game starts with Mario out in an open field outside of Peach's castle. This is the game that pulled the princess of the mushroom kingdom's two names together, as she's referred to as Princess Toadstool, Peach. Mario can run in three hundred and sixty-five directions. With the increase in movement also came an increase in moves. Mario can now slide, backflip, long jump, wall jump, ground pound, and front flip after jumping three times. If Mario has a wing cap, which is unlockable by hitting a red switch in a hidden level, Mario will begin flying after the third jump instead of flipping. Most of the classic powerups are not found in this game, however, the different caps with time-limited powers, which are unlocked through hidden levels, make up for it. There is the aforementioned wing cap, the metal cap that turns Mario into Metal Mario allowing him to walk underwater, and the vanish cap that turns Mario invisible.

To get inside the numbered doors, a specified number of stars must be collected. These are spread throughout the castle. There are one hundred twenty stars in total. Inside the doors are levels, which are represented as paintings Mario can jump into. There are also hidden levels, which are entered by jumping through windows, or by performing a specific task to get to them.

There are fifteen regular stages with six stars each, as well as a bonus star in each stage for obtaining one-hundred stars. To earn the stars, Mario must perform specific tasks mentioned under the star in the level selection screen. These tasks include things such as using the ground pound power to knock four wooden posts into the ground, racing characters to a point in the stage, and defeating bosses by picking them up and throwing them or jumping on their backs.

There are also three challenge doors that contain castle levels with a boss fight with Bowser, King of the Koopa, waiting at the top. Defeating Bowser here leads to Mario obtaining a key that he can use to unlock castle doors to ascend stairs up to areas he couldn't reach before.

Alongside the one hundred-five stage stars are fifteen hidden stars that can be obtained by entering hidden secret levels, chasing characters, or speaking to specific Toads out of the handful that remains inside the castle.

One of the best parts of any Super Mario game is the music, and Koji Kondo doesn't disappoint here. He makes full use of the increased number of electronic instruments available on the hardware of the Nintendo 64. There are some real gems here that will get stuck in your head forever, my personal favorite being the Slider song that plays when Mario slides down slippery slopes. I get that music in my head often, and it is the song that I immediately remember when I think about Super Mario 64.

Super Mario 64 is an absolute classic that deserves its place in the pantheon of great games. Because it is bright and cheerful with characters with proportions more like cartoons than actual people, the graphics have stood the test of time better than some of its contemporaries. It's still full of jagged edges and blurred textures like other games of its era, but the fantastic art design and level design makes up for it. Add in the fantastic memorable soundtrack, and it is a game that children and adults of any generation can enjoy. There is also an enhanced port for the Nintendo DS, but that version is so different, that it's worthy of a review all on its own. 

The best official version of the game, in my opinion, is the enhanced emulated version of the game included in Super Mario 3D All-Stars. This version increases the resolution to high definition with some improved textures although it is still presented in a 4:3 format. It also uses the rumble version that was previously only available in Japan. This version fixes some of the bugs that speedrunners use to play the game quickly, so your opinion on the best version may vary based on your needs. 

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Super Mario

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Review

Super Mario Sunshine Review

Mario

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Review

Mario Kart 64 Review

Platform Game Mega Review: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Like Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 for Game Boy, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was the beginning of a new series and was more of the title character's story than Mario's.

Unlike the Super Mario series proper, Yoshi's Island has a unique story that doesn't involve saving Princess Peach. A stork is crossing over Yoshi's Island on the way to drop off two babies, Mario and Luigi, to their parents in Brooklyn, New York. Kamek, a powerful Magikoopa and a high-ranking member of the Koopa Troop, looks into the future. Kamek foresees that when the two babies grow up they will repeatedly thwart the plans of Bowser, King of the Koopa. Kamek tries to steal the babies before they can reach their home, but only succeeds in kidnapping baby Luigi. Baby Mario drops down to the island below where he is rescued by a yoshi.

The yoshi carries baby Mario on his back through many worlds to reach Koopa's Castle and rescue his twin brother. If Yoshi is hit, baby Mario floats in a bubble, crying, and a timer counts down until he is picked up by the yoshi or when the counter reaches zero. The latter causes Kamek's cronies to swoop in and carry the baby away.

The yoshi can do the standard platformer moves such as running and jumping. The yoshi can also hover by doing a flutter jump. The yoshi also throws eggs that are abundantly scattered inside each level. Six eggs can be held at a time and can be thrown in the direction indicated in the graphical user interface by a line with a circle at the end. Egg blocks can also be hit and grow to create boxes to get to areas that normally can't be reached.

The game has a pleasing aesthetic that includes a unique and colorful pastel palette with graphics that look hand-drawn. Each world is colorful and the flowers and numbers at the end of each level intentionally look like they were drawn by a child There are forty-six levels with a boss battle at the end of each of the six worlds.

The five flowers within each level can be collected to give the yoshi an extra life. It also counts as 50% of the level score. Twenty coins within each level nets 20% of the level score. The rest of the score is calculated by the star bar which begins each level full and drops depending on how long baby Mario was separated from the yoshi. The object is to obtain the flowers and red coins and to have a full star bar to get a 100% rating for each level. However, getting 100% is not required to complete the level and open up the next. Each level can be revisited to attempt to make the percentage go up.

As with all Super Mario games, the music is fantastic. Baby Mario's crying sound effect is objectively a good sound effect as it does sound like a baby crying. However, this sound becomes annoying as it is more likely than not that this sound effect will be heard a lot.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island has a look that is really a joy to experience on the original game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as its emulated re-releases. The remake, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, retains the wonderful aspects of the original albeit with a lighter palette due to the original Game Boy Advance lacking a backlight. Super Mario World The pastel backgrounds and hand-drawn aspects really evoke a feeling of childhood. That is a really nice experience, even, or to be even more accurate, especially, as an adult. As with all games in the Super Mario series, the music is pleasing and fits the game even if none of the tunes are as memorable as the standard Super Mario platform games.

There is only one drawback, and it is, unfortunately, one that might turn people off from the game. The crying sound effect can become grating as it is most likely going to be repeated a lot while playing. If you can play the game without being too annoyed by Mario’s crying, it is a fun game.

Final Verdict: 

3½ out of 5

Super Mario

Super Mario All-Stars Review

Super Mario 64 Review

Mario

Super Mario All-Stars Review

Super Mario RPG Review

Platform Game Review: Super Mario World

Super Mario World was the first Super Mario platform game released on a 16-bit console when it was released on the Super Famicom, known in the west as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, in 1990.

The storyline of the game, like most Super Mario games, is very basic. Bowser, the King of the Koopa, once again kidnaps Peach, Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario, and optionally his brother Luigi, have to travel through eight worlds in order to reach Koopa's Castle. As he had previously done in Super Mario Bros. 3, the Koopalings guard the castles at the end of the first seven worlds, while Bowser himself guards the last.

The power-ups common to all Super Mario titles are here, including the super mushroom that causes Mario or Luigi to grow in height, the fire flower that gives the ability to throw fireballs, and the starman, which grants invincibility for a short time. There is now a box at the top of the graphical user interface which allows for the holding of a powerup, which can be used when shrunk into small Mario or Luigi or at any time by pressing select.

The costumes from Super Mario Bros. 3 are unfortunately dropped, so the Mario bros. won't be able to get a frog, raccoon, or tanooki costume. The good news is the flying raccoon and tanooki suits are replaced with a cape, which can be worn by getting a feather. This cape allows the Mario brothers. to fly throughout a level, which could not be accomplished in the previous game without using a P-wing. By running at full speed, jumping, and then tapping the back button at the right time to collect wind in the cape to cause an updraft, the cape can float the plumbers in the air until flying into an object or enemy.

The graphics all have been improved from previous games, taking advantage of the 16-bit hardware. The sprites of the Mario brothers and the enemies are all more detailed, and the backgrounds now have more detail than they ever had before. The music has also improved, as the tracks have more instruments than before. The final fight with Bowser, looks and sounds great, as the booming soundtrack is matched with a fight that uses the sprite scaling abilities of the Super NES to their full potential.

Super Mario World is one of the best two-dimensional Super Mario platform games of all time. The sound qualities of the Super NES create an experience that still sounds great today. The graphics are much improved over its predecessors as well, creating an overall experience that remains a joy to play to this day.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Dr. Mario (Game Boy) Review

Super Mario Kart Review

Kart Racing Game Review: Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart was the first game in the popular Mario Kart series. It was also the game that started the karting subgenre of racing video games, laying the groundwork for all of the features that have become the standard.

Super Mario Kart was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which, save for the Super FX and Super FX2 chips, only produced two-dimensional graphics. To give the illusion of three dimensions, SNES games had the option of employing a graphical technique known as Mode 7. With Mode 7, a flat image could be stretched and rotated around a flat sprite, making it appear to be traveling in a three-dimensional environment.

Super Mario Kart was a masterclass in Mode 7 programming. The flat image was the course map, and sprites represented the player kart, course walls, and power-up panels. It worked within the limits of Mode 7, which restricted the size of the flat image to be manipulated. This led to courses being small and tight.  There are three speeds of play, 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc, and the latter needs to be unlocked by playing through the courses. Even 150cc would seem slow if it weren't for the skillful track designs which make them feel much more fast-paced than they would have otherwise.

The kart racers encompass the entirety of the Mario franchise at that point. Donkey Kong Jr. represents the arcade era. Bowser (King Koopa), Toad, Koopa (Koopa Troopa), and Princess Toadstool (Peach) represent the Nintendo Entertainment System era. Yoshi represents the SNES era. Mario and Luigi represent the franchise as a whole.

Each kart racer had its strength and weaknesses. Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. are heavy, starting off slow but they become the fastest racers when they get going. Their big drawback is that if they hit obstacles it takes them a long time to regain their speed. Toad and Koopa Troopa are the best all-around drivers. Their karts aren't the fastest, but they regain their speed quickly. The rest of the characters fall somewhere in the middle.

At certain points in the courses, there are question mark boxes on the ground. Like top-down racers such as RC Pro-Am, the boxes contain powerups as well as objects that can be left on the course. With the exception of the poison mushrooms that shrink upon contact, and the feather, all of these powerups have become series staples. Plus, other than the lighting which shrinks every other racer, all of them are from either the Mario or Donkey Kong series. 

There are objects that can be dropped, including the banana peel which is dropped behind the kart, and the green Koopa shell which is shot in front of the kart and bounces off walls until it hits a driver, obstacle, or water. The banana can be shot in front of the kart by pressing up on the directional pad and the shell can be dropped, stationary, behind the kart by pressing down. There is also a red shell, which will hit the first driver it comes across unless it hits an obstacle or water. 

There is the starman which turns a kart driver invincible, the feather which causes a kart to jump, and a ghost which steals an item from another driver. A mushroom causes the kart to do a boost, similar to the effect when you drive over a three-tiered arrow. Coins can also be picked up. Every time you get hit, you lose a coin. If you have no coins, you spin out, so it is imperative that you always have coins.

The one drawback between this game and future games is that the enemy characters don't pick up random objects, instead they use objects related to their character. Bowser uses a fireball that will spin in a small circle until it hits a driver, Peach and Toad use a poison mushroom, Donkey Kong uses a banana, and Yoshi uses an egg that acts like a banana. By far the worst, and most annoying, are Mario and Luigi. They use a starman to make them invincible. That means that it's likely they will activate it near the finish line to try to trip you up. It is a near certainty that you will be tripped up by one or both of the Mario Bros. at some point.

Super Mario Kart is a definite classic as it started a racing subgenre and set up the gameplay that would become commonplace. The two-dimensional graphics with graphical tricks to make it appear three-dimensional aren't nearly as technologically impressive as they used to be. In addition, the fact that enemy drivers use the same powerups rather than random pickups as the player means that they represent an irritant that is not in other Mario Kart games. That said, it still is a fun game, and it could be worth playing if you don't mind two-dimensional pixel graphics that imitate three dimensions on a two-dimensional plane.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Mario Kart

Mario Kart 64 Review

Mario

Super Mario World Review

Super Mario Land 2 Review

Donkey Kong Junior

Donkey Kong Junior Review

Mario's Tennis Review Coming Soon

Puzzle Game Review: Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario is a unique take on the falling block puzzle game that was popularized by Tetris. Because of the huge worldwide success of Tetris, every game in the genre is ultimately compared to it. Dr. Mario managed to stand out and became a popular puzzle game in its own right.

The game, at one point during development, was known under the title of Virus. By the time it was released, Nintendo's mascot Mario was a doctor throwing the pills into the jar of a mix of three different colored cartoon-styled viruses. 

The viruses are eradicated by two-colored pills. Four of the same color, either through pills or a combination of pills and one or more viruses, causes the color line to disappear Tetris-style. Any remaining pills then drop down to the viruses below. 

The control is satisfyingly simple, making this a true pick-up-and-play experience. The Nintendo Entertainment System controller is utilized perfectly for this. Pills can be moved right and left with the gamepad. Like Tetris, pressing the down button on the four-way gamepad causes the pill to drop faster. Both the A and B buttons are used to rotate the pills. The A button will rotate the pills to the left whereas the B button rotates them to the right.

There are three speeds available, low, medium, and high, or low, med, and hi as displayed in-game. Levels can be chosen, with more viruses being added as the levels progress up to level 20, which has 84 viruses. After a cutscene, the game continues past level 20 however the virus count stays at 84.

Speaking of cutscenes, with the exception of lo-mode with a cutscene that appears only after level 20, they pop up after 5 levels. They consist of objects flying over a tree that contains the three colors of viruses on top. These objects are all somehow satisfyingly weird, ranging from a chicken to a flapping book. The ending cutscene, with the final fate of the viruses, is only shown after level 20 on hi-mode.

The music was created by the chiptune pioneer, Hirokazu Tanaka. The title screen, menu, and cutscenes each contain a different tune. They are quite enjoyable in their own right, however, the tunes that are heard the most are the stage music. There are two to choose from through the menu. Chill is a slower tune, and fever is the quicker of the two. Satisfyingly, these are the most catchy tunes in the game, especially fever. That tune gets stuck in my head occasionally even 30-some-years after I first heard it.

Dr. Mario is a fantastic puzzle game. The two-colored pill formula as well as the controls are easy to understand, making it a true pick-up-and-play type of game. The music is fantastic and extremely memorable. The graphics are fun, especially the wacky cartoon-styled viruses. Dr. Mario is a highly recommended game, especially to falling-block puzzle fans. It is a true classic.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Super Mario Land Review

Dr. Mario (Game Boy) Review

Platform Game Compilation Mega Review: Super Mario All-Stars

Super Mario All-Stars is a classic compilation that defined enhanced ports. It remains a worthwhile play due to the ultimate replayability of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. The inclusion of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was an unexpected addition as this compilation marked the first time that game had been released outside of Japan.

All four games are ported from their Nintendo Entertainment System counterparts, or the Family Computer Disk System counterpart in the case of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Because of this, they retain the same tried-and-true gameplay as the originals. There are a few exceptions to this, as it included bug fixes to remove the minus-world glitches in Super Mario Bros. In addition, Super Mario Bros. 3 is based on the Japanese version, so the block that was removed at the end of the world 8 enemy boat is there making it more challenging to jump up from the water onto the boat to get through the pipe to the enemy.

The things that make these games worth playing over the originals are the graphic, music, and sound effects upgrades. The graphics had a huge overhaul owing to the much more powerful hardware that powered the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. They are now akin to Super Mario World with more character detail as well as background elements that enhance the atmosphere. The underground levels also received an echo effect that also helps with immersion into the game's atmosphere. The music is structurally the same, however, they have been enhanced with digital instruments such as drums and horns that weren't possible on the original hardware.

Super Mario All-Stars was released on the SNES. It was later re-released through emulation on the Wii and through the online service on Nintendo Switch. As such, it is easier to access than it ever had been before. The enhanced graphics and sound may make it worthwhile to play the All-Stars versions of these games even if you had played the NES versions before. If you haven't played any or all of the included games, then I wholeheartedly recommend this compilation as it's the most technologically impressive way to play them.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins Review

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Review

Platform Game Review: Mario Bros. Special

In the 1980s, Hudson Soft was a huge name in Japan for personal computers. They had ports of their arcade games, and original games, on every popular computer in Japan. In the mid-1980s, before the Nintendo Entertainment System made Nintendo a household name worldwide, Nintendo licensed their arcade games to outside companies to port them to video game consoles and computers. Hudson Soft did do conversions of games for computers, such as their excellent Excitebike port. However, most of their games with Nintendo licenses were far more interesting. Mario Bros. Special is one of those games.

Mario Bros. Special is a very different game from the arcade game with which it shares its name. It shares level music but, unlike Mario Bros., it has a time limit. It also takes the Donkey Kong approach by having a series of four stages that repeat after they are completed. The first of the four stages include moving girders which have to be climbed upon and switches that have to be hit twice to open the stage exit. The second has the familiar Mario Bros. shellcreepers, but they are knocked over by jumping on the trampoline with them on it rather than hitting them from above. The third has girders, but the shellcreepers are taken out in the same way as the trampolines. In the final stage, there are no enemies and the goal is simply to collect all the dollar symbols.

The various computer versions are each the same but differ in colors and sounds, due to hardware restrictions. It's weird that Luigi isn't included, but the fresh take on the Mario Bros. arcade game is a fun idea. The various tasks are all thought out well. However, due to problems with ground detection, Mario will sometimes go right through a platform when he should have been able to stand on it just fine. Due to this, the game is a lot less fun than it should have been.

Final Verdict:

2½ out of 5

Mario Bros. Review

Super Mario Bros. Review

Platform Game Review: Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 brought the franchise back to the basics of the original Super Mario Bros. However, it also added some elements that change up gameplay and some that would become staples of the franchise.

Super Mario Bros. 2 was a Super Mario reskin of a different game, Dream Factory '87: Doki Doki Panic. Because of this, a lot of Super Mario elements were included, but the core gameplay was very different than the games that came before.

Super Mario Bros. 3 keeps some of the enemies from Super Mario Bros. 2, but enemies are not defeated by grabbing objects and throwing them. It's back to the jump-and-stomp method of the original Super Mario Bros.

The game also keeps all of the familiar elements from the original game including blocks, coins, growth mushrooms, fireball fire flowers, 1-UP extra life mushrooms, and invincibility starmen. However, it adds a lot more abilities, through the suits Mario and Luigi can wear. 

The most common new powerup is a leaf, which will turn the player into a raccoon. By running until a power bar fills up, leaping into the sky, and mashing the B button, the player can take to the air until the power meter runs down, at which point the player dropping rate can be decreased by mashing the B button to slowly ascend. A P-Wing power-up gives the player the ability to stay in the air through an entire level. The tanooki suit allows the player to have all the flying powers of the leaf, however, by holding the down button, the player can also turn into a statue. As a statue, enemies will walk right past you without doing harm.

There is also a frog suit for easier swimming and a suit that will let you fling hammers like a hammer brother and duck to deflect projectiles. Finally, if you step on the goomba in a shoe you can hop in the shoe and use it to hop over obstacles onto which you normally can't step.

This game brings in the Koopalings that guard each level, with Bowser, King of the Koopa guarding the last castle. Each level is now represented by a map, and sometimes you can skip certain levels or head differently.

The map in this game and the large amounts of powerups make it a great game. The fun levels and final bosses make it memorable. All of this combines to make one of the best games in the Super Mario series.

Addendum January 28, 2023: I forgot about the alternate versions. Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System includes an enhanced remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 with enhanced graphics, on par with those in Super Mario World, improved sound, and enhanced music.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Game Boy Advance is an enhanced remake based on the Super Mario All-Stars version, however, it has limited voice acting. It also has lighter colors than the Super Mario Bros. 3 in Super Mario All-Stars so that it is easily visible on the original Game Boy Advance, which didn't have a backlight.

There is also an arcade version on PlayChoice-10. This version is identical to the NES version, except there is a time limit put in place where the game will quit when time runs out.

Addendum March 12, 2023: Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Game Boy Advance had extra levels which could be played by scanning the level card into the e-Reader peripheral.

The Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy Advance emulator includes Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 with all of the e-Reader levels unlocked.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Super Mario Bros. 2 Review

Super Mario Land Review

Platform Game Mega Review: Super Mario Bros. - The Lost Levels

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was the formerly Japan-only sequel to Super Mario Bros. Known as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan, Nintendo of America deemed it too difficult. Instead, a game created from a vertical scrolling Mario demo for Fuji TV's "Dream Factory '87" event, Doki Doki Panic, was converted into a full-fledged Mario game. 

The converted game was released in the United States and Europe as Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and was released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. USA. The Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn't released in Western countries until it was included in the collection of enhanced ports for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario All-Stars, as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in 1993.

The idea for a sequel to Super Mario Bros. came while developing VS. Super Mario Bros. for the arcade market. The team at Shigeru Miyamoto's Nintendo Research & Development 4 had so much fun creating new levels for Super Mario Bros. that they decided to make enough new levels to fill out an entire game. 

The resulting game was originally released in Japan in 1986 on the Family Computer Disk System, the floppy drive expansion for the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its mechanics were like Super Mario Bros., for the most part. It still had Mario and Luigi as the playable characters, however, the game was only for one player. This marked the first time the abilities of the brothers differed. Mario controlled exactly as the Mario brothers had previously in Super Mario Bros. and its VS. System arcade counterpart. However, Luigi had different abilities. He could jump higher and farther, however, his controls were a bit more slippery, meaning that the choice between the two was up to personal preference rather than simply aesthetics or which controller you happened to use.

The gameplay also had some differences as well. The coins, blocks, growth-granting mushrooms, 1-UP extra life mushrooms, fireball-granting fireflowers, and invincibility starmen were all here. However, the game also had poison mushrooms. Grabbing these would shrink the player if they were large and kill them if they were small. In addition, there were also levels with the wind that would push the player backward as well as warp pipes that would take the player backward in levels as well as forward.

The stage layouts were also different. There were larger gaps, and harder-to-find invincible blocks, among other challenging changes, making it a much harder game than the Super Mario Bros. titles that came before.

Western audiences finally received the game, titled Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment Entertainment system. This was an enhanced port that featured updated graphics and music in the Super Mario All-Stars compilation. 

It was later released with the same graphics and music as the original as an unlockable called Super Mario Bros. for Super Players in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color. It had one difference, though. The Game Boy Color screen was a smaller resolution than that of the NES. Thus, the screen follows Mario. The fact that the top and bottom of the screen may not be visible at any given time makes this version slightly more difficult than the original.

The original Family Computer Disk System version was also released worldwide, via emulation, for the Virtual Console on Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS.

Super Mario Bros. is a classic that I recommend playing for everyone, however, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels doesn't reach that level. It's a neat curio for Super Mario fans, and for those platform game fans who want a challenge. However, it's not a mandatory play. There is a reason the poison mushroom is rarely used in other Super Mario games.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

VS. Super Mario Bros. Review

All-Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. Review

Platform Game Review: VS. Super Mario Bros.

VS. Super Mario Bros., released in 1986, is an adaptation of Super Mario Bros. for the VS. System arcade platform. It isn't a simple port, however, as it includes some different levels in comparison to the home console version.

In 1985, when Super Mario Bros. was released, Nintendo still had a presence in the arcade market. The VS. System was an arcade platform based on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with interchangeable palettes. This allowed games to be converted between the systems pretty easily. However, as VS. Super Mario Bros. was a game for the arcade market, Shigeru Miyamoto's Nintendo Research & Development 4 opted to replace some levels with harder levels as well as changing things such as hidden block locations and warp pipes to mix things up.

I played the game in an arcade, once, when I was a little girl on vacation with my family in Sodus Point, New York. I was an avid reader of Nintendo Power, so I knew all of the warp zones in Super Mario Bros. I tried walking along the ceiling to use the warp pipe on the second level of world one. I was surprised when it took me to the second world instead of the fourth, and I knew that I was playing a different beast than the game I mastered at home. I'm sure I wasn't the only person to be surprised on their first playthrough. I didn't get too far in the game, and I never saw this arcade game again.

The game contains all of the hallmarks of the home console version, including blocks, coins, growth mushrooms, fireball fireflowers, 1-UP extra life mushrooms, and invincibility starmen. In addition, most of the levels are from the home console version. However, as it's an arcade game, the new levels are quite hard. I didn't complete the game when I was young and didn't manage to complete it until decades later when it finally received a home conversion.

The developers loved creating harder levels so much that they created enough new levels to make a whole game, which became Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels. Unlike that game, however, VS. Super Mario Bros. remains a one or two-player game. It also lacks the harder gameplay elements such as the poison mushroom and levels with the wind.

Since it lacks the poison mushroom and wind, it is easier to recommend VS. Super Mario Bros. Because it doesn't have the gradual difficulty climb and because some levels are extremely difficult, it doesn't have the replayability of Super Mario Bros. However, It might be worth playing if you're a fan of Super Mario or platform games, especially since it was finally released to home and handheld console players on Nintendo Switch through emulation by Hamster in their Arcade Archives series.

Final Verdict: 

4 out of 5

Super Mario Bros. Review

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Review

Platform Game Review: All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros.

All-Night Nippon Super Mario Bros is an interesting little curio. In 1986, Nintendo partnered with the Nippon Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Fuji TV, to create a version of Super Mario Bros. filled with personalities from the "All Night Nippon" radio show. Interestingly, the game isn't just a straight edit of Super Mario Bros. It is a mix-and-match of levels and features from Super Mario Bros., VS. Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

Like The Lost Levels, All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. is a one-player game that can be played either as Mario or Luigi. Luigi has a higher jumping ability with less foot grip from that game as well. Eighteen levels are from Super Mario Bros., three are from The Lost Levels, and three are from VS. Super Mario Bros. In addition, one level has more enemies while another has a different puzzle solution.

The story is virtually the same as Super Mario Bros., with the exception of the stated location. In this game, Peach is the princess of the Viva Kingdom. She is still kidnapped by King Koopa, and Mario, or optionally his brother Luigi, has to travel through eight different worlds within the kingdom on the quest to rescue the princess.

As the game stems from The Lost Levels, the side-scrolling platforming gameplay is as responsive as always. Mario's jumping is the same as the original, so it is neither floaty nor abrupt. Luigi's controls take a little getting used to, as he slides on the ground a bit, but his higher jumps come in handy. Although it is built upon the physics of The Lost Levels, it is not as punishing as that game. There are no poison mushrooms or wind levels. 

It is great that the game begins with the first level of Super Mario Bros., as that level is a master class on creating a tutorial level to ease the player into the game. This level begins with the easiest baddie to stomp. It contains each of the power-ups available in the game, a height-increasing mushroom, a flower that bestows the power of fireballs, a star that grants invincibility, and a 1-UP mushroom that gives an extra life. Like all games in the Super Mario series, collecting one hundred coins also earns an extra life.

All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. also keeps the incremental levels that teach the player what to expect as the game gets harder. The aforementioned tutorial level is followed by an underground level, an above-ground level, and a castle level. The castle levels are puzzle levels where the correct path gives a chime while the incorrect path sounds out a buzzer. Like all of the games based on Super Mario Bros., the first seven levels feature a false King Koopa, and the eighth features the real thing. Instead of Mushroom Retainers, there are seven personalities from the mid-1980s era of All Night Nippon. One of these celebrities also replaces the easiest enemies, the goombas. Another replaces the piranha plants that sometimes come out of the pipes. After defeating the real Bowser in the fourth level of the eighth world, the Princess is saved.

All-Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. is a fun remix of the various games based on the original Super Mario Bros. The replacement of enemies with Japanese personalities is a little jarring, but the replacement of the Mushroom Retainers is actually pretty cute. Due to licensing issues, it's not likely that Nintendo will re-release this game digitally, but it's not really a game worth tracking down unless you actually own a Family Computer Disk System.

Final verdict:

4 out of 5

Super Mario

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Review

Super Mario Bros. 2 Review

Mario Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels Review Punch-Out!! Review

Platform Game Mega Review: Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. is a hugely influential game as well as the game that made the Nintendo Entertainment System a worldwide sensation. The graphics are no longer a technological marvel, but the gameplay remains as easy to pick up and enjoy as ever.

The story is very simple. The one presented in the game is simply that Mario travels through various worlds to save the princess from the Koopa King. The manual provides more context. Bowser, King of the Koopa, invades the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnaps Peach, Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom. King Koopa unleashes his minions upon the kingdom and magically turns its inhabitants into objects such as blocks.

An Italian plumber named Mario, and optionally, his brother Luigi, travel from Brooklyn to the Mushroom Kingdom. There, they travel across eight different worlds within the kingdom and collect power-ups to defeat enemies standing in their way, on their quest to rescue the princess. 

The side-scrolling platforming gameplay feels very responsive and the jumping is neither floaty nor abrupt. The layout of the game's eight worlds and twenty-four levels are excellent. The game starts with an easy-to-complete ground level, which gives Mario each of the power-ups available in the game, a mushroom that will make Mario grow in height, a fire flower that allows Mario to shoot fireballs, a Starman which makes Mario temporarily invisible, and a 1-UP mushroom that gives Mario an extra life. Extra lives can also be earned by collecting one hundred coins which can be found on the ground, in the air, or inside blocks.

The tutorial level is followed by levels incrementally increasing in difficulty, including an underground level, a level set on platforms high above the ground, and a castle level with a boss to defeat, followed by an underwater level to start the second world. It's a very excellent set of levels to start with, as it gives the player an overview of all the types of worlds in the game before the difficulty level raises too much.

The worlds have a varying amount of the level types above, but the fourth, and last, level of each world contains a castle with a lava and fire motif. In order to get to the final boss, the player must travel on the correct path. Which path is traveled is indicated with a sound effect. The correct path earns a chime while the incorrect path is indicated with a buzzer. In the first seven castle levels, various minions disguised themselves as their boss, Bowser, King of the Koopa. The false Bowsers can be defeated either by using fireballs with the fire flower powerup or by hitting a switch behind the false Bowser. The latter will take the bridge out under the false Bowser's feet, causing him to fall into the lava below. 

There are also warp pipes hidden in the game, which can be accessed to skip levels and warp right to a level at a further point in the game.

At the end of each of the seven castles is a dungeon, where Mario discovers one of the many Mushroom Retainers that inhabit the Mushroom Kingdom. Each tells Mario the words that have since become a meme - "Thank you Mario. But our Princess is in another castle".

The fourth level of the eighth world, which is the last level in the game, has Mario fighting against the real Bowser, who is defeated in the same way as the false Bowsers. After this, Mario rescues Princess Toadstool. She then gives Mario the option to try a new quest, wherein she is kidnapped again, but Mario must defeat tougher enemies to rescue her.

The game received enhanced remakes by Nintendo several times. These remakes are faithful to the original game but have been adjusted with the capabilities and limitations of the system on which it was ported. The first remake was in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which enhanced the graphics and music to be consistent with the other Super Mario games available on that system. The second was Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. This was a faithful port of the original NES game, complete with the same graphics and sound. The difference was that the Game Boy Color screen was a smaller resolution than that of the NES. Thus, the screen follows Mario. The fact that the top and bottom of the screen may not be visible at any given time makes this version slightly more difficult than the original. It also had a partial remake for the Japan-only Sattelaview online gaming platform for the Super Famicom (the Japanese version of the SNES) that was released weekly and included the level map from Super Mario Bros. 3 onward. Since it was only available for a limited time in Japan, and, as of this writing, not all of the weeks have been found and restored, this version of the game is not a viable option.

Super Mario Bros. is a seminal video game that was hugely influential to the entire video game industry. It deserves every accolade it gets. The gameplay is timeless, as anyone can pick it up and play, even today. For those who prefer SNES-style graphics, which are still popular with indie game developers to this day, the Super Mario All-Stars version might be worth playing instead. The level design is fantastic, and the jumping controls are tight, but not too much so. I highly recommend this game to anyone, as it's a fantastic game and is a great game to play for both beginners at platform games as well as experts.

Addendum January 28, 2023: There is also an arcade version for the PlayChoice-10. This version is identical to the NES version, except there is a time limit in place where the game will quit when time runs out.

Final verdict:

Final Verdict:
5 out of 5

Mario Bros. Special Review

VS. Super Mario Bros. Review