Nintendo dropped a Direct last night focused on Mario's 35th anniversary, and one of the many insane announcements in it was the shadow drop of a new addition to the SNES Online emulator. Today, I talk about said addition. BACKGROUND:
I knew of Super Mario All-Stars beforehand, but having already played the original versions of the four games included in the collection, I saw no need to check it out. Now that I can access it legally, I thought, why not? SUMMARY: Super Mario All-Stars is a collection of all the Super Mario NES games in one package. You have the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (which was Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan), Super Mario Bros. 2 (the one that the West got), and Super Mario Bros. 3. What makes this collection special is that it's more than just a bundle of classic games: every game on here has been overhauled to have 16-bit visuals, upgraded sounds, more detailed sprites and backgrounds, and even some unique animations. This is essentially Mario Remastered, but for the '90s. Everything looks great and fresh, but the charm of the originals isn't completely erased. If you've played the original NES versions like I have, you will immediately notice quite the difference in terms of presentation. They almost feel like brand new games because of the more detailed backgrounds, the more defined sprites, the more refined music, and all the extra animations that weren't in the original. Mario 1 and Mario Lost Levels in particular feel like a drastic upgrade from the originals. Though you may expect these games to look like Super Mario World (the actual Mario game of the Super Nintendo), the games still retain the aesthetic of their NES counterparts to a degree. Mario 2 is exemplary of this; the NES version did not use a lot of black outlines for its sprites, and the same can be said of the All-Stars version. Some sprites have been changed outright, however; most notably, Bowser looks more like his more modern incarnations rather than the green turtle-dragon freak that he was in Mario 1. Aside from the overhaul in the presentation, you can now save each game (with multiple save slots to boot). This was probably a big deal at the time (few NES games had saves, and the feature only became more prominent during the SNES era), but in 2020 when save states for the originals are possible, it's not really anything special. Other than that, all the games pretty much play the exact same way as the originals. If you've played the NES version, the game will not feel foreign at all. Nothing outside of the presentation has changed, no new bells and whistles were added, and there are no changes to gameplay or anything like that. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, I saw no need to play this at the time because I'd already played the originals, so unless you are interested in the new visuals, you may feel the same way. I've already talked about all four games in this collection on here via the NES Online blog posts, albeit only briefly. I beat them all again in a span of about five hours (spread across two days), so I think this is a good opportunity to really zero in on my thoughts on each game. Below are my thoughts on each game individually: Super Mario Bros. Ah, the classic. This game pretty much pioneered the side-scrolling platformer, and its significance in the industry should not be ignored. It's still very much a simple experience: go right, jump on the enemies, get to the end; no wacky mechanics, just pure platforming. I still enjoyed myself despite this being my nth playthrough; something about its simplicity just makes it so pleasant to revisit time and time again. I suppose there's also the speedrunning aspect to it; I've played this enough times that I know where a lot of the secrets are (especially the warp zones that let me skip through 75% of the game), and my clear time getting shorter and shorter makes revisits appealing. The variety in terms of level aesthetic has never really been a strong point of this game, but the All-Stars edition helps compensate by making those few designs really stand out. Like I may have said before, this is what I'd call a gaming "essential," so I think it must be played at least once by pretty much everybody. Go play it if you haven't. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels This was Mario 2 in Japan, and Nintendo thought it was too hard for the Westerners and released a different Mario 2 for them instead. They were certainly onto something; this is pretty much just the first game, except the level designers upped the ante on the bullshit. The levels are way trickier and require more precision than the original, mechanics like wind are introduced to throw you off, some levels are a pain in the ass to figure out (like the ones that require you to find hidden blocks or the endless loop ones where you have to perform trial-and-error to find the correct path), and there are things that are in place specifically to piss you off (like the poison mushroom, fire flowers that are impossible to get, and warp zones that send you back to the first world). Since the original Lost Levels is practically Mario 1 but with different levels, don't expect too much deviation in terms of visuals. Only play this game if you want to subject yourself to a rather difficult, somewhat obtuse challenge. Otherwise, playing Mario 1 will suffice. And don't feel bad for using save states or the rewind feature, either; this is definitely the kind of game you wanna use it for. Super Mario Bros. 2 This is the Western Mario 2, and it plays almost nothing like the original. Instead of killing enemies by stomping them, you can pick up objects you're standing on (including enemies themselves) and throw them at anything that moves. It'll be weird if you've never played this game before, but once you get used to it, throwing a motherfucker at another motherfucker is a satisfying feeling. Boss fights are a little more involved as well thanks to this mechanic; not only are you actively taking the fight to a wider variety of bosses, but you're using the environment to do so. This is a Mario game, though, so it's still not that difficult. Mario 2 has fewer levels than Mario 1 or the lost levels, but the larger levels more than make up for it. You do significantly more exploring here than you do in the first game, and there are a good amount of bonuses and shortcuts to find if you look hard enough. In particular, I love how warp zones are handled here; instead of walking past the end, you have to take the flask (which brings up a door that takes you to a special zone when you throw it) near a "pipe" and then jump down. What also makes this game unique is its roster. You can play as either Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, and they all play differently from one another. It's in this game that a lot of the traits these characters are known for are introduced; Mario's the all-rounder, Luigi has a higher jump, Peach can float, and Toad runs fast. Though this game is not as well remembered as the others, a few now-classic Mario characters come from this game. Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, Pokeys, and Birdo all debuted here. The enemy variety in Mario 2 easily beats out the first game, even if a lot of the iconic ones (like the Goombas and the Koopa Troopas) are absent. Plus, the way the mechanics are allows for unique interactions; since you don't kill enemies by stomping them, you can ride on top of them to another part of the level or use them as stepping stones. You're actually required to do this in a number of places, usually atop a flying enemy. Both in the original and in the All-Stars edition, Mario 2 has a distinct look about it that sets it apart from the other Mario games visually. I remember the first time I saw this game and thinking, this looks nothing like Mario. This game is also an improvement in terms of level variety. For the first time, you get to run around the desert and icy mountains. At this point, there are very little places Mario hasn't been (the dude has been to space, for crying out loud), but seeing where Mario level variety really started to take off is something I can still appreciate. I've always enjoyed how different Mario 2 is from the rest of the bunch, and playing through it again reaffirms my love for it. I think it's worth checking out especially if you've never played it before; it may feel foreign compared to what you think a Mario game is, but there's still a fun game underneath the surface. Super Mario Bros. 3 Often hailed as the best 2D Mario, and with good reason. It took the winning formula of Mario 1 and expanded it completely, turning it from a level-to-level platformer to a whole world to explore. Instead of the game taking you from level to level automatically, there is a world map where you can select which levels you want to take on. For the most part, it's linear, but once you start beating levels, the paths will open up and passageways will unlock, allowing you to forge your own path through the world. It's a level of freedom that didn't really exist for platformers at the time, and the variety of paths you can take makes each playthrough a little different from the last. The overworld is made even more exciting thanks to locations such as bonus rooms that give you items or 1-Ups, or random encounters with enemies like Hammer Bros. Mario 3 tones it down a bit by reducing the cast to the original brothers, but it makes up for it by expanding Mario's arsenal. You still have your fire flowers and mushrooms, but on top of that, you have the Super Leaf that lets you fly, the Frog Suit that helps you swim faster, and more. The Super Leaf in particular is a significant addition, as lets you explore a Mario level in ways the first game never could, allowing you to find out-of-the-way secrets. The exploration aspect extends to the world map as well; certain power-ups allow you to unlock even more paths on the map that can take you to bonus rooms or even help you skip entire areas. In terms of mechanics, there is a healthy mix of old and new. Classic enemies and power-ups make a return, and all the other usual Mario trappings (like your ? Blocks and warp pipes) are present. Mixed in with the new shit are the aforementioned new power-ups, a slew of new enemies (some of whom are now Mario staples like the Thwomp, Boo, and Chain Chomp), new mechanics (like spinning platforms, and the debut of the P Switch), and the ability to hold and throw items like shells (which isn't technically new if you're going by Mario 2, but it functions a little differently). In this regard, Mario 3 feels more like a sequel to the first game than Mario 2 does; it takes what worked in the original and builds upon it to provide a more robust experience. This game also marks the debut of the Koopalings, Bowser's Koopa minions-slash-probably-children. Whereas a lot of Mario 2's new bosses outside of Birdo have largely been forgotten (RIP Wart), the Koopalings managed to stand the test of time to become a series staple themselves. Although the fights themselves are hilariously simple (this is a Mario game, after all), I still really like these little idiots. The level aesthetics are also a great mix of old and new. You have the classic stuff (grassy plains, underground, underwater, Bowser's lava fortress), designs expanded upon from Mario 2 (ice world, desert), and entirely new and fun concepts (like the airship levels, the world where everything is giant, and the pipe maze). A lot of these concepts have since been revisited and refined in later games, but like I said in the previous section, it's still awesome to see. Despite Super Mario World being my absolute favorite 2D Mario, Mario 3 comes in at a close second for me. As mentioned before, this is a good example of a fantastic sequel, and I really enjoy both the freedom of going through the world map your own way as well as mechanics like the Super Leaf. Most people would point you in the direction of this game if you ask for a great 2D Mario platformer, and I can't say I disagree. VERDICT: Super Mario All-Stars is admittedly redundant when you consider the fact that the games it collects can be played in their original form via NES Online, but it is nonetheless a solid remaster that gives four classic games a fresh 16-bit coat of paint. I still like the originals as they are, but All-Stars is a great effort to make something old new again. I certainly had a blast playing everything, because not only do I already like these games, but the graphical overhaul made it feel like a different experience (even if it clearly isn't gameplay-wise). I would still recommend playing the NES versions if you haven't played them at all before, but this is not a terrible place to start by any means either. Though they look nothing like the originals, they all play exactly the same, so you'll be getting mostly the same experience, just with more polished visuals. If you've already played these games, revisiting them via the All-Stars pack is a good way to enjoy Mario in a slightly different way. Again, you may not be compelled to check it out if you've already beaten all four of these games, but I still suggest playing a little bit just so you can compare and contrast the graphics with the original. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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