Video game hype wasn’t something you’d usually see in the late 80s to the early 90s, but Super Mario Bros. 3 was something different. Aside from the aggressive advertising, a movie entitled “The Wizard” was about gaming – but it existed mostly to introduce North Americans Super Mario Bros. 3 for the first time. As tremendous as the hype was, the game outmatched its hype. Some call it the very best sidescrolling platform game of all time. Some call it the greatest of all time period. These things have been mentioned in the past, but today, it’s still one of the better games. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 is a GBA port of the best-selling game of all-time. Aside from the graphics and secret Advance Medallions, nothing about the game has changed it all. It’s just a facelift of what the original was. Super Mario Bros. 3 doesn’t really have much of a story. You begin as Mario (or Luigi if you’re on 2-player alternative with the GBA Universal Link Cable) and work your way through maps in the Overworld. There are 9 Worlds, and every world has 10++ levels in it. The object of every map is to get to the Battleship to fight one of Bowser’s Koopa Children. Once you defeat a Koopaling, you save the kingdom on the map, and the King himself, and then you’ll be closer and closer to Princess Toadstool. The only downside to the NES game was that there was no way of saving your game – that is unless you left your NES on for the night. The GBA version will finally allow you to save your progress, so there’s no “UGH!” involved. The game features the same controls used in the original. The Directional Pad allows Mario to move, and the A button will allow him to jump. While moving, you can hold B to dash. There is no limit on dashing. As with most other Super Mario games, picking up a Mega Mushroom will allow little Mario to become bigger, thus making his defense better. While in Super Mario mode, Mario is taller, faster, and can jump higher. When damaged by an enemy, Mario will revert back to Mario and he must find another Mega Mushroom to reboot. You can power up Super Mario with a Magic Leaf and a Fire Flower. The Magic Leaf gives Mario raccoon ears and a tail. While dashing, Mario can jump and fly by continuously pressing A. He can fly for short distances, depending on how long the P-Meter will last. To fall slower, you can rapidly press A to make Mario softly land. The Fire Flower allows Mario to become all red. When in this mode, Mario obtains the ability to thrust Fireballs. Fireballs are almost unstoppable and can only be defended by Beetles and Koopa Kids. You can toss a fireball by pressing B – You can only throw 3 at once. Aside from the 3 main power ups, there are a whole lot more as well. Such as the Power Wing, the Tanuki Suit, the Frog Suit, the Cloud, the Magic Whistle and many more. As you get deeper into this huge game, you’ll know when the right time is to use the necessary items. The graphics of Super Mario Bros. 3 are nothing extraordinary. They basically are what the game would look like if played on the Super Nintendo. It is much better than the visuals seen on both the SNES and NES, but then again, very little is changed. As for the sound, it sounds much better. The songs are a bit re-done to fit that of the 21st century and have their own jazz remixes. Every song is the same, so they just sound a bit different. The SFX, again, is the same. Go down a pipe. ‘Teeku-Teeku-Teeku’, jump on a Koopa ‘Plop’ jump on a gooma ‘woop’. It’s all classic, and classics remain classic. Not much is new to Super Mario Advance 4 at all. The key difference is that you can save your game. Other than that, the only new additions are improved graphics, improved sound, additions of 5 Advance Medallions per level, and of course the additional of the Mario Bros. Arcade game. The newest addition to the game is “Lost Episodes” which you can unlock using a new pack of GBA E-Reader cards. Unless you already have one, you might not want to go out and get one just for the levels. It's differences like this that can be the deciding factor whether you want this gem of a game or not. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a classic above all. It’s the first ‘hype’ felt by any gamer, and the hype was well received. Whether you’re new or an old fan of the Mario series, Mario Advance 4 is a game that will last quite a long time and will be an even greater addition to your GBA Library with the edition of an E-Reader.
Other Helpful Reviews for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2 Bonus e-Reader Cards)
1990 I believe was the year. The year platforming became a lengthy, and still incredibly fun fixture in the gaming community. The year SMB3 was originally released. I have to say, SMB3 was in fact my first game. An... Read Full Review
Wow.....this game has to be the greatest Mario Bros. game ever and now it is on the Game Boy Advance. I can't really say what it is that makes the game so perfect. It could have something to do with the pleasant memories... Read Full Review
