The biggest Super Nintendo compilation released back in 1993 makes a well glorious return on the Wii with the NES rema..
Platform: Wii
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platform/Compilation
Age Rating: 3+ PEGI
Release Date: 3rd December 2010
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Game Score: 9.0/10
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Summery:
The biggest Super Nintendo compilation released back in 1993 makes a well glorious return on the Wii with the NES remakes that everyone loved and enjoyed back then.
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In honor of the 25th Anniversary of one of Nintendo's greatest video game mascots of all time. Mario is going back to his original old NES games again to relive the memories of the NES remakes for the Super Nintendo. The result is the release of Super Mario All Stars 25th Anniversary Edition on the Wii which includes all the NES remakes on Super Nintendo into a single Wii game disk instead of releasing it on the shop channel which is a surprise. Does Mario's SNES remakes still have that Mario charm as it did back then.
As with the release on the Super Nintendo, this Mario package includes Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3 and also the unreleased in English before Super Mario Bros 2 but titled under the name The Lost Levels all for a decent price-tag of £22.99 which really is a great deal seeing as there's 4 games in one disk.Also Included in Super Mario Bros 3 you can play the original Mario Bros arcade game with a friend to compete against.
The original Super Mario Bros being a grand classic game of bunch still turns out really as it was today. You play through 8 different worlds with each worlds having 4 sections with the fourth being a boss encounter and having Toad saying "Our princess is in another castle" at the end, until finally you'll make Bowser fall and then rescue the princess. There's also secret areas which will give you extra coins or use a warp to go to different worlds but I'm unsure the infamous World -1 glitch is there in this package or not feel free to check. You jump around on platforms jumping on Koopa Troopers, Gombas and Flying Troopers. Also you'll have power-ups like the mushrooms and Fire-flowers to help your odds of going through the level. Super Mario Bros 1 still holds up brilliantly and it's one of the finest on the disk.
The second Super Mario Bros is the squeal to the original but it's a much different game compared to the original. Instead of jumping and squashing on Koopa troopers you pick-up vegetables or enemies and you simply throw then at other enemies in the way. You'll run from 3 different sections going through 8 different worlds to breeze through. Not only can you play as Mario but as other 3 characters as well but there's minor differences between them. Luigi jumps and can land slowly, Peach can float in the air for a brief time and Toad play much similar to Mario. Although this game simply doesn't feel as much of a Mario game at all but it's still a good game otherwise.
The Third Super Mario Bros is the best of the package. Included is the battle game which plays like the classic 1983 Mario Bros arcade game. Players simply have to knock enemies by jump to bump the enemy below the tile and then touch them to knock them off. You will also have to get the coins to beat the other player or just by cheating by getting the other player killed by the baddies. The main game returns to it's original formula unlike it's squeal. You play through different levels spanning 8 different worlds these range from desert lands and a giant themed land. The game-play is is similar to the original you jump around on platform avoid obstacles and hazards along the way and you'll find power-ups to help your odds like mushrooms, Fire flowers and the raccoon suit and also each can be used outside on the world map for later use. You'll bump into a boomerang koopa on the map and you'll have to fight it. There's a Castle at the end each with a Koopaling to deal with until Bowser at the end of the game and bonus games with give you a few extra lives or power-ups. It may be a tough game but it's still one of the best Mario games you'll play on the disk.
As much as the 3 main games are huge classics also included is the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2 but released on the compilation as Super Mario Bros the Lost Levels. On the SNES version this was it's first time being released outside Japan at the time because this game wasn't released on the English NES. This was because of how difficult the game was back then and it still is today. To say the least it's basically the same as the original but only harder. What really makes it really hard is that there's mushrooms that can kill you, there's a lot of dangerous obstacles and thrown in at the beginning of the game and also difficult pits that are hard to jump over. Each time you use a continue you'll end up having to restart the world over from the beginning and for this game it's tedious. It may be one the toughest Mario games put into the disc but if you're willing to put up with it's punishing difficultly then you'll get a couple of moments out of it before tears of punishment drops. When Nintendo didn't want to release this one outside Japan back then, they put together an already existing Famicom title and changed it to a Mario game thus being the English Super Mario 2.
These games can be played with either the Wii Remote held like a classic NES controller, Classic controller or the Gamecube controller. Of these options I can say the Wii Remote turned on it's side works better with all the needed buttons the games require.
Each Mario game in the package has it's great challenge level besides The Lost Levels which is extremely hard as ever. You will have to restart a world you're currently on from the beginning each time you get Game Over and continuing. Overall the Mario games really still hold up nicely and are still fun to play.
Super Mario All Stars retains the SNES graphics and sound presentations as it was back then and it emulates it brilliantly even though it's outdated by today's standards. Also it would have been nice if this collection kept the NES presentations but what you do have is still quite fine looking refinements of the NES originals with improved soundtracks and details.
Although Super Mario World for the SNES would have been nice extra to top of this already great classic package as what some copies of the original All Stars on the SNES included back then but you'll got yourself a great deal with some of the other NES Mario titles burned onto one disk. If you missed a chance to play this compilation before on the Super Nintendo back then you got yourself a chance for a perfectly great collection of NES remakes on a single Wii disk that Mario fans will enjoy and relive the memories of the NES again and again. For £22.99 it's a worthy price for the classics of yesteryear as this is worthy of celebrating Mario's 25 Anniversary.
Happy 25th Anniversary Mario.
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The Pros:
1. The 4 NES Mario games with everything that looked the way it was back then put into a single Wii disk.
2. Super Mario Bros 3 is a superb game along with the arcade Mario Bros.
3. The original Super Mario Bros is still a well-loved NES classic.
4. SNES details and sounds from the NES original are still quite nice and nostalgic.
The Bads:
1. Super Mario Bros the Lost Levels is still extremely hard as ever.
2. Super Mario World would have been a nice extra.
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Reviewed by Anthony Hayball (BlaZer91)
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