While Not the Best, Super Mario Bros. 2 is still a fantastic game
Over all Mario 2 isn't a bad game, in fact it's quite good. The game's best feature is by and far the ability to chose between four fan favorite Mario Characters: Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Princess Peach, and being allowed to change characters after each level. Each character has their own specal power, ranging from high jumping to hovering all of which can prove to be helpful in tight situations.
The gameplay is fiarly straight forward, not to mention a nice change from the previous Mario Game, and maintains the fun and challenge the early Mario series were known for.
Graphics wise, Super Mario Bros. 2 is vastly improved over it's predicessor, giving the characters a more realistic look, and sharper colors then the Super Mario Bros.
However, no game is perfect, and Mario 2 is far from it. The biggest complaint about this game is the fact that it's a clone more then an original game. Super Mario Bros. 2 is actually a carbon copy of the game Yume Koojoo Doki Doki Panic, a game only released on the Famicom. While it's good that the game tries to be original, it should have done more to distance itself from it's source material. For example the enemies are vibrant and colorful, however creatures found in the previous Mario Game, such as Goombaas and Koopa Troopas, should have also been included.
Another flaw the game has is that power-ups are hard to come by, and many popular items from the previous game such as the coin box and fire flower are no where to be found in this game. Instead you can only recharge your health by killing a certain number of enemies, and collecting the heart that comes up from the bottom of the screen.
Overall Mario 2 isn't the best game in the series, but it's still a fantastic game, and a must have for any video game fan.