Old School Mario Is Back

User Rating: 9 | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (2 Bonus e-Reader Cards) GBA
I have been on a Nintendo DS kick ever since I got married in October because of my commute. I had a long bus ride followed by a 1 hour ferry ride to get to work. This gave me at least 1 hour a day of gaming time with my Nintendo DS. I used this time to play Super Mario Advance 4 (Super Mario Brothers 3). I am an old school video game player, so the last time I played Super Mario Brothers 3 was back on the 8 bit Nintendo gaming system. It was a great game back then, but I don't think I ever beat it which I accomplished with the DS game.

You can read the GS review of the game to know what the game is about if you don't know already. I really enjoyed playing this game because it is a simple 2D platform game, but the designers gradually ramp up the learning curve the further along you get. The last world was definitely the toughest and required lots of perfectly timed actions. I like how each of the different worlds are themed like desert, water, pipes, etc. I also enjoyed the new different suits that Mario can wear including raccoon (flying) and frog (jumping). You can collect ~30 suits and other powerups that can be used from the main screen. I screwed up because I did not use the cloud or hammer to get past blocked off areas of the worlds. Don't hoard your suits, use them as necessary to ease your way through some of the tougher levels.

Overall, I recommend this game to anyone who still has a Gameboy Advance, DS, or DS lite. It is a great nostalgic game that has not lost its appeal from the early Nintendo days.