Super Mario Bros. 3 is an ageless classic that will appeal to any gamer of any age.
In Super Mario Bros 3, there are eight worlds. In these eight worlds, you have to complete a bunch of different levels in an attempt to get to the Castle at the end of the world. This isn't your ordinary castle though, when you get there Mario will jump onto a ship and you'll have to forge your way through the ship in order to get to the boss. However, you don't just run through these worlds and then face the boss. Along the way you'll also have oppurtunities to collect items, extra lives, and even play in some mini-castles.
While the first and second worlds may not provide much of a challenge, by the time you get to around the fifth dungeon you'll be in it for the long haul. In the recent years of gaming we've, in my opinion, seen less of a stress on difficulty and replay value. Super Mario Bros 3 is one of the most difficult games you can buy (well, if you want to beat the game it's difficult) and has loads of replay value. Unfortunately, the cause of this replay value is the lack of a save feature. No matter how far you make it, as soon as that NES goes off you're starting back from square one.
Sound-wise, this is one of the best Mario games we've seen. It brings you some of the classic jingles you've come to love from previous Super Mario Bros games, while adding new tunes to the mix that really capture the Super Mario Bros feel. In a gaming industry that's dominated by soundtracks and artists, it's great to go back and relive some of the classic music we've come to know and love.
One thing that might be dissapointing for those of you who are used to the newer Mario games, is the lack of a story. While you're still going off of the whole "Rescue The Princess" theme, there's no story that would've otherwise kept you hooked. The extent of the characters in the game (besides you of course) is the King in each castle who has been turned into some animal. Then you need to jump aboard the ship (as I mentioned before) that holds the baddie who bestowed this evil on the King, and eventually defeat him.
For an NES game, it's not half bad graphically. But if you are comparing it to some of today's games, you're not going to be impressed by any stretch of the imagination. It's basically your average 2D Sidescrolling Platformer - more focused on gameplay than graphics.
With Super Mario Bros 3 you're not going to find what you'd expect from some of today's games. What you will find is some classic gameplay mixed with some challenges along the way. Also, if you'd like to play a version of SMB3 that has a saving feature or your NES is beyond playability, you can try out Super Mario Bros 3 for the Gameboy Advance.