[It is] simply the best 2D Mario game to date.
User Rating: 10 | Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4 SNES
Super Mario World marked the debut of Mario on Nintendo's newest console, the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or SNES or Super NES for short). It took classic elements of past Mario titles like collecting mushrooms that enabled Mario to grow to twice his height and added new stuff into the mix for a gaming experience you'll never forget. Super Mario World, like most Mario games, has tremendously good gameplay. The core of the gameplay is very similar to earlier Mario games, like Super Mario Bros. on the NES for example, only Nintendo has perfected it with Super Mario World on the Super NES. There will be items for you to collect that give Mario special powers, like the ability to shoot fireballs from his hand or to fly, in addition to the previously-mentioned-in-this-review mushrooms that enable him to grow to twice his normal size. The game has almost 100 levels of greatness for you to play (96 to be exact, some of which are hidden, waiting for you to discover them). They vary in locale, like some of them are underwater while others are in a forest. It's this depth in the areas of the levels that added to the greatness of this game. Another staple in the Mario games, gold coins, is back in Super Mario World. As per 100 coins you collect, you'll gain an extra life, which is vital in this game as some of the levels are truly challenging. Graphics-wise, Super Mario World, a launch game for the Super NES, looked good back at its launch, although it's obviously looking a bit dated by now (2005 as of this writing). Still, the game moves at a refreshingly nice pace and the backgrounds themselves aren't really that bad looking as are the characters; it's just that this game is over ten years old. Super Mario World features a nice soundtrack. The game's many tunes are catchy and the sound effects fit perfectly in this game. It features just what you would expect a Mario title to feature when it comes to sound and music. Super Mario World has a ton of replay value. In addition to the game's normal levels, there is also an extra set of levels for you to uncover, called the "Star Road." By completing these extra five levels, you'll gain secret entry to another set of levels; ten to be exact. These ten levels are probably the hardest the game has to offer, honestly. If you complete all of them, you score this cool little secret (which I won't spoil for you here). Super Mario World was the perfect launch game for the Super NES. It perfectly demonstrated that Mario and his pals at Nintendo still had a lot of greatness left in them and demonstrated to Sega that the 16-bit console war had only just begin. A game that stands the test of time, even 10+ years later, Super Mario World earns from me the highest of recommendation.
