Medium: Videogame
System: Game Boy Advance
Genre: Platformer
Rating: E
There are some games that are good even though they're nothing like the franchise they claim to be from. Some examples: Phantasy Star 3. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Super Mario 64. Sonic Spinball. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I know a guy who was absolutely in love with Silent Hill 4. And me? My deep dark secret was that I always liked Super Mario Bros. 2.
Yes, it wasn't actually a Mario title. Yes, Toad was a useless character (mostly, he could destroy bosses but sucked at platforming). Yes, it wasn't anything at all like the first Super Mario Bros, or the third. That's because, at the time that Nintendo of America was optioning titles, they looked at the real Super Mario Bros. 2, and decided that it was too similar to the original- It was more of the same, mostly, and would bore American gamers. And to a point, this was true; although the game let you choose between Mario and Luigi, and had much different levels, the only real thing new about it was the Poison Mushroom power-down and the cranked-up difficulty. Instead, they took an obscure game named Doki-Doki Panic!, which was about a family of Arabian-Nights inspired characters going into a storybook to save two children who had been sucked in, and dressed everything up. The four heroes became Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, the story became about Mario (and co.) saving a dreamland from the clutches of an evil tyrant, and the enemies got changed to become, uh... less... bizarre.
*cough*
Anyway, many many years later, as Nintendo was looking at titles to throw at the Game Boy Advance dartboard, they knew they needed a Mario title. One that was different enough to attract attention. And so, Super Mario Bros. 2 was given a makeover, and, together with the original Mario Bros. arcade game, became the package known as Super Mario Advance.
The graphics were seriously overhauled. The gameplay was updated to incorporate new features. Characters were given voices. And all around, it was made to feel more like... well... Mario.
Now, being a fan of the original NES SMB2, the moment I heard 'new features' I was instantly sold. So I picked up a copy, and gave it another quick run-through from memory. Here's some of what's new:
-At least one new boss. Yes, seriously. I squeed.
-A new mode, added post completion.
-It's way easier to get lost life points back- and some levels give you the chance to push your life bar past 4 hearts.
-Giant. Fricking. Items.
-Actual backgrounds! ...But that was also in the port for SNES, so I don't care as much.
-A new item that you can toss and it'll produce a cherry, a heart, a star, or a bomb. Rare, but useful.
-Aforementioned voices. Including ones for bosses. PIRATE CRAB!
Aside from all that, though, the title hasn't changed much. Luigi still has the best jump, Princess still floats, Toad's still useless. Birdo still shoots eggs, and everything in Subcon is still allergic to veggies. It's not the fantastic update I expected, but it is a fantastic update nonetheless. For those who have never played through Super Mario Bros. 2, or who were generally unimpressed with how different it is, I'd suggest you sit down and at least -try- it. At its core, admittedly, it will never be Mario. But it does try its very best, so give it the benefit of the doubt.
Score: 7/10
Pass/Fail: Pass
Time taken to write this rant: Too long ;_;
System: Game Boy Advance
Genre: Platformer
Rating: E
There are some games that are good even though they're nothing like the franchise they claim to be from. Some examples: Phantasy Star 3. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Super Mario 64. Sonic Spinball. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I know a guy who was absolutely in love with Silent Hill 4. And me? My deep dark secret was that I always liked Super Mario Bros. 2.
Yes, it wasn't actually a Mario title. Yes, Toad was a useless character (mostly, he could destroy bosses but sucked at platforming). Yes, it wasn't anything at all like the first Super Mario Bros, or the third. That's because, at the time that Nintendo of America was optioning titles, they looked at the real Super Mario Bros. 2, and decided that it was too similar to the original- It was more of the same, mostly, and would bore American gamers. And to a point, this was true; although the game let you choose between Mario and Luigi, and had much different levels, the only real thing new about it was the Poison Mushroom power-down and the cranked-up difficulty. Instead, they took an obscure game named Doki-Doki Panic!, which was about a family of Arabian-Nights inspired characters going into a storybook to save two children who had been sucked in, and dressed everything up. The four heroes became Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, the story became about Mario (and co.) saving a dreamland from the clutches of an evil tyrant, and the enemies got changed to become, uh... less... bizarre.
*cough*
Anyway, many many years later, as Nintendo was looking at titles to throw at the Game Boy Advance dartboard, they knew they needed a Mario title. One that was different enough to attract attention. And so, Super Mario Bros. 2 was given a makeover, and, together with the original Mario Bros. arcade game, became the package known as Super Mario Advance.
The graphics were seriously overhauled. The gameplay was updated to incorporate new features. Characters were given voices. And all around, it was made to feel more like... well... Mario.
Now, being a fan of the original NES SMB2, the moment I heard 'new features' I was instantly sold. So I picked up a copy, and gave it another quick run-through from memory. Here's some of what's new:
-At least one new boss. Yes, seriously. I squeed.
-A new mode, added post completion.
-It's way easier to get lost life points back- and some levels give you the chance to push your life bar past 4 hearts.
-Giant. Fricking. Items.
 | |
| Heh... Heh heh heh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- |
-A new item that you can toss and it'll produce a cherry, a heart, a star, or a bomb. Rare, but useful.
-Aforementioned voices. Including ones for bosses. PIRATE CRAB!
Aside from all that, though, the title hasn't changed much. Luigi still has the best jump, Princess still floats, Toad's still useless. Birdo still shoots eggs, and everything in Subcon is still allergic to veggies. It's not the fantastic update I expected, but it is a fantastic update nonetheless. For those who have never played through Super Mario Bros. 2, or who were generally unimpressed with how different it is, I'd suggest you sit down and at least -try- it. At its core, admittedly, it will never be Mario. But it does try its very best, so give it the benefit of the doubt.
Score: 7/10
Pass/Fail: Pass
Time taken to write this rant: Too long ;_;
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