Overrated Mario Games (Platformers)

Something that I just remembered: the Vs version of SMB1 includes some levels from SMB2, as does the All Night Nippon version (and in the latter case it already had the graphics facelift that SMB2 had). Starting to wonder if SMB2J was just a gradual change of what a "more complete" SMB1 would have been.

And on that note, if back in the day they had the chance to send that kind of updates for SMB1 they probably would have, considering the existence of those upgraded versions I just mentioned.

EDIT: wait, All Night Nippon also has the extra worlds from SMB2J (albeit changed a bit around and some levels swapped with earlier ones in SMB2J). All these games came between 1985 and 1986 so it's really sounding like they just kept iterating on SMB1 non-stop during this time. Anybody wants to try making a list of how it evolved?

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Originally Posted by Gogogadget

Majora's Mask is similar in style to OOT (and reuses the Link model, right?) but is a totally different game, entirely different tone and concept, new playstyle.

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It shares a lot more than Link's model, but then again it literally was originally intended as a mod of OOT (back when they were planned for the 64DD, presumably with OOT as a cartridge and Majora's Mask as a disk). The gimmicks around it completely change the overall way it plays though.

Super Mario Allstars has the Japanese version of SMB2 labeled "The Lost Levels".

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Originally Posted by Sik

Seriously. And the ability to be able to play cleared levels again.

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The GBA version has this as a feature when the game's completed for the first time (including a world select screen which allows you to travel between worlds). Hell, if it weren't for the shoehorned in Charles Martinet voice samples, it might be the definitive version, since it also has the extra levels through the e-Reader cards.

Probably SMW. I mean I love SMW, but I'm in the "3 was better" camp.

Yoshi's Island never clicked with me either, but it's a pretty game at least.

This thread made me realize that I've never spent serious time playing through any Mario game past the initial few levels, so I can't comment. I really do need to rectify that one of these days...

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Originally Posted by Baloo

I don't get why people are ready to deride Super Mario Bros 2 for being Doki Doki Panic, and not Lost Levels as being the EXACT same game as Super Mario Bros 1, but way more difficult.

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I'm amazed this is even an issue.

Nobody who even plays games today is old enough to of been outraged at this BITD, Doki Doki Panic is legitimately a great game and NOA (and NOE I guess) noticed how many chunks SMB2 actually blew, so they just took a game nobody owned or had even heard of for the most part and threw in some Mario characters.

I always ask the same thing when people bitch about the Doki Doki Panic thing. Did anyone REALLY want the Japanese SMB2 instead?

Except for the lack of a save system, US SMB2 is marginally better than Doki Doki Panic anyway (B dash makes a difference) so if it's a case of, "we didn't get the original game," that's silly too.

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Originally Posted by Obviously

Except for the lack of a save system, US SMB2 is marginally better than Doki Doki Panic anyway (B dash makes a difference) so if it's a case of, "we didn't get the original game," that's silly too.

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Doki Doki Panic also had seizure inducing waterfalls (・～・) And US SMB2 added more animations as well because they switched to a better mapper (though originally it seems like it was going to be a more straightforward FDS-to-cartridge port in that sense), though I guess a direct Doki Doki Panic localization may have ended up the same way.

Probably more worth noting that a significant part of the stuff introduced into US SMB2 became actually canon to the series (thinking about the enemies that became officially part of Mario here).

It's also worth noting that Doki Doki Panic already contained various elements taken from the Mario series, such as the invincibility star, climbing vines, coins, and the "POW" boxes.

I would have liked the save system, though. It doesn't just save your progress, it saves independently for each character and you have to beat the game with all four characters to see the ending.

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Originally Posted by Metalwario64

The GBA version has this as a feature when the game's completed for the first time (including a world select screen which allows you to travel between worlds). Hell, if it weren't for the shoehorned in Charles Martinet voice samples, it might be the definitive version, since it also has the extra levels through the e-Reader cards.

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That version was the first video game I ever owned. I played the shit out of it. My save probably has 400 lives and has absolutely everything possible unlocked.

Did it really have e-reader support?

So what exactly was the e-reader, on cart DLC?

Haven't played enough Mario over the years to offer an opinion but if we're gonna talk about grossly overrated gaming franchises then, as far as I'm concerned, look no further than the Tomb Raider games, Assassin's Creed and the Uncharted games. Out of all the games in those respective franchises I had a bit of fun playing Tomb Raider 1+2 on the PS1 back in the day and...that's it. The Uncharted games just took the old Tomb Raider formula and stuck a load of mindless and never ending shoot-'em-up sequences into the mix and added a smug and unlikeable prick as a main character to boot. Assassin's Creed games think they're so clever and yet only succeeded in serving to irritate me and bore me in equal measure...Anyway sorry for derailing this thread, feel free to carry on with the Mario discussion. ;)

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Originally Posted by Thief

So what exactly was the e-reader, on cart DLC?

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It was like Nintendo's eshop before they had online service. You could buy cards that had Nintendo 8-bit games like Donkey King and Excite Bike.

Ah man, I forgot that the eReader wasn't really a super popular add-on. I had one back in the day and scanned Pokemon cards and Animal Crossing cards onto it for special wallpapers and stuff. It was a card reader that connected to your GBA and gave extra content to games, or contained their own games.

It was another bullet point in Nintendo's long list of high-concept devices & add-ons that saw very little support after it reached store shelves. I remember it being touted as something that you'd be able to buy random packs of cards for, that would give you additional levels, power-ups, and characters in supported games... even full games, in fact.

I think the most effort they put into it was creating a couple new levels for Super Mario Advance 3... I'm pretty sure the e-reader launched with that game, actually.

I have it, as well as a pack of cards that will let me play Donkey Kong 3, but right now it's just a novelty gathering dust.

Really neat idea, though. I just wish Nintendo wasn't so Nintendo about it.