"Super Mario All-Stars" (Super Nintendo)

A compilation game that kept us busy since as kids. Featuring remastered NES classics in 16-bit graphical beauty, along with an updated soundtrack.

Next to one of the most iconic video game of the 16-bit era, I played a lot of this game on the SNES. Worse part was during that time, I couldn't defeat and complete a single game on this compilation. Thankfully, that's all changed now.

Super Mario Bros.:

This is based off the NES classic that represented the 8-bit era. However, this version has been upgraded to 16-bit! While it plays the same as the NES version, this one has been updated with more colors and gradients; It's quite nice to look at. Besides that, defeat all eight worlds to save Princess Toadstool from Bowser. Included with this is the ability to save your game, so if you ever need a break or want to play another game, you can continue to where you left off.

Super Mario Bros. 2:

Historically, this is one of the Mario games that not much people gave enough attention to. Perhaps because your goal is to defeat an evil, new boss named Wart who held the castle's heroes captive, only to realize that the story is a lucid dream Mario had in the middle of the night. It's very different, with a new list of enemies. However, you can choose between Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad. Besides picking up and kicking Koopa shells, you can pick up and throw vegetable plants, POW blocks and enemies themselves! In terms of picking up, Toad picks up items the fastest, while Princess Toadstool takes an eternity to pick something up. Saying that means picking your character choice wisely as each level in each world requires a skill exclusive to each character.

It may interest you to note that this game was derived from a Japanese game Doki Doki Panic which was released for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System. That game played the same way but with different characters. Perhaps the reason being is that the original Super Mario Bros 2, retitled as Super Mario Lost Levels (scroll down for review), was insanely difficult for the average video gamer, that Nintendo decided to revamp Doki Doki Panic to feature Mario characters and release that instead. No wonder many video gamers never gave enough praise, or critiques, for this game being a completely fresh take on playing the Mario series. Then again, does the villain always have to be Bowser? There's no harm in trying something different, but along with updated, 16-bit graphics and better animation, this game similar to its 8-bit counterpart.

Super Mario Bros. 3:

For the NES, this is truly a remarkable platforming masterpiece, according to video game critics. Updated as well, with better graphics and more solid gameplay, this game has presented a chunk of difficulty and challenging enough to keep the average video gamer awake past midnight. This game was so popular and praised so much, that they released a cartoon series based off this game with the same title (read our review of that TV series on DVD here). When something like that happens, you can't help but give it a shot. Again, it's challenging enough where even the seasoned, "professional" video gamers would find this to be a daring task. Nevertheless, I feel that this game doesn't need a huge explanation nor does it need a proper review. It's that popular and widely recognized in the [classic] video gaming community.

Super Mario Lost Levels:

You know how some video gamers spastically dismiss Mario games as "kiddy" games? Have them play Lost Levels, then we'll allow them to talk.

Originally titled as Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Famicom Disk System, believe it or not, this game presents a difficulty so high you wonder if this was a homebrew game catered to those video gamers who are experts at video game emulation. Not only does this game include a completely redesign of all eight worlds, but you must defeat them to access and play the bonus world, labeled A, B, C and D (access to those worlds require beating the entire game WITH NO WARPS). This means you'd have to save the princess twice.

It took me at least over 5 hours to get through and defeat/complete this game. Mark my words: this game's difficult nature is enough to shatter a video gamer's ego.

Other than that, it plays the same as Super Mario Bros., but with a brand new, incredibly challenging style of levels. The enemies here are also ruthless as you'll swear that Hammer Bros will be the bane of your video gaming life.

Overall, this compilation of Mario games, complete with new graphics and cleaner gameplay, deserves a spot in your video game library. Most of these don't need an introduction/explanation as it has been talked about countless times since its release back in 1993. If you really want a challenge you wish to live stream, I recommend Super Mario Lost Levels, as you'll yell in frustration so much, you might even bust your microphone's internal diaphragm requiring a new device to record your audio. Your fans will get a laugh at least, just as long as you don't purposely destroy your $600 microphone.

Kris Caballero

Founder of KCU Network and KCU Plus, Kris has been writing since he managed a personal blog made back in late 2005. Officially back to doing computer programming (software development) and video production, Kris enjoys reading books on Mathematics, Quantum Computing, Philosophy, playing old video/DOS games, digital video archiving, and listening to sports, public radio and classical music.

👤 About me ✉ Contact me