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Super Mario Bros. - Your Thoughts on the Can of Worms
The Super Mario Bros. chapter is going to be worked on on and off as well. Obviously discussion of the precursor games, like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Pitfall, etc., will be critical, as all of the 2D games in the series (Super Mario 64/Tomb Raider are their own chapter), as well as the "challenge" of Sonic, but what are some of your other thoughts about the impact, influences and clones of the best-selling game of all time? I'd love to know, as I'm certainly no connoisseur. In fact, I was a bit "resentful" of Super Mario Bros. and the NES in 1985/86 in my youth, as I kind of blamed it for the downfall of systems like the ColecoVision (how wrong I was). I still ended up wanting one, but never got a NES when it was a contemporary system.
By the way, I'm sure you're wondering why the "can of worms" comment in the title... I consider it one of those chapters that has to be done right, otherwise we'll hear no end of it... Even with the impossible time crunch, it's one of those chapters that Matt and I need to heap some extra TLC on.
- Bill Loguidice's blog
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Super Mario All Stars
Great points, Davy, thanks! Yes, I too prefer the SNES remake. The sound is sublime on that.
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
2 things about SMB.1) The
2 things about SMB.
1) The physics. All of the objects interact in a consistent way. At first there doesn't seem much to the game but the relatively small number of objects can all interact with each other. Seemingly simple things like being able to change the direction of a mushroom by hitting the brick its about to move on from below for example. The fact remains that the gravity and inertia effects on the control are sublime - and unmatched by any dodgy copy - just look how floaty the Giana rip off looks compared to the original........
2) The level design. Every enemy and hole has been set in JUST the right place - who knows how many hours of playtesting each level had. The fact that there are other things to do besides find the end too - the flagpole, the coin collecting (for the time a brand new mechanic), point chasing by following a moving shell at just the right distance, the beanstalks and warps to find, figuring out the fireworks bonus. All excellent stuff and it goes together to make the game still playable to day. I played the original to death but I prefer the All stars version on the SNES.
SMB thoughts
If it wasn't the first side-scrolling platformer, it certainly introduced the genre to the masses! It was a cute, whimsical, family-friendly game that was very slick in every way (programming, graphics, music).
The mirror-smooth scrolling demonstrated the NES' superiority over the previously-dominant Colecovision, which had clunky-scrolling games.
It may have been the first game of its kind to introduce "secret" rooms, levels, and items, rewarding experimentation and exploration. I can't think of a arcade/console game that tried that before.
It also was the game that really cemented Mario as a "star." Even though he was featured in previous games, he was overshadowed by Donkey Kong. The "Mario Bros." arcade game (not Super Mario Bros.) introduced many of the basic game mechanics featured in the SMB series, but Mario was paired with Luigi and didn't really stand out, personality-wise.
That said, SMB really didn't grab my prolonged interest. I enjoyed SMB II MUCH more. SMB2 had slicker graphics, a wider variety of enemies, and what really got me were the "Boss" battles, which were very cool and creative! Even though SMB2 was not originally designed as a Mario game (it was actually a retooled "Arabian Nights" themed game), I found it a much more attractive Mario game.
SMB2 also represents a break from the "arcade" roots of Mario in that there apparently was no score! Your motivation was completing the quest, not racking up points! This was a true "home" arcade game that allowed you to take your time and explore the world.
SMB3 seemed to go back to the first SMB game in that it reintroduced the scoring and most of the game mechanics of the first, so it was actually the true sequel to SMB. Therefore, I didn't like it as much as SMB2.
The modern console Mario games seem to be inspired more by SMB2 than the others in that they are quest-oriented as opposed to score-oriented.
Sega's "Sonic" games never grabbed me at all. The levels seemed complicated and aimless. Where the heck was I supposed to go? Left... right... up... down? Oops, I went down, now I can't go back up again and collect the rings I missed! Man, now Sonic is running at 500mph, but the level's whizzing by so fast I become disoriented. It was a "hardcore" platformer that lacked the more straightforward (literally) goals of the SMB series.
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Giana isn't an exact clone.
Giana isn't an exact clone. The big thing is power ups; they are cumulative in Giana. The more you get, the more stuff you can do. I'm talking about the Amiga version; not familiar with the C-64 version.
Found a little about it here:
Also, you can see the power ups in this video:
SMB
I never liked super mario bros, I found it actually quite boring when I played my friends nes. I really couldn't see the appeal.
-- Stu --
Honestly, from all that I've seen, Giana Sisters is pretty much a Super Mario Bros. clone, so if you had fun with that, surely you'd have fun with the originator, no? Again, being a latter day and limited fan today, while it's certainly not a go-to game for me personally, I can appreciate the greatness of Super Mario Bros. in every way. Pleasing visuals, good sound, tight gameplay, lots to do, linear without being limiting, etc. Then again, there are people that don't get Tetris, so no game is acceptable to everyone...
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
I had fun with the c64
I had fun with the c64 gianna sisters.
I never liked super mario bros, I found it actually quite boring when I played my friends nes. I really couldn't see the appeal.
-- Stu --
Classics
I was generally impressed with the game when it came and still am. Very, very solid production values with an immaculate attention to detail. It's one of those games that just makes you feel good to play. The SNES update was also great, and though I've yet to experience it in its full glory, even Mario 64 was supposed to be outstanding.
The game also did a good job of appealing to women, and the cute and cuddly graphics no doubt put parents' mind at ease. Yet, somehow it was acceptable for even "tough guys" to play it. The whole appeal of Sonic was to try to challenge that; Sonic was the Rolling Stones to Nintendo's Beatles.
Giana is definitely worth a mention, though oddly enough, even though I was a big C-64 pirate back in junior high, I never came across it.
I have a significant appreciation for Super Mario Bros. these days and have many versions of it, including the SNES remake and the original on the Wii's Virtual Console (for Christina).
Mario 64 is one of those games I admire for its technical achievment, but I'm on record as hating to play it. Unlike Super Mario Bros., where it's impossible to get lost, in Mario 64, it's very, very easy to get lost, ruining the flow to me. Same goes for Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. As a gamer I can understand the appeal, but the games themselves are not for me.
Outside of a handful of 2D side scrolling Sonic games, the Sonic series is unremarkable, particularly in comparison to Super Mario Bros. I bought into the "blast processing" hype of the Genesis and enjoyed Sonic's relative speed (the Genesis did have a swifter processor than the SNES), but ultimately it's not quite as great of an achievment (and Sonic CD is VERY interesting - I would have loved for the same concept applied to Super Mario Bros.!).
Wii: 1345 2773 2048 1586 | PS3: ArmchairArcade
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director | Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Heheh, not to forget Great
Heheh, not to forget Great Giana Sisters!
I was generally impressed with the game when it came and still am. Very, very solid production values with an immaculate attention to detail. It's one of those games that just makes you feel good to play. The SNES update was also great, and though I've yet to experience it in its full glory, even Mario 64 was supposed to be outstanding.
The game also did a good job of appealing to women, and the cute and cuddly graphics no doubt put parents' mind at ease. Yet, somehow it was acceptable for even "tough guys" to play it. The whole appeal of Sonic was to try to challenge that; Sonic was the Rolling Stones to Nintendo's Beatles.