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| Name: Super Mario Bros. 3 Year: 1990 Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Genre: Platformer Hours Played: Countless Beaten: Yes, countless times |
Looking back now, it's hard to imagine the hype for this game (everything from commercials to feature-length films), but people were excited, and the game did not disappoint. Even today, it's generally considered to be the all-time best Mario game, and sometimes even the best game ever made. Although that last one may be going a little far, there's no doubt that it's an enduring classic that's aged well even today. But sinse we here at All Game Revue frown at taking a game's legacy in account, let's take a look at the game itself and see if it holds up well against it's NES brethren.
The original Super Mario Bros. was an exceptional platformer that set the standard for what people expected on the NES. The second game took the series in a different directions and left a lot of fans scratching their heads. Super Mario Bros. 3 returned to the formula of the original game and expanded upon it in every way possible. There were more power-ups. You could now play levels in different orders. You could even collect power-ups and save them for later use. Every single enemy from the original game not only returned, but received either upgrades or new variants, and their were a host of new and memorable enemies as well.
The only downside? I wouldn't call the game "rushed", considering how many levels it has (around ninety!), but there's definetly concepts that don't feel fully utilized. Fan-favorite items like the Tanooki Suit, Hammer Bros. Suit, and Goomba's Shoe appear in only one or two places in the game; I've often wished they'd placed the suit-wearing gimmick at the forefront of the game (like Capcom's Little Nemo: Dream Master), as it's such an interesting and fun idea. Still, even this has become one of the game's charms; while most NES games were conservative with their limited resources and wouldn't introduce a power or enemy unless they could use (and reuse) it to it's fullest, Mario 3 wasn't afraid to throw tons of things against the wall to see what sticks. That's what made it an enduring classic, then and now: you never know what to expect next. I've been playing this game for over 25 years, and it can still surprise me; that's pretty darn cool.
Graphics & Animation: 4 (Excellent)
The graphics here are terrific! Nintendo took the already-iconic character designs of the first game and gave them bold black outlines to really make them pop from their surroundings. The enemies have tons of personality, and the transformations of the kings still makes me smile today. Nintendo re-released this game with a graphical update (both in Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advanced 4), and a lot of people (including myself) still prefer the original.
Music & Sounds: 4 (Excellent)
Nintendo actually included a special sound chip in the cartridge to create all the drum effects in the game. The result is music that doesn't sound like anything else on the NES, and really showcases what the machine is capable of.
Controls & Level Design: 4 (Excellent)
The controls here are spot-on. The level design is excellent, knowing when to show off new features (like flying with the raccoon power-up) and when to give you a straight-forward challenge. The game is constantly throwing something new at you, meaning you never get bored, and you're always waiting to see what's coming next...
Story & Presentation: 3 (Good)
The presentation here is very creative, with the game being presented as a stage show (complete with curtains and props you can walk behind). The story is a little lackluster; although it progresses through static cutscenes (letters from the Princess between worlds), it doesn't really go anywhere until (SPOILERS! I guess?) she's kidnapped at the begging of World 8, begging the question of what exactly your quest was before. Also, the bosses are pretty underwhelming; compared to the giant enemies of the Mega Man series, the bosses here aren't even as intimidating at the normal enemies in World 4. Still, the gimmick of the kings being turned into animals is pretty entertaining, and it keeps you playing the game to see what animal will be sitting on the throne next.
Length & Replayabilitiy: 4 (Excellent)
This is (in my opinion) the game's greatest strength; Super Mario Bros. 3 is easily one of the most replayable games on the NES. The full game is massive, but the warp flutes allow you to explore at your leisure; you can skip straight to the end, jump around to your favorite worlds, or try to beat the whole game front to back. To this day, I still haven't beaten level in the game; World 7 in particular continues to frustrate me, and yet that's never deterred me from loving the game or coming back for more!
Total: 19 (Excellent)
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