Enhanced Mario Siblings

Today’s post concerns Super Mario All-Stars, more specifically Super Mario Brothers 2 in Super Mario All-Stars, more specifically Princess Peach in Super Mario Brothers 2 in Super Mario All-Stars.

Now, just because I don’t keep up with current video games does not mean I’m not content with the ones I have. I still have three Super Nintendo games that I have yet to complete. One of these was the most recent one I’ve acquired: Super Mario All-Stars.

For those of you unfamiliar with Super Mario All-Stars, it’s basically a pack of the three original Super Mario Bros. games made for the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as a game called Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, which apparently was originally only released in Japan or something. It had the same gameplay and stuff of the original Super Mario Bros. games, but with improved graphics, sound, and music (though I like the simple 8-bit-ness of the original game music more than the updated versions).

Prior to getting this game, I had spent many years getting extremely good at Super Mario World, and not playing many other platforming Mario games. This is why when I started playing Super Mario All-Stars (and thus, the original Super Mario games) the huge difference in physics between the two games stumbled me severely. Take this chart (whee! More MS Paint Comparison charts!) to see what I mean.

Still, I persevered and tried my best to beat the games. Then, lo and behold, one day I actually succeeded! I beat Super Mario Bros. 2 a couple days ago. That means I can talk about it now.

The new feature with Super Mario Bros. 2 (from Super Mario Bros, anyway) is that you choose which character you want to control going through the level. However, there is really only one true option. I mean, look at the choices:

Mario can run decently and jump well.

Luigi jumps slightly higher, and wiggles his feet in air which makes him stay in the air longer whether you want him to or not.

Toad is completely useless.

Princess Peach runs just as fast as anyone else. She jumps high enough. Oh, and she can FLOAT FOR LONG DISTANCES. You can control how long and when she floats, too.

Consider how we apply this to the main game.

BATTLE WITH BIRDO: Birdo pukes eggs at you which you must jump on top of, pick up, and throw back at him/her (I think Birdo is a she).

Mario has to time his jumps well so he can land on the eggs.

Luigi has to put even more effort into timing because of how long he stays in the air.

Toad gets killed before Birdo is even onscreen.

Peach jumps up and just sort of waits for an egg to come her way so she can land on it.

CONVEYER BELT WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF ENEMIES JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON IT.

Mario runs through, fighting off enemies one by one.

Luigi does pretty much the same.

Toad wets himself and cries.

Peach jumps up and glides over all the enemies in two seconds.

I mean, it’s just weird. In most of the other video Mario games Peach is constantly helpless to do anything other than command Mario to rescue her every other week, but in Super Mario Bros. 2 she’s infinitely more competent than any other character in killing all the enemies and getting the job done. So, Nintendo, really, don’t bother with Mario anymore in future games. Just hand Princess Peach over to the players before she gets kidnapped. Then we could defeat Bowser before the usual game would even start.

~ by krakenzilla on July 18, 2008.