by BoneSnapDeez Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:24 pm
1. Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
2. Caveman Ninja (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
3. Crude Buster (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
4. Heavy Barrel (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
5. Secret Agent (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
6. Wizard Fire (Wii - Data East Arcade Classics)
7. Super Mario Land (Game Boy)
8. Burning Fight (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
9. Magician Lord (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
10. Metal Slug (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
11. Sengoku (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
12. Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (PlayStation 2 - SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1)
13. Metal Slug 4 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
14. Metal Slug 5 (PlayStation 2 - Metal Slug 4 & 5)
15. Metal Slug XX (PSP)
16. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)
17. Smash TV (PlayStation 2 - Midway Arcade Treasures)
18. Total Carnage (Xbox - Midway Arcade Treasures 2)
19. Skyblazer (SNES)
20. Mega Man II (Game Boy)
21. The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (Wii)
22. Ys (Saturn - Falcom Classics)
23. Super Mario Bros. (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
24. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
25. Super Mario Bros. 2 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
26. Super Mario Bros. 3 (SNES - Super Mario All-Stars)
27. Super Mario World (SNES)
28. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
29. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (Game Boy)
I was in the mood to play a bunch of Mario games on the SNES (used a Super Game Boy for Mario Land 2).
I won't go into much detail about these games, as most folks have played them. Here are some general impressions.
I prefer Super Mario Bros. on the SNES rather than the NES. It's a bit easier and feels more fluid, though perhaps that's just because I prefer the SNES controller to all others.
The Lost Levels is a product of Miyamoto's shroom addiction and/or a massive trolling attempt by Nintendo. It plays like the first game, but nothing makes sense - warp zones take you backwards, poisonous mushrooms can kill you, bloopers and "spinnies" (that's what I call those fire sticks) appear outdoors, there are fake Bowsers, poop (or some other brown stuff) falls from the sky amidst strong winds and tosses you around, jumping over the flagpole is a regular occurrence, Bowser appears outside of a castle, blocks spell out アリガトウ! (Arigatou!) in one level, and it goes on...... Oh and the game is stupidly hard. Thankfully there are unlimited continues in this SNES port. I always choose to play as Luigi, as he can jump farther than his pudgy bro.
The American Super Mario Bros. 2 has always been a favorite of mine. I love all the new enemies - shy guys rule. I play through the entire game as the princess. There's seriously no reason to ever choose anyone else. I don't care if the other characters are faster vegetable pickers or whatever. DEM FLOATY JUMPS.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is way better on the SNES as you can actually save. As a kid I always had to use warp whistles as I could never find the time to play it from start to finish. Brilliant game. Probably my second favorite Mario title after............
Super Mario World. Possibly the best platformer ever. This is probably my most-beaten and best-memorized video game of all time. I ★96 it every time, and generally rack up over 50 lives in the process. This game is pure bliss. Love it.
Now on to Yoshi's Island, which I just played for the first time. This is a weird one. It's nothing like it's predecessor. I actually dig the baby Mario health system, it's very reminiscent of Sonic's rings. That said, it's never very hard to get baby Mario back after he's lost. I'd say 90% of lives lost during my playthrough were due to instant-death traps - holes, spikes, lava. The egg tossing is okay but not great. I never really got used to the aiming. It doesn't feel like it belongs in a fast-paced platformer, I would have preferred simpler 4-direction run 'n' gun shooter controls. Nintendo really outdid themselves with the bosses here though, they're amazing. No more "jump on his head three times" Koopa kids. Overall, this is an alright game. I liked it, didn't love it.
I do love Super Mario Land 2. It's a huge upgrade over the first game in every way possible. Kazumi Totaka's soundtrack is brilliant and the carrot may be my favorite flying ability in a Mario game. I don't own the sequel (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3), so that's something I'll have to look into eventually.