With 2010 and the 25th anniversary of the iconic video game character coming to an end, Nintendo has decided to release Super Mario All-Stars for the Wii just in time for the Christmas holidays.
As a massive fan of Nintendo and their beloved franchises since Super Mario World on the SNES, this comes fully recommended with four classic Mario games, a soundtrack filled with 16-bit music and a booklet containing artwork and the history of Mario, all for just £20.
Originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, the game has not been altered to match with the Wii’s graphics and the company could have easily polished the presentation of it at least to make it more appealing towards modern audiences, with some new extras to keep people who played this game previously interested as well. But then the fans of the series will not mind too much, as it is the games that are on offer, which fans are going to be keen on playing.
The games bundled include Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, all in their remade, 16-bit form. Even though this a nice collection of iconic platformers, the problem for most Wii owners is that they might already have the games downloaded through the Virtual Console. But at the same time, it is a great introduction for people who are unfamiliar with the older games of this particular series and is a great place to start. Gamers who have already played these games though will not find anything new and even though the soundtrack and booklet are some nice additions, it is not really worth buying this package.
Even with some already retro and cool games put into this package, the other content is pretty good. The soundtrack features some iconic sound effects from the games, as well as some of the main musical pieces from most of the Mario games. Meanwhile, the booklet features some of the designs and artwork used on the games and even though this may interest some people, it may be disappointing to those looking for more variety in it.
Now back to the games themselves. Super Mario Bros. was the game that Mario what he is today and it is great to see what his first platforming adventure would play like. People who love the recent games for its pick-up-and-play control system, crystal-clear presentations and its more casual approach might be a little disappointed though. This is mainly due to the fact that it can be quite hard to control the main character at first and that the levels can often appear quite basic at times, only having the appeal for long-term gamers.
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a more imaginative approach towards its game play compared to its predecessor. It includes the option to play one of four characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad), each with their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Also introduced was a life gauge to stop you from dying as soon as an enemy hits you, numerous items to keep each level engaging, some additional actions and changing the usual storyline.
Introducing the Koopalings (Bowser’s children) and a two-player mode, Super Mario Bros. 3 is considered by gamers and critics to be one of the finest games that Nintendo has ever made and it is no surprise to see why. With a wide variety of enemies and items, polished control system, unique suits to gain new powers and highly colourful levels, it does not surprise me that this is definitely among one of my favourite Super Mario Bros. games.
And finally, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels takes the engine used to make these games and gives them a harder difficulty, which should interest those who are looking for tougher games in their Wii collection.
Overall, this is a nice package for those looking to explore some video game history for an affordable price. This is definitely worth the money if you are a diehard Mario fan, but this might have to be approached carefully by those who have only played New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
