Super Mario All-Stars: The Complete Package

In this generation of HD multimedia, 3D games are scattered everywhere whether if it's a PS2, PS3, X-Box 360, or Wii title, there's no stopping people from playing in the third dimension and 2D games seems like they go the way of the dinosaurs, which, nowadays, lurks only in the virtual world of videogame consoles. It doesn't matter if they are at X-Box Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, or inside Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console, some even lurks inside the package of other games like Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, or even as collection bundle like the Sega Genesis Collection or the Street Fighter Anniversary Edition, it's true that 2D games are treated much like water down versions of new generation games, but back in the old days, nobody ever believe that Nintendo had done the impossible. What did they do, they crammed each and every one of their 8-Bit masterpieces into one awesome 16-Bit package and that package is none other than Super Mario All-Stars.

Unlike the hundreds of compilations that are available today like the Midway's Arcade Treasures, Sonic Mega Collection Plus, Mega Man Anniversary Edition, Sega Genesis Collection, Metal Slug Anthology, etc. Super Mario All-Stars varies from them not just by the type of media it used or the type of genre it choose, but by the pristine quality it offered to gamers. Compilation games these days offered a package of classic games all in one as well as some extra little features or goodies which in term had no effect on the games for example the Sonic Mega Collection Plus package offer a wide range of classic 2D Sonic games from the 16-Bit Genesis days as well as some few Game Gear titles along with it not to mention the other extras like the viewable artworks, demo movies, and comic gallery. The same can be said about the many other compilations, but when compare to Super Mario All-Stars, I had to say that the All-Stars package is much more in quality than those other compilation junk.

To start, Super Mario All-Stars is a Super NES cartridge that contain four classic 8-Bit Super Mario platform titles all in one. In short you actually get four games in one so it's actually quite good, but then you started to wonder, well the other compilations did the same thing right, they all had more games included in their compilation as well and some of them are of more quality than this. Well they are similar to All-Stars in that they got more games, but that doesn't mean that they are of good quality. Other compilation packages got one thing in common, they feature rom versions of their classic 2D games, everything that was feature from their original games still works in their compilation versions, if their game wasn't able to save before, it may still unable to, if it features too many glitches and bugs before, it may still will, but in All-Stars, all the four games that Nintendo offered are not rom versions meaning that Nintendo did not just emulate the same 8-Bit graphics, glitches, features, sounds, or gameplay and call it a day. Nope, Nintendo simply remade the games; each 8-Bit title came with a new makeover, almost like a 16-Bit transformation of some sort. The graphics had been updated to 16-Bit, the Mario and Luigi sprites no longer look alike, and each game actually looks more beautiful than before. Many old features or glitches that were found in the originals are now gone. Also new features were also added.

Unlike the many compilations of today, All-Stars went a different route by also giving players' new feature to the existing games like a brand new save features, a useful feature that was missing from the NES originals. Another new feature is that most games not only got some new makeover like updated graphics or better quality sounds, but also some new animation sprites, gameplay modes as well as hidden features not found in the original for example Super Mario Bros. 3 feature a brand new Battle Mode not similar to the one in the original, the first Super Mario Bros. no longer had the Minus World glitch which back then took Mario into an endless watery grave, Super Mario Bros. 2 now had more bonus chance in their Bonus Chance mini-games, not to mention that this is also the first compilation in which U.S. player actually get to experience the superb difficulty of the Lost Levels which was never release outside Japan during the 8-Bit days. Bringing the Lost Levels is a bonus, but having to update that title as well as the first three was a big plus to players. I say it's much better to own four superb quality classic titles in one package than a compilation that includes only rom titles with no update that is filled with nothing, but a collection full of worthless junks (artworks, movie clips, sketches, sound test, music jukebox, etc.).

Here are the games that are included in this compilation

Super Mario Bros. - The first game that started it all, this game was bundle with the NES when it was first introduced, it was later packaged with Duck Hunt and was ported to various Nintendo consoles and handheld there after. This game lets player choose either as Mario or Luigi on a mission to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. The concept is simple, you run, jump, swim, or fight your way through 32 levels of 2D platform grabbing any helpful power-ups along the way and killing any enemies you encounter along the way. This All-Stars version feature new graphical update, remix musical tunes, new animation sprites, new save features, and no more glitches and bugs.

Super Mario Bros. - The Lost Levels - This is the second game in the series, well actually it was in Japan, but in the U.S. it was actually an import title. It was the true sequel to the first and plays the same except that this time you got the option to use only one character and you no longer had the option to player against another player. One strange thing is that the game which seems so similar yet played so difficult. Like the prequel before it, since it was never released in the U.S., player assured it arrived in its original form, but no Nintendo had to update it too and yet many never saw or play the original, but still it's a plus to have experience it.

Super Mario Bros. 2 - The second game in the series, this game was actually a duplicate version of the Japanese title, Doki Doki Panic with Nintendo's Mario characters replacing the Japanese Arabic characters. This game was the answer to the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 which was Super Mario Bros. - The Lost Levels, a game Nintendo thought to be too difficult for U.S. players. In Super Mario Bros. 2, you get to choose one of four available characters(Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach) each with the own skills and abilities. Unlike the first game, this game doesn't require player to grab power-ups, but to maintain health and use veggies and enemies as valuable weapons against tougher foes. Also Bowser is nowhere in this game so at first this game can be a bit tad strange. Like the first game, this game also had some graphical update, new updated Bonus Chance mini-games, and new save features.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Like the first two prequels before it, this game arrived with updated features and it plays just like the original, but how it varies it from the first two is that it contains more gameplay options like a new Battle Mode, a two-player Adventure Mode as well as the original Battle Mode at the map screen, not the mention the hundreds of secrets that are scattered within the heart of the game. Also, you can be what you want in this game for example a Hammer Brother style Mario or a Frog Suit Mario.

To sum up this review here's a quick re-run

Super Mario All-Stars

Why it's like the other compilations?

- Features four classic 8-Bit NES titles: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. - The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3.

- Get all four in one unique package

Why it's different from other compilations?

- All games are not roms

- All games were update from their original versions

- Was cartridge based so load time is non-existence

- No worthless extra features like movie clips, artworks, etc.

- New features added to each games

- Glitches, bugs, and any animation limitation found in the original were now fixed and updated

Facts about the 2D Super Mario series Each and every versions or successors in the 2D Super Mario platform series had never being release on a CD-based game before whether by compilation package or as part of an extra feature. Super Mario Bros. had been ported to every Nintendo consoles except the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube, the same applies to Super Mario Bros. - The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3, all of them will soon be available for download on the Wii's Virtual Console in their original versions, but still no disc based versions existed, even the New! Super Mario Bros. 2D style platform game for the Nintendo DS is a cartridge based game. Super Paper Mario for the Wii; however, will be the first time a 2D Super Mario platform style game can be experience in a disc based game, but that game still had that 3D feel to it and it doesn't equal to the same quality that the cartridge versions offered, another 2D disc-based level was also featured in the GameCube title, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Years Door, which let's the player control Bowser(not Mario) through a 2D platform style level in similar fashion to Super Paper Mario.