Super Mario the Sequel

Super Mario is a household name synonymous with Nintendo and the video game industry. He is an icon in every sense of the word. He has appeared in countless games such as Donkey Kong, Dr. Mario and Super Mario Bros. He ushered a golden age of video gaming that culminated in the powerful realistic consoles of today. Mario is an icon that connects to every gender, race, age and creed.

Through his adventures he has had adversaries which were bigger and more powerful than he. He had to deal with the likes of Donkey Kong, Wario and Bowser Koopa. Despite his diminutive stature he has willed himself to victorious of these villainous beings.

This particular chapter of Mario's adventures deals with Wart. This time he has the help of Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool. What is interesting is that each character has different stats which are good for variety and replay value.

-The Characters-

Mario - He is the protagonist of the game. He is a short and chubby Italian who is a big fan of pasta. In the game he has the most well-rounded stats of all characters. He has good stats in terms of speed, power and jumping ability. He is ideal for beginners.
Speed:****
Power:****
Jump:****

Luigi - He is the brother of Mario. He can jump amazing high. Yes folks he is Air Luigi! He however does not have the speed and strength of people like Mario and Toad. He is also hard to maneuver at times as well. This fellow is best left to intermediate or expert players.

Speed:***
Power:***
Jump:*****

Toad - He is a warrior of the mushroom people and protector of Princess Toadstool. This is fairly obvious by his high speed and strength. I have always wondered how such a little guy can be so strong. Well obviously his jumping ability suffers because of his vertically challenged state.

Speed:*****
Power:*****
Jump:**

Princess Toadstool - She is the princess of the mushroom people. Being a lady, she is not expected to be strong. What disappoints me is that she isn't fast as well. Usually women in video games tend to be faster (i.e. Chun-Li). Perhaps the princess has been used to being the damsel in distress so she was not able to hone her skills.

Speed:**
Power:**
Jump:***

-Rogues Gallery-

Here are the characters Mario and his gang will face through this epic adventure.

Albatross - Albatross are usually carrying Bob-Ombs with them. They however can be converted to transportation for Mario and his clique.

Autobombs - These are fireball shooting vehicles ridden by Shy Guys. You can however pilfer them ala Grand Theft Auto and hijack it from the shy Guys.

Beezos - These flying pests wield a menacing trident and will swoop in for the kill. Be careful!

Birdo (Green) - This Birdo spits out fireballs only.

Birdo (Pink) - Birdo is a reptilian bird that spits out eggs at you.

Birdo (Red) - This Birdo variation spits out both fireballs and eggs.

Bob-Omb - These guys have a very explosive personality. Literally! They loiter around and glow before they explode.

Claw Grip - This nasty crab will hurl rocks at you.

Cobrats - These are huge red snakes that can be found in the ground or hiding in jars. It's a good thing their glowing eyes give them away. They also spit projectiles at you. Venom perhaps?

Flurry - This isn't a Mcdonald's ice cream treat but rather a snowball that walks. He has a charging attack and wants to turn you into yogurt.

Fryguy - This flaming menace spits fireballs from its mouth. Once you beat it, four little fryguys will take its place.

Hawkmouth - This monster will fly towards you. Watch out!

Hoopster - These are small brown bugs that cling to vines. Remember to dispose of these pests before climbing up and down vines.

Mouser - Mouser is a mouse that constantly throws bombs at you. Throw them back at him to vanquish him.

Ninji - Ninjis resemble little ninjas. They love jumping up and down.

Ostro - These creatures resemble ostriches and are also transport to Shy Guys. Well just get rid of the goon and you'll be gone in sixty seconds.

Pansers - These are fireball spitting plants. They aim to roast our favorite plumber.

Phanto - Phantos attack in a reactionary manner. They go after you once you pick up they key. They will stop only once the key is used or dropped. The bad part is that they are invulnerable unless you have a Starman.

Pidgit - Pidgits are owls that ride magic carpets. Yes this is not a joke! The way to get rid of them is to repossess their carpet and throw them overboard.

Pokey - These are walking cacti. They come in several segments and you must get rid of all to get rid of this thorned menace.

Porcupo - These are this world's version of a porcupine. Remember do not touch.

Shyguy - These enemies are the most common ones in the game and are weak ones at that. They have masks on their faces so perhaps that is where they got their name.

Snifits - These guys shoot bullets out of their nose at reckless abandon.

Sparks - These enemies roam around platforms, rooms and ledgers. Stay clear of them.

Triclyde - This three headed snake spits out mean fireballs. Watch out!

Trouters - These red fish jump up and down.

Tweeters - These are birds that hop towards you.

Wart - He is the big kahuna in this game and comes complete with a vegetable shooting machine.

-The Game-

The game involves mostly of dealing with enemies and getting through obstacles. In order to get rid of enemies you can pick them up and toss them, throw vegetables or enemies at them or run through them when you have a Starman. Most enemies can be dealt with in one hit. Bosses however require three.In order to get a Starman, you must collect five cherries. Starman will make you invulnerable for a brief period of time.

What is unique to the game is a squat jump. You hold down and squat for a few seconds and when you get up to jump, you have more power.A good thing is that Mario now has a health meter. He now can get hit four times maximum before you lose a life.

-The Verdict-

The gameplay of Mario 2 is unique as compared to Mario 1, Mario 3 and The Lost Levels. This gives an added uniqueness to the game. It is also the only Mario game that lets you choose four characters which have major differences in statistics. In the other games you could only choose Mario or Luigi and their differences are either nil or very minor. This gives the game very good replay value. This adds a challenge and variety to the game as well.

I also liked the assortment of enemies and their varied attacks. This is an upgrade over Mario 1 where most of the enemies consisted of goombas and koopa troopas. If you check the rogue's gallery quickly, I have listed nearly two dozen enemy variations. I also appreciate the different bosses. One of the things that disappointed me in the first Mario game was that every fourth level of each world would pit me one-on-one with Bowser Koopa and after watching him plunge into molten lava, a Toad would tell me the princess in is another castle seven times before I get to the genuine article.While the computer's Artificial intelligence poses a very surmountable challenge, I had a difficult time with the obstacles in the game. Many of which require precise jumps and timing. It is sometimes frustrating to get so far in a game and just die because you fell into a pit.

I thoroughly enjoyed this game and I would recommend this to everyone. This game is a classic and is the third best selling Nintendo Entertainment System game of all time. Millions of people can't be wrong.

© TheChosen1 Review is published in other sites under the same name
-Previously published in Ciao and Dooyoo
-Any facts or figures are sourced from Wikipedia