A 'New' Adventure With Mario

We here at Two Bit News aren’t always the most prompt game reviewers. Our annual budget of $20.15 is usually spent on pizza instead of buying the latest releases, so sometimes we might let a game go by for a couple months before we can review it. But we care about our reader and want to make sure he (or she) is informed of everything that’s going on in the gaming world, even if the news is a little late, and that is why the editor told me, “Who the hell are you? Get me some coffee! I’ve got a bad [censored]ing hang over.”

I’m almost positive he really wanted me to make a review column for games we’ve missed. So without further ado, this is “Gently Used’, where I’ll review a game that came out pretty recently but not necessarily in the last week or two.

Being showcased this week is little gem for the Nintendo Wii that you might have missed while you were busy playing high caliber games like Bee Movie or Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour. Super Mario Brothers 3 for the Virtual Console is easy to over look next to these giants, but I guarantee you’ll be glad you picked it up.

Graphics: 9 out of 11.287

First, and most importantly, I’ll cover the graphics, because without graphics you couldn’t even see the game, right? Graphically Mario 3 for the virtual console holds up pretty well. It’s nothing to write home about, but compared to other games available on the Wii there really isn’t much room to complain.

Overall Nintendo did a good job of translating Mario from his 3d party game roots into a 2d sprite. The transition allows for more focus on his actual appearance, adding a bit more color in his outfit, however the animation is a bit less smooth, especially when turning around. Once you get moving the action is fast-paced enough that you stop noticing how jumpy the animations are and just start enjoying the game.

Level Design: 8^4 out of 7!

Level design in Mario 3 for the VC is pretty revolutionary. Not only can you move forward and backward through a stage, but through the use of items or hidden obstacles you can often times find different routes through a given level (such as a hidden block in one of the earlier levels allowing you to jump to a secret area filled with coins). Nintendo’s newest innovation here is the warp whistle that allows you to skip huge portions of the game. If you find enough of them you can even skip straight to the last world, although I don’t recommend skipping too much or the story won’t make any sense.

Gameplay: 12

Mario 3 for the virtual console takes jumping on things to a whole new level. It’s brilliant because people can relate to it so well. I mean how many of you haven’t cleared a mountain by jumping over it, or accidentally bumped your head by jumping into an invisible block that was magically suspended in mid air?

Overall: π

Like other VC games, the gameplay feels a bit borrowed from older titles. Don’t let that get you down, though. All in all this is an excellent addition to the Super Mario Brothers 3 franchise.