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 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.