Review: Super Mario Brothers 2 (Virtual Console)
So, as I'm sure most everyone who actually cares knows by now, I bought a Wii last week. In the process of setting it up (connecting to the internet, trying to stabilize the annoying jitter on the remote), I decided to also "test out" the WiiWare/Virtual Console service. Although, like I've already said, I'm probably not going to be investing heavily in the Virtual Console, one small subset of games might be a target for future purchases: Famicom games that were never released in the States. The reasoning behind this? While I can play Japanese Super Famicom/Nintendo 64 games on my North American hardware (with slight modifications), the Famicom form factor is totally incompatible with the NES. And, as of right now, I don't have a Famicom › NES adapter. So basically, unless I want to spend money to buy the physical versions of these games (which is totally a possibility in the future), it's way easier to just download the Virtual Console version.
The first game I bought was the Japanese version of Super Mario Brothers 2. It's subtitled "The Lost Levels" here in the States, to prevent confusion with our Super Mario Brothers 2, which in Japan is called "Super Mario USA." It was released as part of the Super Mario All-Stars compilation, with reworked graphics, but never in it's original form.
After playing for a while, a couple thoughts struck me regarding this sequel.
First of all, it's pretty rare these days for a console to see multiple games in a series on it. Although the NES had three Mario games, the SNES only had two, and N64/Gamecube both had one each. My interpolation of this is that gamers expect way more technological progress between games in a franchise. Plus, even with those multiple sequels on the NES, there were some major gameplay differences between each of the entries. Super Mario Bros. and SMB2 were both side-scrollers, and the main characters were from the Mario universe, but those were about the only similarities. A similar example of drastic change between games in a series would be The Legend of Zelda and Zelda 2. Zelda 2 kept similar characters, but the game had very few of the same elements that made the first so popular.
What makes the Japanese SMB2 so different in this regard is that, at first glance, not much seems to have changed. The graphics are in the exact same style as the first game, which (I may hazard to guess) almost never happens (I can think of a few examples, but not many). These days, it would probably be referred to as an "expansion pack;" new levels and Luigi as a different, playable character are about the only differences one can see. That's only taking the game at face value, however.
When the player delves a bit deeper, they find that it may share the look of the first Mario Bros., but as a game, is much more punishing. Jumps get rapidly more difficult, progressing to the point where the player cannot actually see where he is jumping to. Small differences get noticed, such as Poison Mushrooms which damage Mario, or red Piranha Plants that bite even if Mario is standing next to the pipe.
Some of the new design elements introduced in SMB2 seem deliberately placed there as a "screw you" to the player. For example, it's possible to find Warp Zones, but be careful: some zones actually lead backwards, to previous levels. Sometimes the player will make Mario (or Luigi) run along a platform for a long jump, only to hit an invisible block at the optimum jumping point, causing Mario to fall to his untimely death. Of course, this sort of "cheap" kill will only fool you once or twice, but you have to either remember that particular spot, or else proceed much more cautiously when playing the game. In the first game, some castles required following a certain path to proceed (i.e. always go down the pipe after you cross lava in World 8-4). SMB2 takes this idea to fiendish levels, making the player follow a much more (completely arbitrary!) pattern in some of the castles. Without a strategy guide, the only recourse is to keep playing until the solution is found... something that a child might have patience for, but I sure don't.
Other elements have been added to the game as well, such as the strong winds that Mario must allow to blow him through some levels, and the super-bouncy trampolines, that rocket him above the visible playing area for a few seconds, allowing him to cross otherwise-impossible gaps.
In other words, the game's designers took the existing, already successful SMB engine and added just a few new features. The true value of the game is in it's difficulty, and the way it plays off assumptions players have about the way they expect the game to work. Most sequels simply have improved graphics, lots of new gimmicks, and larger game worlds. They are usually not more challenging. What makes SMB2 different is that it was truly a game for fans — those players who wanted more, and who had already mastered the first game. I really find these sorts of sequels to be satisfying. Since both the first game and the sequel are released on the same console, superficial improvements (like graphics) can't be relied upon — the way the game plays is where the fun is. A similar example of this might be Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, both for the Nintendo 64. Majora's Mask used the same engine as Ocarina, but was much more challenging (and satisfying, I think).
If more sequels of this sort could be made, the world would be a better place.
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