Super Mario Bros. 2
Reviewed 5/29/00

Ahhh.. a chance for me to wax nostalgic for a while. Who hasn't played, and subsequently loved, Super Mario Bros. 2? It was the coolest thing to ever hit the world back in 1988, no one knew it wasn't a "true" Mario game, and if they had they probably would not have given a shit. No one cared that it was nothing like it's predecessor, the game kicked ass, and that was the bottom line.

SMB2 painted a picture, a world, like few other games ever have. The player was thrust into this world where mice with sunglasses could act evil and throw bombs at you, and a fat frog pimp ruled the world. It was a classic the day it came out, and had a serious impact on the SMB series, as you can still see shyguys and snifits walking around in Mario games today.

If you were born in the past 10 years and haven't experienced SMB 2, let me clue you in on the logistics. The game is nothing like any other Mario game, you could choose who you wanted to play as at the beginning, between Mario, Toad, Luigi or the Princess. All of the characters have thier different strengths and weaknesses, and who you choose is a matter of matter of personal choice. I'm a princess person myself, while my sister will always play as Toad. The worlds are split into 3 levels, except world 7 which has 2 levels. Throughout the game are vegetables you can pick, which can be anything from a potion to a bomb, to just a plain vegetable which you can throw. Potions, when thrown, open up a door to a bizarro universe, and thrown in the right place, can give you a mushroom to increase your energy or can reveal a warp zone. Vegetables picked in this bizzarro world are coins, which go towards playing a slot machine game at the end of each level. Also in each non-boss level is a sub-boss named Birdo, or sometimes Ostro, which spits eggs (and fire, in the later levels) and must be hit three times before you can pass to the next level.

It's hard to put in words exactly WHAT it is that makes SMB so worthwhile, it's the little things that just kick ass that make this one a gem. The worlds are so vast and diverse that the game remains original right up until the end. It's a full-scale adventure in a dream world with the Mario Bros. characters as the star. It tears up SMB1 and 3 in every way imaginable and I say, without hesitation, it's the best in the NES series.

Graphics 9
Bright, colorful, original and just plain kick-ass
A new look for the Mario crew, and nothing has been done like it since
 Sound 8
Cool tunes, lots of diversity in the music
It's not one of the games strongest points.
Innovation 10
Nothing has ever been done like it before or since
Gameplay 10
A vegetable throwing good time!
4 characters to choose from with different play mechanics
Replay Value 10
Stands the test of time over a period of 12 years
Very fun, tough and unique game

95%
Overall Score

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