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The Mario Megathread

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Bean
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The Mario Megathread

Post by Bean »

Considering that I want to play quite a few of these games, I asked ahead of time if it'd be all right to create a new thread for the Mario series here and was given the go-ahead to do so. In spite of all the series I've dedicated to the Blue Bomber over the years, Mario is my favorite franchise in gaming. I finally want to start doing a few games in this series and see how it goes.

Mario Switches It Up
(?) Super Mario Bros. 35

Super Mario Advance - Acing the Yoshi Challenge
(1) World 1
(2) World 2
(3) World 3
(4) World 4
(5) World 5
(6) World 6
(7) World 7

Super Mario Advance is a remake of SMB2 made from the ground up for the Game Boy Advance's release in the spring of 2001. We'll be tackling the extra mode you unlock once beating the game one time called the Yoshi Challenge. In it, two eggs will be placed in every level, and it's our job to find them and bring them to the end of every level. We're also going for all five Ace Coins in every level on top of that because who doesn't love a challenge to your challenge? Well, I do. So let this midsummer night's dream begin!

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
(1) Intro & Extra Stages
(2) Tree Zone
(3) Turtle Zone
(4) Macro Zone
(5) Pumpkin Zone
(6) Mario Zone
(7) Space Zone
(8) Wario's Castle

Super Mario Land 2 brings a couple of fresh concepts to the table in that Mario isn't rescuing a princess or saving someone's kingdom. This time, it's personal. More importantly, it's also the one game in the series where players can fully pick their path after the opening stage. That path was picked by any and all that voted, and now, it's time to collect those special six coins and break Wario's spell over Mario Land! Let's hop to it!
Super Mario Bros. 3
(1) World 1 - Grass Land
(2) World 2 - Desert Land / Desert Hill
(3) World 3 - Water Land / Sea Side
(4) World 4 - Giant Land / Big Island
(5) World 5 - Sky Land / The Sky
(Bonus) Warp Whistles & Multiplayer Mayhem
(6) World 6 - Ice Land / Iced Land
(7) World 7 - Pipe Land / Pipe Maze
(8) World 8 - Dark Land / Castle of Koopa

For me, this is the best game ever released on the NES. That's a bold statement to make with so many contenders, but the proof is in how much this title added to or refined the formula. New powers, an overworld map system, and bosses that would go on to become fan favorites for decades to come? Yeah, this is one of my favorite Marios, and I hope we're able to give this fun play the justice it deserves. It's showtime!
Super Mario Kart
(1) Mushroom Cup [50cc]
(2) Flower Cup [100cc]
(3) Star Cup [100cc]
(4) Solo Shenanigans & Time Trial Mode
(5) Special Cup [150cc]
(6) Battle Mode
(Bonus) F-Zero

Mario's no stranger to setting the pace, so it's only fitting that he and his friends define yet another genre with this 1992 title. So many others would try to take the checkered flag, but it was Super Mario Kart that was in the pole position on the mascot-based kart racing title. It's also pretty good, and I'm glad to be getting to it now. Let's get revved up and ready to ride!
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
(1) World 1
(2) World 2
(3) World 3
(4) World 4
(5) World 5
(6) World 6
(7) World 7
(8) World 8
(9) World 9
(10) World A
(11) World B
(12) Warp Zones
(13) World C
(14) World D

Super Mario All-Stars was a neat title that upgraded the look of three NES classics and also gave Western Mario fans their first taste of Japan's version of Super Mario Bros. 2. It's definitely on the difficult side, but it's also on the doable one. I figure it best to do this one now before moving on to both bigger and better things to come.
Donkey Kong [GB]
(1) Stage 0 - Construction Site
(2) Stage 1 - Big City
(3) Stage 2 - Forest
(4) Stage 3 - Ship
(5) Stage 4 - Jungle
(6) Stage 5 - Desert
(7) Stage 6 - Airplane
(8) Stage 7 - Iceberg
(9) Stage 8 - Rocky Valley, Part One
(10) Stage 8 - Rocky Valley, Part Two
(11) Stage 9 - Tower

Mario's been busy in the Mushroom Kingdom a lot, but it's time to go back to his roots whether he wants to or not. Donkey Kong decided to make a comeback in 1994 for a new adventure on the Game Boy, and he's brought a heck of a lot more stages with him. Let's fire up the Super Game Boy and see if we can sabotage this simian's similar scheme once again. Mm-hmm!
Fortune Street
(1) Mario Circuit, Part One
(2) Mario Circuit, Part Two
(3) Mario Circuit, Part Three
(4) Mario Circuit, Part Four
(5) Mario Circuit, Part Five
(6) Mario Circuit, Part Six

After twenty years of doing nothing, Mario was back to playing in a board game on the Wii with Dragon Quest characters. Wait a minute... That's not how the story goes! Well, I really just wanted to test out this capture card a friend got me, and this was the game I chose to play.
Super Mario Bros. 2
(1) World 1
(2) World 2
(3) World 3
(4) World 4
(5) World 5
(6) World 6
(7) World 7
(8) Shortcuts & Warps
(9) Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic

Super Mario Bros. 2 is generally considered the black sheep of the NES trilogy, but I think that's a little unfair to it since it's still a good game in its own right. It's a different kind of Mario that added many things that are still in his games to this day. Time to make this dream become a reality, so let's go!
Mario in the '80s
(1) Vs. Super Mario Bros.
(2) Super Mario Bros. Special
(3) Super Mario Bros. 2 [Japan]
(4) I am a Teacher: Super Mario's Sweater
(5) Punch-Out!!
(6) Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race
(7) Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally
(8) Alleyway
(9) Baseball, Tennis, & Golf [GB]
(10) Tetris

After the release of Super Mario Bros., the plumber had begun to take the gaming world by storm. With this series, we'll take a look at many of the games Mario appeared in throughout the 1980s, thus the name. Go figure!
Super Mario Land
(1) World 1 - Birabuto Kingdom
(2) World 2 - Muda Kingdom
(3) World 3 - Easton Kingdom
(4) World 4 - Chai Kingdom
(5) One Last Look - Hard Mode

Super Mario Land was one of the titles to debut with the original Game Boy. It's also the first platformer in the franchise to not be developed by Nintendo's main team which makes the game stranger than some of its console counterparts. The good news is that it's still pretty fun. Whew.
Super Mario Bros.
(1) World 1
(2) World 2
(3) World 3
(4) World 4
(5) World 5
(6) World 6
(7) World 7
(8) World 8
(9) Warp Zones & The Minus World
(10) The Second Quest [Luigi Run]

Super Mario Bros. was the game that simultaneously gave birth to a franchise and a rebirth to an industry that had an uncertain future in North America at the time. Mario's world just got a whole lot bigger, and I could not be happier about that fact. Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom!
Mario: Before He Was Super
(1) Donkey Kong
(2) Donkey Kong Jr.
(3) Mario Bros.
(4) Donkey Kong 3
(Bonus) Ms. Pac-Man
(5) Tennis
(6) Pinball
(7) Golf
(8) Wrecking Crew

This first series is going to take a look at most of Mario's pre-SMB1 titles first by going to the arcades before switching over to the NES/Famicom entries. While I'll beat the first couple of games, the main goal is to just show off the titles. Now that that's covered, let's~a go!
Last edited by Bean 7 years ago, edited 79 times in total.
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AuraLancer
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong)

Post by AuraLancer »

Is that the arcade version or the NES version?
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Bean
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong)

Post by Bean »

AuraLancer wrote:Is that the arcade version or the NES version?
It's the original Japanese arcade version since ours lost a level or two from the game. I'll stick to the arcade stuff for the next few videos as those versions have more content to see.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong Jr.)

Post by Bean »

(2) Donkey Kong Jr.

Part two of the pre-Super years sees us going against Mario as he's kind of gone off the deep end by trying to take a father away from his son in a bout of revenge. Time to show what DK Jr. can do and make sure that Mario doesn't try to be the antagonist again any time soon!
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong Jr.)

Post by AuraLancer »

I never got past stage 2 in either of those games, I don't think. Of course, I haven't played them since around 1990 so I might just not remember. I played the NES versions.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(3) Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. marks the first co-op entry in the series, and it's best known for Luigi's first ever game. As a result, my brother decided to join me for a little multiplayer session without any real practice, making for some silly in-game moments. I have no idea if I'll keep that coin collection total thing up in the actual platformers, but it was easy enough to keep track of this time.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong 3)

Post by Bean »

(4) Donkey Kong 3

After getting trounced in the sewers, Mario needed a break and was in no shape to deal with Donkey Kong in this third DK game. For some reason, the ape has decided to team up with some bugs and mess up some greenhouses. Enter Stanley the Bugman to save the day, hot off the presses from his Game & Watch title of Greenhouse. This game certainly did happen!

Not sure when I'll put the next video up. It all depends on how this upcoming snowstorm goes.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Donkey Kong 3)

Post by AuraLancer »

I recognize the music from the stage with the horizontal vines. They use that melody in some Mario Party tracks.

I recognize part of Flight of the Bumblebee as well in the other stage. It was a good choice for this game.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Ms. Pac-Man)

Post by Bean »

That melody is in Mario Party? Hmm. I don't have an ear for music, but that's pretty neat if true!

(Bonus) Ms. Pac-Man

Ms. Pac-Man is the best old-school arcade game from the 80s to me. As such, I decided to give it a go for no other reason than because I could before moving on to that little 8-bit console of Nintendo's for the rest of this first Mario series.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Tennis)

Post by Bean »

(5) Tennis

The NES or Famicom era saw a much more simple line of video games brought out for it before Mario's breakout hit arrived in 1985. First up is Tennis, a game that isn't even covered on the Mario Wiki for some strange reason. Granted, Mario just makes a non-playable appearance in this as the umpire, but he's still there... looking down on me.

I said it in the video and the description, but I had never played any of the four NES titles I'll be covering until starting this series up. Even with a short practice session, the AI was taking it to me on medium difficulty. Those fifteen minutes taught me a lot... but is it enough to win?

SPORTS!
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Pinball)

Post by Bean »

(6) Pinball

Mario's last cameo appearance in this series sees him on screen for just a fraction of the video, but at least he's doing more work than he was in our last game. The objective in pinball is not to let the ball go down the hole. Just wait until next time when the object is to let the ball go down the hole.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Golf)

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(7) Golf

The very peaceful game of Golf is up next... or it would be peaceful if I had a complete grasp of what I was doing. I have to say that it's tough to judge certain things in this game like your distance from the hole after the opening tee shot. Yes, this version of the gentleman's game is a bit rough around the edges as we're going to see.

Thankfully, we get Mario back into his more natural arcade-ish elements with our final game in this first series next time. It'll be a total wreck... because it's Wrecking Crew. Yep.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Wrecking Crew)

Post by Bean »

(8) Wrecking Crew

My favorite titles in this first series were the arcade games, so it's nice to finish this one on a high note instead of playing another sports game or something. Wrecking Crew is pretty dang neat since it's an action-puzzle game that has a lot of content to offer.

But with it out of the way, the Mario: Before He Was Super series has concluded. Next time, he will in fact hit that Super status at long last. I'll see you with the first part of Super Mario Bros.!

Mario: Before He Was Super Coin Total: 44
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Wrecking Crew)

Post by AuraLancer »

I never liked these old arcadey games as a kid, though I didn't mind Pinball. Never played Tennis or Wrecking Crew either.

However, I got Wrecking Crew on the 3DS as part of the Ambassador Program and was surprised by just how good it was.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Wrecking Crew)

Post by Bean »

Tell me about it. I think I might go through that one a bit more on my own time.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Wrecking Crew)

Post by YelseyKing »

I just watched through this series of videos, and... I honestly rather enjoyed it. I'd never played many of these games, nor have I even seen them in action, so it was pretty cool to watch Mario's "elaborate backstory". Looking forward to future installments.

That said, are you going to do just the main Mario games from here on, or do you plan to include other games in which the titular hero has appeared (such as NES Open Golf and Punch-Out)? Also, how far, chronologically, do you plan to take this series?
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Wrecking Crew)

Post by Bean »

If I just went chronologically, I'd probably go insane. The idea was to do this first set of pre-SMB1 games, then Super Mario Bros., and the already recorded Super Mario Land after that to start out. I also have the original New Super Mario Bros. done outside of post-game stuff.

Still, I don't see why I can't do other things like other NES games that aren't Super like Punch-Out!! later on, but I like changing it up every now and then just to keep things from going stale for me. Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to see people enjoying this.

Barring any delays, I plan to start up SMB1 this weekend.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(1) World 1

Super Mario Bros. puts Mario into his familiar role of being the defender of the Mushroom Kingdom. There's a princess and her royal retainers to rescue, a giant turtle and his evil empire to temporarily take down, and thirty-two stages of platforming perils spread out across eight worlds. You know the names and the games. Let's get this first one underway!

I'm also counting up all the coins I get along the way just because. In that first series, I wound up with a total of 44 coins. That number will skyrocket the more of these games I go through. Yep.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(2) World 2

Fish. They're one of the worst enemies I can think of that constantly pop up in platformers. For me, I find them at their worst when they leave their natural habitat and learn how to fly.

I'll be trying to get the content up here at a better pace, but we'll see. I know me too well.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(3) World 3

World 3 marks the debut of Hammer Bros., but they're not so bad here. The majority of the world is simple, but I do think the castle can be a bit on the tough side for the early ones considering how much fireball dodging you have to do. Outside of that, we're good to go!
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(4) World 4

A few new foes and a new scenario at the end gives this world a pretty memorable feel to it. I always liked World 4 the most outside of the opening one. It's fast, it's fun, it lets you go anywhere to the second half of the game that you want. Yeah, it's pretty neat.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by YelseyKing »

A little late, but... I once read something about how the 1-ups in later worlds won't appear unless you've obtained a certain number of coins. Or perhaps *if* you've obtained a certain number of coins. To be honest, I don't even remember *where* I read that, much less if I'm even remembering it *right*. But I'm pretty sure it's coin-related.

Wow. That as a thoroughly unhelpful post, wasn't it?
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

It's fine. Someone in the comments on the World 2 video told me that it was related to whether you've warped to a level or not. That seems to be the most plausible explanation for it anyway.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(5) World 5

Time to meet the Bullet Bills, the last new foe Super Mario Bros. will throw at us. It's kind of random when they'll go off, and that's what makes them so dangerous. That said, they're at their worst when you don't know just where they'll zoom in at in the third stage. Look out! Whew.
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Re: The Mario Megathread (NP: Super Mario Bros.)

Post by Bean »

(6) World 6

World 6 is kind of unmemorable to yours truly. To be specific, I usually struggle to recall 6-2 and 6-3 until I'm actually playing them. That said, It is the world where fake Bowser starts tossing hammers out instead of fireballs, but that's actually to our benefit as you'll soon see. Uh-huh.
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