Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition (Wii Review) by Austin D.
Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
System: Wii
Release Date: December 12, 2010
December 14, 2010, by Austin D. - This year marks the 25th Anniversary for the beloved Mario franchise. Amongst all the celebration coming from Nintendo and fans is the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition set that includes the original Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES ported to the Nintendo Wii, a commemorative CD, and a history book all packaged inside a brilliantly designed 25th Anniversary box. So all-in-all, does this game pack a fresh experience?
The game's box features a red and gold coloring with a left-up cover providing a preview of the contents of the set. Among opening the box, you will see what appear to be two game cases. At first, you may think that it's another game but in all actuality, it is no more than a case for the history booklet and commemorative CD. That about covers the packaging of this one of a kind set.
The disc features the following games: Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. For any Mario fanatic, they are sure to become excited about this collection of classics. They are all in their SNES state from the original Super Mario All-Stars with little noticeable changes. Is this just a cash in for Nintendo? Or maybe it's a brilliant scheme to celebrate their gaming icon by bringing the original games to the hands of a new audience of gamers?
Super Mario Bros. provides gamers with the same experience as it did back on the SNES version. The controls take a little getting used to and provide for an overall frustration factor until you do. After gaming knowledge of the old-school physics of the controls and environments, the player will be able to take part in a wonderful adventure to save Princess Peach. Super Mario Bros. had little noticeable flaws in execution overall.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels is just as fun to play as you would expect of any Mario game. It is pretty much as enjoyable as Super Mario Bros. is and contains little changes from the SNES version; however, Super Mario Bros. 2 is a little different of a story. If the player is well versed in the original, they are sure to notice a few bugs in this port. One noticeable bug is with the sprites becoming overlapped and seemingly 'stuck' with each other occasionally. It does not take much away from the game in terms of playability or the fun-factor.
Now, Super Mario Bros. 3 returns in force with being exactly like the original and provides just as much enjoyment as it ever did. It features an overworld where the player can choose the level in which they want to play (much like the style of Super Mario World) and has plenty of secrets to figure out. The player can enjoy this game for many hours on end as well of all of the others included in this set.
The commemorative CD features many tunes from the classics and even some from the other games in the franchise. Upon listening to this soundtrack, the player is sure to notice the tunes are in original form and are of utmost quality. You will even be able to hear the classics how they were featured in the Super Smash Brothers games and to bring out the fan in all of us; the soundtrack even has sound effects from the games.
The history book features commentary about each game from Nintendo employees such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, and Koji Kondo. It features a timeline at the beginning of each installment to the franchise and when it was released. It then goes into a little more detail on each game with a page featuring the game art and a couple blurbs about it. Near the end of the book you see some artwork and other pieces over the series.
The Verdict
Sound
13/15 - The games feature a well structured soundtrack and the commemorative CD expands upon that and enriches the overall quality of the set.
Graphics
13/20 - The graphics are hindered in certain games but in others they are executed as they appeared on the originals. All things considered though, they do not look as stunning as other 2D games on the Wii.
Appeal
23/25 - The game has great appeal and with the many features of each individual game included, it is sure to keep gamers playing for hours on end to try to beat that classic that they never was able to compete.
Gameplay
35/40 - The controls are a little finicky at times but once you get used to the old-school physics you are sure to hardly notice them as being any problem. The overall gameplay is wonderful and provides a classic experience that many would expect from this game.
Overall
84/100 - Overall, the game is sure to provide hours of fun for those trying to beat each game included in the set. If you are like me though, you will want to find out all the little secrets and glitches which are sure to add many more hours to the experience. The set is packaged well but could have been enriched with a redone graphical style such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii or Donkey Kong Country Returns.