Saturday, 18 July 2009

  • What is the Best Mario Game?

     

    Easy. It's Super Mario World.

    With a color palette vibrant enough to get the Hubble's attention, control so smooth you'd think Santana programmed it and tons of new abilities and items to make Mario fly, spin, float, Super Mario World sits atop a goofy green dinosaur wearing red sneakers above all other Mario games, arguably all other games in the platforming genre.



    Unlike previous games in the series, where levels were split up with no direct transition between them, Super Mario World takes place in a large coherent world map -- it IS a Super Mario world, and what a deep one it is. Hidden levels, passageways and secrets lie waiting to be found, and the ultimate secret area, the Star Road, with its various entrances hidden throughout the main map, is still a landmark discovery, on par with the wheel, or fire or Watson and Crick's DNA research. But you can't hold A and jump to launch yourself over a double helix so the Star Road is far better. 

    The inventory system -- press the Select button for that reserve Cape Feather or Fire Flower -- is something sorely missing from Mario's new games. Hell, entire power-ups are missing now. Bee suits? Timed Ice Flowers? What the hell, Super Mario Galaxy, why must you limit me so much? Super Mario World spoils you with goods yet limits you to two at a time. The game executes this so well, Halo saw it fit to give Master Chief only two weapon choices at a time, too.

      

    The levels are wonderful playgrounds, and run the perfect length with tons of secrets in each one. The A button spin-jump adds a whole new "spin" (ugh) to things, allowing you to evade those damn Boos. Yoshi opens up a plethora of possibilities. Use his tongue to swallow enemies, shoot them back out, ingest Koopas with shells of various colors for fire, flying and stomping powers - and everyone's favorite, abandon the poor bastard mid-jump.

    And it is fun as hell. There's a reason Mario games are the best and most popular in the world. The sheer joy of moving the little plumber around, feeling the friction as he revs up his speed or makes a jump, is enough to entice anybody. It works in Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 64...

    But Super Mario World does it best.



    Do you agree? Or is there another Mario game you hold dear?

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  • Riskbreaker
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