Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA)

[Alienblue]

Super Mario Advance 2: SM World (GBA) B+

I now have all of the 2-D Super Mario games for my GBA/DS , counting the SMB "classics" release, and New SMB for the DS.

SM Advance 2 is , unlike SM Advance 1 and 4 (which were GBA
versions of SMB 2 and 3 respectively...confused yet?) almost
a pixel perfect translation of the SNES Super Mario World. Although there ARE a few minor updates to this game, it is basically a handheld version of Super Mario World (along with the original SM bros., included with EVERY Advance game). This is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, SM 2 & 3 were 8-bit games while SMW is 16-bit to begin with and really needed no updates for the GBA.

For the very few who have not played it (it was a pack in with the Super Nintendo System), SMW is a 16-bit upgrade of Super Mario 3 on the NES. The graphics feature more colours and larger sprites, along with better music, but the gameplay is familiar. You have an overhead map and must guide mario from one area to the next. There are coin blocks, pipes to enter, and the usual enemies like Goombas, Koopas, and fish. There are mini- fortresses and big fortresses with mini and large boss "koopa Kid" characters to defeat.

Added to this game was the Debut of Yoshi, a dinosaur mario can ride, and a new mascot for Nintendo as it turned out. Also, paralax scrolling allowed for new dangers like castle walls that moved in and out and scenery the enemies could hide behind. There were no individual "worlds" (grassland, desertland, etc...) but simply one BIG world with only a few warp areas that were hard to get to. No bonus games and a too easy to beat end boss makes SMW a lesser game than Super Mario 3, in my Opinion, but still a good game and more challenging than SMB one and two as well as FAR FAR FAR better than the horrible Yoshi's Island sequal (sorry YI fans, I just didn't like that way-too-different SM game!) ...

The Advance version, as mentioned, adds only a few benifits. You can switch between Mario and Luigi, and Luigi, like in SMA 1, can jump high but is harder to control. The characters speak, but the voices are VERY minimal compared to SMA 1 (some may prefer this!) and you can save at any point on the map. A helpful map comes with this "players choice" cart which now retails for under $20!

To sum up, if you like Super Mario and have a GBA I Reccomend the Advance games in the follwing order : SMA4 (SMB 3); SMA1 (SMB 2); then this version, then the original Super Mario: classics game, and lastly SMA3: Yoshis Island. Ok, I KNOW Yoshi has a lot of fans and the graphics ARE spectacular, but to me it lacks the playability of the others. Of course, if, like me, you are a SMB collector, you'll wanna....catch 'em all! Really, for $20 you can't go wrong with this great game!

[feilong801]

I loved Super Mario World, and I definitely file it under "games that deserve to be considered legendary but are not because they followed a classic game everybody loves" (obviously Super Mario Brothers 3). In my opinion, the achievement of taking a classic gameplay method and succesfully upgrading it and enhancing it with new technology is a very underrated skill. Nintendo did that with SMW very well and should get more credit for its achievement.

 

-Rob

[voor]

agreed, and while I'm less a fan of Mario games that include flying, I enjoyed this greatly.  I also liked how it featured some very difficult levels in the star world (funky, outrageous, etc...).

 

Question...you know how levels with multiple exits were RED (dots) on the map?  Is this also true in New SMB?? 

[Alienblue]

I Have not found a single key myself, but my ex found the first one, and I THINK it was flasing red on the dot path. Some consider these keys "warps" but you MUST find the last one to get to cookie Island here-to me that is not a warp, it's a pain in the butt!

I forgot to mention that this version has a mini-game. If you collect 100 stars, a tic-tac-toe board full of mushrooms, stars and flowers (pink hearts...green clovers and blue diamonds! Lucky charms! ( appears over your head; jump to hit them and you get up to nine extra lives depending on the combination (it is VERY easy, I got the full 3-way Tictactoe for 9 lives on my very first try!) I think the original just gave you a free life/lives after collecting 99 stars.

[Dennis]

No, the original Super Mario World had the tic-tac-toe bonus game as well.

 

As far as the original post goes, the final boss in SMB3 is far easier than the final boss in Super Mario World.  In SMB3, you don't even have to hit him!  Just move out of the way when he jumps. 

[Adamant1]

[QUOTE=voor]
Question...you know how levels with multiple exits were RED (dots) on the map?  Is this also true in New SMB?? 
[/QUOTE]

No, but by looking closely at the map, you can usually see where there is room i the terrain for new roads.

[Alienblue]

Dennis....? I said in my post that as good as SMW is, it was a LESSER game than SMB3. I could go on, lousy hard to control cape compared to easy to fly racoon tail, more power ups, pushed the hardware more...but I certainly NEVER said that koopa was harder to defeat. He is a pushover compared to the smaller koopalings (just pick up and toss the turtles at him) but he is a zillion times harder than Koopa in SMB3, which was one of Videogamings biggest anticlimaxes, just knock out the floor he's dead! It took me HOURS to reach him and 3 seconds to kill him!

I haven't played SMW/SNES for a long time, so I forgot what was in that version. (My ex took my copy) ... looks like the voices and Luigi were the only new things! Playing as Luigi makes many levels easier/harder though, depending. (He jumps very FAR but moves more slowley than Mario).

[a1]

[QUOTE=Alienblue]Dennis....? I said in my post that as good as SMW is, it was a LESSER game than SMB3. I could go on, lousy hard to control cape compared to easy to fly racoon tail[/QUOTE]

I like Mario 3 more as well, but the cape is actually a really good item, once you figure it out. Once you get up to the top of your flight (keep holding the fly button), press back on the control pad, and Mario will float up a bit. If you continue to press back every time Mario starts to fall you can fly for an infinite amount of time. I personally think the racoon suit is cooler (especially the actual racoon suit), but the cape is really useful.

[Adamant1]

[QUOTE]I haven't played SMW/SNES for a long time, so I forgot what was in that version. (My ex took my copy) ... looks like the voices and Luigi were the only new things! Playing as Luigi makes many levels easier/harder though, depending. (He jumps very FAR but moves more slowley than Mario).[/QUOTE]

There are aso 5 Dragon Coins in each level now (boss levels included), and the game keeps track of which levels you collect them all in. Get them all, and you get a very very minor reward you won't care about at all.

[Alienblue]

It's been awhile, but I could swear the "yoshi head" coins (is that what you mean by "dragon coins?") were in the SNES game! I recall trying to collect them and giving up after discovering how minimal the reward was. Does anyone else recall? Or are "yoshi" and "dragon" coins different things? Cheap as the reward was, I think this was the first Mario game with an "unlock" feature!