Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt
Reviewed by Brendan Kemp
Super Mario Bros. is the original of the large Super Mario Bros. line of games by
Nintendo, the most recent of which is Mario 64. Super Mario Bros. is your basic
side scroller. You walk, run and jump from left to right, while bopping thing on
the head, or throwing fire at them. You are trying to rescue you princess, who
has been kidnapped by the evil Bowser, and along the way, you rescue several other
princesses who have been kidnapped by other dragons. You meet a few different
veriaties of enemies a long the way. The main challenge in this game is the
landscape, and finding a way to get further along without falling off the bottom
of the screen, which kills you.
Duck Hunt appears to be a little game that was just tacked on, to add value to
Super Mario Bros.. In Duck Hunt, you shoot the ducks that your dog flushes for
you. You can only let so many duck escape unharmed, or you have to start over.
As you progress through the levels, the ducks fly faster and more of them appear
at the same time. This game requires the light gun, to shoot the ducks.
Graphics 7 out of 10
Super Mario Bros.'s younger siblings, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3,
simply beat Super Mario Bros. down in this catagory. Super Mario Bros.,
however, has not too bad graphics, for an old Nintendo game. There is certainly
no trouble seeing things or recognizing them. Duck Hunt's graphics are badly pixlated,
worse off than Super Mario Bros graphics. Never the less, you can still recognize
everything, although the effect is not as pleasing as something like RC-PRO AM 2,
or Super Mario Bros. 3.
Music and Sound 8 out of 10
The music in Super Mario Bros. is not all that bad. It's the typical happy Nintendo
music, but it gets old really fast. Metroid, or even Zelda beat the game here. If you
go on a crusade to beat this game, the happy Nintendo music will be stuck in your
head for a good while. The sound effects are pleasingly simple. If you get a coin, it
makes a cool dr-rr-r-rr-up! sound. Duck Hunt lacks music, and the sound effects are
sparse, but it does have a kewl gun shot noise that is almost realistic. So, it
doesn't lag or excel in this area.
Game Challenge 8 out of 10
Super Mario Bros. is certainly a long game, with plenty of challenge. Even the masters
would not buzz through this on the first try. But the beginner, like myself when I
started playing this, can plod along nicely, discovering things as you go. Duck Hunt,
however, I don't know if that game has an end. The ducks just go faster and faster,
so I guess it's challenging, but not in a fun way.
Game Play-Fun 7 out of 10
Super Mario Bros. certainly has great gameplay, but Duck Hunt brings this score down.
It really isn't any fun at all. I loved going out to rescue the princess, in many
different landscapes, but shooting the same ducks again and again and again and
again and again and again and again and again isn't any fun. Super Mario Bros. alone
deserves a 9/10, but Duck Hunt 4/10.
Frustration
Some of the tricks you had to do in Super Mario Bros. were too hard. but that wasn't
a big deal. In Duck Hunt, the gun always seemed to not let you hit the ducks in the
later levels. That was frustrating.
Replayability 7 out of 10
I would like to go back and beat Super Mario Bros. one last time, after that I
wouldn't play it any more. It's kind of like you've discovered all the tricks so it's
not as fun any more. Duck Hunt, however, if you like it, challenges you to beat your
previous scores and those of friends.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Oh yeah, for the $5 that NES games are selling for nowadays is a small some to pay
for such a cool little adventure.
Overall 9 out of 10
Super Mario Bros. is cool, buy it. Duck Hunt isn't, but it comes along with Super Mario
Bros., so you might as well take it.