Super Mario All-Stars
Reviewed by J-Dogg
Power to the Plumbers!!! Yes, Mario is back and better than ever in this
four game anthology of all the NES Mario titles of the past. Well sorry
to ruin the Mario exalting, but thats pretty much it for this one. All the
Goomba smashing madness of the old, mix with the graphics of the new.
Other than the Lost Levels addition everything should be pretty much
familiar to you.
Graphics: 8.5 out of 10
Whoa, what is there to say, the visuals are truly awesome! The bumbling
Italians double up from eight bit to sixteen bit. The backgrounds are very
pensent adding a extra hint to the mood of a level. And though this may be
irrelevant but you can actually see a difference between Mario and Luigi
with fire power in the original. The new intrication in the graphics added
a whole new feel to the games, to the point that I thought it was my first
time playing.
Music and Sound: 7 out of 10
Even though All-Stars boasts the same audio as the original. It still adds a
touch of smoothness to the rough sounds hosted by the earlier versions. It's
clear, accurate, and still manages to keep the mood that started it all.
Game Challenge: 5.5 out of 10
We all have or at least know someone who has beaten one or more of the
Mario NES titles. So if you had what it took back then, you have what it
takes right now to. The only thing which touched this category away from
a 1 or 2 is The Lost Levels. This game is harder than the other three
combined with some left over. There's poisonous mushrooms, impossible
jumps, and some tough ass enemies. Trust me this one is not for the casual
Mario gamer. Mastering the Mario, is mastering this game, bottom line fella!
Game Play-Fun: 9.5 out of 10
You can definitely tell by the score this game was and still is fun to the
last stage. Like I said above you will almost feel as if you were playing
these games for the first time. And frustrating as it is even the Lost Levels
can be some what amusing (Somewhat?) If you were to play this title for one
reason only, do it for this one.
Frustration
If you had a few temperamental moments with a stage from the processors,
guess what you'll have to brave it again. Not much more is to be said of the
three remakes, but I can't say the same for the LL (Lost Levels) This game
is just down right mean! Worlds 1 and 2 seem pretty easy, but after that
it's pure suicide! All you can do is pray to god or start over. The LL alone
is the frustration itself. The only nice comment to be made is the diversion
beyond appearance that Mario and Luigi have. Mario is more flexible with a
less elevated jump, and Luigi is stiff, but soars with the airplanes. Putting
all this stuff aside, be ready to loose some major lives on this game.
Replayability: 8.5 out of 10
This section is pure preference, it depends how devote of a Mariniac you are.
Some will play for awhile and get bored, and others will live off this game.
The weak fans will completely batter there SNES's (Don't worry we've all
been there) over the hardship of the Lost Levels. And huge afrinsendos will
laugh at every life lost, in a attempt to get stronger. To cut ya straight I
can only see big fans like me cherishing this game in latter years though.
Game Value: 9.0 out of 10
When it came out the price was outrageous! But now that the SNES's empire
has fell to the 64, the price is a little more reasonable. When I got the game
it definitely wasn't up to the seventy dollar standard. Standard now down,
the game is greatly worth the $5.00 it goes for at Funcoland. If you have a
chance to snag this baby pick it up it's worth the spare change.
Overall: 8 out of 10
We all have grown fond of all of Mario's various occupations. Such as Super
hero, Golfer, Doctor etc. Tough this time he's not getting hired anywhere
else. Only getting a promotion so to speak. And the promotion resussitated
the choking classics from the clutches of Super Mario World. If that wasn't
enough to inspire you to play, think where else can you get four games in
one Super Nintendo tile, Ah ha!