Super Mario World 2012. Re-Playing Mario’s 16bit Masterpiece Featuring Yoshi’s Dino Debut

…. Yoshi and a bunch of classic Super Mario World characters make up this wallpaper for the GBA version.

Super Mario World in 2012? That was the plan as I re-tackled Mario’s 16bit Super NES masterpiece, that featured the debut of Mario’s rideable green dinosaur known as Yoshi.

I was playing the game via the Wii Virtual Console version, which you can purchase for $8 (800 Nintendo Points) via the Wii Shop where you can download the game directly to your Wii.

I am no stranger to the world of Super Mario World, having mastered the game in the past, finishing the Star Road, completing the Special World, and playing through all of the levels. However it has been a VERY LONG time since I last played the game.

The box artwork for the GBA version of Super Mario World, similar to the SNES original.

I never got around to playing Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World for the Game Boy Advance, even though I always wanted the game.

So how many years has it been since I’ve played Super Mario World? I don’t even wanna guess, else I age myself. But its gotta be close to 10 years if not way, way more than that….

The first aspect of Super Mario World that struck me was how “loose” the controls are. I am playing with the required, SNES-like Wii Classic Controller. I don’t know if its the Wii SNES emulation that’s the cause or if it is just how the game was; but I had an extreme struggle with precise landings… causing me to die very easy on the easiest little enemies in the game. Generally platforms are large enough that it wasn’t too much a problem as far as platform jumping, but it did make landing on enemy heads much harder than I remember it being.

Bowser in all his Super Mario World awesomeness for this GBA wallpaper.

Case in point, in one of the Vanilla Dome levels I died, no joke, SIX TIMES on the first Buzzy Beetle-type enemy! Now that’s just not right!

Another area that really surprised me, outside of the level variety, is how many puzzles there are in the game. I only vaguely remember where all of the secrets are…

The incomplete and secret Star Road in Super Mario World.

Unlike when I was a kid, this time I really paid attention to what the info boxes tell you, and I was struck by how it mentions the fact that there are five entrances to a “special world” (that would be Star Road) and how it tells you, in no uncertain terms, that a red level means that there are TWO exits. One of which is hidden.

Due to my increased comprehension in my old age, I was more conscious of finding all of the hidden exists on the Red Levels. I should mention that Ghost Houses do NOT tell you when there is a hidden exit… and another “flaw” is the fact that the game doesn’t tell you which levels you’ve found all of the “Dragon Coins” (the large coins with Yoshi on them) on the Map Screen. I imagine that these are two areas that were fixed for the improved Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World GBA version though. I imagine… and hope.

Luigi wallpaper for Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 for GBA.

Back to the fact that I only vaguely remember all the secrets in this game, it made for real brain-testing moments where I really had to rack my brain and actually figure out where the hidden exits were and how to get to them. This was awesome because it made it feel like I was playing Super Mario World for the first time!

Although I had enough remembrance that I could successfully recall pretty much all of the major secrets, but even so, there were several red levels I had a pretty tough time finding the hidden exits. In those levels I didn’t remember at all and had to find them pretty much on my own.

Then there is the Forest of Illusion. I could not recall whether or not the “blank space” held an unlockable level or not. This resulted in me spending like an hour after already completing the Forest of illusion Map trying to figure out if there was an additional hidden exit that would make the blank space level appear. I turned to the internet to figure out if there was a level or not so I wouldn’t waste more time, but I’m committed to sticking to completing the game 100% without the use of the net otherwise.

All in all, I’m surprised at how well Super Mario World holds up. It really is a fantastic game deserving of all the accolades the game has received over the years as one of the best platformers of all time… and a fan-favorite Mario title. I’m also taken by how massive the game is, how much variety there is between levels, which always keeps the game fresh, how puzzling some of the secrets are (you WILL be playing levels multiple times before you discover all the secrets) are just how much meat there is to the game.

The super secret Special World reached by completing Star Road.

When you add all of the hidden levels and secrets, the ability to teleport around the map using the Star Road entrances, pipes that take you to different places on the map, the Star Road itself and the secret hidden Special World… and the fact that every stage has 5 Dragon Coins to find and so many stages have secret exists to discover.

I definitely recommend playing Super Mario World even if you haven’t played the game in a long, long time. It still holds up extremely well and is just one heck of a fun ride from beginning to end!

 

Geno Joins US Military… Super Mario RPG ftw!

Amazingly skilled Geno art!

So THAT is where Super Mario RPG’s Geno went off too! He headed for the Stars and then joined the U.S. Military! Huzzah!

“Pfc. Sean Robertson and Pvt. Geno Romero practice climbing rubble with an iRobot Packbot 510 during a robotics class at Fort Irwin, Calif.”

My Geno… How you’ve changed!

Quote caption from 100 Great Pics of Military Tech In Action Slideshow (Fox News)

 

ListenToMePlayGames Super Metroid Podcast Part 1 of Metroid 3

Hopefully if they ever remake Super Metroid, it’ll look like this!

ListenToMePlay Super Metroid in part 1 of my podcast that takes you through one of the greatest games ever made, and one of the Super Nintendo’s pinnacle’s of design mastery.

Super Metroid is the third-entry in Samus Aran’s space bounty hunting adventures (following the original Metroid 1 for NES released in 1986 and Metroid 2 for Game Boy, released in 1991), and takes everything the series was ever known for to the next levels. Visuals, graphics, music, audio, ambiance, mood, gameplay, bosses, levels, design…. everything has been taken up a million notches and represents one of the finest action games ever conceived. The smooth action shooting gameplay and platform flipping acrobatics are unmatched, and the open-ended design, girth of well-hidden secret Items, awesome Weapons, secret techniques, multiple endings and speed-run-begging gameplay compel you to cheer at how amazing everything comes together.

Hear the ListenToMePlay Super Metroid Podcast Part 1
(click the link above to listen to the first part! Right-click “save target as” or something similar to save the episode to your computer and listen to the podcast on-the-go!)

Update: (January 26 2013)
ListenToMePlay Super Metroid Podcat Part 2 (Final Podcast!)

Here is the final podcast in video form!

Enjoy. :)

Also give these a look! My Resident Evil Remake review, Resident Evil 2 Review and Resident Evil 3 Review and Resident Evil: Code Veronica Dreamcast Review!

Previous LISTENTOMEPLAY podcasts:
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 0 Part 4
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil Zero Podcast Part 3
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil Zero Podcast Part 2
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil Zero Podcast. RE0 Intro (Part 1)
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Finale (Part 7)
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Parts 5 and 6
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Part 4
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Part 3
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Part 2
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil: Code Veronica Podcast Part 1
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 3 Podcast Finale (Part 5)
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 3 Podcast Part 4
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 3 Podcast Parts 2 And 3
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 3 Podcast Part 1
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 2 Podcast Final Master Run (Claire Redfield)
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil 2 Podcast (Leon Scenario A On Normal)
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil Remake Real Survival Mode Chris
* ListenToMePlay Super Metroid Podcast
* ListenToMePlay Oblivion “Through A Virgin’s Eyes” Podcast Part 1 – Guest Mr. Z
* ListenToMePlay Oblivion Podcast Part 2
* ListenToMePlay The Witcher 2 Podcast Part 1 – Guest: RedWinged Angel
* ListenToMePlay The Witcher 2 Podcast Part 2
* ListenToMePlay Resident Evil Remake Podcast – Guest: MyDad

 

On the Cutting Room Floor: Games I’ve Yet to Play – EarthBound

Ness and his dog King in front of his mom's house in Onett (opening scene of EarthBound).

If you know me, you know that there are TONS AND TONS of videogames I’ve never played. Sadly, although I consider myself to be a “hardcore” gamer, I really am not compared to most “gamers”. The reason for that is because, unlike other more productive people, I can never seem to find the time to play games. Period.

In fact, my most played system as of late has been my Nintendo 3DS, and that’s simply because it is the easiest system to play when I’m sitting on the throne…. And cause I’m a hardcore Nintendo fanboy to boot.

So I thought it would be fun to go through some of the games I’d LOVE to play and still plan on playing someday, but never have up to this point and why I want to play them. Maybe I’ll get to them at some point, and hopefully soon; but maybe not. We’ll see. Enjoy.

EPISODE #1 – EARTHBOUND
Released: November 1995 (USA), August 27, 1994 (Japan)
System: Super Nintendo
Re-Released: As part of Mother I&II Collection for Game Boy Advance (Japan-only)
Genre: RPG
Developed By: Nintendo, Ape, HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Is There A Digital Version?: Not legally, ROM & Emulator for play on the PC are easy to find however. It has never been officially re-released.

The elusive EarthBound (Mother 2) cartridge... worth lots of money these days.

Why EarthBound?

EarthBound is one of those cult-classic videogames that literally everyone should play… regardless of whether you like Japanese Role-Playing Games or not. Despite what the title says and the premise of this “On the Cutting Room Floor” series, EarthBound is actually a game I have played through MULTIPLE times. However it remains on the cutting room floor for me because I have NEVER finished it.

Unlike many others, I actually own a SNES EarthBound cart (along with the box) that I bought for $15 in 1998 at Blockbuster. Back then I was pissed because I assumed the big box meant it came with the Strategy Guide/Instruction Book pictured on the front of the box… but it was not meant to be as the box didn’t contain that guide. Believe it or not, me in my naive-to-the-future-worth-of-the-epic-game-he-held-in-his-hands youth ALMOST took the game back. I was literally about to hightail it back to the store and return it because I was so disappointed at not having the book. Even back in those days, my early teen years, I had that collector’s streak pumping through my veins, and I wanted my games to be complete with the box AND instructions.

A typical EarthBound battle looks like this.... that's the dreaded Territorial Oak enemy! *shivers*

Thankfully, I wisely kept the game, figuring that it would be really fun and cool to play (as I had read in gaming magazines) and I’d just have to do without the instruction book. Wise choice young grasshopper me, wise choice!

EarthBound is one of the most unique games you will ever play. It has a self-deprecating, breaking-the-fourth-wall streak running throughout that makes the writing extremely laugh-out-loud funny and more witty and interesting than most games… certainly than most RPGs of the day. The game is a typical JRPG, with turn-based battles (seen in the first person perspective, and menu-driven), a focus on talking to every villager you encounter, and an epic quest, but the modern America setting of the game is what made EarthBound really stand out.

A typical screenshot of talking to villagers in EarthBound's first town of Onett.

EarthBound is not a fantasy game, it is a literal modern-day adventure of four kids spelunking through the oddest of occurrences; crashing meteors, alien visitors, zombie apocalypse, roadrunning jazz bands, haunted malls, color-blue-worshiping cults… it’s actually a sci-fi game in reality, although the science fiction aspect doesn’t really override the rest of the tale due to the fact that the game generally stays in a modern-day, city setting throughout. It is the worlds you explore in EarthBound however, the cities, that play as much a role in the game as anything else. Each city, Onette, Twoson, Threed, Fourside, is like a character in itself because of the unique themes of each.

Overall, EarthBound is arguably the game I want to MOST FINISH of all the games I have. Sadly, I started on the game many, many times using my SNES cartridge, but the cart has ALWAYS deleted my saved games from the beginning. It’s been an eternal heartbreaker. I had resisted pirating the game (which in my case is legal because I own the original cart) for the longest time in the hope that Nintendo would re-release a digital version… but they never did.

A JRPG with city buildings, hamburgers, stop signs and streets? Believe it.

So last year I finally broke down and downloaded the ROM and an emulator, and finally got to experience the game without the threat of my save file being erased…. I tried ONE LAST TIME to play it on the actual SNES… but somehow something always ends up happening that causes the game to freeze (accidentally bumping the system, accidentally moving the powercord… one time our freakin’ cat jumped on it and that was that) so that was the last straw for me and I went the route most EarthBound fans had long-taken; the route of a pirate. I still prefer to play games with a controller (THE controller) so I’m not a fan of the keyboard controls, but having new features like the ability to speed up time or save anywhere is definitely welcome.

EarthBound has such a charming, simple look to it. This is Ness' sister's room.

Hopefully Nintendo will re-release the game soon for the 3DS eShop, can you imagine how much of a killer-app it’d be? And while they’re at it they should flatout REMAKE the game and all-three Mother titles and release it for 3DS, Wii or Wii U… the Western world never got the original EarthBound, called Mother in Japan, or the Japan-only sequel to EarthBound called Mother 3 for Game Boy Advance, which is criminal. Of course, illegally, an English version of “EarthBound Zero” for NES via emulator exists, as does English ROM’s of Mother 3…. both of which I own.

One of these days soon I’ll actually sit down and record myself playing through the whole game. Last time I stopped simply cause I got sidetracked, but with my new site here that is SUPPOSED to be focused on watching me play games… I definitely intend on allowing you to watch me play it.

Here is a look at EarthBound in action! Alongside the awesome intro.