Bite-sized in fact!
Mario articles that don't contain oddities for the most part, are sometimes more personal, and overall too small to be one webpage
Worth celebrating
No order! Hear me?
1. Super Mario Bros 4: Super Mario World: This my favorite platformer no doubt for the graphics, the settings, and the gameplay. Oh and it IS a sequel to SMB3. Exploring is so fun, the world feels so big, and the controls are so responsive. It’s I feel a big leap for our red plumber and the first (to me) ‘modern’ 2D Mario game. I like Super Mario Bros 3, which also plays and controls well and has some interesting level design, but it’s a more primitive adventure, and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. It’s a slog to get through if you really want to explore the game without warping around (a big pet peeve of mine). Super Mario World does not have that issue, and in fact encourages you to find secrets all of the time. Like SMB3, the worlds are diverse yet reigned in somewhat to fit the theme of Dinosaur Land. This extends to the items too, as there are fewer here than the previous game, yet what we have is refined and not a rare gimmick you may only enjoy for a level or two. Plus, as a personal aside, Yoshi and the Cape Feather beat the Tankooki suit any day. Okay, sure the Hammer Suit is really cool in SMB3, but how often did you use it without cheating with a Game Genie? Be honest!
I like the reserve item in stage, but miss the supply you had in previous games. Some NSMB titles would bring that back. Nonetheless items are frequent in level with one level existing to supply you and nothing more, almost egregiously, but appreciated. I like the mechanics of holding items, kicking and catching them, even while climbing, a sorta niche but nimble mechanical actually stripped from later games. I used to think the music was blah, but that is because I grew up on the GBA port. The SNES sound font is full of much more depth, making the tracks and sound effects pop. Speaking of the mixing, this game sounds very open in a unique way. Some of the platformers before this game and even much later with the infamous NSMB games, the music feels louder, takes up more of the soundstage, and etc.
Is it perfect? No. The save points are not as convenient as a newer game would have them, but you can invent a sort of quick save if you know how. (Aka, complete a Ghost House quickly) Some secrets get formulaic, typically involving flying somewhere with a cape or using Yoshi. Navigation can be slow if you don’t have all of the Star Road cleared and accessible. Some of the Koopaling fights are copies of each other (but.. that’s a sin for a lot of Mario games, even newer ones!) The overall difficulty outside a few special levels feels a little on the easier side, particularly compared to SMB3. Mario in the SNES version (fixed in GBA, see my coverage on differences) is reduced to small Mario with a single hit. Not something I like when this auto-deploys your reserve item.
Overall, it couldn’t be more aptly named. Unlike SMB3 where technically you travel a lot more, those levels are separated from each other. (Sorta. GBA port shows the proximity of the numbered kingdoms, but that’s hardly referenced) Here the worlds genuinely flow and while offering some diversity, also link common themes to make you feel like you’re on a dinosaur land adventure.
2. Super Mario Bros Deluxe: A GBA color ‘enhanced’ port of SMB. Why am I lauding it? I consider this a precursor to the Mario Advance series remakes. It ports over the NES classic with a few tweaks (such as allowing you to backtrack a little) to account for the screen resolution. Some people have trouble with it, but you can get used to it after a while. This was actually the first time I beat the game via this port. It added a map system for fluff, but also a helpful save system. Now we get to the goodies. They added extra ‘modes’. One is a general treasure hunt of sorts and it’s no laughing matter. Special coins and yoshi eggs are hidden in the vanilla SMB1 levels and you have to find them. Just try without a guide.. There’s also a You vs Boo race where you do what it sounds like and race the incorporeal baddies through a level while trying to survive. There’s stamps and other goodies that.. well you need attachments to enjoy so nevermind. Had to sell those somehow!
Like I said at the outset, it feels a little ahead of its time. Super Mario All-Stars had already reissued older games with new graphics and a few quality of life tweaks, but here we port a game, do it on a portable system in an era where handhelds are the lesser offering literally because of processing power, but also reputation somewhat, and we add bonuses now, in addition to QOL tweaks. It’s just a cool underrated game!
It IS great to be back..
3. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (org. not remake): God's gift to us. Okay that's hyperbole, but not even the backtracking and stage hazards ticks me off that much, so I must be a true fan. Picking up this game at random, as it was a Player Choice 19.99 game in the later 00s, I had no ideal what I was getting into, aside from the Gamestop clerk actually telling me how great it was off the bat. My view of Mario comes from the world this game crafts. Aside from slowish navigation, there's nothing I don't like about this game. See, and I not really an anomaly here, so like Super Mario World I don't have to talk too much. Fun fact: as a kid I was very proud of how I beat the Shadow Queen on my first try, albeit by the skin of my teeth. Replaying as an adult, it's not nearly that bad, but we can't discount a memory like that. It's a 10/10 for me.
4. Super Mario Galaxy :Coming soon!
5. Mario Kart Wii: Coming soon!
6. Mario Kart DS: Coming soon!
7. Super Smash Brothers Melee: Coming soon!
8. Super Smash Brothers Brawl: Coming soon!
And soon regretted it.
If you read any of my works on the Works or Personal Collections tab, it will be apparent that I'm not a huge shipper. There are relationships to be found, but never the focus of my works. Yes, this is meant to be silly, enjoy. Credits to the creator listed on the image for template. This was in 2019 posted to my Deviantart and since I've.. reconsidered. If there isn't a line between someone at all, assume I hate it I just didn't want too much clutter..
Favs: Mario x Bowser. Yes I went there! Personally I never go for outright romance (or at least past me didn't) but rather fluff and/or a hinted love triangle thing. While I rate Luigi x Daisy highly here and have paired them in some of my own stories, it's not a ship I fawn over by any means. It comes off obligatory because of Mario x Peach. If I'm writing the characters I can give them more similarities from being awkward or dorky, but canonically those character traits aren't really there.
Loves: This is a lot of stuff. Mario x Peach is obligatory. Peach x Bowser is a common switcheroo, and it's easy to make either out of character, but if one can write it well it's fire. Yoshi x Birdo, obvious but works. Toad x Toadette obvious but works. Wario could be with maybe Mona I guess, but this list isn't about Ware Ware affairs. Diddy x Dixie, sure, even though I don't know their characters well outside of the early Donkey Kong Country games. *New* Luigi x Toad. I did this in Mario and Bowser: Frenemy Forever Redux on a complete whim and while cracky intentionally, I made it work.
Likes: Mario x Pauline. Mario's Real World history is sometimes overly analyzed. Writers of official and unofficial works often hit similar beats with his Brooklynite life, from 80s programs to the 2023 movie. Still that's unfair to pit against Pauline, and the way her and Mario would connect before our plumber becomes a super star is still interesting overall. Waluigi x Daisy actually crack to me since I think they canonically hate each other, but I can see some writer playing off of that tension. Not my style, but I get it, see? Donkey Kong x Candy is simply because, who else?
Ok: Bowser x Rosalina. It can work I guess, but where's the chemistry? 2019 me thought something was there with 'Return Customer' (Personal Collections), but current me doesn't see it. Mario x Rosalina is mild on my list, I don't see the vibe between the two, outside of trying to be subversive.
Dislike: Any combos of the Marios plus the Warios is a no for me, dawg. I'll mention Mario x Luigi in particular because aside from the obvious issues with that I've never seen it done in a way that keeps them remotely in character, or wasn't a ridiculous angst fare. (Is that a challenge? Maybe.) Boom Boom x Pom Pom are one of those obligatory pairs, plus I'm just not a fan.
Hate: Inb4 Koopaling incest parings. I know what I said about not using the 'hate' lines but this is my pet peeve. Later for my own story, 'Ain't Talkin Bout' love, I admit did add fluffy parts, but that's not to be confused with this.
Crack: Mario x Toad I think I only put this here as response to someone, not sure who but it's certainly crack. Ludwig x Luigi only because I forced them to work together in New Frenemy Adventure. Donkey x King Krool? Uh, I've never seen it? Surprise me. Babies x babies well, they're babies! Don't put me on a watch list.
We're done. Please stop laughing.
