2D Platformers

Super Mario Bros. 2 | March 14, 2019 | 2:06hrs | rating: 3.5/5

Another game that’s really hard to judge, since I’ve played it countless times as a child, and also the GBA port.

GAMEPLAY: Much better and more variation than SMB1 and more “logical” secrets.
AUDIOVISUALLY: It’s simple but clean. One of the better looking NES games for me. Music is killer.
STORY/PRESENTATION: The plot is barely there, but the world itself tells a story thanks to being more coherent and continuous.

I hadn’t played it in many years, but I enjoyed it a lot once again. It’s a great adventure!

Super Luigi U | Mar 5, 2019 | 12hrs | rating: 4/5

Very similar to NSMBU, but shorter and harder levels.

GAMEPLAY: It took a while to get used to Luigi’s higher and floatier jump, but it opens up for even more acrobatic moves, so it’s fine. The level design is much more focused, which is more fun in some ways (quicker levels, smaller area to search for star coins), but worse if you’re co-op:ing, because there’s often just no space for more than one player.
AUDIOVISUALLY: Exactly the same plain visuals as NSMBU.
STORY/PRESENTATION: Exactly the same as NSMBU.
MULTIPLAYER: Since the level design requires more perfection, it’s harder or near impossible with two people, but you can bubble yourself and let just one person run through the tightest spots. It’s still a lot of fun!

I’ll just never get tired of playing through level after level. Hopefully Mario Maker 2 has co-op and is just as stimulating.

New Super Mario Bros. U | Feb 5, 2019 | 25hrs | rating: 4.5/5

An absolute blast if you have someone to play with, which is really the whole point of the game.

– GAMEPLAY: The collision detection is a little stricter which occasionally surprised me when I died from jumping “on” an enemy, but other than that, it’s near perfection. Each level has its own little gimmick, and it makes it fresh and varied. The main thing that separates Mario from other platformers is the abundance of well-designed secrets, so it’s always satisfying to go out of your way just to see if anything is there.
– AUDIOVISUALLY: Looks plain and the music is nothing special. Worst aspect of the game for sure.
– STORY/PRESENTATION: The standard Mario plot. I like that the world map is back though, as it helps the game feel like a journey, and it’s satisfying to see where the road takes you.
– MULTIPLAYER: Compared to most other co-op platformers, this one has “friendly fire” on, so you have to communicate and collaborate, and it elevates the game so much and makes it one of my favorite co-op games!

SMB3 and SMW were more creative and impressive considering release dates, but for me, the co-op of NSMB just takes it to a new level.

Super Mario Bros. | Jan 17, 2019 | 0:15hrs | rating:3/5

Someone at Resetera brought up the hammer bros difficulty towards the end of the game, which made me want to go and check it out. Warp pipe to world 4, warp pipe to world 8, and there I was.
I still don’t think they’re THAT hard. It’s easy to get past the first shower of hammers and wait right next to the enemy, and when he jumps, you run under them! Or, just run and jump right away.
I finished the game since I was almost there anyway, and got a quick addition to my 52 games in 2019!

Naturally it’s hard to rate/judge a game that’s been around me my whole life. The controls are clumsier than later Mario games, but functional when you know how they work. I still enjoy running through it every second year or so, because it’s so immediate and fast-paced.
Let’s see how replaying NSMBU fares in comparison.