Game Debate #126: Super Mario Bros. 2

[Lynda Monica | 350]

12 hours ago, RH said:

Here's a fair question--had your parents picked up this game up for you when you were a kid and it was NOT branded as a Mario game, and it was just a "hidden gem" of the 80s, would you all still give it the high praise you do now?

Legit question.  Think about it, because I'd say people think about this game way more than they would if it was a title that few people knew about.  You might recall it fondly if it was in your childhood library, but I'd doubt it'd get much recognition otherwise.

And I'm not trying to knock the game, I'm just curious how you guys think you might see this game differently if history had been slightly different.

What if Mario 1, 3, World, 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2 weren't Mario games, but some hidden gem? I don't see how the question actually relates specifically to Mario 2, since the same could be said about any of them.

There are two games called Super Mario Bros. 2, both of which have long been accepted as part of the series. Some people are quite literally just stupid about it.

Edited November 5, 2022 by Lynda Monica

[RH | 4,895]

7 hours ago, Lynda Monica said:

What if Mario 1, 3, World, 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2 weren't Mario games, but some hidden gem? I don't see how the question actually relates specifically to Mario 2, since the same could be said about any of them.

There are two games called Super Mario Bros. 2, both of which have long been accepted as part of the series. Some people are quite literally just stupid about it.

Because we all know that’s what initially happened in Japan and had Nintendo got the itch to straight translate it to English without adding Mario, that would have happened in the US and maybe Europe.

My question is based off of a historical context that wasn’t far from being a reality. SMB 1 and 3 (and all of the others you mentioned) never started out as completely different games that were released in Japan.  
My question is simply how do you guys think you’d perceive this game today if we all had a more Japanese-like experience with it, and that’s pretty valid.

I’d also say that modern opinions of Japanese gamers our age might be a bit tainted since it was re-released as Super Mario USA and probably has been branded as such ever since, but I honestly don’t know.  I don’t really know anything about the Japanese vintage gaming scene.

[docile tapeworm | 4,194]

8 hours ago, Lynda Monica said:

 

There are two games called Super Mario Bros. 2, both of which have long been accepted as part of the series. Some people are quite literally just stupid about it.

The doki reskin isn’t a part of the “super Mario bros.” series of nes games in Japan though. They titled is “super Mario USA” leaving out the “bros.”.

[docile tapeworm | 4,194]

this is from a Japanese game magazine reviewing doki and then super Mario USA.
 

 

https://legendsoflocalization.com/what-did-famitsu-think-of-american-super-mario-bros-2/

Edited November 5, 2022 by docile tapeworm

[G-type | 2,476]

I tried to beat this one this past year. Made it all the way to Wart but was only able to defeat him with save states.

This is a cool game. It expanded the Mario mythos in some interesting ways. I love the multiple playable characters.

[Foochie776 | 1,051]

Good game, I didn’t beat this until I was an adult but I always liked it as a kid. The ending was silly and I’d have taken virtually anything else but it’s quirky and charming. The Wart battle (to me) was a lot tougher than the rest of the game

[Foochie776 | 1,051]

Oh and the stupid flame boss, screw that guy! 

[rdrunner | 422]

9/10 - Fresh take: This is currently my 7-year-old son's favorite game.  He was at the store last month and flipped through some book about Mario and immediately asked me if I had Super Mario Bros 2 and if he could try it for his next video game session.  He only plays video games once a week for about 30 min, but he can already get to Mouser at the end of World 1.

Clearly there's something good here...

[AstralSoul | 502]

Weirdly I have more memories with this Mario than 1 or 3 and it's still one of my favorite 2D Mario's. Probably only second to Mario World. 10/10, still holds up really well today. I wonder if I'm the only one who's wanted a sequel one day.

 

[Kguillemette | 1,543]

On 11/3/2022 at 3:23 AM, OptOut said:

9/10 not as good as Mario 1 or Mario 3, but it's up there for sure!

I actually think it would be awesome if Nintendo had made a legit sequel to this game, using the gameplay and characters from Mario 2. I figured that would be the logical next step after the Mario Advance remake on GBA, they could make a Mario Advance 2 in the same style but a totally new game, but instead they just rehashed a bunch of other Mario games instead.

Bit of a missed opportunity there, if you ask me, I think there's plenty more they could do with this game design if they built on the ideas in Mario 2, but I guess we'll never see anything like that, shame.

I would say that Super Mario 3d World is a huge build up on the ideas of Super Mario 2. I highly recommend it if you have never played it.

 

As for me, while I know Mario 2 isn't the objectively best Mario game out there, it is among my favorite games of all time.

[G-type | 2,476]

I wonder what happened to Mark and his sweet airbrushed Mario 2 shirt?

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 hour ago, G-type said:

I wonder what happened to Mark and his sweet airbrushed Mario 2 shirt?

Apparently he's still a plumber in Connecticut.

 

[mbd39 | 2,017]

4 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

Apparently he's still a plumber in Connecticut.

 

Those Double Dragon and Adventure Island scores aren't too hot tbh.

 

 

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 minute ago, mbd39 said:

Those Double Dragon and Adventure Island scores aren't too hot tbh.

 

 

I guess they were in 1988. At least enough that the guy felt the need to write into the Nintendo Power to let them know.

[OptOut | 8,881]

9 hours ago, Kguillemette said:

I would say that Super Mario 3d World is a huge build up on the ideas of Super Mario 2. I highly recommend it if you have never played it.

 

As for me, while I know Mario 2 isn't the objectively best Mario game out there, it is among my favorite games of all time.

Yeah, I've played that, but I don't really see much resemblance to Mario 2 in the gameplay if I'm honest. I would prefer a straight up 2D platformer in the same style as Mario 2, featuring similar enemies and level design principles. That's what Mario Advance 2 should have been, IMO, but they missed the boat.

[phart010 | 1,705]

On 11/3/2022 at 4:21 AM, Lynda Monica said:

However Nintendo seriously does not capitalize anywhere near enough on how cool Snifits are. Despite how huge the Mario series is, they only appear in a handful of games. Even when they do show up, they're still incredibly rare enemies. I think there are only two or three stages where you see Snifits in the entirety of Yoshi's Island.

Anyone noticing a pattern?

Edited November 9, 2022 by phart010

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

10.

My favorite Mario game on the NES. The leap in graphics and gameplay mechanics between 1 and 2 alone warrants this.

There’s different characters, branching paths, secrets a-plenty… what more do you want.

[NostalgicMachine | 227]

This is a solid 9/10 game for me, to this day. I loved the pick up and throw element, despite it being super challenging at some parts. Great music and I absolutely prefer the NES version always over the SNES/later incarnations.

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

On 11/4/2022 at 12:38 PM, RH said:

Here's a fair question--had your parents picked up this game up for you when you were a kid and it was NOT branded as a Mario game, and it was just a "hidden gem" of the 80s, would you all still give it the high praise you do now?

 

Well first my parents probably would not have picked it up on a whim if it wasn’t Mario, and I would’ve probably skipped past it as a rental if the cover was dumb enough. Like Shatterhand or something.

Given that Wacky Races is one of my favorite platformers on the NES and I only first played it in 2017 or something, it’s safe to say that I would enjoy SMB2USA tremendously even without the « Mario effect » if I discovered it today. It’s an excellent game in its own right, definitely in the upper tier of platformers in the library.

I will go further and claim that if it had sold poorly or released at around the same time as the expensive Taito games, it would be second only to Little Samson as a rare and desirable title in this era.

Edited November 16, 2022 by WhyNotZoidberg

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,011]

6 hours ago, WhyNotZoidberg said:

It’s an excellent game in its own right, definitely in the upper tier of platformers in the library

100% agree. It's genuinely hard to find a better platformer than this on the console or in the era in general. The visuals, details, quirks, music, level design and world themes are top tier.

Overall, this that shit - put it in a pamper. 

9/10

[cartman | 195]

Love it. The digging, airfloating princess, digging up roots, throwing stuff, coins, doors, minigames... everything.

Edited November 17, 2022 by cartman

[the_wizard_666 | 1,325]

The only Mario NES game I'd rate above a 5.  Gave it an 8.  Fantastic game!

[cartman | 195]

On 11/3/2022 at 4:06 PM, RH said:

Oh, and I want to say, when it comes to imagery and versions of Mario, I will give this game that this cover of Mario is my absolute favorite.  More specifically, I do like the versions of this image on a black background and Mario is holding a small mushroom.  I'm not sure where the jumping Mario holding a Power-up motif originated, but if there was any classic branding item I'd want from any game, this is the one that I want hanging on my wall!

Well you do have that very image with the rootfruit as an advertising display sign so there's that. 

Altough i don't know what you mean by "originated". How was it supposed to originate? It's just an artwork that was invented like any other.

[RH | 4,895]

7 minutes ago, cartman said:

Well you do have that very image with the rootfruit as an advertising display sign so there's that. 

Altough i don't know what you mean by "originated". How was it supposed to originate? It's just an artwork that was invented like any other.

No, it's the image--Mario, holding a power-up and jumping.  Mario also didn't have his style perfectly nailed down and that one and the one with the Mushroom were much more similar to one another.  I just don't know which version came first.

[cartman | 195]

2 minutes ago, RH said:

No, it's the image--Mario, holding a power-up and jumping.  Mario also didn't have his style perfectly nailed down and that one and the one with the Mushroom were much more similar to one another.  I just don't know which version came first.

So you want items with Mario jumping holding the mushroom aswell and you're wondering why that one wasn't used more?