Mario's Time Machine

"I would have liked history more had I played this game as a child."

Storyline: 10/10

Bowser steals artifacts with his time machine in an attempt to be mean as usual. I'm not really sure why it's called "Mario's" Time Machine. Anyhow, you have to surf back in time and return the artifacts to their rightful owners to make everything right again. Hmm, I wonder if Bowser had to surf the rough waters of time to get the items in the first place.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay is pretty simple. You surf through time by collecting the necessary mushrooms and going into a whirlpool. It's probably one of the best parts of the game. When you get to your destination you have to talk to everyone to get information from them. You can try and remember what they said, or write it down. You'll have to use the info to fill out a quiz to unlock the item. I'm past high school, so I only had to remember the little I didn't know. The game teaches you everything you learn in history up to at least grade 6, so it would be helpful to younger kids. There's also a lot of comedy in the game to keep people more interested than in a college drop-out who watched a bit too much Robin Williams and slipped into the education system.

Graphics: 8/10

It has many of the same style graphics of Super Mario World, but that's only the case for the museum. The places in the past have some pretty damn fine graphics for the SNES.

Replay Value: 9/10

I would suggest replaying until you have memorized all the information the game contains. That's only if you're trying to learn something. You can still play it for the novelty and comedy value, as this game is high in both.

Soundtrack: 10/10

There is truly great music in this game; uplifting and nostalgic. It almost makes you forget that you're learning something.

Overall: 10/10

When I have children, I can only hope I still have my SNES and this game. It's fantastic for learning, and not as boring as lame-ass history books. I wish I had it when I was a kid.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/17/04