"A true sequel to Super Mario Bros."

Let me begin by saying that Super Mario Bros 2 (the US version) was in no way, shape or form a sequel to the 1985 smash hit Super Mario Bros. It changed almost everything, and definitely did the legendary plumber no justice. But Nintendo has managed to cover up the mistake that was SMB2 with another game, SMB3, which is even better than its predecessor, SMB1. Anyway, let's get this review started out right!

Graphics: 10/10
I always say that pretty colors and nice graphics are the least important part in reviewing a game, but SMB3's graphics are beautiful. They are some of the best on the NES, with incredibly well-detailed characters and stellar backgrounds that can almost, but not quite, match that of Super Mario World for the SNES. Overall, the graphics are nice and the best part is that the game never slows down one bit (hehe).

Music and sound: 9.5/10
Not much to say about the sound effects area, although they improve very nicely on SMB1. The music is what I really want to talk about. The sound tracks in SMB3 are all very well made and fit perfectly for the theme of the world / level you are playing. The tunes are very catchy and I like them all, especially the map screen music for World 7, which is one of my favorite songs of all time. The reason I didn't give this area a perfect score was because many in-game sounds can cause the music to skip notes, making them not sound as nice. But overall, the music is very catchy and never gets repetitive.

Game play: 10/10
The concept of SMB3 is that of your typical platformer. You run through levels, collecting power ups and finding hidden secrets (which there are many of). However, SMB3 isn't like most platformers that tend to get a tad repetitive after a while of playing. I never seemed to get bored of SMB3. Maybe it was because of the creative world and level designs, or maybe it was because of the many hidden secrets there are to be discovered. Well, anyway, I'll stop ranting. There are 8 worlds that Mario must travel to stop Bowser's evil plan. Each world has its own distinctive theme to it, such as ocean world or ice world. Within these worlds, Mario must progress through increasingly challenging levels to eventually reach the castle at the end, infiltrate Bowser's air ship, and retrieve the magic wand from Bowser's minions. Once Mario has done that, the king will be restored to normal and Mario will travel to the next world. The game takes a nice little plot twist at the end of World 7, which I will discuss later. The different levels that Mario travels through are chock full of hidden secrets, such as extra lives or rare power ups, like the tanooki suit and hammer suit. SMB3 is a simple yet incredibly fun game that never seems to get old.

Story / plot: 9/10
Bowser's minions have been causing trouble in the kingdoms neighboring the Mushroom kingdom. They have stolen the magic wand of the kings of all these lands and transformed them into various creatures. Princess Peach of the Mushroom kingdom has sent Mario and Luigi on a mission to recover each of these stolen magic wands from Bowser's minions and return each of the kingdom's leaders to normal. The plot takes a twist at the end of World 7, when Mario and Luigi find out that Bowser has kidnapped Peach while they were away. They must then travel to Bowser's world to rescue the princess. Although not as deep as Final Fantasy, the story makes for a nice addition. My first time playing this game, I was quite surprised at the plot twist near the end of the game.

Overall: 10/10
SMB3 is a blast to play, has tons of hidden secrets, lots of cool power ups, and plenty of fun worlds to play. Do I recommend this game? Yes! It is a great game, one of the best ever made, and is worth trying even if you're not a fan of platformers. It is also now available for the Wii virtual console, for the low price of just 500 wii points. Pick this game up today, you won't be disappointed!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10 | Originally Posted: 06/11/09

Game Release: Super Mario Bros. 3 (US, 02/12/90)

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