Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

"Pay in Advance"

The Super Mario Bros. series is hailed as what saved video games and defined many of the industry's revolutionary stepping stones. Super Mario Bros. 1 through 3, Super Mario World 1 and 2, and Super Mario 64 remain to this day as some of the best ideas brought to life. Since then, Nintendo hasn't given Mario the same respect. Spin-offs and ports have been his fate as of late. Mario seems to be struggling to create new material (see: Super Mario Sunshine) and is relying too heavily on past successes. I'm okay with embracing the past, however, because these Super Mario Advance games, while a major rip-off, are still darn fun.

Graphics:
Super Mario Bros. 3 looks like it did on Super Mario All-Stars for the SNES. While the art certainly isn't pushing the GBA's capabilities, it still looks good and remains clean and crisp. A few touchups have been made to make the GBA version look "improved," but it's obviously the same game.

Sound:
The sound department is where the most change has been made to the game. Most of the music and sound effects have been brought over without tamper. These classic tunes are still catchy, simple, and trigger fond memories of my childhood. However, like in the other Mario Advance games, Mario now talks. His phrases are limited to "Let's a go! Mama mia! Just what I needed!" and "Gotcha!" What little he says is quickly irritating, however, and skews what I remember about this game.

Gameplay:
I really don't see why I need to go into elaborate detail with this one. The Advance version is no different than the NES version. You've played that one in some format, I'm sure. If you haven't, you're doing a disservice to yourself and have no right to be called a gamer. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a true classic, one of the most ingenious 2D platformers ever created. The design is just so simple, challenging, and full of secrets. It's one of those games where you can sit mesmerized watching somebody else play and think, "He missed a music note." Of course, that's a little harder to do on the GBA, which may be the Advance version's only drawback.

Controls:
In the beginning, it feels very strange to be playing an NES (and later SNES) game on a Game Boy Advance. After the first world, however, the controls begin to feel very natural again. The only difference between this and the original is the adjustments made to Luigi. Luigi now moves like he does in Super Mario Bros. 2: very high and "floaty." It feels out of place, though, and makes Luigi become obsolete.

Frustration:
Super Mario Bros. 3 has one of the finest challenge curves I've seen in a video game. The first two worlds start out simple and homely, but each world becomes harder and harder until Bowser's world starts taking away all your saved up lives by the handful. It's a fair challenge, though, and I could never fault the game. There is just as much to help you succeed as there is to slow you down. This balance seems unique to Super Mario Bros. 3, because no other game comes to mind.

Lasting Appeal:
The beauty of Super Mario Bros. 3 is that you can play it multiple times, and it never loses what makes every turn through special. It's always fun to try and beat your last 1-Up high score, or alternate playing with a friend. If you have an eReader, you can also swipe cards to access extra bonus levels, but the eReader is practically moot by now and not worth picking up.

But that's not all. Once again, Nintendo has included the original Mario Bros. game for single and link play (only one cartridge needed). When I played this mode, I was expecting to see the classic battle mode from Super Mario All-Stars return. What I got was something that felt clunky and "off," like they had tried to spice it up too much and ultimately brought it to its demise. Everything is handled differently, and the new additions -- like a garbage can and the ability to pick up your opponent -- ruin the simplistic magic. It just isn't very much fun or competitive.

Overall:
Super Mario Bros. 3 is just as magical today as it was two decades ago and continues to stand as one of the best and most enjoyable video games ever created. Playing Super Mario Bros. 3 is right up there with visiting a foreign country and writing the next great American novel as things one must do before dying. Seriously, it's awesome. But despite Super Mario Bros. 3 being a perfect game from beginning to end, this GBA port is nothing more than a chance for Nintendo to rob its faithful fans. The GBA is supposed to be more powerful than a Super Nintendo, yet there is no Super Mario All-Stars Advance. Instead, you'll have to fork over $80 for three individual games, and that's just wrong.

Points:
+ Ingenious design
+ Many fun secrets
+ Amusingly challenging
+ Never gets old
-- Unnecessary GBA tweaks
-- Where is All-Stars Advance?

Score: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/05, Updated 03/23/05