Two-player alternating modes feel like they don't really get any kind of slack in the gaming sphere, especially in comparison to simultaneous co-op, but I do think there's an underrated aspect to it.

It's all about that brief break period where the other player's turn comes up, and you get a free bit of time to grab a swig of your can of root beer, or perhaps your Diet Pepsi Cucumber, or your Hard Alcoholic Mountain Dew Baja Blast Zero, or Watermelon Warheads flavored Ghost Energy. This brief bit of time where one person is freed up from the game and can better shoot the proverbial shit amongst each other and bitch about how fucked up the world is, complain about shitty people at school, or comment about how chubby Mario looks when he's swimming through the water as if he's using a secret technique to puff himself up with gas to produce buoyancy. Two players in Super Mario Bros 3 I think just might be the apex of that particular dynamic when it comes to the hangout shitshooter game. Are we friendly siblings-in-arms who put thought into who gets access to the mushroom houses and spade panel roulettes? Are we bitter rivals chained together with gritted teeth to take down a common foe? Are we simply forces of chaos here to just wreck shit and constantly engage in bloody warfare in Arcade Mario Bros. to steal cards from each other? That's for us to decide, because this is our game and our rules despite how much the cartridge wants to pretend like it's the one in charge around here. We are the movers of the story, the ones with the most power.

We gather around the telly, and make our way past the plains where we lament that past the first airship...if we took one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home we'd ever been. We trek across deserts, glide through the ocean shores towards a land of giants, ascend the tower of the gods in a big ol' shoe to a castle in the sky that is just out of reach, drop down into the chilly waters below and rescue ourselves from hypothermia, then after pulling ourselves out of the cold, we finally take an unexpected refuge with the stoner piranhas before we take the fight to the asshole himself. You sometimes may ask yourself if you can truly do it all alone, especially against an entire army all by your lonesome, but what is a yin without it's yang, or a ketchup without it's mustard? A partner maybe is all you'll need to make this odyssey a more memorable trip, whether it be your friend, family, or even that one special someone who's most important to you. Who needs warp whistles? We can whistle just fine without one.

I'm going to now segue into a personal funny headcanon that hasn't left my head since I was three years old playing this with my dad, because we love personal headcanons around here, we can't get enough of them and our childhood observations.

Boomerang Bros do not actually exist in SMB3, this is all a ploy by Big Koopa. They don't want you to know shit about the Sock Bros and their attempt at chemical warfare, because they only appear once in the series and it's only in this game. They're not Boomerang Bros, they are Sock Bros and they throw their giant dirty-ass socks at you. Where did they get these big socks from? Surely they don't actually wear them, so they must've stolen them from someone's colossal laundry bin. Was it from their cousins the Sledge Bros? Did they take them from Bowser himself? Only Bowser would be so diabolical as to make his henchmen throw his own dirty stank socks at his Italian enemies. A most despicable and disgraceful act, to produce a smelly smell that would kill a man once the soggy body odor-encrusted cotton tube is slapped onto the unfortunate victim's face and the rancid stench lingers into their nostrils, a fate worse than death for those of a bigger nose. A most fucked up way to go out, an egregious war crime of preposterous magnitudes.

Get a real job Bowser, you loser scumbag politician.

Super Smash Bros. Series Challenge Entry #4

Maybe a slightly controversial score but see this more as a 7.5 than a flat 7

The first SUPER MARIO BROTHERS game, perhaps not in title but definitely in spirit. While the original layed the groundwork and the twos were...interesting...departures. Bros 3 whips the pre existing (and new) elements into shape to make a real ass 2D platdformer.

The devs beging tinkering with goofy powerups that'll shape the series' item usage permanently with a fun animalistic tint, and the overworld and level design will be what 2D mario clings to for...decades? Only time will tell just HOW influential this is to the other games (at least to me), but as of now this feels like that moment where everything clicked for the devs. Hope to see them take that a step further!

Still a really good and fun 2D platformer, even if every other level in the last few worlds is either a five hour long autoscroller designed by Satan himself, or the superflat world setting from Minecraft that you can fly through in ten seconds.
Makes SMB1 look like a trilobite fossil in comparison. Almost insane that the two are on the same console, with only three years between them. That's like if the Beatles released Revolver three years after their debut, haha could you imagine.

Wish I could play this without constantly hearing a certain video about a man driving and speeding in my head though.

The TRUE sequel to Super Mario Bros. I think this game has the best set of powerups out of any Mario Game. The overworld map was introduced here, which leads to a totally different experience. There are pros and cons - you lose out on a bit of the arcade feeling and the game feels much safer now that it's not a one-way sprint to the end. But you gain a new sense of adventure and the ability to explore. In that regard Super Mario Bros 3 feels more like it supplements or adds a new twist to the experience of the original game rather than outright replacing it.

But there are ways that the game builds upon it's predecessor. The powerups in this game are quite possibly the best lineup in the series. Some of the levels are really unique and inventive, and they are all consistently well designed. Minigames, which would become a series staple, were introduced. There's a lot of positives in this game. Frankly, even today, it stands as one of the best entries in the series.

An overworld map, a whole slew of extra powerups to squirrel away, a ton of fun minigames to get them, and a variety of creative worlds to explore from the classic ice stages to more inventive ideas like Giant Land or Pipe Land. I'm impressed with just how many different ways this game managed to blow me away with its level design and enemy selection and while one bad maze stage towards the end soured my experience a little, I still adored my time with this. It genuinely makes me jelly of kids that grew up with this game.

I was in the mood to play some more Mario after hugely enjoying New Super Mario Bros, so I grabbed this and managed to play through it for a good few worlds before calling it quits. It's funny coming into this after having played a bunch of Mario titles made in its wake and style (New, Land 2, World, etc.), because all the things that made it cool and exciting in 1988 are things I'm so used to that I can't quite feel that shock players must've felt going from 1 and (Japanese) 2 to this. A world map, the ability to replay previous stages, areas to unlock power-ups to help you out, alternate routes, and the sheer size of the thing - these are all feathers in 3's cap, but it's hard to spot them when there's many other caps sporting those same feathers.

What is rather unique to this game is how concise its levels feel, only taking a minute or two to play through. That lends such a snappy pace to the gameplay, and makes the degree of challenge pretty reasonable since you only have to learn and master so much in a level before you'll eventually figure it out and move one. Admittedly, I started finding things a bit too hard in World 3, to the point of resorting to save states on the regular just to survive. I've always had some issue playing speedy precision platformers where you don't get much chance to screw up, so this is more a reflection on myself than the game.

Chatting with friends made me aware that things were only going to get more difficult, especially with World 8 which is almost entirely autoscrolling stages (ugh), so I endeavoured to go as far as I could before chucking it in. I got to the end of World 5, where 5-9 stumped me with its autoscrolling, tough jumps and stupid fire ball chasing you, and thought I'm happy to leave it there.

It's a cool game (though I'm genuinely baffled it doesn't have a password system given how huge it is), but one that's a bit too tricky for my speed. I can sorta see how it could be such a good game if you can get on its level, or had the time and opportunity to master it over the years to the point where it feels like a breeze to blast through. So at least there's that. : )

*Played Mario 3 on the Nintendo Switch.

For the longest time, I have never beaten Super Mario Bros 3 despite playing just as much (if less) as Mario 1. After years of hearing how good Mario 3 is, I have beaten for the first time. I can comfortably say this is the true sequel to Mario 1 and is a good evolution of the formula with the overworld, items, and stages.

As legends go, everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom thought Bowser was defeated and their land was at peace. However, Bowser returns with a whole new fleet of airships, and enemies, and each of these airships is commanded by the seven Kooplings (Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, Iggy, Wendy, Morton, and Larry) which were quoted to be “the greatest danger ever known”. Each of the Kooplings conquers the seven kingdoms that make Mario 3’s levels (Grass Land, Desert Land, Water Land, Giant Land, Sky Land, Ice Land, and Pipe Land) by stealing magic wands and transforming each area’s kings into animals or plants. Princess Toadstool sends Mario (and Luigi) to travel to each land, retrieve the magic wands by defeating each Koopling, and restore the kings.

Gameplay in Mario 3 is a proper evolution of Mario 1 with elements from American Mario 2 still being kept. Keeping his run, jump, stump, crouch, climb, and grabbing and throwing items, Mario can now simply slide down slopes which can kill incoming enemies quicker, and has a a meter that can increase his run ability if the player can maintain it fully.

The Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Super Star return as staple powerups, though Mario 3 provides four new powerups that became just as iconic as those two. The first are the Super Leaf and the Tanooki Suit which allows Mario to temporarily fly for a brief period depending on the player charging the run meter to full and can help slow down Mario’s fall. While the Super Leaf does only that, the Tanooki Suit has the additional quirk of becoming a statue and slamming it down to the ground (a precursor to the ground pound ability). The Frog Suit helps Mario traverse underwater sections more quickly and boost jump height on land while the Hammer Suit gives Mario the ability to throw hammers like the Hammer Bros and can resist fire attacks while crouching. Overall, all of these abilities make Mario 3 feel richer in quality and quantity than Mario 1.

Players first encounter the overworld where they must guide Mario through routes to enter a stage. These stages are shown as numbers, though obstacles like the fortresses, enemies, and pipes are also considered stages. Also in the overworld are specific houses where Toads are stationed where they can either give players an item or give 1-UPs. The players also have the option to give Mario any specific power-up through a limited reserve space. Depending on some items acquired, players can skip specific stages by going pipes or breaking boulders blocking the route. Either way, the players must complete each world without gaining a game over otherwise they would need to replay the entire world and its stages from the beginning. However, any fortress stage, locked doors, random enemy tiles, and Toad Houses are still marked as completed.

As for the stages themselves, I was surprised by how short most of them were. While many of them were pretty straightforward, some stages do have special gimmicks in relation to where the stage is at in the overworld which spices up some of the challenges (such as the Sun chasing you, ice physics, and stages styling after the original Mario Bros. game through the other screen gimmick).

The fortress stages got a new renovation as they aren’t the last stages of the world, but are relegated to the middle stage of the overworld. Instead of fighting a fake Bowser, you are fighting Boom Booms which are easily pathetic bosses. For about half of them, they are decently challenging though some of them almost fall to crypticness that I lambasted Lost Levels for.

The end of the world stage honor goes to the airships, probably the most iconic part of Mario 3 levels. These stages introduced the dreaded auto-scroll levels and players must guide Mario throughout the stage while trying to keep up with the auto-scroll screens lest they get killed by a wall or pushed away to a pit. They usually end with Mario entering a pipe and fighting a Koopling which are also easy and don’t live up to the whole “greatest danger ever known”.

As for how much I enjoyed these stages, they were pretty fun to go and with how short they were, the gimmicks within each didn’t overstay its welcome. However, a few stages in the second half forced me to use a guide since I couldn’t figure out how the hell I could complete the stages, a few of the stages rely on auto-scroll which isn’t my cup of tea, and the airships keeps giving me dread even if for the most part I did complete many of them for the first time without dying.

As for the Dark Land, it wasn’t as bad as I thought as I managed each stage pretty well (except for the fortress stage). The final Bowser Castle level also wasn’t too bad since I was hard-carried by the Super Leaf the whole way. However, I’m not that huge on the Bowser fight since it relies a lot on patience and sometimes Bowser can land on a block by one pixel which drags the fight at times.

To end things positively are the visuals and music, While I still stand by that Mega Man 6 is visually the most beautiful NES game, Mario 3 is a pretty good runner-up with the bright colors and imagery making it age pretty well. Music is solid with me vibing a lot with Grass Land (Map 1), Water Land (Map 3), Giant Land (Map 4), Ice Land (Map 6), Pipe Land (Map 7 - which for some reason was the god damn Stock theme in Fortune Street), Dark Land (Map 8), Overworld 2, Underground, Castle (really Fortress) Theme, Hammer Bros. Battle, Airship Theme, Boom Boom/Koopling Battle, and the Bowser Battle (the GOAT). Pretty catchy themes despite the limitations of the NES’s soundboard. Once again, composer Konji Knodo cooked with this one.

In conclusion, Mario 3 is a pretty solid NES game and I can’t believe it took me this long to beat it. While some stages did annoy me enough to drop half a star, Mario 3 is such a timeless game with the visuals, music, stages, and the vibe I felt when playing it. I can see why many lauded it as debatably the best NES game and I will definitely replay it for many more years like I did with Mario 1. A giant-sized 4/5.

This being the first game I’ve ever played in my life, it’s wild how much I’ve forgotten how clever and fun some of the level concepts are, especially compared to SMB1 and 2. Mario 3 is one of the best platformers of all time, and still feels incredible to play nowadays. I love the world concepts so much, the world with the beanstalk going into a cloud world is so clever. And the general “medieval” royal feel with the wands and different kings, along with castles that look straight out of Zelda, you really see how Mario as a brand was trying to find its footing in regards to its worldbuilding, and it’s so very endearing. Not to mention the whole stage play concept.

So many power up staples are played so well here, and this is a game that is still so beginner friendly for being from 1988. Please play this if you have a chance.

This is a real Mario sequel. This ain't some rom hack of the original that Nintendo felt too ashamed to release overseas. And it ain't a reskin of a game many would not give a second glance to otherwise. This game was meant to be a true, well-made successor to the game that helped make the NES a success.

This can be best seen before you even press a button. The graphics have taken a massive overhaul compared to its predecessor. They are filled with far more colours that change as you progress, meaning you won't get sick of seeing the same palettes over the course of the whole game. The sprites for all the characters and enemies have also seen an improvement. While the original game made them more simplistic, they are given a sense of depth and movement that adds to the experience.

Something else that got a big glow-up was the game world. Rather than having everything feel like it takes place in one location, we are now on an international adventure across eight unique lands. It not only brings so much more life to the setting, but it also enhances the story by giving the player something to fight for other than the typical "Save Peach" shindig.

My main issue with The Lost Levels is that it did very little to actually try anything different for the Mario formula. Not here. The core platforming remains the same. But there are so many cool ideas that I saw throughout my playthrough. The Racoon Suit allows for a whole new way to play the game. It can be used to bypass obstacles and create shortcuts. The level design also gets very interesting. There are levels that turn the game into a puzzle game, mazes that require you to think outside the box, and new ideas for levels, like the one in World 7 where you have to use several stars to run across a field of munchers, that proves that the developers really tried with this one.

One last thought is how accessible the game is. Upon a game over, rather than just kicking you back to the start like many other NES games, it instead takes you back to the start of the world. While this does mean all levels you beat are reset, it also means pathways made available after beating fortresses are still down, allowing you to quickly get back to where you started. And in the case of World 8, all airships and boat levels also remain defeated. They also give access to a shitload of power-ups that you can pull out at any time on the overworld so that you can be helped whenever you get in a pinch.


Mario 3 easily makes my Top 5 favourite NES games as well as one of my Top 5 favourite Mario games. While the brand was already popular when it came out, this helped define what it was for years and set the groundwork for future titles even decades later.