dreamgazer
HRG Experienced
Nostalgia Addict
Posts: 27
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Post by dreamgazer on Jul 27, 2020 11:14:09 GMT -5
My lord this game is strange. Out of all the Mario games this one sticks out like a sore thumb. Fire balls bounce off the floor and travel into the stratosphere, the jump controls are floaty, Mario is in an Egypt theme for some reason, I can go on and on. Anyone have any memories of this game? I think this may one of, if not the, only classic Mario game that doesn't hold up to today's standards.
Edit: Grabbed the wrong image for the game art, thanks for pointing that out, Sarge!
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dreamgazer
HRG Experienced
Nostalgia Addict
Posts: 27
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Post by dreamgazer on Jul 27, 2020 11:30:11 GMT -5
One thing I will add is that this game is desperately in need of a remake. Mario remakes really haven't a thing Nintendo has had much interest in doing in the last decade, but this game in particular could really benefit from being ported to upgraded hardware. Every other Mario game from its era has had some sort of face-lift; this game could use one as well.
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Post by Sarge on Jul 27, 2020 11:59:41 GMT -5
The one you're describing is this first one, but Super Mario Land 2 is also quite weird (and fantastic).  As for memories, this is actually one of the more interesting ones. The first time I got to play a Game Boy was in an orthodontist's office, of all places. They were evaluating me for braces, and they let kids play a Game Boy in the back to pass the time. I remember getting to that Egyptian stage. Definitely weird stuff. I wanted to play a lot longer! (Thankfully, we didn't use this orthodontist, though, who wanted to do surgery to remove tissue from the roof of my mouth to pad out my gums as they were "too weak" for braces. Got a second opinion, and yeah, didn't have to go through that jazz.) Anyway, another think with both Game Boy games is that the physics, particularly jumping, are very, very strange. It definitely takes some adjustment, and in general, you can't just lay on the run button like you can in SMB3 or its ilk. While it's not a remake, have you seen the DX color hack? It's quite excellent. www.romhacking.net/hacks/4477/  |
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Post by Ex on Jul 27, 2020 12:49:38 GMT -5
My first experience with SML1 was the year it released. When I was ten years old in back '89, I was involved in a really bad car accident that put me in the hospital for six weeks. During that time my parents felt bad enough that they bought me a Game Boy shortly after it debuted. SML1 was one of the launch titles, so I also got that. I ended up beating the game fairly quickly. I recall thinking it was strange compared to earlier Mario games I'd played previously, especially the shmup portions. But it was still a fully functional portable Mario, and in 1989 that was amazing in and of itself.
Afterwards, I didn't play SML1 again for another thirty years. But in 2019, last year, I replayed and re-beat the game. I did so primarily to experience the (very well executed) color hack that Sarge mentioned earlier. You can download that SML1 color DX hack here: www.romhacking.net/hacks/4477/There is also a great color DX hack for SML2: www.romhacking.net/hacks/3784/My thoughts on SML1 DX from last year were brief:+Lots of unusual stuff never seen in any other Mario entry. +Shmup portions are fun (if out of place). +Mostly good level designs. +Fun bonus game to acquire extra lives (that I was terrible at). +OST is solid chiptune lovin'. -Jumping physics are quite disingenuous to NES series' entries. -Edge detection not the best (fell through some platforms). -Level design segments repeat fairly often. -Some enemies can jump through blocks/walls. -Only four worlds. 6/10
Hey here's what EGM thought of SML back in '89:
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Post by Ziggy on Jul 27, 2020 12:52:52 GMT -5
There's a remake called New Super Mario Land. It's a homebrew game for the SNES! If you want to try this one, just be sure to get the latest version. The author has updated it based on feedback, and it plays much better as a result. |
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dreamgazer
HRG Experienced
Nostalgia Addict
Posts: 27
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Post by dreamgazer on Jul 27, 2020 12:57:20 GMT -5
There's a remake called New Super Mario Land. It's a homebrew game for the SNES! If you want to try this one, just be sure to get the latest version. The author has updated it based on feedback, and it plays much better as a result.
Woah, this looks incredible for a SNES game
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Post by Sarge on Jul 27, 2020 12:59:15 GMT -5
Oh, dang, I almost forgot about that! I really need to throw it onto my SD2SNES.  |
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Post by Xeogred on Jul 27, 2020 13:16:07 GMT -5
I think I like Land 1 more than Land 2 myself actually. The first one is just utterly bizarre but in a cool way, once you get used to the weird physics. I love the Egyptian theme for the castles and I actually wouldn't have minded if the game were longer, or had more of the shmup stages.
2 seems objectively better for sure, but I didn't love some of the weird world themes or enemy types.
Instead of transforming into the Wario Land series, I wonder what more sequels would have been like. They were definitely strange things for still technically being Super Mario haha...
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Post by Ziggy on Jul 27, 2020 13:34:31 GMT -5
I'm way more nostalgic for 1, as that's the one that I had as a kid. I didn't play 2 until I was an adult. But yeah, I also love how "weird" 1 is, with that Egyptian theme and all that. It's actually easier to appreciate as it's own thing being more far removed from the console Super Mario games than SML2 is.
Definitely check out New Super Mario Land if you can. I haven't played all the way through it yet, but having played just the first world I can say it's pretty awesome. Like I said, just be sure to get the latest revision because the author fixed some important things like the physics.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2020 16:23:34 GMT -5
I adore this little gem! I played it in 91, I think, and my fondness for it has never waned. Although I knew it was nothing like SMB/3/SMW, all of which I played first, it was close enough that I never questioned it as a Mario game. I think the enemy design in this game is the best in the series. Killing enemies and hearing that weird zapping was so satisfying, and figuring out trick shots with the fireball is actually cooler here than in the other games. And the shooter portions! This was the first horizontally scrolling shootemup I played, and I liked it all the better for it.
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