Luigi Mario

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

Developer: Nintendo   Publisher: Nintendo

Introduction:

Everyone should remember Super Mario World for the SNES/Super Fanicom! The game was/is a cult classic and is still considered by many to this day to be the best video game of all time! Some even compare it to the original Super Mario Brothers when it comes to setting the bar for the action-platforming genre! Jump to the year 2002. Nintendo released a Mario launch title for the GBA the previous year...but it was the bizarre Super Mario Bros. 2 (aka Super Mario USA in Japan). Many fans were disappointed and wished that Nintendo would've released the epic Super Mario World or Super Mario Bros. 3 instead. Nintendo listened to what the fans wanted, and finally released the legendary Super Mario World the following year! The result was another instant blockbuster!

Reviewed By: Legend

Graphics: A   

The graphics are what you'd expect from a Mario game...which is more than a good thing! The environments are very lush and colorful! The character models are exactly the same like they were when the game first came out all the back in 1991! What many people will notice, however, is that Luigi has an all new sprite in this version as opposed to the first two in the original SMW and the one that was released with upgraded Super Mario All Stars! This version looks alot better in my opinion! What I did notice, however, is that the character models aren't quite as colorful to their SNES counterparts...which is weird considering that this is actually a 32-bit game while the latter's version was a 16-bit one. Nevertheless, this is one of the best looking GBA games on the market!

Sound: A      

The sound is near perfect! Fans of the original version will notice the music right away! It's still the same catchy and unforgettable tunes from the legendary composer Koji Kondo. The sound effects are exactly the same like the SNES version's too! One thing worth pointing out, however, is that this version actually has voice acting! It's nothing much, but it brings more life into the game! The one that prevented me from giving this an A+, though, is that the music itself sounds a notch below the SNES' version. It sounds abit muffled at times...especially in Bower's Valley! But overall, the music is stil topnotch and I always loved whenever you'd ride Yoshi, the beat to the music would change!

Control: A+  

The controlling in this game is very tight and responsive...even on the GBA! But what else would expect from a Mario game? At first, it was confusing to remember which button does what since it's on the GBA (remember GBA has only four buttons while the SNES has six). But after playing the game for awhile, it became quite a breeze! You will never get frustrated! But I guess you already new that lol. The commands respond right on time and you can tell Nintendo put alot of effort to make this game workout on the GBA! Great job!

Gameplay: A+  

Simply amazing! Even in this day and age, the gameplay is truly addicting! The notable changes in this installment is the addition of rotating blocks, the spin jump, and the ability to ride Yoshi! The spin jump comes in real good use because you can crush through blocks and kill most enemies instantly! Riding Yoshi, though, is alot funner! There are four different types of Yoshis...each with their own ability! The Blue Yoshi flies after every Koopa shell he eats (which is my personal favorite). You can also turn your regular Green Yoshi into a blue one by grabing a pair of wings that are in a couple of levels! The Yellow Yoshi, stomps the ground which destroys everything in your path by eating any Koopa shell (of course, it can still fly if it swallows a blue shell and spit fire if it swallows a red shell. It's a rotating effect with all Yoshis in the game)! And finally, the Red Yoshi spits fire after eating any Koope shell! By the way, Luigi actually plays very differently than Mario! He jumps higher while still kicking his feet in the air (a SMB 2 trait), and also, whenever riding Yoshi, he has the ability to spit out any enemy he puts in his mouth! Luigi can also make all of the coins come out at once while hitting a multiple coin block!

You can still use the starman, flower power, and super mushroom from the previous SMB titles. But the one cool addition in this installment is the feather which gives you a cape with the ability to fly! You can also smack your enemies with your cape to defeat them! Also, the Koopa Troopas will not die as easily as they would in the previous games1 Instead, when they are knocked out of their shell, they will attempt ti kick the shell back at you to defeat you! You will also fight Bowser's evil Koopa Kids! Some are very easy to defeat, whilea couple might actually become quite a challenge! One thing I must say without giving too much away, however, is that I dare you to try to attempt to beat the special area for a special surprise! The ONE thing I didn't like, though, was the fact that you sometimes had to get rid of Yoshi to advance in the level. But ther than that, the gameplay is easy, yet addicting! It's basically gameplay at it's finest!

Overall: A+  

This is defitinley one of the best games of all time! The graphics, the music, the enemies, and above all else...the gameplay is unforgettable! And I personally think this is better than SMB 3! Of course, that's going to be debatable! This game redefined what action-platforming is...and is still the king of it after all of these years! This GBA port is everything the orginal is...but only better due to the additional stuff! This is the Super Mario Brothers at their finest! I highly recommend this game to EVERYONE! even to those that hate video games and the Mario franchise! There's no excuse to not have this gem that's a game! A true masterpiece!