Super Mario All-Stars - 25th Anniversary Edition (Wii)

Twenty five years is a long time in the entertainment industry. Although at the time of this compilation's release (2010), Mario had actually been around thirty years, this was the twenty fifth anniversary of the debut of the SUPER MARIO series. The real problem with this release is as far as actual game content goes it only covers the first three years of Mario's career (1985-1988, which is the time period when the four NES Mario games were made. Though SUPER MARIO 3 came out in the US in 1990, the game had been finished and even released in Japan in 1988).

Now, depending on what you want or how you look at this release, the 25th Anniversary release is either a rather cheap marketing ploy for Nintendo to make some quick cash or a good way to get all four Mario games. I bought the title and am glad to be able to play the 16 bit remakes on the Wii, but I quite see the point that this is a rather botched release to say the least. What should have been a true celebration of Mario and what he means to Nintendo simply becomes a budget line release with an SNES rom dumped onto a disk and given some new packaging.

Now, this review is really only about the 25th anniversary release, not the games themselves. The four titles are essential centerpoints in video gaming's early history, and stand up remarkably well, even in today's multimillion dollar budgets. Yes, they are short and simple, but that's largely part of the charm. Mario has always been tremendously accessible, and for those without a lot of time, Mario is great because you can pick up and play. If you want more information on the four games I've included a portion of my original review for the SNES cart after the main review, rather than reinvent the wheel and include information on each title on this already lengthy review.

Ultimately, Mario sells systems and always has. Nintendo has learned that the hard way with the 3DS debacle. Miyamoto himself said that they should have had SUPER MARIO 3DS LAND ready for release, as that would truly demonstrate what the 3DS could do. How many times have Nintendo sold us these same four games? Lots. There are obviously the original NES titles. Then there was the SNES SUPER MARIO ALLSTARS (with the previously unreleased stateside LOST LEVELS). Then there was the Gameboy Color release. Then the Gameboy Advanced Classic NES series. Then we have the Super Mario Advance series. Then we have the Virtual Console. And now this. (And for the record, other than the Super Mario advanced series, I have bought these four games in all these various forms).

Based on Mario's pure market power, I feel Nintendo felt they were able to get away with a release like this . . . and they were right. Supposed to be a limited print run, this release quickly sold out and a lot of people began price gouging on online market places like eBay. The release proved so popular that Nintendo did another production run of the title. Although this was supposed to be a "limited edition" run, apparently the title is still in print, as you are able to purchase this new from several online sources

So what's the real problem with the 25th Anniversary Release? Well, several things.

First, this is a straight port of SUPER MARIO ALLSTARS for the SNES. And I mean just that - a STRAIGHT PORT. In SMA you are able to change the controller options and they show SNES controllers. It's rather odd to see the SNES controllers listed in this release.

Another big problem is the tremendous waste of space on the disk. With all the available space, Nintendo only includes an SNES rom? Seriously? With all the space, they could have included SUPER MARIO WORLD, SUPER MARIO 64, Gameboy titles, miscellaneous early sports NES and SNES titles, even the Gamecube's SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE. After all, this release was supposed to be a full blown celebration of Mario - he deserves better than just an SNES rom with some pretty packaging!

As far as the packing goes, you do get a booklet of Mario history and a CD. Honestly, the booklet isn't that great, with only one liners on each title from Miyamoto, Koji Kondo (the music composer), and Takashi Tezuka. You also get a (very short) cd of Mario music as well, with lots of sound effects. There is some interesting artwork in the booklet as well but that's about it.

Honestly you get more information from online sources than what is found in the booklet, especially the Nintendo series of interviews called "Iwata Asks", where Nintendo President Satoru Iwata poses various questions to about different game developers regarding products. In these you learn that the original Mario had a shooting stage (!) and the cloud levels were left over remants of that never used idea, and that the second quest in THE LEGEND OF ZELDA came about by accident, as they released they had only used half the available data on the ROM.

What would have been nice, and would have curved much of the criticism that has come against this release, is either to see more content (after all, the four NES games, being NES platformers, do not take that long to complete), or, barring that, see the four NES games updated graphically. It would have been great to play the four NES titles with NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII graphics. At least it would have been new, even if it was only a graphical facelift. (Ironically, Nintendo Power criticized the original SMAS in their 1993 issue for being only a facelift with nothing really new to offer, with the exception of the first ever release of LOST LEVELS).

Then the Virtual Console and download space come into the equation as well. ALL STARS has long been in demand as a Virtual Console release, although most speculated Nintendo would most likely not release that as it may cannibalize sales of the original four 8-bit Mario titles already available for through the service. Though I don't know how valid that is, personally I think ALLSTARS would have been better served as a Virtual Console release, and the price would have been much cheaper as well. (As of December 2011 we still haven't gotten SUPER MARIO WORLD 2: YOSHI'S ISLAND released, which along with SUPER MARIO SUNSHINE is the only Mario title I really haven't played, although SMW2 is a Yoshi game, not a Mario game).

So over all, as an celebration of Mario's career, this "25th Anniversary Release" comes off rather poorly, and gives the distinct impression Nintendo really didn't put that much effort (because they didn't). Knowing the market would purchase this title without any real effort on their part, Nintendo threw the SNES ROM on the disk, gave it some minimal packaging, and wah-la, instant seller!

And you know what? They were right. I bought my copy. So if you want the 16-bit remakes of the four Mario titles and feel justified paying thirty to fifty bucks retail for an SNES Rom first released in 1993, go for it. After all, it's Mario, and for family entertainment it's a great way to go. I just wish Nintendo had given Mario a better anniversary celebration.

5 stars for the games, 1 star for pure laziness and market reliance on Nintendo's part (1 star is on this release only and is no way an indictment against the games).
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Taken from my review of the original SNES title which includes later versions included SUPER MARIO WORLD
SUPER MARIO ALLSTARS, an anthology of the first four NES Mario games for the SNES, was one of the most popular titles Nintendo released during the early 1990s. Since these titles were such staples of the NES, it was only logical to port them to SNES with a graphical overhaul, options to save, and (for America anyway) the release of a long lost game called LOST LEVELS. Also, depending on what version of this you get, in later releases they also packaged SUPER MARIO WORLD as well, making this a one stop shop for those looking for a Mario fix. These are the games.

SUPER MARIO BROTHERS: The single most popular game ever released, and also the most widely circulated. Largerly responsible for saving the video game industry after the historic crash of 1984, it is now easy to forget (especially for younger gamers) how revolutionary this title was when it first came out. 8 expansive worlds, bright colourful graphics, and much more complex than the usual one-screen games that dominated in the late 1970s and early 1980s. A real technological breakthrough and a historic landmark in gaming, even all these years later it holds up with pixel-perfect graphics and rock-solid game play. Don't miss this one.

THE LOST LEVELS: The original followup to SMB; released only in Japan. Deemed to hard for the American markets, another game was given Mario sprites and released in America as SMB2. This title, however, is notoriously difficult. I always think of it as the second quest, like in the original Zelda. If you go through all 8 levels without warping, you get to a secret world, 9, before going on to worlds A-D. When ALLSTARS first came out, Nintendo Power had a promotion that if you got to world 9 they would send you a Mario badge. Ah, the memories! Still, if you really want to test your metal against incredibly difficult old-school Mario levels, this game isn't to be missed. Lots of fun all around. Some levels, however, make you think Shigeru Miyamoto has a sadistic streak in him. Closet America ever got to the original 8-bit release was Super Mario Deluxe for the Game Boy Colour, though that was lacking the last five bonus levels and did not have all the same graphics as the original SMB2 did.

SUPER MARIO BROTHERS 2: Also known as SUPER MARIO BROTHERS USA in Japan (released in 1992 there and 1988 stateside), this is the odd man out in the series. The game play couldn't be more different than the original SMB if they tried. Read more ›

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That's how Super Mario All-Stars on Wii shall be remembered by those who like to borrow cliched Dickens intros. Nintendo presents us with two stone-cold classic examples of the platforming genre in the form of Super Mario Bros and Super Mario 3, along with two other lesser classics in the form of the Japanese and American sequels to the original. Just like they did on the SNES, in fact. And, as you must know by now, I literally mean JUST like they did on the SNES. This is a rom of the original cartridge. Under 2MB of data on a DVD disc. Nothing more, possibly something less when you consider that naughty illegal emulators allow you to mess around with settings to make old roms look great on HDTVs. No such luck here.

And it's the original 50hz PAL European conversion, just to rub salt in. Then again, it's how most of us will remember the games and the aspect ratio is actually correct. So no borders on the top or bottom, but it is forced to 4:3 when Virtual Console games can be stretched to widescreen. It also means that SMB is given its belated European release of 1987 on the menu, which looks somewhat stupid for something that's supposed to be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2010. Well done, Nintendo!

Everything about this release is balanced by pros and cons. It's a lazy rip-off and yet it still offers great value for money. Whaaaaaa? Not only will newcomers get more than their money's worth in experiencing some of the best platforming ever created, it comes in a nice box with an embossed central logo, a bonus soundtrack CD and a booklet. But, wait, when trying to remove the sticky round security thingy (that's a technical term) from the box to open it, I ended up pulling some of the finish away with it. And I'm a proper nerd about these things, so while you may be able to get yours off after my warning, my TRAGEDY was by no means down to impatient carelessness. The box is unnnecessarily taller than it needs to be as well, looking silly next to your Wii games and likely to end up getting squashed in some dark corner of your cupboard, so whatever.

The booklet is more like a regular Wii manual with images of Japanese packaging. It actually comes in a regular (red) Wii game box where the manuals would normally be. You do get a sentence or two from Miyamoto for each game, though. It's nice to look through, just don't expect an actual book. And then there's the CD. On the one hand, it's 25 minutes of Mario tunes you may decide to listen to once before never letting near your CD player again. But I have to confess, I'm listening to it as I write this and I am rather enjoying the nostalgia. It's a bit good if I'm to be totally honest, even though over half the tracks have nothing to do with the four All-Stars games.

Last but most, those games themselves. Straight Wii ports of SNES versions of NES games. An amazing compilation back in 1993, still great today. As for the absence of Super Mario World that was added to a later edition, it's probably down to the controls. You can play all the games here with the Wii Remote held horizontally, but for World it would have taken the kind of reprogramming that Nintendo blatantly wasn't interested in spending time on. Back in 1993, each game benefited massively from the compilation's introduction of a save file. It's the same here and SMB3 in particular is a completely different experience when you don't have to rush your way to the end of World 8 in one sitting. In this guise, I still consider it my favourite ever Mario game.

And remember, these games are otherwise currently unavailable commercially in this 16-bit form. They only come in NES flavour on Virtual Console. So, five stars for classic games in a nicely presented package, one star for being lazy and missing the opportunity to release something that could have been as incontestably brilliant as the release of All-Stars was all those years ago, not to mention making me rip my box. Everything being equal, that sounds like an average of three stars to me. Now, Nintendo, never make me have to give three stars to Super Mario Bros. 3 again!

Recommended buy for those who've yet to experience the games? 100% yes.

Recommended whinge on Amazon afterwards in the hope of getting something a little 'fresher' next time? Absolutely!

I used to spend hours and hours playing this game as a child, so I had to buy it for my child.
We all played it as soon as it arrived. The delivery was excellent and speedy. It arrived LESS than 24 hours from when I bought it, and got a lovely thank you message from the seller inside. Well worth sitting here fighting with my laptop and writing this review.