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 Super Mario Bros. 2 is better known in the
United States
as The Lost Levels. This is because 1993 was when this game
was first released, under this title on the Super Mario All-Stars cartridge for the Super Nintendo. Prior to that not many Americans were
aware of the existence of the original sequel to one of the most popular
games ever created. SMB2 was the
result of two events. One was the
need to strike while the Super Mario Bros. gravy train was still rolling
and the second reason was the introduction of the Famicom Disk
System. In 1986 Nintendo released
an add-on in Japan
that was never seen in the United States. It was a floppy disk drive that you
could take to the store to overwrite games once you were finished with
them. Nintendo knew that they
needed some big name games in order to force people to buy this new (and
expensive) add-on so they release some major titles as floppy-disk games
only. Among those titles were The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and
the hotly anticipated sequel to Super Mario Bros.
At first glance, Super Mario
Bros. 2 looks identical to the original.
Mario and Luigi look exactly the same as in SMB1, the enemies look
the same and the level backgrounds are virtually identical. In fact, this game is little more than
an officially released hack of Super Mario Bros. Of course, the levels are all different
but the basic premise is the same.
Mario must go through eight worlds to save the Princess from
Bowser. The fourth level in every
world is a castle but when you reach the end of it, Toad lets you know
that the Princess is in another castle.
There are a few other underground worlds, a couple swimming levels
and plenty of warp zones.
 There are also a few differences; one of
which was carried over to future Super Mario games. In this game, Luigi is not identical to
Mario – he jumps higher and is a little less precise on landings and when
coming to a stop. Other
differences include mushrooms that kill you, warp zones that send you
backwards, springs that shoot you off the screen, a strong wind that
blows you forwards or backwards, upside down pipes and the main
difference – a much high level of difficulty, which we’ll talk about
later. When I first started playing
I thought that every level was similar to the corresponding level in
SMB1, by that I mean if it was a swimming level in the original then it
would be a swimming level in the sequel.
But as I went along I found out that while the game starts out that
way, it quickly drops that pattern and develops its own style.
After playing this game for many
hours, I have figured out two reasons why this game was never released in
the United States. The first reason is the one that most
people give – the game is very difficult.
Many casual gamers would have been turned off by this game and
possibly any future Mario sequels because the beauty of the original was
that anyone could pick up a controller and succeed with just a little
practice. The second reason why this
game wasn’t released in the U.S. is, to me, the main
reason: the game lacks originality.
One truth to Super Mario games is that they are always a step
forward in video games. I think
Nintendo of America already knew that they wanted to keep this series
fresh and original. This game,
while very fun, is neither fresh nor original.
Positives:
Everything that was great about Super Mario Bros. is true about Super Mario Bros. 2. The gameplay is smooth, the soundtrack
is killer (and identical), the levels are fun and there are tons of
secrets to discover. This game is
also more challenging than the original, which is nice because it will
force you to play the game more.
Also, this time around you are given the option of continuing
without having to press A & up on when your game is over.
 Glaring Negatives:
One problem with this game is
that there is no two-player option.
While, I must admit I was never really a fan of two-player SMB because
I would end up cheering for my friend to die just so I could get a turn,
I still would like to have that option.
Graphics
and Sound: Excellent
The graphics are virtually
identical to the original. There
are a few minor differences you will notice throughout the game. A couple changes are the clouds and
power-up mushrooms now have faces on them. Also, the ground is more detailed and
therefore looks a bit snazzier this time around. The sound seems exactly the same as
before.
Gameplay
and Controls: Perfect
Once again the controls are
spot-on. I feel like Mario has a
slightly higher jump but non one else has mentioned that so perhaps it is
all in my head.
Features:
World 9 and Worlds A-D
If you are able to beat all eight
worlds without warping you will be sent to World 9. You will receive only one life and if
you beat that world it will reset at 9-1 continuously until you finally
die. If you are playing this game
on your Famicom then you need to beat this game eight times. Each time you beat it you will notice a
star appear on the title screen, once you have eight stars you can access
Worlds A-D by holding down A while pressing start. Needless to say all of the bonus worlds
are very difficult.
Fun?:
Not quite as much as the original
Super Mario Bros. 2 is still very
fun but due to its difficulty it isn’t quite as pure as SMB1. I appreciate the added challenge but I
found that it diminished the fun factor just a notch.
Challenge:
Yes
This game is the hardest Mario
game that I have ever played. Of
course, that’s not saying a lot since Mario games tend to be easy, but
this game is still pretty tough.
The game is tougher right from the start but the challenge really
picks up around 4-3 and just keeps getting tougher throughout the
game. One infamous level, 7-3, has
a strong wind blowing while you jump from spring to spring across the
level. Of course each spring sends
you off the screen so you don’t know exactly where you even are in
relation to the next spring!
Certainly none of this game  is impossible due to the fact that you get
unlimited continues. This allows
you to keep playing a section until you master it. Once you beat all eight worlds, good
luck on World 9!
Replay:
Definitely
I don’t play it as much as SMB1
but I’ll keep playing it until I beat it.
Once I beat it, I’ll probably want to beat it with Luigi as
well. There is also the challenge
of World 9…
2
Player: No
I’m just as surprised as you.
Online
Manual?: No
But there are plenty of FAQs for
this game on www.gamefaqs.com.
Bottom Line:
Buy a reproduction or get a Disk System
This game really is a must-have
if you are a fan of Mario games.
It is visually almost identical but a lot more challenging than Super Mario Bros. so you will find
yourself playing it for awhile before you finally beat it. The easiest way to pick it up is to buy
a reproduction of it from either www.gamereproductions.com or
www.nesreproductions.com.
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