Note: This is one of few reviews that were on the old site, but I want to import it to the new site for consistency. Enjoy! -C

Super Mario Bros. 3
The best selling game of all time. Over 18 million NES cartridges sold. Yeap. Were you surprised? I picked this masterpiece up at Toys ‘R Us following an elementary school Family Fair on a Saturday. I had reserved it, and I plopped down my $49.99 that I had saved for months with absolutely no problem in February of 1990. I knew this was going to be good. There was no question. This was MARIO 3. I mean come on, I had technically already played the game on a Playchoice-10 machine at a now defunct Ligi’s Deli down the street. I had seen the movie “The Wizard”. I had read Nintendo Power, I knew this was THE game to have of 1990.
Super Mario Bros. 3 may be not only the best selling game of all time, but also the

World 1-1
BEST game of all time. This game has it all. Multiple Power-ups, mini-games, multiplayer, warp zones, perfect controls, beautiful graphics (for the NES), and a great storyline. So why is this so great? Everyone already had Super Mario Bros. because it was packaged with the system, and the 2nd one was different but still good. This 3rd title in the series took the first game and made it larger, better, but with the same Mario style that everyone loved. Mario and Luigi are in the Mushroom Kingdom when Bowser the King of the Koopas appears, snatches Princess Toadstool, and transforms the 7 kings of the land into Bowser’s villains. Bowser sends each of his seven kids to guard the magic wands of each land, whom Mario and Luigi must defeat before facing Bowser himself.
So the game plays just like the original Super Mario Bros. utilizing your standard run & jump platformer movements. However, a big twist in the game play is the new abilities Mario can gain when using the appropriate “suit” Mario can fly like a Raccoon, swim like a Frog, turn into a statue (Tanooki), and even throw hammers like the Hammer Bros. along with tried and true favorites like the Fire Flower, Star Man, Super Mushroom, and more. This game is easy for anyone to pick up, but difficult for anyone to Master. The later levels in Worlds 6, 7, and 8 get extremely difficult and present a challenge to even the most veteran players. The music has new catchy tracks, and remixed versions of the old tracks from the previous Mario games.
World 3 Fortress
On first play, there is something new always around the corner. Another secret to be had. Just when you think you have seen it all, this game surprises you. This game is still highly sought after, even being the 2nd or 3rd most common Nintendo game out there. A true piece to always have in any collection for collector or gamer alike. Remixed versions with additional features can be found on Super Mario All-Stars (SNES) and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (Game Boy Advance) and eventually will come out on the Virtual Console for Nintendo Wii. If you have never played this game. Track it down, and treasure it. It truly is a work of art. -C
Rating: 10/10