Gameplay:  
The Game Boy Advance is revitalizing a part of gaming that is all-too-often lost in home console games battling to be the best looking title; gameplay. In the world of videogames visuals will only take a game so far before it needs some solid gameplay elements, on the GBA gameplay actually becomes one of the main players (as it always should be) because the system is not capable of producing the amazing 3D environments that we are becoming accustomed to on home consoles. And so, more than ever games will be successful based on the quality of their gameplay more so than the quality of their visuals. With Super Mario Advance, this is not a problem at all. When Mario Bros. was first released in the arcades, it was a huge success because of its innovative and delightfully addictive gameplay. Gamers ran around a small, enclosed level head-butting enemies, avoiding fireballs, whacking ‘POW’ blocks and hanging in for the high score. The version of Mario Bros. on SMA continues this tradition through a perfect emulation of the original arcade game and even capitalizes on the multiplayer capabilities of the GBA.



Mario Bros. is playable with one to four players at once. Several forms of “battle” are available for two to four players, all of which are available with only one copy of the game and one GBA for each player involved. A ‘classic’ mode in which players work cooperatively through each ‘phase,’ this mode requires each participant to have a copy of SMA in their GBA. This is due to the limitations of the GBA, it is only able to load so many things into it’s memory from a single cartridge, and thus some multiplayer games require a developer to have each player to have a copy of the game. Thankfully, though, the battle mode is available with out this restriction and it is a lot of fun. Even as a one-player mode, Mario Bros. is enjoyable. However I have a feeling that many gamers will find it annoying to have to start over every time they get a ‘game over’ (welcome back to the good old days of arcade gaming). The modes are varied and offer a fair amount of user input including handicaps to even out the various skill levels of different players and the challenge level of the actual phases.



Super Mario 2’ is for one-player only, but that doesn’t mean that it’s inferior to Mario Bros., not by a long shot. When Super Mario Bros. 2 was released back in 1988, it was greeted with mixed reviews. Some gamers were delighted by yet another revolution in gameplay for Mario; many were disappointed by the changes that had taken place. Admittedly, the gameplay in SMB2 is dramatically different from the previous SMB; in fact, it’s downright peculiar in places. However, the fact that Nintendo had opted out of making a quick carbon copy sequel with a hit like SMB on their hands shows a lot of character. Nintendo has always been in it for the software, their success has been reaffirmed again and again in the quality of their software. Super Mario Advance seemed, initially, to go against this standard of game design. Is SMA Nintendo’s way of making a quick buck on a classic game? I see SMA as a revival of two classic games that Nintendo wanted to share with gamers who had either missed them in the first place or had forgotten about them.



Revisions to the original gameplay remain original to preserve these classics, as they were excellent games. SM2 includes several new areas, all associated with obtaining and completing the hidden “Yoshi Challenge.”

Control:  
Four different characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess, and Toad) are playable in SM2, and each player offers a significantly different gaming experience. This is not due to a difference in level design, rather, it is because of the different way in which the same level must be played in order to complete it. For example, Princess is able to float in midair for a few seconds, which helps in crossing large gaps, but Luigi is able to jump extremely high and thus is able to reach high areas with greater ease than the princess. Each character is able to pluck vegetables out of the ground and throw them at enemies; they can even pick up enemies and throw them at other enemies. In classic Mario Bros. gamers must head-butt enemies from below in order to stun them and then run over them to actually defeat them. The controls on the GBA didn’t lose anything in their move to the portable. My one complaint is that when climbing vines in SM2 it seems easy to slip off the side, this became frustrating for me during some parts of the game.

Sound:
Classic Mario continues, the music tracks and sound effects are perfect translations of the previous games. My one complaint about that is that the classic games had only a few, simple, and repetitive sound tracks that repeated throughout the entire games. Why Nintendo didn’t add additional sound tracks is beyond me, but at least they didn’t completely overlook the audio aspect of SMA. All of the characters in SMA are able to talk, Mario, Luigi, Princess, Toad (shiver), Birdo, Wart, all of the main characters make comments and react to certain situations with crisp sounding digital voices. I found the voices to be, like the sound tracks, repetitive, but I really appreciate their inclusion – they help show off the audio power of the GBA.

Multiplayer:
The multiplayer aspect of SMA is limited to the classic Mario Bros. mode. It allows for up to four players using link cables to connect four GBAs together. There are two main modes, “Classic” and “Battle.” Battle is a free-for-all battle in which every player is looking out for his or her own butt. The mode is available even if only one copy of SMA is being shared throughout the four GBAs (information for gameplay is downloaded into the RAM of each of the GBAs not using a game pack). Several options are available to change the method of deciding a victor. For example, you may choose to have the player with the most coins at the end of a battle to win, or for the last remaining player to win. Players can pick up their opponents and toss them around the level, in two-player mode one may toss their opponent into a trash can which prevents them from moving for a few seconds but also gives them a power-up to use once they have escaped. Mario Bros. mode is the only aspect of SMA with multiplayer capabilities, which is somewhat disappointing, but it is actually a lot of fun



Classic mode is a cooperative experience in which each of the two to four players are working towards the same goal together. Again, this mode requires each person to have a copy of SMA in his or her GBA in order to play. The multiplayer aspect of SMA is actually a lot of fun, and it contains every option that gamers could ask for.

OVERALL:
Super Mario Adventure is essentially a compilation of previous Mario titles, yes, but I don’t think it’s a cop-out. Though I am disappointed that the title doesn’t contain much of anything new, I respect Nintendo’s decision to make these titles available in portable form to gamers who missed out on them before. Even seasoned veterans will find the game enjoyable, especially because of the GBA’s portability and the multiplayer capabilities. I wasn’t a big fan of the Yoshi Challenge in SM2, but it wasn’t like I was mad to see its inclusion.

 

The Lowdown on  Super Mario Advance Aesthetics: Above Average Control: Very Good Gameplay: Awesome Multiplayer: Very Good Sound: Average Innovation: 2/6 Lasting Appeal: 3/6 Rating Explanation Overall: Above Average! "A Quality Game"