Overall 9.5 Graphics 9.5 Sound 7 Addictive 8 Story 6.5 Depth 6.5 Difficulty 5.5
9.2
its a Mario Winter Wonderland tornadocam
Its winter and for most of us that means snow, ice and cold weather. Even the Mario world is having winter. No, not really but I'm reviewing Super Mario Brothers 2 Christmas Addition. This addition is a hack of the popular Super Mario Brothers 2 game. The difference is its a winter theme. So how will this hack stand up to the original game. Will it be cool or not, no pun intended Story: 9 The story is pretty much unchanged from the original version. The only difference is its winter. One night Mario dreams of a world crying out for help from a door. He opens the door and finds a world in a winter wonderland that is asking him to come and liberate them from Wart. In his dream not only does Mario see a winter wonderland but a world overran by enemies. The next day Mario and his friends Luigi, Toad and Peach go on a picnic and Mario explains the strange dream he had. Ironically they hear cries for help and Mario sees the same door he dreamed about. Mario and his friends open the door and find the world that Mario had dreamed about. So Mario and his friends set out to liberate the world in need of help. Okay, I really liked the plot and I really liked the winter theme it was a nice touch. This is different from your typical Mario games. Bowser or the Koopa Troop are not even mentioned in this game. So it was unique as just about ever Mario game has Bowser in it. Super Mario 2 offered something different for gamers. Moreover, this Winter Hack offers something new that it is winter. I really like the winter theme in this. Thus, 9 out of 10 sounds about right. Graphics and Controls: 9 Whoever, made this game knew what they were doing. The winter graphics are very good and nicely done. I like how the snow falls in the background. The blueish purple sky reminds me of a cold winters day. I also like it how the enemies have been changed to fit the winter theme. Birdo has been replaced with an angry snowman. It was also a nice touch that the graphics give you the impression that the water is frozen. I also like how the characters are wearing winter clothing to reflect the winter theme. The sprites are good too very neatly done. The only minor thing was a few times the game did seem to lag but it was only noticeable twice in the game. It is not really a big deal and it does not really impact the game play in any major way. The controls are nicely done for a hack and are pretty close to the original game. There was one time when I was playing with Luigi that the controls seemed to slow down but this was only twice in the game. The good thing is it did not impact the game. Overall the controls are very smooth and nicely done. Therefore, the graphics and controls gets a very solid 9 out of 10. Sound: 8The sound is not changed from the original. The main problem with the sound is this game has a short soundtrack. I think there are only 3 maybe 4 themes in this game. However, the game makes up for it because the main themes are catchy. Also when you hit an enemy with another enemy it makes a special pow sound to let you know you have done damage to the enemies. So that was a nice touch. Even though the soundtrack is short. The game's music is awesome. That is why the sound gets a good 8 out of 10. Replay Value: 9 I do not normally say this about hacks but this one hack that in my opinion is more fun then the original. Maybe it is the weather person in me but I love to play this game more then I do the original. I just like the winter theme in this game and how the game plays on that. The original Super Mario Brothers 2 was a very good game to play. I remember when I was a kid how the original just came out I want to think 1988 maybe 89. I played it a lot when I was not playing Mega Man. When I learned that a winter hack has been made for this game. I knew I had to try it. This hack is so good I have played it several times. What is there not to like? The story is the same, the music is the same, but its a winter theme even the enemies reflect the winter theme. So yeah I give the replay value a 9 out of 10. Very fun hack of the original. Depth: 7 Like the original game the depth suffers a little bit. There are only 7 worlds in this game and each level of a world is rather short. The game did not start getting longer till around world 3. Unlike other Mario games there are not any non power up items to collect. Yes they are power ups but they are not required. But the game loves to put the power ups that increase your health bar in secret areas. So it does require each level to be explored. Also, the game gives you a chance to chose between four characters: Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach. It is fun to play through the game with a different character so that adds depth. The game does have some decent depth to it. But not like Super Mario Brothers, Super Mario Brothers 3, and Super Mario World. Those games had a lot of depth and the levels were long from the start to end. As I stated with this hack and the original the game did not start getting long till around the 3rd level. Even then if you know were to go it seems shorter. Difficulty: 6The difficulty in this game is not too easy but not too hard. Its not like the other Mario games were enemies just bury you sometime. You also do not have pits you have to time you jump like you do the others. The pits in this game are almost not a factor unless your using a character that can't jump to well. But if you use the supper Jump and your character is a decent jumper then going over pits is easy. The enemy placement in this game can be awkward. Enemies will sometimes hit you from behind but not like they do in the other Mario games. Most of the enemies are placed in awkward positions usually in front of doors were you have to knock them out to pass. Also some of the enemies wonder around this can get you hit in the levels were you have to dig through the dirt. I have had an enemy fall on me while I was having to dig. In addition, the enemies can sometimes come in clusters its so easy to be going alone not see any enemies for a while. Only to have them appear in bunches at one time. This can be short of a problem especially in the later worlds. For me the game did not start getting moderate difficult till world 3 and up. While the game has some difficulty levels, spots and awkward enemy placement the game does help you out. The game gives you several chances to regain health, extend your health bar and earn extra lives. So this takes the difficulty down somewhat. Even if you chose a character that would increase the difficulty the game still helps you out. Moreover, for this being a winter theme I really expected ice physics in every level. It turns out ice physics really do not come into play till World 4 just like the original so that was helpful. If anything the game does require you to have some reflexes and creativity such as how to defeat bosses, and how to deal with certain type of enemies. But its not too bad so that is why the difficulty gets a 6. Its nothing like Super Mario 3 that just bury you with enemies and long levels. But its not the easiest game either. You can still lose a life and get hit in this game. Overall: 9.2 Super Mario 2 Christmas Addition is a nice hack that is just as good if not better then the original game. Whoever made this hack knew what they were doing and the game really shows. The graphics, controls, background, and sound reflect on that. One thing I like is the winter theme. I like how the snow falls the frozen water. What I really liked is whoever made this changed the bosses. Instead of fighting Birdo like you do in the original game. You fight an angry snowman that spits snowballs sometimes fireballs too. That was really creative and I really liked that. I also liked how good the graphics and controls were. So many times hacks can butcher these up but not this one. The flaws this game has is very minor. I did notice a few lags but they only occurred in two spots in the game. They were also not really a factor. Also, the soundtrack could have had a few more tunes to it but the original game had a short soundtrack. In fact, its the same sound track. In my review of the original game I talked how the soundtrack was good but could have had a more variety. The depth in this game was about the same as the original. The difficulty was the most surprising thing for me. I expected this game to be a little bit more difficult due to the winter theme. I was expecting ice physics that require longer stop time and causes you to slide. Surprisingly that was not a factor that much in this game. Still, these issues are very minor and really do not impact the game while playing in anyway. As I stated I find myself playing this more then the original. I guess the winter theme was really a nice or its the weather forecaster in me one. I really enjoyed playing this game. Yes, folks for this to be a hack its a very good one and can easily match up with the original. I think that is what the makers of this hack were aiming at. To make a version that rivals the original. If that was their intentions then they excelled at them. I have played hacks before that were not the greatest quality. So it was nice to see how this one turned out very good. Would I recommend this game. Yes I would recommend this game. If you like winter theme games then you will love this one. If you want a different version of Super Mario Brothers 2 you will like this one. This is a good hack and I highly recommend it. At the end of the day I give Super Mario Brothers Christmas Addition a very high rating of 9.2
Graphics 9 Sound 8 Addictive 9 Story 9 Depth 7 Difficulty 6
Review Rating: 4/5
Submitted: 01-18-16
Review Replies: 5
9.5
SMB2: Christmas Hack ruesen
Super Mario Brothers 2: Christmas Edition is a simple graphic remake of the original game. Keeping in mind that it is just a graphic remake, some scores will be based on the original game as their really is no difference in some categories.
Starting off with the
graphics, I give it a 10! Every level is influenced with Christmas cheer, whether it's just some snow in the background or ice on a door, to the little Santa hats on shy guys. Even the whole cast has a Christmas costume on for the game; Mario in a Santa hat, Luigi in a elf costume, Princess in a snow gown, and Toad... I think he is supposed to be some sort of snowman, but I cannot be sure. Also, Birdo gets replaced with a Snowman that spits snowballs instead of eggs, and even when you get to Wart, the bubble-belching toad is also wearing a Santa hat! Perhaps a little more work could have been put into the other bosses-Mouser could have easily had a Santa hat, for instance-but I think there is more than enough work gone into the graphics, I could not penalize it for such small details.
Now the
sound. If this were the original game, I would have given this a 7, but I feel that the people who remade this could have added in some Christmas tunes into the game, thus I penalized it and lowered it to a 6. The original tunes are pretty awesome being so catchy, but they also get monotonous enough that you wish something new might pop in. Only dramatic change in music comes when you face off with Wart, which is at the end of the game (the same as it is in the original game).
As for
addictiveness, I give the game a 7. With four different characters to choose from, you could find different combinations with them and different levels to play again. Maybe even do a challenge run of only one certain character, or perhaps ban using the Princess to make the game harder. Only reason I do not rate it any higher is because I do not think I would want to play the exact same game again right away. Maybe after some time passes, like a few weeks or so, but not right away. The graphic changes are very nice, but do not influence me to play it again right away.
The weakest part of Super Mario Brothers 2 was always
the story, and in this remake, it is no exception. For the original game, I usually give it a 3, but the remake artists put a small effort in adding a line in the introduction, so I boosted its score to a 4. The general story described in the introduction is Mario has a dream going up some stairs and opening a mysterious door. He hears a voice calling for help to break a spell. Mario then wakes up, goes to a cave for some reason, and sees the world he saw in his dream. After that, the in-game introduction would normally say "Push Start Button," but in this remake, the message is replaced with "Merry Christmas!"
The problem with this storyline is it does not explain Luigi, Toad, or the Princess's presence in this world. Did Mario call them for help? Did he happen to find out they, too, were asked for help and found themselves in this world? Did they simply wake up, find Mario missing from his bed, and track him down to this world? We do not know! We also do not know how the team knows where to go next. In the original Super Mario Brothers, at least we had a Toad telling us the Princess was in another castle, so Mario was just bumbling around in castles, trying to find the Princess. In this game, one of the four heroes just beats a Birdo (or in this particular game, Snowman) or some other boss, picks up a weird sphere, and walks into a falcon head's mouth to appear in another stage. Nintendo games are able to have a better storyline than this, which makes me judge this part of the game so harshly! I hear there was more story exposure in the remake or in the game manual, but it really should have been put in the game; THIS game!
Back to a more positive part of the game, I rate the
depth of this game a 6. It has 20 levels with varying difficulty, entertaining a player for quite a few hours. Expert players, or ones that know of the hidden warps, might be able to finish the game in much less time, but for the average player, there is a little more than enough to keep you entertained for a bit. It could have used a few more levels, perhaps the people who remade the graphics of the game could have added a pure Christmas level somewhere, but I do not think it was dire to be added.
Now the
difficulty of the game I gave a 5. The game can be easy or hard depending on what characters you use and how good of a platform player you are, thus why such a middle-of-the-road rating. The Princess is by far the easiest character to play as with her ability to float, while Toad is probably the harder character to play as with such a low jump. A few of the later levels can be a little difficult, such as balancing on jumping fish, trying to find a flying enemy to hitch a ride on, or dodging flying enemy patterns in the ice world, but with the right character, skill, and amount of lives, I believe most people could eventually beat this game without too much trouble.
Overall, this is a great graphic hack of the original Super Mario Brothers 2. I normally do not care for simply graphic hacks when I play games, but this was such a vibrant image overhaul that I just had to play it! I love the original Super Mario Brothers 2, and it was great reliving it in a Christmas theme. I rate it a
9.5 overall for its graphical enhancements. It is not a perfect hack as they could have added some new tunes to add to the Christmas theme, maybe could have added a new level or something, but it certainly has enough going for it that one could probably overlook that.
Graphics 10 Sound 6 Addictive 7 Story 4 Depth 6 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 3/5
Submitted: 01-02-13
Updated: 01-02-13
Review Replies: 0
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