In this series of articles we'll write about one Mario game every day for 30 days, each representing a different year as part of our Super Mario 30th Anniversary celebrations.
As part of the inevitable circle of life in gaming, we come to a compilation of remasters. In some respects Nintendo was a trailblazer, as remasters and upscales are all the rage in modern gaming; with good reason, too, as playing a better version of a great title isn't exactly a chore.
As we suggested in our Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World entries of this series, which covered consecutive years, there was notable proximity between the two titles across hardware generations. Yet in the quest to keep entries in the IP fresh Nintendo was still a little time away from what would prove to be a significant diversion with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Not only was there a gap to fill for the company's most bankable franchise, but an opportunity - therefore Super Mario All-Stars was produced.
Had Nintendo simply dumped NES titles onto a SNES cartridge and released as a bundle, it would have probably done just fine. Instead, though, four releases got the remaster treatment in one package.
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- Super Mario Bros. 3
This was, notably, the début of Lost Levels in the West, and you can read our summary of its story right here.
Four games in one, then, yet they arguably became the definitive versions of these titles. Yes, there's a purist angle that prefers the 8-bit original, but all four titles had an impressive visual overhaul to a template far closer to Super Mario World. It was a pretty significant leap in the graphics, and considering that these were some of the finest games of the 8-bit era now being brought up to modern standards, there was understandably plenty of excitement around the bundle.
Audio was also spruced up, and this bundle added a save function; it couldn't be abused like a Virtual Console save state, but it helped a great deal to split up runs if real life got in the way. Like so many of the better remasters nowadays, it was a good-value compilation that enhanced excellent original games, making it a win-win. In 1994-1995 Nintendo would go further in the West by throwing in Super Mario World, too, along with hardware bundles featuring these five top-notch Mario experiences.
Nintendo and its rivals aren't shy of remasters in the modern day - though the big N is less prolific than some other publishers in this area - and the All-Stars collection was an early proponent of the strategy. However, if the SNES release of 1993 was a gem, we should briefly mention Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition on Wii; unfortunately it showed what not to do with a collection of remasters. That promotional edition was a ROM dump of the original All-Stars (no Super Mario World, either) with no tweaks and some underwhelming extras - oh, and it was 50hz in Europe. 50hz! In 2010!
Desirability of such a collection really is all about context, then, and the 1993 release certainly hit its mark.
Comments 42
I LOVED the added backgrounds, especially the ones that were animated. Wish I could get a plain gif of the ones with waterfalls in them.
Also, does anyone think it's strange that the main title theme for Super Mario Bros. 3 is a remix of the original Super Mario Bros. underwater music?
I started playing All-Stars again today, actually. I got it for Christmas in 2010 because it was re-released on the Wii that year.
I wanna play this again. I hope it comes to eshop
Aw, yes. Super Mario All Stars. One of my absolute favorite video game remakes of all time. I even enjoyed the All Stars version of Lost Levels more as well, which has caused frustration and pain in my childhood, but not anymore
I seriously hope this comes to the eShop and as much as I love this game and the Mario series with all my heart, Mario's 25th Anniversary was a huge slap in the face for me.
I remember reading the reviews for this in several magazines in my local John Menzies when it came out.98% in one,99% in an other and I'm sure the very first 100% I'd ever seen.It was a game that I had always wanted to play but never got the chance till around 20 years later on a ROM.I can understand Nintendo not wanting to put it on VC as it would prevent them selling the originals separately but they should at least offer them individually or even include the remastered ones with a purchase of the originals.
This NEEDS to be on the eShop, even though I already have the Wii disc release. I could really make use of the restore points feature.
I bought the Wii release when it came out and while I can easily see the complaints about laziness, I was pleased overall.
They need to make another version of these, with some of the 3D Mario games.
Disappointing game.
It's a great deal on itself, but the conversion of the NES titles (minus SMB2) were lazy and disappointing.
And this is NOT the definite SMB2 and SMB3 versions. The GBA ones are far better.
SMB1, TLL and SMB3 lost their charm. Sure, the new backgrounds were nice, but what about the original settings they were in? It's not like they couldn't have done it. Just a simple palette swap would have worked to add variety.
They broke SMB1 and TLL physics, and TLL lost its identity in the different graphics.
SMB3 was stripped down on its atmosphere and feeling. The bonus room had the underground music, which doesn't fit (they fixed this in the GBA version). World 8-1 and 8-2 lost their unique palettes which made them unique, now they feel the same like all levels before them. All the dungeons have the same blue X block. They are many more like this, but its the small details that matters the most.
Only SMB2 was great overall.
Thankfully, there is a NES homebrew/hack that is basically the same as this, but with the original NES titles.
I'd like to see a new All Stars made that adds NSMB from the Wii as well and all up-rezzed for the Wii U.
I'm really grateful for this collection for introducing me to Mario's NES adventures. I'm not really one of those guys who wants a straight point for point port, unless the rerelease is bugged or something. So the improved art is a huge treat.
I do hope this hits digital. I'd love to get it again.
You know what's weird? I look at this and then I look at Super Mario Maker.
I always thought that they were going to include Super Mario Bros. 2, aka Super Mario Advance, in SMM. I never understood why Nintendo didn't add that game, considering that is also suppose to be a Super Mario game.
I remember getting the system with Super Mario World, buying Super Mario Kart at the same time, and getting a mail-in offer: send in a form and the system's UPC and I got All Stars. What a great way to get acquainted with a console.
@Gridatttack Agreed on the messed up physics in TLL. They also got the way Mario reacts to hitting blocks backwards too, in the NES games Super Mario would gain some extra height when hitting a breakable block, but in All-Stars he rebounds the wrong way. Someone actually made a patch to fix it: http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/167/
Regarding the Super Mario All-Stars + World combo cartridge, does anyone know if it's true that World is missing the parallax scrolling in the backgrounds? I'm sure I read somewhere once that it was removed for that version.
Loved this cart.
Perhaps Nintendo, brimming with 30th cheer, will finally put it on the VC where it belongs. Or at the very least bring out the GBA port of SMB 3.
@BulkSlash Yeah, the broken physics in SMB1 and TLL was really horrible.
The underground levels were the most affected. And yeah, I unfortunately came to discover the patch long after I finished both games.
@WaveBoy Thank you. You're the first one I see you agree on that. I played SMAS when it came out, closely after playing the NES originals, and while I enjoyed it at first, the 16 bit graphics update novelty eventually wore off. I suppose nintendo didn't wanted to mess more, and just quickly 'upgrade' the game. I mean, the unused SMB3 levels and objects are still there (even the GBA one has them too)
@Tsurii the fun thing is I actually played the game first on a pal SNES. My cousin bought the SNES with the game when he was on a trip to europe (so he ended getting locked with this game only),
And being salty about this? You got the context wrong. More like, disappointed. But if you would sacrifice gameplay for graphics, then good for you.
Bought this on day one for the SNES. Didn't leave the house for a week. Great memories.
I got this SNES bundle which I sold my Mega Drive for. Put in many hours but ultimately played Star Fox and Super Star Wars way more.
When I was a kid I sent a letter to Nintendo asking them to release Super Mario Bros. series on the SNES because I missed the NES and a two years later they release this masterpiece with much better visuals and sound! LOL
Super Mario All Stars should be released on the eShop, Nintendo! I want to have it with HDMI output, please!!
@Raien The fun thing is. I was too little when I played the first 3 SMB.
I don't have many memories of them, as I cant recall them. (All I remember is, I couldn't pass world 4 of SMB2, and I couldn't pass the ice world in SMB3)
I remember the SNES version more than the NES one because I was older. Then I had a pause from nintendo as I got a PS1. It wasn't until the GBA when I was excited to see SMB3 again, and I played it and 100% it.
It wasnt until later that I got one of those bootled 149 in 1 games GBA cart, which featured NES games, including SMB3.
When I played it again, it felt more different, and a new experience compared to the remakes.
You see, they are things like all the levels take place in daytime in the remakes (except the desert levels), and when I reached world 3, I noted the sky solid color was orange, assuming sunset, which is one what would expect from a beach. The game felt sort of different and fresh, as it was presented different. Not to mention some levels had a different palette variation which made them fun. Like in the 2 dungeons in world 2, which have deep blue colored X block, which added more the feel of a water fortress. best example is, world 8-1. In the remakes is just another plain level, with the colored blocks just green and some sort of out of place bush background, but in the nes game, it alluded to the dark world theme. You could see the black and white pipes, as well as the white outlines of the hills decoration and the colored blocks. It feels unique and its something not seen in the remakes, in which they just use the standard color palette seen before.
I could go on and on, but I learned to appreciate the simpler and more different way the game was presented.
I suppose I note the small details in the levels, because as one who actively mods these 2D mario games, im looking to make unique levels, not the same thing we have seen before.
The first time I played this version of the games was through the collection that they released on the Wii back in 2010. While I enjoyed it I definitely felt they should have put in a little more effort to celebrate their mascot's anniversary, though the booklet and soundtrack cd was pretty cool to have. I even put the songs onto my phone and sometimes hear Mario tunes on the way to and from work every now and then.
Twenty-two years ago, Nintendo would take not one, but four NES games, go through the trouble of updating the graphics and sound, put them all on a physical cart, and give them away--for free. Why? Because people viewed these games as outdated.
And now they're willing to pay for a single, unaltered version delivered via download. It's incredible how people's perspective towards old games has changed.
Great memories playing these games as a kid with my neighbors. I'm a purist in many ways but I'll always prefer these remasters over the 8-bit versions.
Now this is a great compilation—the pack with Super Mario World included, even more so.
I'd like to see Nintendo release something like this again, but with even more classic games from the 2D era that had Mario in them. Games like SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW, Yoshi's Island, Dr. Mario, Donkey Kong (go for the arcade version), Super Mario Kart, Mario Paint, etc.. It could also include an option to switch between the old and new graphics on the games found in the original SMA-S pack. Also, maybe Nintendo could even include various "history of" and "making of" type videos and stuff. And how about including a Super Mario Maker type level editor in there too. You get the gist—basically just like Rare has done with Rare Replay, but focussed on Mario.
I think that would be a totally sweet celebration of Mario's awesome 2D past.
". . . we should briefly mention Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition on Wii; unfortunately it showed what not to do with a collection of remasters. That promotional edition was a ROM dump of the original All-Stars (no Super Mario World, either) with no tweaks and some underwhelming extras - oh, and it was 50hz in Europe. 50hz! In 2010!"
Indeed.
I love the SNES version of "All-Stars", but always felt the 5-game combo cart was a bit much. After all, "Super Mario World" came with most of the SNES systems back then, just like the original did with the NES...so why add it to "All-Stars" later on? Besides that, Nintendo did a great job with it; "Lost Levels" still kicks my ass more often than not, though.
Would love to get this on the 3ds for a decent price
Absolutely loved this game when it came out! I still enjoy the soundtrack to this day.
I still play my cart of All-Stars and Super Mario World to this day!
Wait a freaking minute! Did someone in editorial forget about Super Mario Land 2 while choosing Mario History titles to reminisce? That game was launched a year prior to this entry.
it bothers me that they don't sell this 16 bit versions of the game... I understand they don't sell All stars because they make more money by selling the games individually but they could make it so at least when you buy smb1, for example, you get both the 8 bit and 16 bit versions
@Raien Well, the cart is 2.5mb (with SMW included)
I don't think it wasn't viable, its simply nintendo making a lazy port on SMB3.
They did a good job on SMB2 though.
I suppose in reality was just a simple matter of making alternate palettes for the levels (like SMW2: YI did) Also, believe it or not, the game has different graphics banks for each game. This means that SMB1 and TLL share different graphics location. They just simply copied SMB1 graphics on the lost levels, and it wasn't like it would be more man hours to make the sprites, as I tried long ago to recreate the TLL unique graphics from the FD and they looked fine.
But yeah, overall, its good, just a bit disappointing for me in some of the games.
When my parents bought me my Super NES (for around $179.95), it came with 2 controllers, Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart and an advertised coupon for this game (which would cost $39.95). I deeply want more games so I had them sent the coupon to Nintendo along with $40 plus s & h and got the game several weeks later. I had to say, I never regret any of this, was probably the best moment in gaming for me.
@Tsurii The GBA version of Super Mario World is better simply because Luigi is no longer a mere palette swap, and you don't shrink straight to small Mario when you get hit while having a power-up.
@John_Enigma I'd think it's because SMB2 had completely different gameplay mechanics (being a reskinned outsider and all). The different graphical styles in Super Mario Maker all use the gameplay of the New Super Mario Bros. games at their core, after all, so it really wouldn't make sense to see Mario running around Subcom jumping into POW blocks and stomping on Shyguys and Birdos.
@dudujencarelli While it's disappointing to see that one skipped, I can understand why they went with "Super Mario Kart" instead for 1992.
I traded it in at Gamestation for £3 along with the SNES. I don't regret the SNES, all the best games had been ported or remade on later consoles (primarily on the GBA or Wii) by that point, but in retrospect that was a silly trade in on my part.
@WaveBoy I'll give you the TV argument, although the GBA Player makes it a moot point, but it's always been quite a challenging game (although SMB3 may be even worse). I've never gotten past World 3 on the GBA version, and I don't know if I could beat World 2 on the SNES version without VC Restore Point abuse.
Funny how the Super Mario World port is ignored. There was a separate Luigi sprite that's different than the original game. But due to it being extremely violent, that port was entirely removed.
The GBA one had a different Luigi Sprite and is the best one honestly. Some are sentimental over that port and while I can understand how the original barely made any changes to Luigi as just being a Mario clone but only with a different palate, adding those odd changes to that sprite was....odd at best.
Legendary game. It was re-released with Super Mario World included, but that was missing with the Wii release. Another poor decision by Nintendo.
@Gridatttack could you post a link to that nes homebrew/hack for the first 3 games?
@Jt23738 Sure.
Here is the link to the video showcasing it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMZb2U1Xeyg
You can find the download and information in the video description (Be sure to read the readme in the download).
Do note, its NOT the ROM (because sharing them is illegal), so you have to get the one needed somewhere else.
I would post the direct link to the patch itself, but mods here are nitpicky when it comes to mods like this.
@DarthNocturnal I agree with you, it's got over looked maybe?
but I still agree
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