Poll: Super Mario All-Stars Is 30 Years Old - Do You Prefer The NES Or SNES Versions Of The Classics?

I personally prefer the GBA versions, they were just what I needed!!

SNES versions are the best. I am definitely not biased despite being my first way to play.

Mario 3 specifically looks so much better on the NES in my book.

"This 16-bit collection launched on 14th July 2023 in Japan".

Not that long ago is it?

snes easily...because i have to add more to say before i am allowed to post lol..

Mario All stars was the first time i played the originals so I am biased towards it. Just couldn't get through the Lost Levels though

interesting, readers of this site are older than I thought.

@IceClimbersMain Same here. I love all versions of these games but now that I can play the GBA games on the TV there’s no reason for me to play any other version 😂. Just my personal preference but I love them.

Depends. Mario 1 and 2, NES all the way. World, SNES is the only true option. Mario 3, GBA all the way.

The first game (and Lost Levels) looks kind of weird in SMAS, and there's a glitch with the brick breaking that makes the whole thing feel mushy. The music is nice though, and I like the snow.

2 and 3 look great in SMAS, and 2 fixes the background animation glitch (one frame doesn't get shown), but I like the music way better on the NES.

I was born in 1992 and as a very young child, All Stars was the first version of these Mario games that I played. I have a soft spot for them, and revisiting it years later I can see little flaws. Nowadays, I prefer the graphics of all stars but the movement/mechanics of the NES games. So they each have their own charms for sure.

Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World was the first game I ever played as a kid when I was like 3 years old. It holds a very special place in my heart as my literal introduction to gaming. I never expected it to come to NSO since that game was never available on Wii U Virtual Console. I was incredibly happy when it finally did, although I'm still PO'd at Nintendo that they haven't brought back the Mario All-Stars theme from Tetris 99. They've reintroduced lots of ones that released afterwards, so I can only assume it was secretly part of the Mario 35th Anniversary limited promotions, which is infuriating. I had college finals that week.

As far as The Lost Levels goes, I love this version of it. On NES, it's almost unplayable because if you get a Game Over, you have to start all the way from the beginning. But in Mario All-Stars, you can still restart from the same level. I'd really recommend playing through the game if you haven't already, as it's really fun. After you beat the regular 8 worlds, it unlocks a whole World A, B, C, and D. Really cool stuff. Most modern Mario games have at least one Special World you unlock, but this is something that actually goes all the way back to 1986 or whenever this game first released in Japan. The Lost Levels is easily the most compelling feature in this package.

But yeah, some of my earliest core memories are of playing Super Mario All-Stars with my dad and older brother. I have so much nostalgia for this title. The GBA games are still compelling for completionists like me with the added collectibles. But with the overabundance of voice lines and the washed-out colors and inferior sound quality.

It would be awesome to have the NES/SNES/GBA versions compiled in a single physical release.

Maybe throw in the DS/Wii/3DS New Super Mario Bros. games for good measure as well (or make that its own collection if you're feeling particularly stingy, Nintendo).

I remember when it came out on the SNES. It was unheard of, felt like the deal of the century. And the graphics enhancements were very well received.

Some markets had it bundled with SMW on one cartridge no? As a console pack-in.

I love feeling the creeping hands of death and old age as everything I loved as a child continues to hit significant milestones.

Though to answer the question, I prefer the NES versions of Mario 2 and 3, but the SNES version of Mario 1.

I prefer all snes version. I also think that all Snes remakes looks a lot better then Super Mario world. There is something with the look there i dont like. Mayby the colors are to dark
the lack of details.

I don’t feel strong enough about one version to exclude the other from preference

@duffmmann
@johnedwin

Mario 3's all starts version, as well as its vc version took out some of the secrets.

An example of this is in a scrolling level on world 1 where the player could get a pwing of they got every coin in the level.

When I couldn't do it on these versions, I youtubed it, followed every step and coin (in case I'd forgotten something), and it still wasn't there.

Thus, mario 3 was better in its original nest form for its additional secrets.

Though I've played very little of the SNES versions, I do prefer them, while nostalgia definitely keeps the originals on par. So it's a close call, actually.

The All-stars versions are improvements on the originals, but the definitive versions of both SMB2 and SMB3 are the GBA ports! ^_^

@duffmmann This is a fair take, I dont think I'd say better, but not really worse either.

@NintendoWife Yep, this was the version I grew up with. It even had some changes not present in the original SMW. The title screen also had an orange background instead of the blue one found in the original Mario All-Stars.

I prefer SMB on the NES, the rest on All Stars

NES version all the way, ESPECIALLY for SMB1 and Lost Levels.
For SMB2 and 3, I can take the All Stars versions, and even the Super Mario Advance versions no problemo. But the SM All-Stars versions of SMB1 and Lost Levels really feel "wrong" in a fundamental way.

I love both the NES and SNES versions for different reasons. They’re both aesthetically beautiful graphically and musically in their unique ways, and equally fun to play. I couldn’t choose one over the other.

GBA sucks, though. That soundchip…

@Uncle_Franklin Readers of the site that clicked on an article about Super Mario All-stars

The answers for the last poll are not balanced. Three options are positive, one is off-topic and the last one is extremely negative. The worst 2D Mario by far is New Super Mario Bros. 2. The Lost Level is bad but not necessarily the worst. The SNES version makes it much much better. Give it a try!

On the first topic, I think that the SNES versions of the classic games are the best but I also grew up playing them.

Exception of the original SMB, I prefer the GBA versions of these games all the way. Despite some minor screen crunch, I prefer the significant QOL features and updates that these brought to the table that are often overlooked.

Super Mario 2 is the only one better on SNES

@Tamino Can't even say
'I remember it like it was yesterday' to that!

I loved SMW and thought it was audio-visually revolutionary at the time of its release (and still impresses me to thus day), but I grew up with the NES Mario games and had spent countless hours into each...and I just thought the All-Stars treatment of those games was extremely generic, to say the least. Maybe because it's 4 games-in-one, but All Stars looks very aesthetically lazy to me.

All in all, the original versions All have a simple but bold look that is entirely missing from the All Stars release. Same goes for the music, which trades in boldness for mush. I remember feeling deeply disappointed in the game on its release...and I still feel that way 30 years later.

@Olliemar28 @Asaki That's interesting. Now that it's been pointed out, I understand what you guys are saying about the "squishy" bricks. Since this was my original exposure to Super Mario Bros., I've always just been used to it and never consciously thought about it. I'd have to replay them both and do a comparison, but you're probably both right that the original NES version had a better feel to it when smashing blocks. I still prefer the SNES version, but it's a fascinating observation.

Can anyone tell me why Nintendo's re-releases of Mario All-Stars aren't the version that includes Super Mario World. For NSO, it makes sense because SMW is already on there (even though the All-Stars version is slightly different), but it should have been on the Wii release.

I really like the graphical overhaul in SMB in All Stars, but overall the NES versions are the way to go.

Mario 1: NES
Mario 2 : GBA all the way (smacing verdion with lots of improvements)
Mario 3: NES
Lost levels: I prefer the Family game version (the one I played back in the day because Nintendo didn’t care about latin america and we got a lot of japanese exclusive games via chinese bootlegs)

I tried the SNES versions back in the day on an emulator and now on NSO (Graphics are cool, but they Butchered the soundtracks in my opinion)

I love Lost Levels! I was a young kid with a plastic brain, ample free time, and a limited number of games to play when All-Stars came out, so I kept playing Lost Levels until I beat it. Still a hard game now but I know it inside and out and replay it regularly.

Daycare classics

@Banjo-

This is a common take that always breaks my soul. New Super Mario Bros. 2 is uninspired, sure. Reusing the same music from NSMB Wii was pretty lazy, and I hate how the background blurs when you enable 3D. But I still really love this game, I have to admit. I was really happy they brought back the Racoon Suit after so long. The Tanooki Suit in 3D Land and many subsequent games doesn't count, as you can't actually fly with it. Classic enemies like Reznor from SMW make their return here, too. The game also added 2-player co-op, which is something the original DS game was supposed to have but was scrapped, presumably due to graphical limitations. I never got to try the co-op, but I think that's pretty neat.

And it has historical value as both the first retail Nintendo game available for download from the eShop and the first Nintendo game to receive paid DLC. The importance of this cannot be understated, as every physical Nintendo game gets a digital release now, and paid DLC has become a common trend for them. In some small way, you could say that if NSMB2 didn't exist, you never would have gotten Banjo in Smash because Nintendo never got on board with DLC.

I also just think the levels are fun! They're pretty standard in terms of not having a lot of crazy gimmicks, but I don't think every game necessarily needs to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes, if the core gameplay is fun enough, all I really want from a sequel is... more of the same. Look at Sticker Star and how we could've had a solid Paper Mario game if Miyamoto hadn't said it looked too similar to TTYD. Now, Tanabe says he wants every game to do something different and "innovative."

Even though the environments are the same as other NSMB games, the graphical leap from the DS one to this was significant enough that the backgrounds stood out to me as being quite pretty. I'm glad they're trying something actually "new" with Wonder, but I still love SMB2 for what it was. They shouldn't have released it within mere months of the Wii U game, which I think significantly contributed to the fatigue, but I enjoy it.

Surely we can agree that it holds up better than the original Super Mario Land, no? I'm honestly wanting to go back and replay NSMB2 now, lol. My backlog is so big though, and I should really be chipping away at that instead.

Technically speaking, the All Stars versions are superior, especially SMB2, but I somehow still prefer the OG. Both have their place.

Saying this as someone who played the All Stars versions first, SMB and TLL are better on NES solely due to how the brick breaking mechanic works.

Otherwise, the All Stars versions of all the games best the original counterparts.

Also it's still ridiculous that whenever All Stars is re-released, it's never the one that includes World, meaning that version of World, and that version of Luigi, was never seen again.

In any case. All great games and I still like to play them from time to time.

İ love the Snes version more. The Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels is way Super hard. İ can not beat it. İmpossible for me.

I prefer the NES originals. Didn't realize All-Stars came out when I was 7. Thanks for reminding I am getting old Nintendolife!

I'm old enough to have played the original games on the NES when I was a kid, and having replayed them a few times since then, the gameplay is still very good and the 8-bit graphics still look fine, so I've no need for graphically updated versions of them.

As others have said, the controls/physics feel off in the SNES and GBA versions if you are used to the NES games. The extras and improvements in newer versions are nice but not nice enough to become my default way to play. If they are the first versions you played though, I can see how they'd seem superior.

For me, Mario 3 specifically looks best on NES. Not quite sure why. Perhaps because it's so impressive for the hardware limitations, or just because is cleaner and simpler.

@Kazman2007 Nintendo pretends that version doesn't exist because someone (maybe Miyamoto?) doesn't like the changes made to Mario World. A shame as its the definitive version imo.

So, I marked that I played these on NSO, but... there's this little thing called Snes9x...

I am more curious about the second poll. How does everyone compare and view the GBA version to All-Stars to the originals?
I have never beat each game 100%, so want to dive in to the best version of each before trying.

For me:
-Super Mario Bros would be the best version of the game except for the brick physics not ricocheting properly
-The Lost Levels would be the same way but since it does make it easier to unlock the postgame worlds plus a more forgiving life system its better lol
-Super Mario Bros. 2's boss and underground music is way less good but it removes limited continues and lets players choose a different character after dying, so its better gameplay wise
-Super Mario Bros. 3 is basically the same as far as i know. both versions are fantastic. I prefer the Airship levels in All-Stars, tho i like playing the NES one just cause its the original lol

NES versions all the way. I grew up with All-Stars, but as an adult I prefer each game's original distinctive art style.

For those of us who grew up playing the NES versions, All-Stars was a nice collection, but everything looked homogenized and I remember really hating how the physics changed in SMB. Blah.

This article reminds me I never did give the Lost Levels an honest try. I'll have to give it a shot someday.

@Not_Soos Oh boy, I need a coffee with you to properly explain everything. I bought New Super Mario Bros. 2 digitally for my Nintendo 3DS, I think it was the Nintendo 3DS XL at that point, now I have the New Nintendo 3DS (smaller model). I spent more money than what it cost physically in Ireland, I was there at that time.

I played it a lot, I think I got half a million coins or around that. I tried but I could never, ever like it. The graphics, the level design and the music were all... uninspired and dull. The Racoon Suit was a great addition but I remember the eShop comparing this game to Super Mario Bros. 3 and it can't hold a candle! I read all the Iwata Asks when they were posted on Nintendo's site. One of them explained that this game was developed by a newer team and then I understood. I'm going to admit that it may be ahead of Super Mario Land, though.

It's interesting that you mention the Reznor because Super Mario World is the best Mario game, in my opinion. Comparing the graphics and the music from both games, New Super Mario Bros. 2 comes as abominable but I thank you for your friendly answer, I really appreciate it. New Super Mario Bros. U is the only "New" title that I like so is that enough?

Super Mario World is wonderful but some games that made the most of unique level design without doing impossible and ridiculous things like, I don't know, some indie games, is the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. From the first game to the third, each one introduced addictive gimmicks in different levels. Add the tight controls (compared to Retro's DK games), beautiful graphics and excellent music and you get three masterpieces.

You can replay New Super Mario Bros. 2 if you promise to replay Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U, too 😜.

I saw them as fun alternative/enhanced versions of the original games, and I liked being able to save my progress, but I preferred playing the original NES games.

Didn't play NES versions til years later, I prefer SNES but enjoy all versions. Mario 2 is amazingly better on GBA though

Purely for nostalgic reasons I have to go for the original nes versions. All Stars is fantastic too though, it really was mind blowing seeing them with snes style graphics back in the day.

the real mind blower is imaging All Stars remade today. what would they add, change, etc?

I mean, getting my SNES as a child and playing All Stars after playing all those on the NES was amazing.
I didn't even know what it was, I remember I thought it was an all new Mario game. So figuring out it was all those games I loved but prettier (I didn't know what "remastered" was at that time), it blew my mind.

Now, as an adult, I do prefer the NES versions for the original Mario game, and The lost levels. Something about how Mario moves feels weird on my fingers, after playing so much the NES version.

But I do like 2 and 3 more, since you don't really need the agility of Mario that much like you need on the original Mario.

It's such a bit moment in gaming history for me, I can have the worst of days but I play any of those Marios and man, it just takes any sadness away.

A way to appreciate how impressive these were at the time is to experience Ninja Gaiden Trilogy by contrast. It was almost the Super Mario 3D All-Stars of its day. 😂

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see anyone mention battery save and level skipping as a reason to prefer SNES. SMB3 is just so long that All-Stars made the game playable without magic whistles so that you could experience the beautiful variety. That has to count for something.

When playing retro games I always prefer the original.

@Olliemar28 You mean all of them, even SMB3 you think feels fundamentally different on the SNES?

Interesting, I haven't touched the NES version in years, but the SNES version feels good to me, I didn't immediately notice a difference.

Some of the physics are wrong in SMB Allstars, so no. The only Allstars version I prefer over NES is of SMB2 (US).

I did play All stars when I was on my emulator binge years ago back when the internet was still new and exciting.

I prefer the original games for sure, I don't like the All Star audio at all.

@Banjo-

Yeah, no problem. They're just video games at the end of the day, and people are allowed to dislike things. Throwing a fit over someone not liking a video game is just incredibly immature when there are so many real problems in the world. Although personally, I think even heavy subjects like political issues should be discussed with mutual respect and cordiality; anything else demonstrates a lack of emotional intelligence, which unfortunately is a skill most people don't seem to have. I'm not gonna curse you out even if you said you wouldn't wipe your butt with my favorite game, lol. At the end of the day, why should I care that much? We're all gamers--the discussion about our shared hobby should just be fun.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 was a launch title for the 3DS XL, so you probably picked them up day-and-date with each other. I grew up with Super Mario World--it was one of my earliest childhood games--so I love it and also really love NSMBU. I go back to them more frequently than NSMB2 because they're both on Switch and it's more convenient. I probably have forgotten a lot of the levels in NSMB2. If I do play it again, I'll try to be more conscious about how it compares to those other games. I do recall NSMB2 having better swimming physics than NSMBU, though. If you hold the button, you could freely swim in any direction slowly for more precision. Whereas holding the button in NSMBU only allows you to slowly sink--you can't float back up that way. It's a little thing, but it did always stand out to me.

I always viewed NSMBU as the definitive console New Super Mario Bros. game and NSMB2 as the definitive handheld New Super Mario Bros. game. I haven't played through NSMB Wii or DS in who knows how many years now? But I never feel the need to get the old hardware out when both games got what I would consider more refined sequels. Maybe I'll find it doesn't hold up as well as I remember, who knows? But I have done at least a few playthroughs, so I don't see my opinion drastically changing.

I definitely wouldn't put it on the same pedestal as SMB3 or World. But I also don't necessarily think NSMBU blows it out of the water. I like them pretty much the same. NSMBU has more content, 4-player co-op, and an interconnected world map, so that one may be a little better by default. Although I kinda think NSMB2 might be the prettier game, even if it's graphically inferior, because it doesn't have that plastic sheen. It feels a lot more vibrant to me.

SNES for me. And it's actually mostly because of the control. The downward angle from Y to B or X to A I found far more comfortable. It's for that reason even the GBA versions of the games, which otherwise I'd probably say are the best, don't quite get it with the necessary upward angle from "run" to "jump."

For the record I still play them most on GBA because the SP is the perfect little console with an amazing library.

Played the collection on all the systems it's been on

It's case by case with Super Mario All Stars. I think Super Mario 2 is the best of the SNES versions. I had trouble getting back into SMB2 on GBA or the original NES version. The SNES version is the one that got me back into it. Now I can play the SNES or NES versions depending on what I want. The SNES cleans up some of the slowdown. The NES version is fun when I want that look and sound.

Super Mario 3 is also well done on All Stars, but it loses much of the stage-play aesthetic. And the sound is a bit muffled. SMB3 was such an achievement on the NES that I still prefer it. It looks good considering the limitations, but the music and sound effects are very strong in the original. The jump sound effect is especially fun. But both versions are excellent.

Super Mario 1 and Lost Levels are flawed on All Stars. I think they look weird from the graphical overhaul too, much of which comes down to some of the tiles they used. There are ROM hacks to restore the normal brick floors which helps. But there's also a hack to fix the REAL problem. When big Mario breaks a brick block, he gets sucked upward toward the block instead of bouncing off. Turns out, it was a programming gaffe. There's the hack I mentioned that reverses that particular momentum and then it feels and performs the way it should. Playing it with the flaw feels really odd since I'm familiar with how it's supposed to feel having grown up playing the original NES game.

As for Lost Levels itself, I finally played it a few years back. I liked it more than I expected. It is hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. I was worried it was going to be closer to some modern games that designed to be super tough, or some Mario Maker type stuff. It wasn't. But it was definitely the right call for Nintendo to convert Doki Doki Panic as Mario 2 back in the day.

I like the look of the SNES version but there's something about the squirelliness of the original NES versions I love, especially on 3. Problem is NES hardware failed so quickly it wasn't a great way to keep playing.

Lost Levels felt like someone's lackluster showoff Mario Maker levels. They were difficult but just not any fun, I'm glad we got Doki Doki Panic reskinned instead. The idea that Mario can get reinvented went well with the series.

My wonderful wife isn’t a gamer by any means, but she did happen to play the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES back in the late 80’s. The most recent time she played it was shortly after we got married in 1995 and she still knows the game like the back of her hand.

Now funnily enough, earlier this very week, she asked me if SMB was playable on Switch. When I replied in the affirmative, she asked me to fire it up. But when I booted up the All-Stars version on the SNES NSO app, she asked why it looked so bad. Funny how our memories trick us like that. Then I showed her the original on the NES app and I think she began to appreciate the upgraded visuals of the 16bit version.

We proceeded to play it over the next few evenings, finishing it last night, and it’s safe to say that we both had an absolute blast playing together, taking turns each level. That’s the first time we’ve played any game together since 1995. I really do hope I don’t have to wait another 28 years until the next time!

@IceClimbersMain

this in-joke was "just what i needed!" 😂 my best childhood friend and i have been saying this out of context for... (looks at wrist) decades(?!)

I was flat-out adult-style broke for the entire duration of 3D all-stars' availability.

I love Nintendo a little less now. 😔 i just cant imagine why they would do that to their most die-hard fans.

btw i voted "played it on SNES" but the real answer is "played it on all of the above."

i prefer the OG titles of course. im actually shocked that im in the minority, here! as much as i love All-Stars, the original games are PERFECT. All stars is... slightly less than. though i love having battery backup.

also the people saying Lost Levels is "too hard" miss the point of lost levels, i feel. i think of it as starting at world 9-1, a literal SMB pt 2. 👍

in fact, itd be cool if they made a 16 world SMB game set up like this! with switchable nes/snes graphics and sounds.

Honestly it's hard for me to say but I'm giving the edge to the NES one for me personally. When I think of the original Mario Bros Trilogy I always think of the original 8 bit versions.

But I love the SNES versions as well. So really it's personal preference that I pick the NES versions even they technically are inferior but much more iconic.

I have this deep muscle memory for SMB and SMB3 that only works on the NES versions. The look of the graphics, the feel of the controller and the 8-bit music put me in a euphoric trance. I can fly through those games without a second's thought.

The SNES controllers are too different and I suspect don't quite play the same, though I can't say for sure. Everything about them is slightly different. It gives me an a sense of the uncanny, like I've inhaled some alien spore and now the fungal horror is scrambling my psyche.

The NES versions of SMB1 and Lost Levels are superior since they don't have the brick physics bug. That ruins the SNES versions.

SNES SMB2 and 3 are better though since they simply look better and don't have any major bugs.

@Not_Soos Exactly, this is how we should deal with different opinions and perceptions. One of the things that disappointed me in the first game for Nintendo DS was that the Koopalings were excluded. I think that they are cool and funny and I was happy to see them in the sequels. That's something that 2 has! Good point about the swimming physics.

I very recently, we're talking last week, picked up the Wii Port, had no idea that it was having an anniversary this week, its really cool to have these games on a celebratory disc. Even though I have played them all a thousand times and have access to them on literally everything lol, its great that they can sit together on one piece with a bunch of extra bits 'n' bobs to make it feel like these games are as special as they are.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels NES
Super Mario Advance
Super Mario Bros. 3 All-Stars

Super NES versions are definitely good but I prefer the NES ones for the tighter controls and more better physics. Super Mario Bros. and the Lost Levels felt a bit too slippery in the All-Stars versions.

I like them all because of the variety. These are some of the most replayable games out there, so having a number of versions makes them more enjoyable to go back to.

Didn't they change the jump physics in All -Stars for SMB1 and Lost Levels? As someone who was used to the original jumping it seemed off to me on the SNES.

But in general All Stars was mind blowing at the time.

For the have you played option, where is the All of the above button.

Since Super Mario All-Stars was my first Mario game, I'm obviously a bit biased... However, with Super Mario Bros. (and Lost Levels, if I want to torture myself), I'd pick the original NES versions. Otherwise, with Mario 2 and 3, I'd go with the All-Stars versions.

"This 16-bit collection launched on 14th July 2023 in Japan, meaning this classic compilation is 30 years old."

@AlanaHagues, are you writing this from the future? If so, can you please tell us when the Switch Pro finally came out, so we can prepare accordingly? Thanks!

I grew up with the SNES versions, and I prefer them to the NES originals, but the GBA re-releases are by far the best.

Clearly nintendo life's demographic is those born in the eighties judging by the votes.

I liked the NES versions quite a lot myself, but I'll always stick to the SNES versions at the end of the day for the save system alone.

Gotta go with the NES versions, but only because the limitations kinda defined the art. Like, the remakes are great, and probably better overall, but the original vision of those games is so massively influential that I can't make an argument for them not being the best way to experience the games.

@IceClimbersMain why do you prefer the versions that look and sound worse than the originals?

I find it very interesting that an extremely significant difference between NES/SNES versions wasn't mentioned anywhere: none of the NES versions allowed saving your game.

I remember getting the SNES all stars for my birthday the year it came out. I think it was the last game I purchased for the SNES at that time as well. I only rented games after that point for the system. I enjoyed the challenge of the Lost levels and did a complete run of it.
The save state QoL was much needed and kept me engaged.

I prefer the NES version of Super Mario Bros, and the Super NES version of the rest. The controls of the Super NES SMB feel more floaty. Also, and this is going to sound weird, the soundtrack of the SNES version has a note that always sounded like someone yawning to me? I don't know what the sound actually is, but I find it distracting. I think this is just me being weird.

NES Mario is iconic and I often will go back to those versions (especially Mario 1 and Lost Levels) just because of that, but in general, I prefer to play the SNES ones. After all, the SNES versions can save natively. (And in the case of Lost Levels, you no longer have to beat the game eight times to see the bonus worlds...)

For Mario 3, though? It's the GBA version with all those bonus levels...makes me glad that the Switch gives us all three. (Well, okay, we still don't have SMB Deluxe, but we don't have SML1 on Switch yet either.)

NES because SNES has way worse controls. Usually I prefer SNES versions but they dropped the ball with this.

That is, if you use the SRAM saving hack.

@Olliemar28 That wasn't true as a kid though. I played the originals and received the SNES All Stars version after that and loved it even more so.

@NintendoWife
Defo towards the end of the SNES'S life over here.

I didn't have a NES as a kid, so the extra month and a half wait, until it was released August 30 in North America, felt like forever to be able to enjoy those classics for the first time.

Since I grew up with a SNES and Genesis and all the kids I knew never had an NES, I grew up thinking the All Stars version was the original version of Mario 3 and the way it should look. I didn't play the NES originals until many years later, and it's pretty rough by comparison, so I still greatly prefer the All Stars version.

@Not_Soos 8-bit Lost Levels only makes you start back at the beginning of the current world (and has a menu for it. No code needed, unlike the first game.) Though getting only three lives instead of five makes it a real kick in the pants on top of not getting to retry the exact level you lost on.
At least the west experienced that version first on digital releases, which as a side effect mitigated the fact that Japanese gamers playing on original hardware back in the day had to do it with no saving (you can continue all you want but if you turn the console off, you start over) (it only saved the number of times you completed the game, taking it quite a bit of effort to raise that to even one completion).

@IceClimbersMain I see what you did there.

@YoshiFlutterJump I think the ability to enjoy SMB DX depends on how well you know the NES/SNES versions. It might be a reasonably playable (camera issues aside) video game on its own, but it rewrites most or all of the physics which is infuriating if you are accustomed to the earlier versions.
Unfortunately, the thing I most have to say about SMB DX is that the Japanese version specifically can and should be an example thrown in Nintendo's face about ROM downloads as a necessity. People say it has updated content over the western versions but it is no longer possible to ensure one is paying for a legitimate copy of the video game (again, that specific revision). It was only ever available legitimately on the Japanese store as a time-exclusive promotion. The game was not given an original standard cartridge release either, it was only available on the Nintendo Power service (which was them basically officially selling ROMs in Japan) and about 20 years after the service launched (10 years after it was discontinued), copy-protection on the special cartridges was cracked, making it unable to tell if a previously loaded used cartridge is legitimate.
And this is a big name game that Nintendo has no reason to not provide legal access to (not even in its native region).
Much like DK Original Edition. A game that was pirated as soon as it was dumped off its PAL Wii-exclusive debut and has since only been available legally in North America as a limited time offer and never in Japan. Another game that Nintendo could be providing legal access to internationally but isn't.

NES easily. While the SNES remasters are fun, there's just something not right about them.

I have the originals CIB (even lost levels), SNES version and the Wii versions. Once I move my son and I are going to teach each other how to play the games we like

I prefer the Nintendo versions Super Mario Bros 3 looks incredible considering it's running on a 1983 system.

I prefer the SNES versions of all of the games. I do think that the NES music is better in most cases, but the visuals make up for that.

I want the game updated in HD and widescreen

I prefer the NES versions. The music in All Stars has that tinny reverberation that many later SNES games seemed to have, which I don’t like.

Plus there’s that glitch with the way Mario gets pushed downwards when he hits blocks from underneath which is backwards to how the NES versions work.

The SNES versions are great, but they lose some of the NES games' distinct identity and charm. The black-and-white level from SMB1 (6-3) is now in full colour, SMB3 no longer looks like a stage play, SMB3's undergrounds are no longer trippy outer space environments, and those booming drum samples in SMB3 have been replaced with generic, tinny, boring ones.

Plus, Nintendo based All-Stars off SMB3's Japanese 1.0 release (and hastily ported the two most obvious US changes over), so some bugfixes are missing, as is the "New Game +" which gives you 28 P Wings.

These nitpicks are nothing that a new player would care about, but it's kind of a bummer for those of us who started with the NES originals.

I have kinda of a bittersweet story about this game. Having owned a NES with SMB3 previously, Super Mario World was obviously the most anticipated game for me, the hype was very high! When I finally received my SNES, I was very disapointed it didn't came with World, but with All-Stars as pack-in game, which I've never heard before.

I was only able to beat SMW 2 years later, when I borrowed the game from a friend.

All-Stars version of Super Mario 3 is all-time classic!!

GBA version good too, basically the same, I believe.

All-Stars all the way, it was the first time I played them and it was also my second SNES Game, my father got it through the mail order promotion back in the day.

That extra coat of paint on Super Mario Bros. is really nice and I love the addition of a boss theme for Bowser too.

The sound effects and music ruined All-Stars for me. It sounded so weak compared to the NES sound chip.

All that horrible thin MIDI-style music, and limp SFX. Yuck. It followed the Super Mario World sound design, which also sounded flat and weak to me.

I owned the originals on my NES. I played Mario All Stars on the SNES when my friend got it for Christmas. I own SMB3 on the GBA. And I owned it on the Wii for a short time. The originals are better because All Stars screwed up the controls or something. Never felt right. I dunno how? Considering SMW and YI have excellent controls.

Before I owned a NES, I played the sit-down coin-op version of the original. Getting to play without a quarter was its own novelty, as were experiencing SMB2 & 3 as new releases. SMW did the same thing for me on SNES. I loved getting to play All-Stars for the upgraded graphics and The Lost Levels. But, my fondest memories are experiencing the games on their native consoles (except TLL, of course).

I feel the All Stars games definitely are a sexier take visually, but I think they are inferior when it comes to sound effects. When I did play All Stars it was nice to play the originals with a nice new lick of paint in '93, but as time goes by, if I'm really serious about playing the originals, I will always go for the NES versions first. That is where it all began for me after all.

The only game in the collection that I think is genuinely worse is SMB1. I never really liked how it felt, but the soundtrack and sprite work were both fine. I didn't like how Mario interacted with blocks.

@Olliemar28 I would agree with your statement especially with Part 1 and Lost Levels. Just isn't the same.

I remember when I first played Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES and being blown away and excited about the "Super Mario World-ish" graphics. Those alone made me feel each game was brand new and enticed me to go through each level of each game again to spot the differences. The music alone was nice to hear, and even then I thought "how brilliant of these guys to give us this treat". Definitely hours of fun still to this day but admittedly I feel the GBA versions hands-down are the remasters these games needed.

Remasters of a remake. Heh...!

I prefer the GBA versions for all but I picked SNES in the poll because it’s convenient having them all in one cart.

Never actually owned an NES, only played a couple of games on it when visiting a cousin. My first Nintendo system was actually the SNES, so. (...or GameBoy, can't remember. lol)

Both Versions are nice and fun, so i would choose that.
Overall i really like to play the Super Nintendo Version, because it can save and you can hop in and out easily from Game to Game.

I want them exactly as I first played them.

I found out a kid at school had a copy of Super Mario Bros. 2, by that I mean The Lost Levels.

I went over to see it, and was amazed by how weird it was. I don't remember if he had a Famicom or some strange pirated import that somehow played on an NES, but it was really cool.

I appreciate the SNES version for the ability to save. I no longer have time to sit and play non-stop.

I appreciate the originals because that is what I started with. They are what I think of for these games.

Finally, I appreciate the extras of the GBA versions but despise the voices and limited screen.

SNES all the way. I'll go back to NES Mario 1 & 2 once in a great while, but the left screen flicker in Mario 3 distracts me too much.

And a solid no to the GBA versions, the sound and the voice clips drive me insane

@IceClimbersMain Please no. I got annoyed of the voice sounds after one level.

OG all the way. All-Stars looks so bland.

@Not_Soos Are we okay? I think you are nice and I enjoy your comments. I text you also to tell you that Super Mario World was my first video game as a kid and it's very special for me. Super Mario All-Stars (the original version) was also very important for me because it was my first time playing those games and I really wanted more Mario on SNES. Actually, I thought, "Why doesn't Nintendo release the NES games for SNES?" I invented the Virtual Console LOL. What we got was those wonderful remakes in a single compilation. I still play Super Mario World and it's amazing how good it still plays. It's timeless. I also agree with you about the GBA versions: lower resolution, washed-out colours and poor sound quality. The SNES has an amazing sound chip. I have Super Mario All-Stars+Super Mario World on emulators but for me it's weird because it's not the version that I grew up with. In any case, I will give it a go to see the changes in Super Mario World, I think it's just the Luigi sprite but maybe there is more.

@Not_Soos There's a ROM hack that fixes it, if you're into emulation at all.

I also did a hack that changes the button colors on the menu to match SFC controllers, if you're some kind of weirdo like I am.

@Banjo-

Of course! 😀 I read your last comment, but it was pretty short and I didn't really know what to add to the conversation after that, lol. So no worries! I also have a tendency to not respond as much if an article is a few days old and people have moved on from the comments because I don't really expect to get much more engagement.

Thank you very much, I really appreciate that! My comments tend to be very long and rambling, and sometimes I get a little controversial if it's a thread about a sensitive topic. So, sometimes I wonder whether the majority of the community values my input or just thinks I'm annoying, lol. It means a lot to know you're in the former camp, so once again, thank you!

Yeah, the Luigi sprite is the one big change I know of, and I'm really not for sure either what other ones there might be, if any. I think I read there were a handful in like a wiki or something, but it's been so many years since I've had my working SNES that I couldn't tell you. It's probably not worth it, unless you just really want an excuse to play SMW again, which is understandable lol.

I have a hard time deciding between Mario World and SMB3, though. They each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, so I can't confidently say I think Super Mario World is the best 2D Mario game. That's just my opinion, though. World introduced a lot of great features like Yoshi, secret exits, longer levels with a ton of gameplay variety, a cohesive world map, and the ability to replay levels and actually work toward a 100% milestone. But Mario 3 had much more variety when it comes to the power-ups and the level themes. Mario World is also the more "casual" game somewhat, whereas Mario 3 offers quite a but more of a challenge. It all comes down to personal preference, and I flip-flop on which I like more.

Neither is my favorite 2D platformer of all-time, though. That honor actually goes to Rayman Legends, which I think is just stellar. One of the prettiest games I've ever played, too. Some other honorable mentions are Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze (of course) and Kirby's Return to Dream Land. I'd put those games and Mario 3 pretty much on par with Mario World.

@Asaki Thanks for letting me know, but emulation isn't something I've ever dabbled in. It honestly kinda overwhelms me. I wouldn't know how to go about finding ROM's that aren't gonna install some Trojan virus on my computer. Too scary. It's probably not as complicated as it seems. I've had a few people try and explain emulation to me. I also just vastly prefer the comfort of playing on a TV or handheld device so I can comfortably lean back and not be confined to sitting at a computer desk.

My first encounter with Mario was Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES. I loved it and played it over and over. However, I was blown away when Super Mario All-Stars was released on the SNES. For me, the SNES version is the one that I always end up returning to.

Something that sticks in my mind though, is that in one of the underground levels there was a hidden block that was given away by a "glitch" in the positioning of the stars in the background. On the SNES version, the "glitch" had been fixed, so if that were my first encounter with the game, I probably wouldn't have found that block. So in that sense, I prefer the NES version for its authenticity.

I think the OG just sounds better and has some nostalgia to it that the remakes cannot replace.

I love this game, it's great! I traded in a Megadrive to get a Snes that was bundled with SMAS!

@Kazman2007 Back in the day only Europe and America saw releases of Super Mario All Stars with Super Mario World on the se cartridge. It was not released in Japan so that's probably it didn't get reissued.

Super Mario All Stars is an incredible game, i got to play it for the first time through the wii, and shocked me that the GBA mario games were ports of the all stars versions. I still have an issue with playing SMB on its SNES form as i was used to play the original game on my dad's NES. But overall its a game every mario fan should play.

I think the GBA versions would be the definitive versions if not for the compressed audio and washed out palette in some of them. Those voice clips add so much but yeah I definitely think the SNES remastered graphics clear.

@Not_Soos You can easily run your own ROMs on consoles/TV/handhelds Most handheld devices, that's all they do is play ROMs.
But I get the rest of what you're saying.

That the physics are wrong makes the SNES versions all terrible when compared to NES, because changes in music and art are fine if the gameplay remains the same...which it does not

i would not mind a 2D All Star with the NES, SNES and GBA versions in a cartridge. Or, maybe and Super Mario Origins like game. Or and Super Mario Bros collection with the new 3D platformer games for the DS and 3DS games.

@Not_Soos Sorry for the late reply and you are very welcome! I don't post very often but I enjoy your comments because they're genuine and respectful at the same time. I can be seen as annoying too, because I'm straightforward and honest about the topics and I'm disappointed with part of Nintendo's recent output, but when I read the comments, I appreciate more those users that sound genuine and critical than those that just praise Nintendo with few words. Those that are praising Nintendo as a religion or just try to be politically correct and neutral are boring. Those that are able to compare games properly and have more knowledge about past games are more interesting.

Before reading your reply just now, I wrote on Pure Xbox that Rayman Legends and Immortal Fenyx Rising are two of the best games that I've played in the last decade. I got Rayman Legends on Wii U at launch but I also got it for Xbox because I'm not a fan of the Gamepad for platformers. I think that the only game that used it in an amazing way was Maiden of Black Water and I also got the remaster for Xbox. Rayman Legends is a wonderful game and in spite of being critically acclaimed, it seems to be forgotten. The article on Pure Xbox was about Ubisoft focusing on Assassin's Creed rather than Rayman or Immortals, which is sad. Nice chat with you, I hope to do it again soon!

@Banjo-

Likewise, man! I've enjoyed our conversation. And thank you, that's very much appreciated! Yeah, I think the Murphy levels are the one aspect that slightly brings Rayman Legends down--and unfortunately there are a lot of them. I definitely enjoyed them more when I wasn't playing on Wii U; the AI on the characters you're trying to guide through the levels was horrendous. But not having the touchscreen does make the Murphy levels feel kinda pointless. The game still has a ton of other content, though, with all the Origins levels, the auto-runner music levels, the daily challenges, shoot-em-up levels, etc. It's such a great package and takes longer to 100% complete than any other 2D platformer I can think of--not counting metroidvanias, which have a lot of padding. This game just has a ton of distinct levels!

It also has great underwater physics; swimming around is so much more enjoyable than in Mario because I don't have to constantly mash a button. And I don't have to worry about the annoying air gauge like in Tropical Freeze or in Sonic games. Checkpoints are also super forgiving, which is greatly appreciated in a game with such long levels. And I can't remember if I already mentioned this in my last comment, but it's probably the most beautiful game I've ever played. Even now when I play the game, I'm just constantly oogling and oggling at the backgrounds. It's like stepping into a late 90's-early 2000's Disney or DreamWorks film, back when 2D animation was at its peak and before CG completely replaced hand-drawn animated films in cinema.

I enjoyed the GamePad when it came to asymmetrical multiplayer games. Nintendo Land was a lot of fun, and I even got a lot of enjoyment out of the multiplayer in Game & Wario. But on the whole, I agree it wasn't implemented very well. I'd love to see Nintendo Land make a return, which could very easily be done on Switch by allowing you to wirelessly sync a second system. Pac-Man Vs. has been on Switch since like 2018 and already does this, where one player is Pac-Man on a handheld Switch and the other players are ghosts on the TV using a second system. I think there's still a lot of untapped potential in that style of play.

Immortals is a game I picked up for Switch about a year ago, but I never played past the first hour or two. I just got swamped with a million other games to play--especially since I bought my first PlayStation console around that time--but I will get to it eventually. It's on PS Plus now, and it's one of the few games to have cross-platform saves, which is just awesome. I wish more multiplat games would embrace this, so I don't have to lose progress regardless of which platform I play on.

Nintendo Land was an awesome package compared to what Switch got with 1-2-Switch. It's interesting how they translated Pac-Man Vs. to the Switch ecosystem. I didn't know that and I didn't know that Immortals has multiplatform saves. Wow, sounds like something logical and obvious that I would never expect to happen! There are some games I would have played on Series X but because of the lack of that feature, I didn't bother. Rayman Legends in an exception, obviously. Platform 2D and platform 3D are two of my favourite genres. The auto-runner music levels are fantastic, now that you mention it, but it's the whole package with basically everything that Origins had plus the new levels with beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds, as you mentioned, plus the tight controls. I'm happy to see Murphy go or more go on his own 😂. I agree about the cartoon and animated films. Some computer graphics films are beautiful but most of the cartoons on TV with computer graphics are awful compared to what we watched when I/we were little!