Super Mario All-Stars was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993. This game is a collection of 4 different Super Mario Bros. games. These games were: Super Mario Bros., SMB The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. These were classic Mario games from the previous decade originally released on the NES. With the capabilities of the SNES, the games were made better with 16-bit graphics and sound and were also given a save system so the player could keep up with their progress in each game. Super Mario All-Stars is a great game, and it gave many gamers the opportunity to play the original version of Super Mario Bros. 2 that was never released in America. It was renamed the Lost Levels for SMAS.

This was another game I played a lot as a kid. I got it, along with Super Mario World, for Christmas in 1993. It came along with the Super Nintendo, and it was free. They were giving away this game for free to anyone who bought a Super Nintendo Entertainment system at the time. Now that I had all of the NES games on the SNES, there was no need to play the NES versions of SMB2 and SMB3. Although, I still continued to play the original versions too throughout 1994 but not as much. I beat the All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2 before I beat the NES version. What really was cool for me was that I could now play the first Super Mario Bros. game, a game that I never had growing up.

Not only that, but I got to play the best version of it with improved graphics and sound. And last but not least, when I didn't think it could get any better, an unknown Mario game titled, "The Lost Levels" was also part of the package. I remember reading a section in Nintendo Power around this time that this was the real Super Mario Bros. 2. The game came out in 1986 and was exclusive only to Japan. It was just like Super Mario Bros. 1 on NES but with more stages, and these stages were very difficult. Out of all 4 games, I played this one the least and never got past world 8. Now, things have changed, and I have come to appreciate this remake quite a bit.     

Graphics 10/10: Super Mario All-Stars has some great graphics. All 4 games have been given a real overhaul, especially the first game. Each one has backgrounds with: waterfalls, clouds, stars, trees, etc. The sprites look better with much more attention put to their detail. The block-like characters of SMB1 are replaced with more animated characters. The levels are given more character in this game as well, and they now have their own theme. Even in Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, the stages are given more backgrounds that make them more appealing. In SMB3, Water Land looks like Water Land with backgrounds full of waterfalls and underwater levels that are devoid of much light. The same can be said for the appearance of all 4 Mario games.

Music 9/10: The soundtrack of Super Mario All-Stars is a mixed bag. Some games sound better in this remake and some don't. I have to take an average of all 4 games and look at each one individually.

Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels 10 /10: These games sound a ton better in the remake! You get a soundtrack here that has a lot of variety to it musically for both of them. All of these songs sound better in this version. The underground theme sounds a whole hell of a lot better! My favorite track is the one for the final fight with the real Bowser. The fake Bowsers also have their own themes as well. These soundtracks are catchy, and the music in both games keeps your attention not just because of its variety but also because of the quality that these songs have.

Super Mario Bros. 2 8/10: This is where you have a game that has been improved in some ways and been dumbed down in others. The underground theme has been made better, but it is still just as repetitive as it was in the original. The overworld theme is about the same, however I don't like the new boss theme. It sounds kind of bad in this version. Overall, the remake of SMB2 has songs that I like and songs that I don't. I feel like this version isn't as good musically.

Super Mario Bros. 3 7/10: Super Mario Bros. 3 is the most disappointing game with its music. The NES version wasn't that great either, and most of the songs in this version are of the same quality as the ones in the original game. If anything, some of them have been downgraded. This is especially true for the Dark Land theme but also for other overworld themes like Giant Land also. This soundtrack was okay to start with, but it has suffered somewhat of a downgrade for the SNES. The music just isn't that catchy or memorable and not a whole lot has been changed and what has been changed has not been changed for the better.

Overall, I think that Super Mario All-Stars has a pretty nice soundtrack. It isn't perfect, but I do like the way the song selection for the first game was improved. Super Mario Bros. 1 sounds so much better in the All-Stars version. It has so much variety to it, and all of it is fantastic! I can't say the same thing for the other two games. SMB and The Lost Levels sound great, but SMB2 and especially SMB3 have both seen somewhat of a downgrade. It isn't anything major, but these games don't sound as good for the SNES. The music as a whole is really good but not wonderful.

Gameplay 9/10: I have to split up this section into 4 parts for each of the 4 games as well. I think the level design and gameplay was improved quite a bit in many of these games because of the save feature the SNES had. The upgraded graphics also helped give games like SMB1 better design to them too. Others like SMB3 were only better to a certain extent.  

Super Mario Bros. 8/10: Not a whole lot has changed in this game other than its appearance. The goal of SMB is the same with Mario racing the clock to get to the flagpole before time runs out. He also finds coins that give him extra lives. The save feature is nice because it makes the game easier. Mario can just restart from the beginning of the world instead of re-playing the entire game. I like the improved graphics and how they make the stages look more unique.

Even though, they become repetitive after world 4, they each have their own themes and backgrounds such as: snow levels, levels with starry backgrounds, and majestic underwater levels. Little touches like this make a game that looked really dull and boring more exciting. Everything you like about the NES game is still there but with improved graphics that give this game more life and also a save system that made it easier to finish as well. It isn't too much better, but it is an overall better version.   

SMB The Lost Levels 9/10: This was the first time I ever played this game. Even today, I still don't know a whole lot about the original version for the Fanicom either. From what I've seen on YouTube, it's a lot like the first Mario game. Although, the stage design is more creative. The Lost Levels has more variety to it with every level being totally different with exception to a few. It isn't as repetitive and is not the same game as Super Mario Bros. It is way harder! I never got further than world 8 with it when I was a kid, and I still think it is geared more towards players who have finished the other 3 games and want more of a challenge.

Here, the continue feature saves you up to the last level you beat. I can beat it now but not without some difficulty. Despite how hard it is, I still like the layout and design of the game better than SMB. Most of the levels are unique. I also like how after you beat world 8, you can play world 9 which is an underwater world, and later on you play worlds A - D which are insanely hard! The Lost Levels also introduced new concepts like: wind that blew you backwards, poison Mushrooms, and warp zones that warped you back to levels you already played. Some levels even contained some real puzzles.

I have to say that even though it was a hard game, I enjoyed it. I liked its originality, and I thought the new ideas like the wind were cool concepts. Instead of a Hard Mode like in SMB, you got to play 5 entirely different worlds which made things even better. You still played as Mario and could only shoot fireballs at enemies like before, so nothing was all that new except for the levels and some of the unique ideas. Despite the game's brutal difficulty, I did enjoy it more than the original SMB but not much more.  

Super Mario Bros. 2 10/10: In this game you can play as either Mario, Luigi, Toad, or the Princess. The difference with this version is that if you lose a life you can go back and select a different player. Other than that, not a whole lot has changed. The save feature made this version a lot easier for me as a kid. This is the version of SMB2 that I beat first because I had unlimited continues. The All-Stars version made the NES version obsolete. That one is fun and all, but I hated how you didn't have but 2 continues and after that, it was GAME OVER!

The SNES version is more fair, and as a result more fun to play. The level design is about the same, but the improved graphics do give this game more life just like they did with the first one. I guess with some of these new touches, SMB2 is better in the All-Stars version. It is a good deal easier, the stages are more appealing with the better backgrounds and all, so I believe this is an overall upgrade from the original.  

Super Mario Bros. 3 10/10: This game is the longest of the 4 games, and that's what made it so fun to play. There was so much content to play through such as: panel line up games, card matching games, Hammer Bros. fights, special items, different types of levels, etc. There were also special items like the Frog Suit, Tanooki Suit, and Hammer Suit that could be used on the different levels. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a great game for the NES and even better on SNES with the save feature. With all this cool content, you needed a way to save everything in case you had to shut it off and go do your homework or something. The NES didn't have that, but this version does and made the original game obsolete also.

Really, the save option made the NES games all obsolete. I rarely ever played SMB3 on that system again throughout early 1994 or the rest of my childhood for that matter. You had a great game to begin with, the save feature improved it and also the upgraded backgrounds gave more life to the levels just like they did in the other games. This is my favorite version of SMB3. The control is still just as smooth, and everything you liked about the original game is still there but better.

When you take all 4 games into consideration, you get a pretty good gameplay experience. Some of the games like: Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels aren't that well designed, but the other two Mario games are just as good if not better. The save feature is an improvement in SMB2 and SMB3. I find myself enjoying all of these games even more on the SNES.

Story 8/10: Super Mario All-Stars consists of 4 different stories. Most of the stories of all the games are different and have a different rating.

Super Mario Bros. and The Lost Levels 7/10: Bowser takes over the Mushroom Kingdom and transforms its inhabitants into bricks. He also kidnaps the Mushroom leader Princess Toadstool and holds her hostage in his castle in world 8. Mario must rescue the Princess and restore peace to Mushroom Land. This is a pretty standard storyline, but it did establish the characters of the Mario series.

Super Mario Bros. 2 10/10: Super Mario Bros. 2 takes Mario, Luigi, Toad, and the Princess to Subcon the Land of Dreams. They must free the Subcon people from a giant frog named Wart who has trapped the people in a vase. This is an entirely different plot with new characters and a totally new setting. Not only that, but Luigi, Toad, and the Princess are all playable characters! This was a cool concept that carried over into The SMB Super Show that came on T.V. afterschool in the late '80s and early '90s.

Super Mario Bros. 3 10/10: Bowser is back in this game where he takes over the Mushroom Kingdom once again with the help of his 7 Koopalings. The Koopalings steal the magic wands from the 7 kings of Mushroom Land and turn them into animals. It is up to Mario to get back the wands and restore the kings to their human form, but while Mario is doing this Bowser kidnaps the Princess once again and takes her to his castle in Dark Land. Again, you have a creative plot with new characters like the 7 Koopa kids that would be re-created (and re-named for copyright reasons) for another afterschool cartoon in the early '90s.

The plots for SMB2 and SMB3 are both pretty cool, but for SMB1 and The Lost Levels the stories are pretty generic. Nintendo was still developing the characters in those two games. On average, the storyline for Super Mario All-Stars is good but not great.   

Content 10/10: There is no doubt this whole game will take you hours to complete. It is a compilation of 4 games in 1. The original Super Mario Bros. consists of 32 levels, 8 worlds with 4 levels in each, so it isn't that long. However, the Lost Levels is a bit more complex than that, and it contains 13 worlds with 4 levels. Due to the difficulty, it can sometimes take close to 2 hours to finish this game. Playing worlds 1 - 8 without warping will unlock world 9, and after completing this underwater world, you can play the most challenging worlds of the game, worlds A - D. These lettered worlds are brutal in their difficulty and can take many tries to complete.

Luckily, there are no Game Overs in this game, so you can play them as many times as you want. These levels are sort of an extra bonus for those who have already beaten the normal game and rescued the Princess in world 8. At the end of world D, the Princess is rescued again, and she gives Mario a final congratulations. Super Mario Bros. 2 is broken up into 7 worlds with 3 levels in each one except for world 7 which only has 2. It usually takes an hour to an hour and a half to finish this game. The worlds of SMB2 have more variety (however, that is also true for SMB and the Lost Levels in this SNES remake). You also have the choice of playing as Mario, Luigi, Toad, or the Princess in SMB2

Super Mario Bros. 3 is, by far, the longest game of the series and can take up to 3 hours to complete. It's a good thing all these games have save files, and this is where they really come in handy! This game has so much content that includes: Toad Houses, Hammer Bros., card-matching games, panel line-up games, etc. You have the option of skipping a lot of this, but why do that when the game lets you save? SMB3 is what makes Super Mario All-Stars such a long game, but it is still the most enjoyable. This game as a whole is very long, but not that boring considering how you are playing 4 games in 1.

Difficulty 8/10: I have to split up this category of the review into 4 sections also. The save option made games like SMB1 and SMB2 a lot easier in this version. However, The Lost Levels was a very hard game even with the unlimited continues.

Super Mario Bros. 7/10: In the original game on NES, there were no continues. Getting a Game Over meant restarting the game from the beginning. Extra lives were also hard to come by. This version is a lot more forgiving! The unlimited continues also made it more fun to play. They made world 8 a lot more easier because you could just keep playing it again and again until you got it right. When I was younger, I thought SMB was kind of hard in this version, but when compared to the NES version, it wasn't as nearly as bad. The difficulty is moderate to high but not hard.

Super Mario Bros. 2 6/10: The same can be said for difficulty in this game as well. The unlimited continues make things a lot easier. When I played this game on All-Stars, I beat it. I did beat it on NES but not until months after I got it! Like in SMB1, the last world is the hardest, but with the continues, you can play it over and over until you complete it. This version is difficult in a way, but the character selection also helps. So does the fact that after you die, you get the option of selecting a different player.

I thought this game was easier than the previous Mario game on All-Stars because of the character selection, and the way this version slows down the slot machine games at the end of the stages so you can earn more lives. I realized that Super Mario Bros. 2 wasn't that hard as long as you could continue. Characters like Peach made for better control over your platforming, and if you lost a life all your health points were restored and you didn't have to backtrack so far to get back to where you were before you died.

The All-Stars version isn't near as hard! The abundance of lives, characters, continues, and health make this version a lot better. I really came to love the All-Stars and Advance versions of SMB2 so much that the NES version was no longer that important to me except for maybe to listen to the classic music of that game. Things can still be kind of difficult because of how the continues will only save you up to the beginning of the world, but they are better than the crappy continue system in the original!

Super Mario Bros. 3 8/10: This was one game I didn't think was made any easier in this version. You could also continue in the NES version, but it didn't have a save file. The save file in this game is only useful if you have to turn off the game, but it doesn't make it any less difficult. The game is still kind of hard, but it really doesn't get that bad until around world 5. I think both versions are pretty tricky, but it does feel pretty manageable.

SMB The Lost Levels 10/10: I feel like The Lost Levels is a game designed for players who have beaten the other 3 games and are looking for more of a challenge. I could never beat this game as a kid! This was why it didn't get as many plays as the other ones in this game. The platforming is really difficult which starts to be an issue in world 4. From that point onward, it is just plain hard with world 8 being next to impossible with all the walking Hammer Bros. and jumps that are ridiculous! The continue option lets you continue from the your current level, but it almost means nothing the way this game is designed!

I enjoy it now, but as a kid (and a first time player) it was very unpopular back then. With persistence, it can be beat. It is a hard game but still good. I can only imagine how hard the Fanicom version was, but I think it did have continues. This is a hard game only made for hardcore Mario fans like myself!

All of the classic Mario games on NES were pretty challenging. For this remake, SMB1 and SMB2 are easier because of their unlimited continues and better abundance of lives. SMB3 is still pretty tough, and The Lost Levels is insane. Overall, Super Mario All-Stars isn't an easy game. It's still slightly hard, but the difficulty still isn't that unreasonable.   

Overall 9.2/10: Super Mario All-Stars is a fine collection of classic Mario games. These old school games from the 1980s have been reworked with the 16-bit graphics and sound of the 1990s SNES gaming system. There was a good deal of content in The Lost Levels that had never been experienced by American gamers. A lot of classic Mario gamers like myself enjoy the challenge of that game and still love playing the classic Super Mario Bros. 3 on the Super Nintendo with the save files.  However, when you average all the games together, Super Mario All-Stars isn't as much fun to play as games like Super Mario World.

I was playing both games on my new Super Nintendo at the same time in early 1994, but found myself playing Super Mario World more. I guess a lot of that had to do with Super Mario All-Stars mainly just being remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 which I already had on NES. These versions were better because of the upgraded graphics and save files. I finally got to play the first Mario game and liked it too. The Lost Levels was my least favorite but isn't so bad now. I consider both Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario World to be about equal with SMW still winning out.