super mario bros 3
Latest
Virtually Free: Classics
We know a lot of you are a little bummed after E3. You didn't get what you want. We know how that can feel. In the tiniest of efforts to make you feel better, we're giving away a couple of classics this week as part of Virtually Free. If you don't have them, you should -- and we're going to give them to one lucky reader: Punch-Out!! (NES, 500 Wii points/$5) Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 500 Wii points/$5) To enter, just leave a comment here (with a valid e-mail address!) and tell us one thing you liked about this year's E3. You must be a legal resident of the United States with an American Wii (sorry, Canadians, we have to leave you out of this one; blame the gifting system and not us!) and 18 years of age or older. You may enter once per calendar day between now and Monday, July 28; the contest comes to a close that night at 11:59 PM Eastern time, and we'll select a winner in a random drawing the next day. Questions? Check out the official rules.
Wii Warm Up: Through rose-tinted glasses
The appeal of the Virtual Console is obvious: nostalgia. The VC is jam-packed with memories from yesteryear, spilling over with wonderful software that defined our childhoods. But it isn't all lollipops and puppy dogs. Nostalgia can also be very misleading, and some of those packets of data you download from Nintendo's service can end up souring childhood memories. Personally speaking -- and this will probably sound like heresy in some quarters, so brace yourselves -- I was left disappointed by Mega Man 2, a game I adored as an eleven-year-old, but one that now seems slightly dated, with its repeated leaps of faith and enemies that like to spawn directly beneath you. On the other hand, a game such as Super Mario Bros. 3 still feels like a breath of fresh air, almost two decades after it was released. Thinking about this some more, we have three questions for you. One: which Virtual Console games don't hold the same magic for you as they once did? Two: have any titles aged better than you suspected they would? And three: have you ever held off from downloading a certain game, concerned that it may ruin one of those precious childhood memories?
For awesome NES mods, just add legends
Thanks to its largely flat surface, the NES doubles up as an ideal canvas for those wishing to spruce up their consoles with a custom paint job. Of course, you also need artistic ability, which is where we fail hideously, and eBay user hellokitty11111111111 (yes) excels.Well, "excels" most of the time, anyway. The quality of these mods does vary a little -- we're not big fans of the Kid Icarus design -- but we do absolutely love the Earthbound, Super Mario Bros. 3, and (highly topical) River City Ransom examples. Are they worth (up to) $149.99, though? At a stretch, we'd be tempted. There's more past the break, complete with auction links.
China Warrior is a bad game
It's hard to make any mention of the Turbografx-16 side-scrolling brawler China Warrior without its generally-accepted terribleness coming up. Yes, it's not a very good game. It's Kung Fu with big sprites and flying branches. We're sure nobody has downloaded it who wasn't reviewing it. But we forget in our laughter over its current availability that it used to be a retail game. People paid a lot of money for this game. People writing things on Wii Fanboy paid a lot of money for this game.Vintage Computing's Benj Edwards didn't pay a lot of money for China Warrior, but his price was even higher: hype for the game drove him to trade in his beloved copy of Super Mario Bros. 3. The horror! Edwards' story paints China Warrior as a destructive influence on a happy childhood, one that he is incapable of divesting himself of. If you've bought China Warrior, you'll probably be familiar with his pain.I still like China Warrior.[Via GameSetWatch]
Wii Warm Up: 'Fess up to your gaming non-achievements
We've all got them: those classic games that we just never got around to completing, or, in some cases, playing.For his part, this blogger has only ever completed two -- TWO!! -- Zelda games (Link to the Past and Twilight Princess), and only made it through one-third of Super Mario Bros. 3. I have played other Zelda and Mario titles of course, sometimes for scores of hours each, but just never quite found the time to finish them. As for Super Mario Galaxy, that was left to collect dust a month ago, with only 21 stars obtained, and 99 still missing.I am not proud of these facts. But I am coming clean now, and it feels good! So put any concerns about your precious gamer cred to one side, and tell us: which gaming classics have you either failed to complete, or not even tried? It'll be our secret. By which we mean, the entire internet's secret.
Friday Video: Kootie Pie, you know it's true
This clip from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 features two Mario characters who have been in even fewer games than Mouser: Milli Vanilli. In "Kootie Pie Rocks," Rob and Fab are kidnapped by Koopa to perform for his annoying daughter Kootie Pie (Wendy O. Koopa in the game). We don't want to spoil the story for you, so we'll just give you that setup.Attentive viewers may notice that the music played doesn't match the onscreen movement at all, and moreover, is not "Girl, You Know It's True." In fact, the music in the video doesn't even have any vocals, meaning that Milli Vanilli wouldn't have anything to do even if they really did sing. We suspect, however, that the original broadcast did use "Girl, You Know It's True," and that the rights to the song expired before this later broadcast. It's sad, and can ruin shows that rely on popular music. Luckily, it's kind of impossible to ruin The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. We have to wonder, though; couldn't Rob and Fab have at least performed their own speaking voices?[Via Game|Life]
VC Tuesday: Big threes
One of the most celebrated Virtual Console games of the year finally makes it to Japan this week. It's already made its way to the VC in other territories, while Japanese gamers waited patiently for the chance to download it themselves. Now the long wait is over and they can finally get their hands on Pony Canyon's Lunar Pool.As for new releases that we don't already have, we're looking forward to IREM's Image Fight II. Sure, it's another Turbografx-16 shooter, but we liked the first one so much, and we've never played the sequel. And Columns III is more Columns, but with heavier emphasis on multiplayer. And adorable chickens. Super Mario Bros. 3 (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) LunarBall (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Columns III Taiketsu! Columns World (Mega Drive, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points) Image Fight II (PC Engine, 1 player, 800 Wii Points)
VC Friday: It's Tanooki time
This week, European gamers have another crack at the Neo Geo, and they can get their golf on if they are so inclined ... but somehow, we just have a feeling that the most popular title will also be the cheapest. Gee, could it be that a few people might be a little excited about Super Mario Bros. 3? Super Mario Bros. 3 -- NES -- 500 Wii points Power Golf -- Turbografx -- 600 Wii points Blue's Journey -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii points
The VC Advantage: Video Armageddon
The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.In honor of the highest-profile Virtual Console release in quite a while, we thought we'd do a special video presentation today. Super Mario Bros. 3 has the "honor" of having one of its best secrets screamed about by Fred Savage and Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis in the climactic sequence of a major motion picture. One that, we admit, has temporarily relieved us of our feelings of nostalgia, and made us very glad that we no longer reside in the 1980's. We can't think of too many movies in which the deus ex machina is a hidden item in an NES game. Therefore, The Wizard, as painful as it can be to watch, is pretty much the Official Movie of the VC Advantage by default. Grab your popcorn and your Power Glove and settle in for (seven minutes of) The Wizard!
VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 11/5/07
Oh, you thought because there wasn't a formal VC Monday Madness post today that you would not be getting your dose of video goodness? Oh no, boys and girls, because as we needed to break the news of what was arriving today during yesterday evening (today had a big release, so we needed to inform you as soon as we could), we felt another post would be ... well, just a tad bit on the side of not needed. So, hit up the video above and be sure to check past the break for the usual.And before you ask, that DVD in the lower left-hand corner is Braveheart. I felt a need to put it on today while I worked.
Super Mario Bros. 3, Alien Soldier, and some other game to appear on VC tomorrow
Heralding the release of Super Mario Galaxy this November 12th, Nintendo plans to deliver Super Mario Bros. 3, a title which many feel to be the NES's finest product, with this week's Virtual Console update. We've already pulled 500 Wii points out of our wallet, just waiting to hand the cash over to anyone who'll give us the game in return. We'll sleep tonight with the bills gripped tightly in our fists, smiling as we dream about spending the entirety of tomorrow ensconced in a giant green boot.Treasure's classic run-and-gun boss-travaganza for the Sega Genesis, Alien Soldier, will also be available for download tomorrow, having previously appeared in North America only through the ill-fated Sega Channel. Hardcore gamers won't regret spending 900 Wii points on this one. And if they do, that speaks more to their character than Alien Soldier's qualities.On the TurboGrafx-16 side, we'll have the option of buying Power Golf for 600 Wii points. Unfortunately for Power Golf, we've already resigned ourselves to only purchasing games which feature either a Tanooki Suit or a Seven Force robot this week. Sucks to be Power Golf.
Another real life fan video, only funny this time
Although the real life Smash Brothers video had its moments, it didn't impress us too much. Mega64's enactment of Super Mario Bros. 3's kuribo shoe, however, tickled us in the right places. The kuribo shoe was probably one of the most exciting parts of the game (which says a lot, since the whole thing was awesome). In real life though, it just looks exhausting. And hilarious. Or maybe we're just fickle like that.
