There is no greater mascot in video game history than Mario, and there are probably no greater games ever developed than the ones he has been starring in since 1985... especially the original Super Mario Bros., a game we will ALL remember forever going back to our very first experiences with it! It is fitting, then, that Nintendo has chosen to celebrate this iconic game's 25th anniversary with a special re-release for fans. What makes this version special is that you get the entire Super Mario Bros. series in one wonderful package!
There are upsides and downsides, of course. If you owned Super Mario All-Stars for your Super NES, there is nothing new to see here from a software perspective. I might almost argue that it's somewhat puzzling that these games' 16-bit makeovers are the versions being presented to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.--itself originally an 8-bit game. Clearly, all the original 8-bit versions of these games are available for download via the Wii's Virtual Console, while Super Mario All-Stars is not, thus not sticking Wii owners with the uncomfortable notion of having to buy something they might otherwise have already downloaded... and also allowing Nintendo to make $30 off of a hard copy collection, rather than $8 for a digital download! (And if you're a newer Nintendo fan who never played All-Stars before, then you'll certainly find yourself in for a treat.)
That said, none of this feels terribly exploitative. That packaging alone is worth the purchase, with its extremely classy red box and gold embossed logos. The game itself is packaged in a regular-style Wii game disc case that fits in nicely with the rest of your library, and the four games included on the disc are as classic and wonderfully engaging as they ever were. The Super Mario History booklet is a joy (albeit a fairly brief joy) to flip through, with its colorful artwork and short blurbs of fun insight from Super Mario's original creators. And the soundtrack CD is a wonderful musical retrospective of Super Mario's adventures, all the way up to this year's astounding Super Mario Galaxy 2.
What are the cons? Well, Nintendo definitely spared some expenses on overall presentation. The original All-Stars game is about as bare-bones as you'd've expected to find it back in 1993. This being a celebration of 25 years of Super Mario, one would've expected at least SOME bonus features on the game disc, of SOME kind. I personally would have liked a collection of Nintendo Channel videos, such as creator interviews, super play videos, and the excellent Super Mario History video. This would have been a real treat for fans who (shamefully) do not make use of the Wii's online capabilities, and a nice bonus to look back on when playing this game in later years.
I know a lot of people are complaining about this direct port's lack of widescreen support, but personally I find that there is a certain charm in the hardcore retro presentation (much like Capcom gave us with their new Mega Man 9 and 10 games). If I really want this game in widescreen, I can still pop in my original Super NES cartridge and let my TV work a bit of negligible widening magic on it. Frankly I'm not sure why it's such an important issue to some fans. My only point of dissatisfaction with the game itself is that controls do not feel nearly as responsive as they do on the Super NES original; I don't know how many pits I've already fallen to my death in because of a seemingly belated "jump" command from my Classic Controller. Since these games are platforming classics requiring a lot of jumping precision over many perilous obstacles and pits of death, this slower response time from the controller can be a real killer (literally, for poor Mario, anyway!). I've had better experiences simply using the Wii Remote on its own, but I'll admit I'd been hoping for the Classic Controller to more perfectly emulate the Super NES experience... but I'm not finding that to be so much the case. I have not yet attempted to play with a GameCube controller, however.
Additionally, the soundtrack CD--while consisting of many wonderful classic tunes--is similarly bare-bones. At only 25 minutes in length, each game from Super Mario's history is represented through a single piece of music... which is kind of a shame considering how many amazing, memorable tunes were generated by each game in the series. And Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is not so much as mentioned anywhere in this entire collection, to Nintendo's shame... anybody who played it during the Super NES era can tell you that it's as great as any other game in this long, fantastic series. The sound effects are a fun addition to the CD, but it only take seconds to listen through them all before you find yourself simply wishing that a lot more of the great music you remember had been included.
The bottom line? If you're a longtime Mario fan like me, then this collection is a no-brainer. Hey, get two for collectibility's sake. Nintendo's already announced that this will be available in VERY limited quantities, ensuring it a long and very profitable life on Ebay. What you get here for your $30 investment is absolutely worth it... an economical way to celebrate 25 years of Super Mario Bros. If Nintendo had chosen to charge the normal $50 premium for this, I think we'd all have a lot more to feel disappointed about. As it stands, for what you pay, it's a beautiful collector's set that belongs in every Wii owner's library! And an absolute must-own for newer and younger Mario fans, especially. Get it while you can!
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Buy this product as Renewed and save $24.95 off the current New price.
Super Mario All-Stars: Limited Edition (Renewed) $70.00 & FREE Shipping. Details
(4)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
(4)
Works and looks like new and backed by the Amazon Renewed Guarantee
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
4:07
Click to play video
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition for Nintendo Wii
freeley
Reviews with images
Super Mario All-Stars - get it now - hot ticket
I was told by Game Stop that this will be sold in VERY limited quantities for the holiday shopping season. Afterwards it will be very hard to find.I had this title for my Super NES, and requested a copy for Christmas. This is my dream title for the Wii. I used to have the NES before the Super NES, and have adored Super Mario Bros ever since.Reserve a copy of this baby NOW before the end of the year. This will be released on December 12th, and it will definitely be the Tickle Me Elmo of 2010.
Top reviews from other countries
Claire Griffiths
Be careful of your product description!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2016