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Review : Super Mario Advance 4 : Super Mario Bros. 3 for Gameboy Advance
This Saturday I picked up the best Super Mario game ever made. Super Mario Advance 4 : Super Mario Bros. 3 is the classic game
The amount of love that I have for Super Mario Bros. 3 is hard to put into words so a version of it updated for the Gameboy Advance is a wonderful thing. When this game came out in late 1989 it created a phenomenon and it captivated millions of kids and adults all around the world.
It was the first true sequel to Super Mario Bros seen in the US since Super Mario Bros. 2 also known as The Lost Levels was only on the Nintendo Famicom Disk Drive that never say the light of day in the US. Super Mario 2 US was actually the Japanese Nintendo game Dream Factory : Doki Doki Panic with the graphics changed to have Mario and pals in the lead.
Super Mario Bros.3 featured the latest graphics chips and contained an actually hardware upgrade in the cartridge. Mario had the ability to pickup turtle shells, transform using power ups, Fly using a special raccoon tail and the vocabulary of the game play was greatly increased but it remained true to the previous games.
It sold more than 14 million copies and it goes down in history of having to title of the best selling video game of all time. Later re-released on the Super Nintendo game Super Mario All Stars with the other 8-Bit Mario games but with updated 16-bit graphics and the ability to save your progress and continue the game another time.
Gameboy Advance game is based off the graphics from the 16-bit Super Mario All Stars but with some extra Gameboy Advance enhancements. The colors have been slightly brightened to compensate for the portable screen and the game ratio is a slightly wider size due to the different aspect ratio of the GBA screen. You do not really notice that it is slightly cropped and it does not affect the game play in the least. The voice sound effects from Super Mario Advance are there in this game but they do not get annoying and are actually pretty cool. MAMA MIA!
Mario Bros Classic is also on the cart and it is identical to the game on Super Mario Advance 1. There is a save function and the ability to save and resume the game is a vast improvement over the 8-bit days when I would leave my NES on for days at a time so I could beat all the levels in the game with out warping. There are power ups, replays and a new world that you can unlock using the Nintendo e-Reader card reader but you need another GBA, a link cable, an e-Reader and some extra SMB cards that Nintendo has yet to market. I have not tried this out yet.
There is the option to have rumble feedback enabled when you are playing the game on the Gameboy Player on the Gamecube. The game looks perfect on the GBA screen and just as sharp on the Gameboy Player.
It is a true classic and Nintendo is doing a service by sharing this classic with whole new generation of gamers. Disney has been doing the same thing once a new batch of five year olds is born.
This game is Shigeru Miyamoto's finest and is accessible to start and a joy to master. Not only is it the best selling videogame of all time it is arguably the best game of the 8-bit era. I have never met a gamer who did not love SMB3.
Jake at October 20, 2003 
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Comments
So jake, tell me, how *do* these five year olds get born? ;o)
Posted by: Berklee at October 20, 2003 3:12 AM
Saweet! I almost picked this one up myself over the weekend after getting a gameboy player. I've been jamming on Advanced Wars 2 and it has been awesome! I can't wait to get this game with Zelda and relive all my gaming glory days ;)
Posted by: wuji at October 20, 2003 6:18 AM
I am very excited about this re-release of possibly the best game ever released in my opinion. I have the original 8-bit version as well as the version on Super Mario All-Stars and have played the crap out of it. So now that I can play it and be portable, I am seriously stoked :) It just doesn't get any better than this.
Posted by: Mici at October 20, 2003 9:53 AM
I am definitely picking this one up soon...my favorite game of all time. Never got tired of beating it. Awesome.
Posted by: Scrivs at October 20, 2003 11:42 AM
You're saying this game have a option rumble feedback? I couldn't find this one..
Posted by: David at October 20, 2003 5:34 PM
At the menu when you pick Super Mario 3 and Mario Bros Classic you press "select" to bring up an options menu. It only works if you are using a Gamecube controller. It is a bit hard to find but it is there.
Posted by: Jake at October 20, 2003 6:51 PM
Well, I sure as hell hate that game. I mean, who ever heard of an Italian turning into a raccoon and flying? That wouldn't REALLY happen. And if the princess is kidnapped, why not just call the police? It's just too unrealistic for my brilliant mind to tolerate.
Posted by: BBQ at October 21, 2003 12:05 AM
I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there is anyway to use the E-Reader while playing a game in the gameboy player. For Example: is there anyway I can use my E Reader cards for super mario advance 4 while the game is still in the gameboy player?
Posted by: Jason Bump at October 31, 2003 8:09 PM
Yes but you will need a gameboy advance too. it needs any combo of two gameboy advances an e-reader and a link cable
Posted by: Jake at October 31, 2003 10:20 PM
