Retro Review: Super Mario World
Forest Turner, Reporter
October 3, 2011
Filed under A&E, Game, Reviews
Everyone has heard the expression “Back in my day…” from an elderly person at some point. It’s generally followed by a list of reasons why their generation was better than ours. Their reasoning is better upbringing, work ethic and pride in accomplishment. Why don’t people say, “back in my day video games were better?”
Throughout the year I will be reviewing classic video games. There are five categories: appearance, gameplay, relevance, story and music. These will be ranked on a scale of one to 10.
Super Mario World
Appearance – 8
The appearance of Super Mario World (SMW) is what you would expect out of a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game. It is very simple but at the same time crisp and clean. I really like the color scheme of the game.
Gameplay – 10
The gameplay of SMW is amazing. It introduced things that revolutionized the Mario franchise. Yoshi made his debut; the cape replaced the raccoon suit. The game has a fun and engaging multiplayer. The game also features many secrets which make it a fun and engaging game no matter how many times you have played it.
Revelance – 10
This game until recently was Nintendo’s highest selling game of all time. Add that with the introduction of Yoshi and you have maybe the most important Mario game of all time.
Storyline – 7
The major weak point to this game is its story. The story is pretty bland and unoriginal. Princess Peach has again been kidnapped by the evil Bowser. Mario must then make his way through worlds and castles to rescue her. This really hurts the value of the game for those gamers who enjoy a story as much as good gameplay.
Music – 10
The music of SMW is iconic, maybe the only thing more recognizable around the world than the Yankees’ logo. The music like many other elements in Super Mario World is amazingly simple yet brilliant.
Overall – 9.7
Maybe I was a little biased towards this game I remember my dad and me waking up on his off days and sitting down and playing this game. This is without a doubt my favorite game of all time. So it is really hard to put a numerical value on the game. As my good friend Jefferson will no doubt tell you this game actually mathematically receives a nine. But how do you say that Super Mario World is only worth a nine? The sentimental value warrants a .7 bump; after all, it is the greatest game ever.
