News GB/GBC games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, GBA games coming to NSO Expansion Pack (out now!)

[Gingerbread Man]

Confession time era: I have never completed super Mario bros. 3. Furthest I’ve gone back is world. Played SMB1 and 3 but never beat them

Is the GBA version good?

The original Famicom/NES version had a deliberate art style highlighting that the entire game is just a stage play. The SNES/GBA version misses that.

I'd say go for the NES version, then play the e-World of the GBA version.

 

[Mer.Saloon]

I grew up on the GBA version you know. Never even knew there was a SNES version. When I eventually found out about it, it felt very hollow without the voices.

On top of the more generic art direction vs the NES version I kinda feel the SNES version is the blandest. Yeah the screen is wider, but I found it wasn't that big of an impact it could have been.

Certainly not a Megaman and Bass situation.

 

[SpaceGodzilla]

Confession time era: I have never completed super Mario bros. 3. Furthest I’ve gone back is world. Played SMB1 and 3 but never beat them

Is the GBA version good?

best version of SMB3

 

[Leo]

I'm feeling ancient because the SNES version is my version of SMB3, imagine how the poor folk who grew up with the NES one are feeling

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

I'm feeling ancient because the SNES version is my version of SMB3, imagine how the poor folk who grew up with the NES one are feeling

 

[Arrietty]

I started with NES SMB3. But grew up mostly on SNES SMB3. GBA is my favorite version cause of the e reader stuff, like veggies being in the levels!

 

[Mekanos]

I'm feeling ancient because the SNES version is my version of SMB3, imagine how the poor folk who grew up with the NES one are feeling

Same, I did play the NES version once it hit virtual console and these days that’s probably my favorite way to play it, but I got introduced to all the NES games through All-Stars.

There’s no real “wrong” way to play SMB3 but I agree playing the NES version then World-e in Advance 4 seems ideal.

Confession time era:

Also, wrong site!

 

[MondoMega]

Shame the switch and power-up cards aren't available in the VC and NSO versions. Features like the SMB1-style hard mode, Luigi scuttle jump and being able to use the Cape Feather or have vegetables spawn in the main campaign are awesome, but you just can't use them in these rereleases. Would make Advance 4 an even more definitive version of SMB3.

 

[Gingerbread Man]

I think Mario 3 would greatly benefit from a Sonic Origins-style remake with Mario Maker graphics. First, because the left and right borders of the NES version are full of garbage. But also because...

Notice that every object on the screen casts a shadow on the simplistic background. This is it! This is what Mario 3 was trying to do in 1988 with a very limited 8-bit hardware. What we see in the background is not real, it's just a backdrop. There is no depth. It's just a (2D) stage play.

When Mario enters a cave? He's going down the theater trapdoor!

Alas, when they remade the game for All-Stars, they made it a lot more... conventional. By no means the SNES/GBA graphics are bad, but they missed the point of the game.

With that said, Advance 4, with the e-Reader additions Mondo mentioned, is a great "remix" version of Mario 3 (and so is Advance 2 for Mario World, playing as Luigi). A great way the experience the game. But the "true" Mario 3 is still the original version (real purists would say the original, I mean the original version, the Japanese Famicom version. The NES localization made the game easier!).

 

[CyberWolfBia]

NES SMB3 has the superior presentation overall; down the delicious crunchy 8-Bit sound-effects; -- hearing SMW style sounds in the game feels so .. hollow.

Also, recently playing Advance 4, some tweaks in the physics also made the game a tad too slippery to me.

 

[Mekanos]

I think Mario 3 would greatly benefit from a Sonic Origins-style remake with Mario Maker graphics.

yeah, I’ve always thought they should do a version of Mario 3 that unites the physics and styles of all the versions of the game, all the content, and lets you seamlessly toggle between 8 bit and 16 bit versions of the graphics and sound. I’d pay a solid 20 bucks for something like that. Call it Super Mario Bros. 3 Complete or something.

I like both styles for different reasons, but I was always bothered how the SNES version of the pyramid level got turned into a generic cave, lol.

 

[Clov]

The version I first played was the NES one, but the version I first finished was the SNES one. Played a lot of, and loved, the GBA version as a kid, but now I just find myself annoyed at the voices. At least all the extra content is great!

As for the best way to play it? It's gotta be the NES version with save states. Best aesthetics, best music. It's impossible not to love it. But it IS the best game ever made, so that goes without saying.

 

[Rampo360]

Any version of SMB3 is worth playing.

This.

I'll meet you halfway. I have beaten SMB 3, but only with warp zones. I've never 100% the game.

One of these days.

To my shame I beat it using rewind. But when I originally played the game back in NES days I managed to reach last stage but not Bowser. And without using warp zones cause that way I could gather more 1-ups and power ups before world 8.

 

[MisterSpo]

Y'all talking about Super Mario Bros 3 and I'm here to say Wario Land 3 is brilliant, especially for the time. Also love how it looks on OLED - the chunky visual design scales up really, really nicely.

Wario Land 3 is the format Wario should follow for going 3D. The world map platformer x upgrades x treasure hunting would be a little like mixing Kirby & the Forgotten Land with Luigi's Mansion, which is why I think Next Level Games would be a great choice for 3D Wario.

I also like how, with the addition of the golf mini games required to collect certain treasures, it's anticipating WarioWare; but also thinking how Get It Together's emphasis on different abilities (which help or hinder you, depending on the goal) are an echo of the abilities in Wario Land 3 (and 2).

 

[Mekanos]

Y'all talking about Super Mario Bros 3 and I'm here to say Wario Land 3 is brilliant, especially for the time. Also love how it looks on OLED - the chunky visual design scales up really, really nicely.

Wario Land 3 is the format Wario should follow for going 3D. The world map platformer x upgrades x treasure hunting would be a little like mixing Kirby & the Forgotten Land with Luigi's Mansion, which is why I think Next Level Games would be a great choice for 3D Wario.

I also like how, with the addition of the golf mini games required to collect certain treasures, it's anticipating WarioWare; but also thinking how Get It Together's emphasis on different abilities (which help or hinder you, depending on the goal) are an echo of the abilities in Wario Land 3 (and 2).

Hey, you don't have to tell me. I'm Wario Land 3's strongest soldier. It's a brilliant game and genuinely one of Nintendo's best ever platformers. I would love a 3D Wario Land that followed its template.

 

[Hauke_von_Arding]

I wish for Wario Land 2. I was addicted to it as child. It WAS my childhood.

 

[Pineapple Pizza]

I also like how, with the addition of the golf mini games required to collect certain treasures

My least favourite part of the game is the repetitive "golf" in so many levels.

Enjoying the game overall, though. I've definitely played WL1 and 2, this is my first time with 3. Loved 4 back in the day on the GBA.

 

[Leo]

It took years for WL1 to click with me, I was approaching the game like a Mario platformer, but it really isn't that. By the third or so time I played it, I finally realized it's more an exploration game that is supposed to be played slowly, and I greatly enjoyed it as such and got all the treasures. That was like two years ago and I still haven't got around to 2 or 3, but I have them on the 3DS and will play them soon. Playing SML2 this year on NSO, I also greatly prefer WL1 because I think the slower gameplay works much much better for the tiny GB screen.

I also started Shake It earlier this year but it felt really uninspired, and the forced motion controls annoy me and add nothing. The treasures are also easily missable and you have to replay the whole level again for a new chance to get them, which is aggravating. The music on the game is some of the weirdest shit Ive heard, it doesn't sound like video game music at all, sounds more like a bad american cartoon soundtrack. I want to finish it already because I really want to sell my Wii U, but I never feel like playing it.

 

[Cubs017]

I'm still trying to really "get" Wario Land 3. I've played about half an hour and I haven't really been drawn in but I keep trying. I loved the first Wario Land as a kid, but I feel like that was a bit more of a platformer?

Been enjoying these retro games lately. Mario Land 2 is fun - though I wish it was a bit more polished. Dream Land 2 is a really good little Kirby game and I forgot how many levels there are.

Then, of course, Metroid Fusion is amazing. One of my favorite Metroid games.

Thinking of starting Mario & Luigi soon because I never played much of it. I'm a bit worried that they'll drop the Oracle games in a few weeks though, and I hate starting something and then not being able to finish it.

 

[Deleted member 2]

Man, fusion was going great. And then it came the forest part.

It started with the spider boss, but ok. I can live with that. And then the game just breaks and you are supposed to cheat with the SAx using ice missiles and then next boss is… speachless. How nintendo even let the game release in this state!? I’m amazed.

Hard does not equal broken lol.

 

[P.Scoop]

I'm still trying to really "get" Wario Land 3. I've played about half an hour and I haven't really been drawn in but I keep trying. I loved the first Wario Land as a kid, but I feel like that was a bit more of a platformer?

Been enjoying these retro games lately. Mario Land 2 is fun - though I wish it was a bit more polished. Dream Land 2 is a really good little Kirby game and I forgot how many levels there are.

Then, of course, Metroid Fusion is amazing. One of my favorite Metroid games.

Thinking of starting Mario & Luigi soon because I never played much of it. I'm a bit worried that they'll drop the Oracle games in a few weeks though, and I hate starting something and then not being able to finish it.

Wario Land 3 was more of a Metroid game than a platformer like the first game so I'm not surprised

 

[Symtendo]

I got nostalgic yesterday playing Wario Land 3 in bed, for the time when I used to always have one handheld game and one console game in the go. This service is perfect for that

 

[Notsowise]

Hard does not equal broken lol.

On this case, it’s broken.

In the end, it was a great game with really bad set piecies.

Dread is a leap so immense it’s hard to believe. Uncharted 1 to 2 levels.

Hard is Elden Ring. Fusion has broken parts, since you don’t have to learn patterns. You just have to mash buttons.

 

[Galgavias]

I wish for Wario Land 2. I was addicted to it as child. It WAS my childhood.

Yeah that's the Wario Land I'm waiting for too. Was great fun trying to find all the hidden endings

 

[Mer.Saloon]

Burgertime Deluxe is short, but damn tough.

Gotta say, it's a pretty nifty little puzzle game that demands you juggle a lot of variables. Like all the enemies. And they do their best to avoid you bunching them together.

 

[Deleted member 2]

On this case, it’s broken.

In the end, it was a great game with really bad set piecies.

Dread is a leap so immense it’s hard to believe. Uncharted 1 to 2 levels.

Hard is Elden Ring. Fusion has broken parts, since you don’t have to learn patterns. You just have to mash buttons.

I think we just have different definitions for the term broken.

 

[Rogue Agent]

It can be difficult but I'm sure you can avoid the boss attacks in Metroid Fusion. Phase 2 of the Spider boss and Ridley can be tough to avoid but it's still possible, as is the plant boss. There are patterns to avoid in these bosses.

 

[Tentacle-tropes]

On this case, it’s broken.

In the end, it was a great game with really bad set piecies.

Dread is a leap so immense it’s hard to believe. Uncharted 1 to 2 levels.

Hard is Elden Ring. Fusion has broken parts, since you don’t have to learn patterns. You just have to mash buttons.

To the bolded, I mean it has been a significant amount of time between the two.

 

[Mekanos]

I wish for Wario Land 2. I was addicted to it as child. It WAS my childhood.

I've never gotten 100% in WL2, though I did just buy it on the eShop in case it takes a while to come to Switch, so I'm anticipating it hitting NSO along with WL1 and 4. I guess we're not gonna get the other games on Switch anytime soon.

It took years for WL1 to click with me, I was approaching the game like a Mario platformer, but it really isn't that. By the third or so time I played it, I finally realized it's more an exploration game that is supposed to be played slowly, and I greatly enjoyed it as such and got all the treasures. That was like two years ago and I still haven't got around to 2 or 3, but I have them on the 3DS and will play them soon. Playing SML2 this year on NSO, I also greatly prefer WL1 because I think the slower gameplay works much much better for the tiny GB screen.

I also started Shake It earlier this year but it felt really uninspired, and the forced motion controls annoy me and add nothing. The treasures are also easily missable and you have to replay the whole level again for a new chance to get them, which is aggravating. The music on the game is some of the weirdest shit Ive heard, it doesn't sound like video game music at all, sounds more like a bad american cartoon soundtrack. I want to finish it already because I really want to sell my Wii U, but I never feel like playing it.

I think WL1 is still very much in the Mario mold - but with a character that plays very differently. It's really an evolution of how the first two Mario Lands couldn't have the speedy gameplay style of Mario due to the limitations of Game Boy. It's a transition game from the Mario and Wario "styles," but I still think it's overall a great game and one of the better WLs.

As for Shake It, I think it's the weakest of the WLs I've played (which is all of them except for VB), but I would like a remaster of it to address some of its issues. I still liked it, but I haven't played it in 15 years so I can't really say how well it's held up.

 

[Leo]

As for Shake It, I think it's the weakest of the WLs I've played (which is all of them except for VB), but I would like a remaster of it to address some of its issues. I still liked it, but I haven't played it in 15 years so I can't really say how well it's held up.

I ended up dropping it yesterday for good lol I was already not enjoying the game, the treasures are obtuse to get because you're constantly being locked out from reaching them requiring you to restart the level, I hate that. It wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay was more interesting, but it's not, it's like it's primarily aiming for implementing motion controls to the WL formula because they had to since it was on the Wii, not because they thought of fun ways they could improve the WL gameplay with it. Most of it is just uninspired and some of it is straight up bad, there was one underwater level where you're in a submarine and the control scheme is one of the worst controlling experiences I've had in a Nintendo game.

I was pushing through because the game is apparently very short, but then I realized I didn't have nearly enough coins to advance to world 3 and I would have to replay levels several times to be able to and that's when I noped out hard. The game seems desperate to make players replay the levels again and again, but if you want players to do that what you do is make good, fun levels, not force them through that bullshit. Good Feel remains a studio that I don't get the hype about, their games range from okay to terrible in my experience.

 

[Mekanos]

I ended up dropping it yesterday for good lol I was already not enjoying the game, the treasures are obtuse to get because you're constantly being locked out from reaching them requiring you to restart the level, I hate that. It wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay was more interesting, but it's not, it's like it's primarily aiming for implementing motion controls to the WL formula because they had to since it was on the Wii, not because they thought of fun ways they could improve the WL gameplay with it. Most of it is just uninspired and some of it is straight up bad, there was one underwater level where you're in a submarine and the control scheme is one of the worst controlling experiences I've had in a Nintendo game.

I was pushing through because the game is apparently very short, but then I realized I didn't have nearly enough coins to advance to world 3 and I would have to replay levels several times to be able to and that's when I noped out hard. The game seems desperate to make players replay the levels again and again, but if you want players to do that what you do is make good, fun levels, not force them through that bullshit. Good Feel remains a studio that I don't get the hype about, their games range from okay to terrible in my experience.

I agree forcing the player to replay levels screams padding and one of the biggest issues I had with it. It's too bad you didn't enjoy the game overall, but maybe someday we will get a new WL... maybe.

I've been playing Pizza Tower though and that's definitely been scratching that itch. Hope Anton Blast is good too.