Super Mario All-Stars

Super Mario All-Stars
North American SNES box art
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takashi Tezuka
Producer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Composer(s)	Soyo Oka
Platform(s)	Super Famicom/SNES, Wii
Release date(s)	Super Family Computer/SNES JP July 14, 1993 NA August 1, 1993 PAL December 16, 1993 Wii JP October 21, 2010 AUS December 2, 2010 EU December 3, 2010 NA December 12, 2010
Genre(s)	Action, platform
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Super Mario All-Stars (Japanese: スーパーマリオコレクション, Hepburn: Sūpā Mario Korekushon, "Super Mario Collection") is a collection of Super Mario platforming video games that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. The game contains enhanced remakes of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels, the latter of which was the original Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 2 which was never released outside of Japan prior to this compilation. The games are all developed to take advantage of the Super NES hardware, featuring updated graphics and sounds and additional save mechanisms. A second version of the compilation, which includes Super Mario World as a playable title, was released outside of Japan in December 1994. Super Mario All-Stars was ported and re-released for the Wii in 2010 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.

Gameplay

Main articles: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3

Cross comparison between the original NES version (above) and the Super Mario All-Stars version (below) of Super Mario Bros. 2. The latter incorporates color schemes utilizing the Super Nintendo's 16-bit technology, as well as parallax scrolling and elaborate backgrounds.

Super Mario All-Stars is a video game compilation that features complete remakes of the four Super Mario side-scrolling platform games that were originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Famicom Disk System between 1985 and 1990: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan), Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros. USA in Japan), and Super Mario Bros. 3. The gameplay of each remade game is nearly identical to its original version, though some game physics as well as character and level designs are slightly modified, and some bugs, including the "Minus World" in Super Mario Bros., are fixed.

The four games each feature enhanced 16-bit graphics and updated soundtracks to take advantage of the Super NES hardware, including parallax scrolling. All four games offer a save feature, which the original games lacked, allowing the player to save progress and resume play from the start of any previously accessed world (or in The Lost Levels, any previously accessed level). Up to four individual save files can be stored for each game. The games also allow the player to customize control configuration, allowing the "jump" and "dash" actions to be mapped to different buttons on the Super NES controller.

Re-releases

Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World

In December 1994, an alternate version of the compilation titled Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World was released in both North America and Europe both as a stand-alone game and as a pack-in game for the Super NES console. This version features Super Mario World as a fifth playable game, which was released for the Super NES in 1991. Super Mario World is nearly identical to the original version; however, Luigi's sprites were updated to make him distinct from Mario.

Game Boy Advance games

Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3 were later remade independently for the Game Boy Advance as Super Mario Advance in 2001 and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 in 2003, respectively. These ports took many of the enhancements from the All-Stars versions, such as improved graphics and music, while also adding enhancements specific to the GBA versions such as sprite rotation and voice clips.

Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition

Super Mario All-Stars was ported to the Wii in 2010, released as Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros. It was released in Japan on October 21, 2010 and in all other regions in December 2010, distributed in Wii optical disc format. The game disc contains an emulation of the original SNES ROM image, with support for the Wii Remote, Classic Controller, and GameCube controllers. A 32-page booklet detailing the history of the Super Mario franchise and an audio CD containing music from each Super Mario game are bundled with the game disc. Nintendo sold 307,755 copies in the game's first week, selling more copies than any other title that week. The 25th Anniversary Edition has since seen 2.24 million units sold worldwide.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 90.12% Review scores Publication Score AllGame Edge 8/10 GamePro 5/5 IGN 7/10 Nintendo Life 5/10 ONM 90%

The game was very successful and well-received upon release and eventually became a "Player's Choice Million Seller". Prior to May 31, 1994, Super Mario All-Stars was available as a promotion by Nintendo, giving the game away for free if a Super Nintendo Entertainment System was purchased. The proof of purchase and $3.50 USD—to cover postage and handling—was required to be mailed into Nintendo and Super Mario All-Stars was sent out to the buyer.

The Wii version received mixed reviews. Critics such as IGN criticized it for being a straight port from the original SNES version but praised it for being "The same classic games we remember". IGN gave it a 7/10. VideoGamer gave it an 8/10. However, The A.V. Club gave the Wii version an "F", saying that the bonus materials included with the game were "disappointing".

External links

• Official website
• Super Mario All-Stars at MobyGames