Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Platforms: Gameboy, 3DS(VC)
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Nov 1992(US), Jan 28 1993(EU), Oct 21 1992(JP)
With the first Super Mario Land came out it it still resembled a Mario game but had very small sprites and at times was a little removed from more traditional Mario gameplay, but for the most part lacked an identity of it's own, Super Mario Land 2 came at the Gameboy with a different approach and that is hold nothing back to what can be done from a hardware standpoint.
It was also time to introduce a new villain into the Mario universe in the form of Wario a hugely over exaggerated version of Mario, and would help mark the start of him becoming one of Nintendo's mascots.
Presentation
Much nicer all round from the interactive file menu to the way everything is presented on screen, it uses the space on the tiny screen to display everything that is need without being intrusive, the inclusion of a world map much like that seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario world makes the game feel far grander this time around.
Graphics
Possibly the biggest leap in games between the first one and second on one system, big sprites that fill the screen and at the same time you can see enough to progress through each of the levels without too much being on screen at once to get in the way.
Not only does the game heavily borrow it's look from both Super Mario Bros.3 and Super Mario World but it also has it's own distinct art style for each of the zones that you will play through within the game, with all of the sprites being so big and bold you can really appreciate just how much work has went into the game not only because it match the other games in the series of the time but because it also helps it's own style shine through on the small screen.
Sound
Everything you expect to hear from a Mario game is there now with much more Mario-like sound effects this time that are closer to the home console games, and the music while being new certainly sound much more Mario-like than the first did to me, although not very epic each of the zones is accompanied by music that fits each area and certainly helps with the overall individuality of the game, but everything through out the game is all very high quality so it will never get to a point of being off putting.
Gameplay
While the original closely followed how Super Mario Bros. and each level was pretty much straight forward with little exploration, this time around exploration is encouraged a little more as levels are much more open and finding things on each levels is part of the fun and that includes some hidden exits to unlock other levels much like in Super Mario World.
If you have played other Mario games like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World you will know exactly how this game feels to play as it borrows heavily from the mechanics of those two games, and that is certainly not a bad thing as the whole game plays like how you would expect because of it, you can't really argue with the tried and tested Mario gameplay.
Lasting Appeal
Probably the one thing that stops this from being an all time classic Gameboy game is that it is a bit on the easy side, maybe that is in no small part to the save feature within the game as well, the main challenge within the game is the boss battles though as some take a considerable amount of hits to beat, but it is a decent sized adventure that will make you want to play through and beat all the levels and even go back and explore them a few times to see if you have missed anything, just the lack of any real difficulty may stop you coming back unless it's just to explore.
Overall
A great technical achievement in the advancement over the first Super Mario Land and a great game all around, just the lack of and true challenge is the one thing that stops this from being the definitive Gameboy Mario title, but don'y let that put you off as it is a worthwhile game to play for any fan on the Mario series and really shows what the Gameboy could do when developers wanted to make original games for it.
Scores
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Nov 1992(US), Jan 28 1993(EU), Oct 21 1992(JP)
With the first Super Mario Land came out it it still resembled a Mario game but had very small sprites and at times was a little removed from more traditional Mario gameplay, but for the most part lacked an identity of it's own, Super Mario Land 2 came at the Gameboy with a different approach and that is hold nothing back to what can be done from a hardware standpoint.
It was also time to introduce a new villain into the Mario universe in the form of Wario a hugely over exaggerated version of Mario, and would help mark the start of him becoming one of Nintendo's mascots.
Presentation
Much nicer all round from the interactive file menu to the way everything is presented on screen, it uses the space on the tiny screen to display everything that is need without being intrusive, the inclusion of a world map much like that seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario world makes the game feel far grander this time around.
Graphics
Possibly the biggest leap in games between the first one and second on one system, big sprites that fill the screen and at the same time you can see enough to progress through each of the levels without too much being on screen at once to get in the way.
Not only does the game heavily borrow it's look from both Super Mario Bros.3 and Super Mario World but it also has it's own distinct art style for each of the zones that you will play through within the game, with all of the sprites being so big and bold you can really appreciate just how much work has went into the game not only because it match the other games in the series of the time but because it also helps it's own style shine through on the small screen.
Sound
Everything you expect to hear from a Mario game is there now with much more Mario-like sound effects this time that are closer to the home console games, and the music while being new certainly sound much more Mario-like than the first did to me, although not very epic each of the zones is accompanied by music that fits each area and certainly helps with the overall individuality of the game, but everything through out the game is all very high quality so it will never get to a point of being off putting.
Gameplay
While the original closely followed how Super Mario Bros. and each level was pretty much straight forward with little exploration, this time around exploration is encouraged a little more as levels are much more open and finding things on each levels is part of the fun and that includes some hidden exits to unlock other levels much like in Super Mario World.
If you have played other Mario games like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World you will know exactly how this game feels to play as it borrows heavily from the mechanics of those two games, and that is certainly not a bad thing as the whole game plays like how you would expect because of it, you can't really argue with the tried and tested Mario gameplay.
Lasting Appeal
Probably the one thing that stops this from being an all time classic Gameboy game is that it is a bit on the easy side, maybe that is in no small part to the save feature within the game as well, the main challenge within the game is the boss battles though as some take a considerable amount of hits to beat, but it is a decent sized adventure that will make you want to play through and beat all the levels and even go back and explore them a few times to see if you have missed anything, just the lack of any real difficulty may stop you coming back unless it's just to explore.
Overall
A great technical achievement in the advancement over the first Super Mario Land and a great game all around, just the lack of and true challenge is the one thing that stops this from being the definitive Gameboy Mario title, but don'y let that put you off as it is a worthwhile game to play for any fan on the Mario series and really shows what the Gameboy could do when developers wanted to make original games for it.
Scores
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