Top 50 Video Games: Number 31

#31: Super Mario Bros 2
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: 1987
Players: 1


I see Mario, but potions? Little star guys? Cherries? What the fuck is that big jar thing? Jesus god! It's Super Mario 2!


Of all of the Mario action games made, Super Mario Bros 2 stands apart from the rest. There are no koopas, no goombas, no mushrooms. No Bowser. You don't defeat your enemies by jumping on them. It's the only Mario game that you can play through from start to finish without ever controlling Mario. There's a good reason for this. Before it became Super Mario 2, it was a Japanese game called Dream Factory: Doki Doki Panic. They changed the four characters to Mario, Luigi, Princess and Toad. They changed a few enemies and a few items and ta-da! Super Mario 2 was born. When Japan got Super Mario Bros 2, it was entitled Super Mario USA. Why? Japan already had a "Super Mario Bros 2" - it was a true sequel to the first game using the same engine, graphics and gameplay. America got it later as part of Super Mario All Stars for the SNES; it was entitled "Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels." Confused yet? Despite all of the departures from the usual features of the Mario games, the key features in Super Mario 2 remain: consistent challenge, catchy music and fun gameplay.

An evil frog named Wart has enslaved the dreamworld of Subcon, and it's up to Mario and his buddies to put a stop to it. The gameplay mechanics are a little different. You defeat enemies by uprooting vegetables and throwing them as weapons, or you throw enemies into pits or even at each other. At the beginning of each level you can choose which of the four characters you will play as. Luigi is a bit weak when it comes to lifting things, but he can jump the highest (his legs twiddle rapidly like he's having a seizure.) Princess is the weakest lifter but when she jumps she can float along in the air for a few seconds. Toad (my favorite) is the strongest lifter and the weakest jumper. Mario is, of course, average all around.


Toad digging in the dirt in the Desert Lands


This game is full of enemies that have, for the most part, never been in another Mario game. Gone are Mouser, Wart, Phanto and the gang. I've seen only cameo appearances from Shyguys and Birdo since. In what has been a constant in Mario games, you can play the game straight through or you can warp to the end rather quickly if you know your way around. I remember the first time I beat the game. It was one of those ordeals where we were leaving for something I kept asking for 5 more minutes when I knew I was close to the end. Wart was tricky, but I fed the bastard vegetables til he died. Kind of like Se7en. Hmm. Anyways, the ending is kind of cheap (It was all a dream - the land of Subcon, get it?) but I enjoyed it all the same.

Super Mario 2 is generally seen as the black sheep of the series (Mario 1 and 3 have been rereleased. Hmm....) It is still great to play today as are all of the Mario games. Mario has appeared in countless games since, and he is still the most recognizable mascot in the video game world.