TETRIS - Review

                                                Retro Games Reviewer #6; Tetris Review

Tetris! Come on! It's one of the most well-known inventions of man. I'm not even gonna bother you with a description of the game. You know the drill. It's funny how one of the most popular videogames ever, until today, had its origin in the old, cold and red Soviet Union. Who would have thought? Japan and the U.S.A. were the homes of video entertaining, and the Communist Empire was the distant world of good old cheap socialist friendly toys. History is interesting, because it will surprise you at any corner.

When I was a kid, Tetris was everywhere. It came with the Game Boy, so, we hall had it. There were a lot of electronic machines containing Tetris. Like "Brickmania" - unoriginal undercover name for Tetris, "Block" this, "Block" that. The "Brickmania" had other games, using the sprites of Tetris. Like, a racing game, with cars made of blocks, that was quite original, and fun too.

As a kid, I liked Tetris. Not as much as the Mario games, the Mortal Kombats, Prince of Persia, and all the other goodies from my childhood. So, I did not love it, - yet - but I already liked it. The game became more and more appealing to me. Today - I'm 29 - it's a constant must on my NES.

I remember, when I was a kid, my best friend's dad was addicted to Tetris. He played one of the zillion versions that existed, since 1990, on PC. He was a retired high-ranked military officer, in his 60's. He would spend hours playing Tetris.

I think Tetris is appealing to people who like discipline. The sense of organizing, and building things. Or maybe the will to destroy those same organized buidings! So, in the end, everyone can like Tetris.

It can be quite competitive, and it's even great for a gamer to compete with himself. Can I beat this next level, with this speed? Can I get more points than this? Adrenalin really kicks in, and it really is a great challenge to the mind.

And, of course, to play with your friends, or with everyone, in the inumerous Tetris contests that exist, every year, and everywhere.

The NES original version only allows one player. Tengen Tetris, the unofficial Tetris, allows two. The Game Boy also allows two players, through Game Link. I, personally, prefer to play Tetris by my own, so the NES Tetris is my favorite. But it's a flaw, nevertheless.

So, Tetris, is also a piece of History. A bridge between East and West. Keep that in mind, while playing the soviet mind game. Who said videogames were not culture? Think again. And to play this one, you really need to think.


Retro Games Reviewer; Tetris Review , 28/07/13

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SUPER MARIO BROS. 4; SUPER MARIO WORLD - Review

Retro Games Reviewer #5; Super Mario World Review

Of course, Nintendo had to come up with a brand new name, in order to make the first appearance of the Mario Brothers in 16 bit something revolutionary, beggining with the game title. But, in fact, regarding the plot, the gameplay, the extension of the game, the maps, if we ignore the new possibilities used by the SNES, the real revolution was with Super Mario Bros. 3. And, if Super Mario World is really Super Mario Bros. 4 - as it states the Japanese cartridge,- the name "Super Mario World", if used, should have been with SMB3.

Super Mario World - SMB4 is a great game. I love it, I played the hell out of it, all the 96 leves, star world, all that good stuff. However, - and keep in mind my gamer history began with Nintendo. Read previous articles - it did not have the same impact in me than the NES games. And that's ok. We, the old school gamers, were not the only ones around, anymore. New generations had in the Super Nintendo their first system. And, obviously, Super Mario World had the same impact in them than SMB had in me, and in other old school gamers.

We're talking about 16-bit, and Nintendo did a good job exploring the SNES. The problem is that, after SMB3, it would be hard for the next Mario game to cause a beyond-this-world impression. Even with the better sound, graphics, etc. The gameplay is great, - as it was already - to me, I cannot say that SMW is better than SMB3. But, I cannot say it is not as good. Thing is, it should be far superior. The graphics are not much better, except for the scenarios complexity and deepness, and some good effects, such as Bowser flying towards the screen. So, what do we have new, here? You can repeat levels, which is necessary, because there are hidden stages, and secret alternative ways. And, also, you need to find the switches, in order to produce new platforms, and reach the refered places. I was disappointed with Bowser's kids' sprites. Bowser himself is 16 bit worthy, but not his offsprings. You also lose power-ups, if comparing with SMB3. You now have a cape, which, besides of giving you the same power that Racoon Mario had, allows you to do some more movements, which is great. You can attack the ground, and use it as a parachute. However, you no longer have the frog suit, or similar, nor can turn into Hammer Mario, or Tanooki. The big upgrade is Yoshi. That's definitely the trademark of Super Mario World. You can ride a dinosaur - the action happens in Dinosaur Land, although you still have to save princess Toadstool. - and that's a big add to the game. If you catch Yoshi while still a baby, you have to feed him, until he grows up. Yoshi can eat some enemies, or spit them, through fire balls, for example. It's a lot of fun. There are apples Yoshi can eat. And there are lots of Yoshis, with special features. You have to keep an enemy on the Yoshi's mouth in order to activate them. Blue Yoshi can fly, Red Yoshi turns everything he eats into fireballs, Yellow Yoshi, well, creates little earthquakes. The original Yoshi is the green one. He's the standard one. If you get touched by an enemy while riding Yoshi, he will run away, but you can try to catch him, by jumping on him, again. I, myself, prefer to play the game without Yoshi, although, now and then, it's fun to ride with him. The key word of SMW is probably "fun". The star world levels are very difficult, and a great challenge. But the main stages of the game are quite easy. And remember, since you can go into previous levels, you can go to an easy one that has one up, or collect coins, etc, so, you can never risk a game over. The lack of adrenalin, in this field, destroys a little the essence and pleasure of beating a game.

Important to mention the colors: great definition, and great choices and combinations. It's very pleasant to explore the game.

The thematic worlds are also missed. You don't really feel the diference between
the first "world" and the last ones.

But, hell, it's a great game. Nintendo realized SMW was a sequel to SMB3, and closed the series. Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island is a completely different game, with a completely different concept.

Overall, a great start to the SNES system. It's too bad Nintendo did not come up to another Super Mario Bros. game after Super Mario World. I guess they realized that there was not much more to do. And they did it well.

Retro Games Reviewer, Super Mario Bros. 4/Super Mario World Review , 26/07/13

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SUPER MARIO BROS. 3 - Review

Retro Games Reviewer #4; Super Mario Bros. 3 Review

The final game of the NES trilogy of the Italian plumbers who went super each time they had a nice juicy mushroom. Two different trilogies, since, as we saw before, there are two different Super Mario 2. - The word game was not intentional.

It still amazes me how the hell did they put this game - back to SMB3 - on an 8 bit-system. In fact, the SNES version is essencially the same. They just added a few things, and changed others, in order to make it different. Not better, just different. 

Ironically, in Super Mario 3, Nintendo showed the world what an 8-bit system could do, when explored by people with talent and creativity. I say ironically, because this is the last Super Mario game on the NES, and, one of the best games you can get in your entire life. The market rules are a bitch. I think about all the great games the NES could have had. And all the shitty games that it did, too. My conclusion is: Videogames, nowadays, well, they just lost the magic. It's like controlling characters or something that is happening in a movie, or in a cartoon. No more entering in a different world, which is not supposed to be a TV show. And, yes, we could have had both SNES and NES, offering us great games, until today. But the market rules did not allow it. As Nietzsche once said: Evolution is not the same as elevation. 

So, instead of thinking in all the great stuff that should have happened in the NES, let's focus on this game, that did happen.

90 levels of game play. Indeed. Impressive. 8 worlds, each one loaded with levels. Some are bigger than the others, but neither of them is too short. So, the 90 levels are really 90 levels. There's a map for each world, and you can see what's happening. The worlds are: Grass, Desert, Water, Giant Island, Sky, Ice, Pipe Word, and Darkness. The graphics are 16-bit worthy. In fact, if only every 16 bit games had this kind of graphcis! I have played many crappy games in SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis, who looked like Spectrum, compared to SMB3. The creativity is there, and everywhere. Explore, explore, and keep exploring. It's an entire world, I mean Universe, of Mario Fantasy. Everything that you had before, - in the original SMB and SMB2 - is there, much better, and there's much more. 

Mario can become, not only Fiery, as usual, but also turn into a Racoon, a Hammer Brother - yes, those pain in the ass motherfuckers! - dress a Frog suit, in order to swim better, become Tanooki Mario, which is essentially the same as Racoon Mario; he can fly too, as Tanooki, but also turn into a statue and become invincible. 

Giant power ups, the ability to swim during platform levels, in and out of the water, pick up shells, some enemies, and some bricks, and other stuff, - the influence of Doki Doki Panic aka Western Super Mario Bros. 2 is visible  - fly, as I said, use enemies' items - the Goomba shoe - carry items throughout the game, and, kick Bowser's sons and daugher's asses. 

Soundtrack is ok, but probably the weakest link of the game. I like the music of the Fortresses, and castles, and the bosses too. The "green zones" musics do not please me that much. There are two of them, one is faster than the other. They do not make the game better. In this field, SMB will always have the prize. The underground music is actually the same as SMB, so, we have a win here. It's kind of a rock version of the original one. The map song of the 7th world, is also pretty cool, very bluesy, 

 And, in the end, the princess has even a small joke for Mario.

Great game, a master piece of videogaming. Play it, enjoy it, live it. And in the end, remember yourselves that it's an 8-bit system. And try not to think that, damn, we could have had more of those in the NES. 

Thank you, Mario. But our next adventure, is in another system.

Retro Games Reviewer; Super Mario Bros. 3 Review , 26/07/13

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SUPER MARIO LAND - Review

Retro Games Reviewer #3; Super Mario Land Review


I always asked myself this question: Why the hell didn't Nintendo produce another version of this game, in order to include it, for example, in Super Mario All-Stars, for the Super NES? I mean, no one loves the Super Mario Bros. series more than me, but how many versions and re-editions of the SMB trilogy Nintendo made? Specially the original Super Mario Bros., it's omnipresent. It's in Super Mario All-Stars and in Game Boy Color.  Why, I repeat, WHY not Super Mario Land on the SNES, or, at least, in one of the Game Boy successors? Well, Super Mario Land was, and is, definitely a star. And it's a true, and pretty original Mario Game. I can think of an argument. The morals. Since in Super Mario Land our favorite plumber has to save princess Daisy, instead of Toadstool - they now call her Peach, right? - it would probably be a bad influence on the kids.

"Hey, cool! Mario gets to be kissed both by Peach, AND Daisy!"

I don't know. But, frankly, this is the only reason I can think about.

Now that I remember, didn't Mario save ANOTHER woman, in the game Donkey Kong? Yes, he did! Pauline was her name. What the hell happened to her? Anyway, it seems Mario is a true player. I guess in the en d he stayed with Princess Toadstool. Good move, she has a Kingdom of her own.

So, anyway, Super Mario Land is freaking great game. Nintendo did not have the temptation of making a clone of Super Mario Bros. SMLand has its own essence.

First two levels indicate that you are close to the desert. Fun scenarios, great gameplay. In this game, your fireballs, as Fiery Mario, can collect coins. The same fireballs run free through the screen, like a pinball. Pretty cool, and original. The turtles become bombs, when you jump on them, so, you need to run. There are lots of different enemies. Some of them need more than one fireball, in order to be beaten.

The first world - there are four of them - ends in a pyramid. Great scenarios, it really looks like you're in an Egyptian Pyramid. You can see the hierogliphs, the music is great. Iced Earth, a metal band, ripped off this music, and played it in one of their songs, Desert Song. Just type "Iced Earth Super Mario Land" on YouTube, and pick your poison.


There are hidden elevators, that can take you to the rooftop. There are lots of different bonus/coin rooms in the game. Very original, and fun to explore.

In the end of the pyramid, you have to beat a sort of sphynx. SMB style. You can shoot them, or you can jump over it, - or under - and destroy the bridge. Except for the final level, the bosses don't have any sort of "intelligence." Meaning, they will not follow, or scan you. If you jump over them, they will not turn around. They are like statues who make the same moves. That's one of the downsides of the game.

In world 2, you are now close to water. Each world has 3 levels, but they are bigger than in SMB or SMB3. Each world has also a very different environment, which is great. In the boss level of world 2, you get to use a submarine. The game becomes like a typical shoot'em up. You can see Mario inside the thing. You are under water, lots of enemies to beat, and bricks to destroy, in order to progress. There's the word "Mario" written in coins, and you can do your best to try to collect them all. In the end, you have to beat a creature that looks like the Loch Ness Monster. So, as you can see, there's a lot going on in this game.

World 3, it's Easter Island! You could call it the statue world. Lots of rocks, and statues trying to get you. The levels are long, and the scenarios are, as always, very well done.

World 4, and final. You are in China. Well, probably not in China, but in a Chinese inspired environment, definitely. This is valid for the first two levels. In the final level of this world, - which is also the final level of the game, - you are taken to the sky. It's the same logic and shoot'em up style as world 2-3. But now, you fly an aircraft, and you have birds as enemies. In the end of the level, you have to beat two bosses. The mini-boss, is a cloud, that sends birds to kick your ass. Not too difficult, but it can still be a small challenge. And finally, the nemesis in Super Mario Land: The alien Tatanka. He is flying a pretty cool mini space ship, and throwing missiles and shooting everything that he as against you. You have too take him down first.

And, at last, Mario saves Daisy, and the ending screen is the happy couple, inside a spaceship, flying towards their love nest.

Fucking beautiful. Even the song fits.

Princess Toadstool can never know about this.

So, great game, think again we are talking about portable 8-bit. And, I say it again: It's a damn shame Nintendo did not allow us to play this game, re-edited, renewed, in Super NES. It's stupid. We have to play the exact same Super Mario Bros. 3, - the original game was so good, they could hardly change a thing - instead of Super Mario Land 16 bit style.

Oh well. Play it on the Game Boy. It's a hell of a game as it is.

Retro Games Reviewer; Super Mario Land Review , 22/07/13

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SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 "MARIO MADNESS" - Review

Retro Games Reviewer #2; Super Mario Bros. 2 review.


The Western version of Super Mario Brothers 2, as you all know, by now, was not really a Mario game, originally. Nintendo picked up Doki Doki Panic, changed the characters to the heroes of the Mario Family, and, here you go, have fun. The psychological effect, I think, was never referred by any of the reviews I have read, or heard. Were people so hipnotized and addicted to the figure of Mario, that they would have bought and loved any crappy game, as long as you could play with the plumber brothers? Although I was very surprised when I found out the truth, it did not matter a thing to me. Meaning: I think it's a great game. And I think it was precisely why Nintendo decided to choose Doki Doki Panic as the fake Western Super Mario Bros. 2. I called the game, in the title, Super Mario Bros. 2 - Mario Madness, because, well, that's what it says in the freaking box. Not Super Mario USA, not European Super Mario, or any other thing.

So, again, I think it's a great game. When I was a kid, a neighbour of mine, who had played SMB2 in a friend's house, described it to me. "You can pick up enemies and throw them to other enemies!"

Wow. That's pretty cool.

"You can enter through doors, and explore all sorts of chambers!"

Also cool.

"You must find keys, to open locked doors!"

Again. I'm pleased.

"Every level has a boss! Mini-bosses, which consist of dragons, dressed up as women, who throw eggs, in the first levels of each world, and the main bosses, in the last. You can pick up the stuff they throw to you, and, let them taste their own poison!"

"You can throw magic potions, and it will open a door to the subworld, and get mushrooms and coins. Damn, you can pick amost anything you want! Including vegetables from the ground, which you can use as weapons!"

Stop it, I can't hear it anymore!

"You can choose between Mario, Luigi, Toad and you can play with Princess Toadstool as well! And each character has different powers, or abilities! And Mario and Luigi don't look like fucking twins anymore!"

I NEED THAT GAME!

And I got my parents to buy it, after some struggle. And, yes, I still remember the freshing experience of playing Super Mario Bros. 2. The gameplay was still excelent, and you could go all around the scenario. Back, and forth. The graphics looked very good, and we could get the characters to do almost everything. As I said, pick up stuff, enter doors, throw items, use enemies transports, climb stairs, destroy walls with bombs, in order to progress in the game, use a special jump, by clicking down in the D-pad, dig up sand, etc. We could - hell, we still can! My game still works! - we can even carry the items with us. And it will afect the speed of our character. That's great. Keep in mind we're talking about a NES game, from 1988. A lot of stuff is happening in this game. Although you can still get Starman - through cherry picking - and become invincible, and you have the ability of becoming Super Mario, instead of normal Mario, there are no more power-ups, like the flower, or any other. And you won't miss them. They would not fit the nature of the game.

Including the ability to play with Mario, Luigi, Toad and the Princess. You can also change the character in the beggining of each level, so, you don't get stuck with the same throughout the entire game. Mario is a little like we are used to, Luigi jumps like shit, but very slowly, Toad is incredibly fast and strong, but has a weak jump, and finally, the princess can float a few seconds with her...skirts. That's very nice. I'm assuming she carries underwear, but still... She is also the weakest of them all. She's a lady, right? It's the very first Mario where you can play with the princess, and, besides Mario Kart, which is a completely different series, and kind of game, I think it's the only one. At least regarding Nintendo's 8, 16 and 64 bit systems.

You can explore pyramids, deserts, the usual "green zones", castles, caves, etc. The last world has a greco-roman architecture. Very nice. We also have a nice pack of enemies. Quite bizarre, some of them. The shyguys wear a mask, and I already mentioned the dragon that spits eggs, and dresses up like a woman, because he thinks he's one. In Europe, that monster is named Ostro, but I think in Japan it is Birdo. Here, they called Birdo to that walking bird, that looks like an ostrich. There are walking bombs, with strong arms, the Bob-Ombs, nice play of words, a giant crab, three headed serpents as bosses, so, yes, you will have a whole lot of creatures to beat. The last one is a giant frog, all dressed up. Wart is is name.

The story of the game is revealed in the title. Mario has a dream, and the action happens inside it. He has to save Subcon, the dream-land, from, precisely, Wart, the fat fuck, I mean, frog, and his army. The ending of the game, is, in my opinion, one of the best and more creative in all Super Mario series. And, as you know, Nintendo adopted the hybrid Super Mario Bros. 2 as a real son. Many enemies, abilities of the characters, etc, became part of the Super Mario Universe.

So, do yourselves a favor, in any rainy afternoon. Wipe out the dust of this game, and go save Subcon.

Cheers. Feel free to share your gaming experiences.

Retro Games Reviewer; Super Mario Bros. 2 Review , 20/07/2013

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SUPER MARIO BROS. - Review

The obvious First Chapter. Super Mario Bros. Review.

It's one of my finest memories. I was 8 years old, when I saw, and played, for the very first time, Super Mario Bros. on my TV Screen. I had never seen it anywhere else. I had played Super Mario Land, on the Game Boy, and I knew the drill. But, I met the Mario Brothers, for the very first time, in the living room, big sized, in colors, with no previous contact, not even pictures.

And then I entered a whole new world. The game play of Super Mario Bros. is, still, as smooth as driving a Ferrari. You almost forget you are using a control pad to move Mario or Luigi. The colors, the jumping, the music, the graphics, the animation, everything stunned me. And now, wait... I can jump below these question marks, and I get coins... and... wow, there's a surprise-big-mushroom on this one! Mario becomes a giant! Sweet!

Remember, I was 8 years old. There were only cartoons on saturday morning, in Portuguese TV, and suddenly, I was controling what was happening on the screen.

And now, I get a flower! This guy can shoot, too?!

Star, I become invencible, and Mario is wearing all the colours in the world, changing every half second.

First level, ended. Great scenario. Was ever a better start for a game?

1-2, things change. Now I'm in the underground. It's dark, the music changes. I loose my first one up... I forget there's a world outside the screen, outside the Mushroom Kingdom. I need to beat every level. Not so much because I want to beat the game as soon as possible, but because I want to SEE and PLAY all the levels, explore the Mushroom Kingdom, and kick Bowser's reptilian behind.

Eventually, I see Bowser in 1-4. Adrenalin kicks in. This is better than Sesame Street, that's for sure. The castle's music creates the perfect mood for exploring a castle full of lava, and fire balls. I finally get to the bridge, I jump over the dragon, - first couple of tries, no success... - third one, I jump on the axe, adios Bowser! At this time I know this is not the real Bowser, but it's still a big achievment.

2-2. now, I'm swimming! Yes, you can swim. Game play still smooth. The Super Mario Bros. can jump, shoot, destroy bricks, and swim. We are still talking about a 1985 game. The controls are still so perfect, that, now and then, I just put on the game to go for a drive, so to speak.

3-1. Night. Nice thinking. So easy to do, technically, and yet, someone had to think about it. A slight change of scenario. Excellent. The Hammer brothers do their first appearance on this world. I remember I did not like this gang a little bit, and they would give me a lot of headaches in the final stages of the game. They throw hammers at you, frenetically, and it's very hard to knock them out. They also jump a lot, so, even if you are Fiery Mario (or Fiery Luigi, let's not forget the other brother), you can still miss them. While they probably won't miss you!

But the show must go on!

More castles, there are bullets with eyes and arms coming in your direction. Turtle soldiers, goombas, beetles, carnivore plants, you can explore pipes, some of them give you money, others send you to distant worlds. You can climb up to the sky, get one up's through different mushrooms, become giant, become fiery, you got the whole world in your hands.

The last level presents you a labirynth, inside the final castle. Now, this is it. You have to explore, to beat enemies, to swim, to dodge the final obstacles. Do any of you will ever forget the day you beat Bowser for the first time?

At last, the princess is save. Hey, what is she saying? A new quest?! I'm thrilled, I push start button, again... oh, damn it, it's the same game, with quicker enemies, and without goombas. Besides a couple of levels who are repeated throughout the game, like 1-4 being the same than 6-4, this was the only thing in the game that disappointed me. The japanese got more levels in their Super Mario Bros. 2. In the West, we got other sequel. To be reviewed in another text.

Things would never be the same again. Super Mario Bros. saved, not only the Mushroom Kingdom, but the videogame industry and experience.


Retro Games Reviewer; Super Mario Bros. Review , 19/07/13

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