Super Mario Bros USA
This feature is written by: Kwyj
 


 
 

The story of how Super Mario Bros. 2 came to be known as Super Mario Bros. USA in Japan is a long and interesting one that needn't be told again here. All you have to know is that, as with Super Mario Bros. 3, a portion of the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2 was released on the Satellaview, with a few interesting changes.

In fact, there were four completely separate games released on the Satellaview that were derived from Super Mario Bros. 2, each one containing only World 1, 2, 4, or 5. All three separate levels in each game can be visited freely again and again after they are first completed - at least, until the game time runs out. But more on that later.

Each game starts out with an odd St. Giga logo followed a controller setup selection screen, after which the level selection screen comes up. Pressing Select at this screen brings up the first big change: a score screen. The totals keep track of the total number of items you have found in each level during all your trips through it.


Find the 3 Mario statues!

The objects at the top of each column are Mario statues, one of the most interesting features of these games. Scattered throughout each level are three golden statues of Mario (with an extra statue awarded the first time the world's boss is defeated); standing on one and picking it up will cause it to disappear and give you an extra life, and it will appear afterwards on the score screen. Each statue can only be collected once.

Most of the statues are hidden in very out-of-the-way places that are hard to get to. To make things even more difficult, some of these statues are hidden in sub-space, like the mushrooms are, and can only be collected by using a sub-space potion in the appropriate place. Frequently, getting these sub-space statues involves carrying potions very long distances indeed. Things are made slightly easier by the fact that the order in which statues appear on the score screen is the same order in which the statues can be found in a level, so if you can only find one statue and it appears in the second position on the score screen, you know that there's one statue hidden before it in the level and one statue after it.


Wart

Wart also appears on the score screen, and indeed in each game it is possible to go and fight Wart simply by going down a pot while in sub-space (any pot will do the trick, not just the old warp-zone pots). Wart is as difficult to defeat as he always is, and if you fail while fighting him you'll be brought right back to the level selection screen to begin the whole level over again (as opposed to starting over at the last door or ladder you used, which is what otherwise happens).

Points are also available in this version of Super Mario Bros. 2, a feature not used in the original. Points don't seem to do much, however, except when you're invincible. While you're invincible, the first enemy you kill will give you 200 points, the next will give 400, then 800, and... well, just take a look at the screenshot.

As interesting as this all is, though, it would still be pretty dull to play the same three levels over and over again. That's why there's a timer in the upper-right corner, ticking away the minutes. At certain times, different power-ups or other events are triggered. The timings and events are different for each separate world, but unfortunately don't change if you reset the game and play it over again after the time runs out.

Each event (except for character changes) is signalled beforehand by the appearance of a panel on the left (for a good event) or of a panel on the right (for a bad event).

       
The panels on the left will show pictures of Mario, Luigi, the Princess (who sometimes looks really angry), and Toad. Usually, the panels will switch between different characters before going away.


You'll also see pictures of these two characters. Who is that cool dude with the shades? Does he get his moustache trimmed by Wario's barber? Is he related to Papa from Doki Doki Panic? Who knows?

     
The panels on the right show pictures of the three different Birdos, Mouser, Tryclyde (only in World 2), and Fryguy (only in World 4). (Supposedly Clawglip would appear in World 5, but that particular episode has yet to be found.)

 

 
 

 

The fact that there is no music playing during the game - only sound effects - and the fact that the panels only appear at specific times suggest that these games were originally meant to be played at the same time as some TV program on the Satellaview that would supply dialogue for the characters in the panels. (You might recall that BS Zelda would occasionally come up with a screen stating "Listen Closely", presumably because a TV broadcast was giving a special clue when the screen came up.) This also makes sense when you consider that these games also have some references to St. Giga, while most other games do not.

This theory makes even more sense when you consider that the game ends when the timer reaches 50 minutes. You're given three minutes to play around with your coins on the old slot machine Bonus Game (where instead of lives, you can earn more coins), after which the credits will begin to roll. First, there's some kind of congratulations screen, then the credits themselves (complete with pictures!), and then a "preview" screen of the next game.

 


Who's this mysterious person?
 

Your scores after completing a World...

 

 

Click here to continue to Part 2 to of this feature...
 

 

 

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