Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Imagine the original NES Super Mario Bros. games with better-than-Super Mario World-aesthetics and you get the idea. Like Super Mario World, the visuals don't quite stand up to later Super Nintendo releases, but still represent an incredible upgrade from the original titles, and are tastefully done.
Soyo Oka's remixed versions of the NES titles' songs are splendid-- just upgraded enough to take advantage of the Super Nintendo's audio capabilities, but just understated enough to remain true to the original compositions. Sound effects follow suit.
The NES Super Mario Bros. titles were absolute masterpieces as they stood. The key for this collection was to simply get those physics engines and map designs ported to the Super Nintendo without losing the feeling or precision. At that, the team at Nintendo succeeded perfectly.
Super Mario Bros. single-handedly changed the entire direction of the industry from never-ending, score-based arcade titles, like Pac-Man, to novel or cinema like "beginning-to-end" titles. And Super Mario Bros. 3 is perhaps the best video game ever made. For those two games alone, upgraded versions with improved graphics, audio, and save game support is like a dream come true.
Sniper's verdict: