Today is the 30th anniversary of the US release of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES! That's right, boomers - you're getting old. In honour of the occasion we're republishing this article originally posted as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations for the iconic Mario franchise as a whole. Enjoy, once again, the even hazier memories of Operations Director Darren Calvert... *wavy dream lines*
In my neck of the woods in the UK in the early '90s it was unusual to find anyone who owned a NES, such was the dominance of SEGA's Master System at the time. The NES was a mysterious machine, a rare delight to be enjoyed on the demo pods during visits to Boots the chemists.
Of course all that would change in the UK when Super Mario Bros. 3 landed in August 1991, a whole 3 years after its Japanese debut. The hype in Mean Machines magazine for this game was palpable and it landed an outstanding 98% score. Once me and my school chums had watched The Wizard on VHS we knew it was time to take the plunge and get a NES.
I remember buying an old battered NES for £40 from a schoolmate during the six week school holidays, in preparation, which strangely only came with a Burai Fighter cart. I played that for a while and also picked up some other fun Nintendo classics while I waited for the big day on 29th August 1991.
When I finally got Mario 3 all to myself I was hooked immediately. There was nothing like this on the Master System, as accomplished as Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap was, it could no longer compete for my attention. I remember whiling away the remainder of the six week school Summer holiday mastering the levels of Mario 3, soaring to the skies in a raccoon suit, swimming around in a frog suit, stomping bad guys in Goomba's Shoe, finding warp whistles and mastering the technique which would allow me to lure Bowser into breaking the bricks which would seal his demise and allow me to save the princess.
I probably don't need to go into much more detail about what makes Super Mario Bros. 3 such a special game, if you've played it yourself you'll immediately know it was a defining moment in Nintendo's history and would sow the seeds for every Mario game which was to follow.
One of my fondest memories of that misspent Summer holiday was a really hot day where it was too stifling to stay indoors. I was so intent on completing Mario 3 that day I ran an extension cable out of my house into my back garden to power my TV and NES so I could enjoy playing the game outdoors instead of just buying a fan. You youngsters don't know how good you've got it being able to play these classic Mario games easily on your 3DS!
The magic of Super Mario Bros. 3 made me a lifelong fan of Mario games and Nintendo in general. I was first in line to buy a Super Nintendo with Super Mario World to experience more of Mario's adventures as soon as I possibly could. Super Mario All-Stars was a firm favourite on the SNES along with Super Mario Kart which did an amazing job of squeezing the colourful world of Super Mario World into a fun kart racing game.
Due to my fantastic parenting skills, my 7 year old daughter has become a bit of a Mario fan herself. She's mastered New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D World, with a little bit of help from me as her sidekick. I'm really looking forward to spending time with her in September creating some fun Mario levels in Super Mario Maker and teaching her a bit about Mario history sneakily in the process. This seems like the perfect game to celebrate Mario's 30th anniversary.
By the way, my old NES console is still working even today, amazingly. When I left my hometown to go to university I gave my treasured NES to my best friend at school for safekeeping, who would later would pass it on to his kid brother. Whenever I visit I am told the NES is still alive and kicking and often gets brought out whenever the two brothers get together.
Comments 52
I unfortunately missed out on owning an NES when I was a kid but I did go over to my Grandparent's house quite often and lucky for me they had Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 3 and every time I was over there those games were the first things I would boot up and play. Great games and great memories!
I wish Nintendo would actually make a Mario game that looked like this:
Sooo cool.
Not only is Super Mario Bros. 3 my favorite Mario game, it is my favorite video game of all time. I have very fond memories of my siblings and I huddled around the TV discovering the games secrets together. The only bad thing was, I am the youngest of 8 kids so waiting for my turn to play was excruciating!
That was a very fun game, a classic that will never die.
I'll tell you one thing about Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap though: It did have much better graphics than Super Mario Bros 3 (or pretty much any NES game for that matter):
https://youtu.be/OBdu19yBNkQ?t=50
I was always rather impressed with the Master Systems graphics—it just crossed that threshold where it could display just enough colours onscreen to look "right", as it were, especially on sprites, and not look "limited" by it's colour palette (like it was displaying a simple but colourful cartoon or something):
http://www.gamepilgrimage.com/content/sega-master-system-vs-nintendo-entertainment-system
I think SMB3 is a much more enjoyable game though, for me personally at least (especially the core controls and gameplay mechanics), but the original NES version did has some visual anomalies that bug me; like the glitching at the side of the screen:
https://youtu.be/H1Ui3ZDX9MI?t=35
And I always wished it could display just one or two more colours onscreen. I mean just imagine how classic NES games could have looked with just one or two more colours:
(Super Mario Bros with just a few more colours)
I always loved the SNES version of SMB3 in Super Mario All-Stars though. Those extra colours, and things like more background layers—the ability to properly save the game (a major plus for me)—just really took it to the next level; giving us what I consider the definitive and a pretty much perfect version of the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs3N7LmdCtA
You can check out all the ways the game was tweaked in the SNES version here:
http://www.mariomayhem.com/reference/smb3_transform/
I played Super Mario Bros in the garden too when I was 5. I ate some mushrooms I found in the garden, thought it turned me into a giant but I hallucinated and saw Mario in a green pipe who beckons me to follow. Later firemen had to pull me out from drain.
SMB3 will always stay near and dear to my heart. I remember having the strategy guide and the pictures above represented the different worlds of the game. Still have that "Nintendo Power" Strategy Guide today.
"Try using a P-Wing if you really suck. "
-@Dazza 12 Jun 2008, 07:48 GMT
Still my favorite game of all time
Probably on of the best NES games ever made. It, Kirby's Adventure and Dragon Warrior IV always have impressed me for what they each accomplished on very limited hardware.
I'm from the UK but my love of Nintendo stems from much earlier than SMB3...whenever we had a family day out I was always fascinated by arcade machines, and 2 of my favourites were Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. I used to play every DK clone on the ZX Spectrum I could get my hands on and even had the old MB board game. So when the NES launched here, that became my console of choice over anything Sega offered. Yes, I was that 'one' kid in the street playing Nintendo stuff. My old NES still also works, those things are built to last. I've even recently successfully disabled it's lockout chip so I could play a few US only releases...TMNT 3: The Manhatten Project is such an awesome scrolling brawler
@Splatburst still great advice
I remember playing Super Mario Bros. 3 via All Stars, and later having the GBA port. Out of the earlier Mario games, 3 is the one I remember the most. I used to play it all the time and have so much trouble with the fortresses. I often used the 2-player to kinda cheat so I'd go through the game with more lives. Even with that, the closest I remember getting in the game was World 4. To this day I still haven't beaten the game.
However, I no longer own the game in any capacity, so my next attempt will have to wait.
@Dazza Great story, thanks for sharing!
By the way, shouldn't the game's Japanese release date be listed as 1988, (not 1998)?
@shinesprite you're welcome! Thanks for pointing out that date typo, that's corrected now.
Ah the first Mario I really remember playing. I had to game genie the end though...I should go back and beat it honestly someday.
I've still never beaten SMB3 - I was playing it on the Wii VC version, and I was on World 6, but my friend foolishly reset the game and that meant I went all the way back to World 1.
Rage ensued.
I'll probably try and do some before Super Mario Maker comes out.
@WaveBoy: that's why I like the Paper Mario Wii game. It has such nice cartoon graphics.
I don't like the 3D CGI Mario games look. I do play them, but I would also like to see a 2D Mario game with the look or graphics like we can see on the above illustrations.
I would buy it instantly.
I love my nes. I recently took it apart and cleaned it. I also deactivated the pin which is responsible for the blinking screen and pixeled out images. Works perfectly 100% of the time. I don't even have to push the cart down. Just push in and power on.
The game I treasure the most. My fondest gaming memories are with this game. Whenever my brother visits from out of state, and all our kids are asleep, we stay up and play through every stage and beat the game.
@NESlover85 you must blinded by nostalgia if that's your favorite game of all time. I guess it's your opinion, but still. That's kinda rough
This was pretty much my favourite game when I was 3! By the time I was 5 I had World on the SNES and that blew my mind even more haha
@Kirk Know this is old but some dude was making an original game based off of the Mario Bros cartoon from the 90s. Not sure if he finished it, though.
@Kirk That would make for an awesome game! It is interesting you say this, because an artist has made a Mario model in the style of the Mario Bros box art. Check out this artist, who has made a character in that style!
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ogQDw
It was long usurped as my favorite Mario game. But I will never forget seeing the game in The Wizard and being so excited for the game. And then my dad bringing the game home as a surprise. Seeing the all yellow packing with the logo and Raccoon Mario on the front for the first time is a memory that will forever be ingrained in my memory.
But as I said, Mario was destined for even bigger, bolder and more ambitious adventures. And Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 remain my top two favorite Mario games of all time with Super Mario World being numero uno in my book
@PickledKong64 There are a lot of reasons for people to consider a game their favorite. Some of those may involve nostalgia, while some might not. SMB3 was extremely well designed in its day and remains so now. People value different elements in games and have different taste when it comes to genre and style. There is no objective standard for people to decide what their favorite game is.
One of my favorite NES games. It was a return to the original Super Mario Bros formula, and improved on that game in every way.
@PickledKong64 Ridiculous and unnecessary response in dismissing someone's personal preference. Just share what your favorite game is and move on.
I can’t imagine many people who played Mario 3 back in the day were boomers, more likely most were Gen X or early Millenials.
@BulkSlash Talk to all the kids whose parents stayed up all night beating Mario for them...not me, but I've heard a lot of tales from pals about their parents becoming obsessed with SMB3!
@BulkSlash I was about to mention this myself. I was 19 years old when Super Mario Bros. 3 was released. (Now 49.) Firmly Gen-X here. Loved playing it (and beating it) back in the day.
I loved playing through this again on Nintendo Switch Online with the NES controllers.
The first game I ever played, and on the original hardware. This will always be my favourite. I think the fact that I decided to listen to the soundtrack today while working, unaware of its 30th anniversary, is a sign that I should play this game tonight.
@PickledKong64 You were a little rough for a post made back in 2015.
This definitely is my favorite 2D mario game.
Just a note, this is a republished article. It seems it dates back to 2015, so keep that in mind when replying to the first 25 comments!
I was a few months shy of 7 when this came out, I am not a boomer, I'm not even a Gen-X-er.
Please don't give credence to that stupid meme.
Just FYI... the youngest Boomer is 55 years old.
@Kirk maybe not exactly what you meant, but there is this project: https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=29877.0
I remember reading through the preview for SMB3 in Nintendo Power and being so excited. I had to wait a couple of extra weeks to get the game because it sold out everywhere. When I finally got it, I played it every waking moment I could. I still play the original cartridge on my AVS frequently. It's probably the game I've bought the most times throughout the years. I have it on NES, SNES (All Stars and All Stars +) Gameboy Advance, Wii Virtual Console, Wii All Stars, Wii U Virtual Console, 3DS Virtual Console, and NSO. I'm a sucker, so I'll keep buying it as long as Nintendo keeps selling it.
I don't remember for sure if I owned part 2 or 3 back then, but I know I played them a lot. My cousin was around a lot and he had both I believe. So that is probably how I played them so much. I mainly gamed with SNES when that came out. Between that, GameBoy/Game Gear and every dang SEGA console...
This game is the definition of a 2d platformer. Best game I played as a kid and still great today.
SMB3 defined my childhood. To this day, it's probably my most played game.
"Darren recalls a stolen moment in his back garden with Mario."
To be honest I was half-expecting the story of how the author lost his verginity going by the sub-header 😂
Even with that clue from the princess’s letter, I’d probably never have figured out by myself to crouch on the white block, then run to the right to get the whistle. What a wonderfully obscure secret!
@UmbreonsPapa does it look like I care? Bruh the nes nostalgic freaks are even worse then the n64 man children lol
@Devlind does it look like I care? There were plenty of better quality platformers in 2015. Super Mario Bros 3 is great but definitely not best mario game or favorite game
@UmbreonsPapa you look like the same person to make fun of a sony or Microsoft fan
@PickledKong64 Yes, it looks like you care, at least enough for you to reply to his and my comments. And yes, there are other notable 2D platformers back in 2015, but one thing that has remained consistent over the last 30 years is that NSMB3 is almost always near the top spots in most rankings. It isn't weird that some may consider it the best 2D platformer IMO.
@PickledKong64
“ Super Mario Bros 3 is great but definitely not best mario game or favorite game”
What? You know favourite is subjective to the individual, right? You can’t tell people that something isn’t their favourite...
I have some of my earliest memories of video games, playing Mario 3 on NES with my father. Good times. I miss him every day.
Remember heading out for day into Birmingham to buy this but we managed to get it in town on the way in.
I wanted to go straight home to play it but my folks insisted on going to Brum anyway so I sulked for the whole day as I waited impatiently....
@Maschinenmensch I was born in '83. I grew up playing the NES. As far as growing up, making snide comments and strafing someone in a comment section rank right up there in immaturity. You grow up.
@Maulbert grow up, kiddo. Nothing you say do or think holds any substance.
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