Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary

As a celebratory move to honor the iconic Marios 25th anniversary, Nintendo has decided to rerelease Super Mario All-Stars which was originally seen on the Super Nintendo back in 1993. Though the game disc itself is an exact port of the original SNES cart, the complete package includes a soundtrack CD with a few of the many themes heard throughout the series as well as a 32-page booklet featuring concept art and quotes from the creators of past Mario titles. The compilation is pretty acceptable and features some cool content, but its hard to shake the fact that Nintendo could have gone a little further to celebrate the plumbers 25th anniversary.

Included on the Super Mario All-Stars disc are Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The games feature the same enhanced 16-bit visuals that they did when the compilation was originally released as well as the save function which allows you to save at any point in each of the games and restart from the beginning of the last level you left off on. Overall, the disc is a fairly by-the-numbers affair. Though it certainly seems like a quick cash-in, the fact that the four games on the compilation are highly enjoyable 2D platformers makes it a worthwhile collection. This is especially true if you have never played or dont already own any of these games.

But as enjoyable as the four games in Super Mario All-Stars may be, there are a few openings for complaint. Nintendo could have put forth a little more effort into the collection rather than simply porting the SNES cart onto a Wii disc. For example, it would have been really cool to play the games with updated graphics akin to the visuals seen in New Super Mario Bros. Sure, that would require more time and possibly some physics tweaks, but isnt Mario worth it after 25 years? Alternatively, Nintendo could have at least included a few more games on the disc such as Super Mario World, Super Mario RPG, or Super Mario 64. Going the extra mile to provide a new compilation was fitting here, but Nintendo opted out of that and went with the least creative option.

Another gripe comes with the included soundtrack CD. Featured on this disc are a mere 10 themes from Super Mario Bros. all the way to Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well as 10 memorable sound effects and jingles. The Mario franchise has always features excellent music, and its a shame that more tracks werent featured on the CD. For what its worth, though, the moment you listen to any of these songs, youre bound to remember fond moments with titles such as Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 3, and many of the other games in the series. Admittedly, the nostalgia that comes with listening to the Delfino Plaza theme from Super Mario Sunshine and other catchy tunes definitely makes this CD enjoyable despite its small number of tracks.