Super Mario Bros Review

By: Logan Manfredi

" An 8-bit titan that will stand the test of time."

Overview
        Super Mario Bros is the classic game. Countless iterations across numerous generations have made it the single most recognizable video game in pop culture. From arcade bars to jail-broken iPhones, Mario is everywhere, but how many people have really played the game? Sure world 1-1 is iconic, and I've personally played it probably ten thousand times, but it wasn't until recently that I dove in and experienced what the game had to offer. Immediately in world two, the game springs open, difficulty spikes up, and new enemies with entirely new patterns begin to test the players on the fly decision making. Even now, almost 35 years later, the level design and ramping difficulty are near perfectly paced and result in an outstanding platformer.

Example of variety in levels.

Currently available with the Nintendo Switch online service the game is more accessible than ever and should be played by every fan of the plumber. The version on Switch is a kinder experience than the original NES or arcade cabinet, but I think it's the ideal way to experience the game. The main addition being the ability to create save states at any point in time while playing. Now I know some people might say "That breaks the game," or "that's not how its meant to be played," while I agree with them somewhat I enjoy Save States because I feel they give the player the option to adjust difficulty without taking away from the game. Save states are as good or as bad as the player makes them, I used them to save before each world, or if I had a specific place, I wanted a clip from. This made getting through the game much easier because I wouldn't have to restart from 1-1 when I ran out of lives rather just the start of the world. Doing so did make the game more accessible, but didn't change any of the design choices or challenges I had to overcome. The diversity in levels even in the same world is years before it's time, and gives the player the feeling of always wanting to see what's next. The end of the game is as tricky as any platformer and will test a player's skill and patience to this day, which helps make it one of the most satisfying games I ever completed.

                                            "Seriously where did that block come from?!"

The Details
        There is a rhythm to Super Mario Bros that when found gives one the most satisfying gameplay experiences ever. This is accomplished by the brilliant level design and pacing of the developers. Each mechanic is so perfectly fine-tuned and complementary to it's accompanying features that the game feels like an instrument to be played. A few worlds in the player discovers an entirely new feel for the game. No longer needing to stop before the next enemy or imposing jump the gameplay becomes fluid and much more fast-paced. Moments like the bridge full of swarming fish reveal the rhythm I mentioned before and capture the brilliance of design perfectly. Panic would be a pleasant way to describe how I felt the first time I had to cross what I call the fish bridge.

I totally didn't die there

Fish come flying from every direction, and so fast that if you stop you'll succumb to the swarm. The momentum and pattern of the fish are designed perfectly in that it forces the player the move before they think and get past the obstacle using their new Mario sixth sense. The effect is made possible by the brilliant level design where the fish themselves and the stage around them force the player into taking the correct path, and when done correctly feels incredibly rewarding. Moments like this are abundant in the game and are a large part of why I think it's one of the greatest games of all times. 

Secrets like this Warp Zone and hidden vine are abundant.

My Favorite Thing
  My absolute favorite thing about this game is the ramping difficulty and the sense of accomplishment it makes the player feel simply by progressing in the game. From world 1-2 the game begins to test the player's decision making with a few moving platforms and new enemy types such as the Piranha plant hiding in the pipe. Easy enough to figure out on the first or second try, the real reason they are there is to teach the player the mechanic before testing them on a similar, but more advanced obstacle later on. Mechanics like this allows for the magic moment of seeing a daunting task in the game and knowing that you can get past it. This attention to detail in level design and difficulty has set a standard in the video game industry that many strive to match to this day. Never in the eight worlds is the player faced with a mechanic they weren’t first taught in a more manageable fashion, and that’s one of the key reasons this game is and will always be a classic.

Exept for the water levels, they are evil.

In the end
        A shining pillar of video game history, Super Mario Bros, laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most popular gaming genres in existence. Giants of the industry refer to it as "the reason they got into gaming," and the game has been enjoyed by countless people of all walks of life. To this day, it remains a fun and rewarding platformer and offers an exciting insight into the birth of the industry as a whole. With numerous iterations available across a wide range of platforms, there is no reason to skip this game. My advice to you the player is this, take your time with it and save Princess Peach. All eight worlds of this game have so much to offer it would be a shame to stop before getting the full experience. If you have not played this game, I highly recommend it.

Super Mario Bros for NES gets 5 out of 5snails.

Mario Tennis Aces Review

By Logan Manfredi

“A swing and a……… half miss?” 

Overview
        Let me preface this by saying that I love tennis, so much so that I’ve played competitively for a good chunk of my life. Mario Tennis Aces, I do not love. The next step in a series that has seen success in the past falls short of its predecessors. The critical and I think most massive flaw with this game is the price point of 59.99, now 49.99. If the game was say priced at 39.99 or lower, I would be much more accepting in the repetitiveness, and lack of polish. The problem is games like Breath of the Wild, and FIFA exist at the same price point, and the sheer difference in the amount of content is astonishing. Mario Tennis at its core is a good tennis game. In classic mode, without Star-shots or any of the extra trimmings that make it "Mario," the game is quite enjoyable. What drove me to stop playing the game was the campaign and its insane difficulty spikes built using redundancy rather than skilled game design. For example, say a challenge required you to volley the ball 15 times with Shy guy, the next challenge would be to volley 30 with a Koopa Troopa, and so on until you reached 100. Problems like these just bore the player and don’t offer any real reward or gratification. The campaign, in general, was just too long for a sports game. The redundant challenges and lack of depth could have easily been avoided by shortening the campaign and focusing on what the game does best, which is tennis. It took me probably 10-15 hours to complete, and I was over it after about six. I'm sure if I skipped as much as I could and only did the minimum to progress that I could've beat it faster, but that's not how I play games. 

        The core gameplay itself is detailed, and anytime I wasn't playing the campaign I was having a great time. Characters in the game are unlocked through online play, which I like as a new take on unlockable items for Nintendo games. The most refreshing aspect is that each month there is a unique online tournament and by participating players can unlock the new character that comes with it. The more you play online, win or lose, the more characters, and costumes you can unlock. The online play itself isn’t perfect, but despite waiting for some lengthy searches to find opponents, it still works. The solid core mechanics combined with frequent updates have given the game longevity that not standard with a Mario title and I appreciate it greatly.


The Details
        There are six game modes in total, and all of them besides Adventure mode was unique and a blast to play. Tournament mode is a typical tournament setup and honestly would be my preferred campaign, all it would need would be some unlockable items and varying difficulty in the CPU. Both mechanics are already present in the game.  Online tournaments add depth and longevity past the content that comes in the box. Co-op challenge, and swing mode both offer multiplayer fun typical of a Nintendo title. Co-op challenge being more mini-game and less tennis focused, while swing mode is a glorious tribute to the Wii sports tennis days of old. Ring shot mode takes the core idea of tennis and flips it on its head by making it a completely different game. In Ring shot games, players will compete, or work together to hit as many rings as possible when rallying the ball back and forth. This was especially interesting to me because I see it as I way to help younger gamers or people who don't want to invest the time to learn the rules of tennis enjoy the game. Beyond that, facing off against friends in Ring Shot mode added another layer of depth and almost a meta game to the multiplayer experience. Lastly, Free play is the classic tennis experience that will allow for any variation of the game to be played with any of the many unlockable characters, items, and courts.

            The aesthetics of each zone are as true to Mario as it gets, from piranha plants to Shy-guys the game is full with the Nintendo spirit that makes their games great. The same Nintendo magic extends to the boss encounters, which are the best part of the campaign. Each boss was different enough to make me want to see what the next had in store but similar enough that I felt I knew how to beat each already. The bosses worked because there were just enough of them, one more boss fight and it would have been too much. While the overview of the map looks fantastic, its sheer size speaks to the main issue with the game — too much content. Nintendo has been crushing it since the Switch came out, and I think that actually had an adverse effect on the development of Mario Tennis. When it was released, the Switch still had a relatively small library of games. I believe this combined with the success of early titles on the Switch lead the development team to push themselves more than they had too. I could easily see how wanting to live up to the hype of Super Mario Odyssey, or Breath of the Wild would cause them to keep adding content to the game hoping to be on that level. The truth of the matter is that Mario Tennis Aces isn't the same caliber as other first-party Nintendo titles, but that's not a bad thing. If the game would have embraced it’s sub AAA status and delivered the polished product it is without the extraneous bells and whistles at a respectable price point it could have been a must-have on the Switch.

My favorite thing
        The thing I found most enjoyable with this game was the online and COM tournaments. The COM tournaments served as the campaign that I expected from the game and continued to be fun through countless replays. The addition of Toad commentators and intro graphics capture the essence of competition and add brilliantly to the overall tournament experience.

        Online there are multiple forms of tournaments from co-op to simple rules, and while matchmaking takes some time, I've never had an issue with a match once connected to my opponent. Frequent updates and the addition of new characters and courts make the online an experience worth coming back to. There are also monthly tournaments where you can compete with your friends and people all across to world to test your tennis skills and redeem cosmetic rewards such as different costumes for Toad and other characters. I spent the majority of my time with the game playing tournaments, and to this day stay excited about new updates, and check in monthly to get my tournament rewards. 

In the end 
        
        At the end of the day, Mario Tennis Aces is not a bad game. Unfortunately, it’s not a great game either. Somewhere along the way the game lost what it was and fell short striving to become something more. That doesn't mean it should be skipped. As a title in the extended Mario universe, it's still a game with a ton to offer. The overall experience will be enjoyable for any Nintendo fan, and the game has the expected amount of Easter eggs and nods to other Nintendo titles. The length and quality of the campaign or Adventure mode, however, can take away from the overall experience, so I suggest skipping it or just playing the main missions needed to progress. If you can find the game on sale, or if its MSRP ever drops below 39.99 it is 100% worth picking up and a great addition to any Switch users library.

I give Mario Tennis Aces 3 out of 5 Snails.