Super Mario All-Stars Is 30 Years Old – Do You Prefer The NES Or SNES Versions Of The Classics?
Super Mario All-Stars features complete remakes of the NES Super Mario games — Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, aka the real Mario sequel. That last one is particularly important, as it was the first time ever the true Super Mario Bros. follow-up was ever released in the West.
Every single game has been given a pixel art overhaul, with huge splashes of colour and enhanced spritework used to make every single level look richer and more detailed. This is a given seeing as the SNES is capable of a wider range of colours and has a more powerful processor, but back in 1993, if you played All-Stars after growing up with the NES, it would’ve blown your mind.
Other than the visuals and the musical changes, Super Mario All-Stars stayed relatively faithful to the NES versions — Super Mario Bros. on SNES is missing Minus World (essentially a bug fix) and Luigi getting a unique character sprite in Super Mario Bros. 3 are just a couple of the tiny tweaks made in the compilation version. But in a world where we’re flooded with retro remasters, remakes, ports, and compilations, the faithfulness and the upgrades in the SNES version stand out in 1993.
But sometimes you just can’t shake the feeling the original versions gave you. Sure, The Lost Levels may only be playable in its original form through other means, but the classic feel and sounds of the NES originals. A jump sounds different in 1985 than it does in 1993, and even the mushrooms look a little different.
It could be down to how you first experienced Mario — and many of you might have first experienced these games as part of the All-Stars package — or even just which you find easier to replay in 2023. But we want to know, on this auspicious day, whether you prefer the NES or SNES versions of the original Super Mario Bros. trilogy.
Vote in our polls below and then share your thoughts in the comments — and why not boot up the NSO and give each version a try?
Super Mario All-Stars features complete remakes of the NES Super Mario games — Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, aka the real Mario sequel. That last one is particularly important, as it was the first time ever the true Super Mario Bros. follow-up was ever released in the West.
Every single game has been given a pixel art overhaul, with huge splashes of colour and enhanced spritework used to make every single level look richer and more detailed. This is a given seeing as the SNES is capable of a wider range of colours and has a more powerful processor, but back in 1993, if you played All-Stars after growing up with the NES, it would’ve blown your mind.
Other than the visuals and the musical changes, Super Mario All-Stars stayed relatively faithful to the NES versions — Super Mario Bros. on SNES is missing Minus World (essentially a bug fix) and Luigi getting a unique character sprite in Super Mario Bros. 3 are just a couple of the tiny tweaks made in the compilation version. But in a world where we’re flooded with retro remasters, remakes, ports, and compilations, the faithfulness and the upgrades in the SNES version stand out in 1993.
But sometimes you just can’t shake the feeling the original versions gave you. Sure, The Lost Levels may only be playable in its original form through other means, but the classic feel and sounds of the NES originals. A jump sounds different in 1985 than it does in 1993, and even the mushrooms look a little different.
It could be down to how you first experienced Mario — and many of you might have first experienced these games as part of the All-Stars package — or even just which you find easier to replay in 2023. But we want to know, on this auspicious day, whether you prefer the NES or SNES versions of the original Super Mario Bros. trilogy.
Vote in our polls below and then share your thoughts in the comments — and why not boot up the NSO and give each version a try?
