Lex
1985
The hero we needed AND deserved. The one to save them all, as they say. Super Mario Bros.' legend has been retold countless times. It took part in reviving the video game industry as a whole and instantly became a timeless classic.
Super Mario Bros. is about as simple as you can get. Upon this most recent playthrough of mine, I was surprised at just how much fun I was having despite the game's simplicity. Every time I play this game, I feel a thrill that I can't say I feel with many other games. This game puts me on the edge of my seat in the best way possible.
The physics, while not seeming like much by today's standards, were revolutionary at the time. Coming off of Mario Bros., what I feel is a slippery mess in terms of its control, Super Mario Bros. controls like a dream. The advent of analog control with the jump button is a game changer. Combine that with the tight turn controls, and you set yourself up for a fun platforming adventure ahead of you. One minor issue I have with Mario's controls is how he gains speed. You'll notice that Mario goes from 1 to 100 on a dime, and if you're near bottomless pits or some other hazard, it's usually too late before you take damage, as Mario takes quite a bit to slow down/turn around.
Being one of the first of its kind, I can understand that the level designs weren't necessarily out there aiming to leave much of an impression on players save for 1-1. Most of the levels mold together in my head, due to the very small amount of level themes the game presents as well as the reusing of layouts at times. I'm also of the opinion that the inability to backtrack hurts this game a lot. There are a number of times where I'm either caught between a rock and a hard place, or I miss out on a mushroom because it ends up traveling in the opposite direction.
It amazes me just how much fun I had with Super Mario Bros. with the bias of hindsight being prevalent. It's a fun pick up and play game that can be beaten under an hour, and I rarely ever get tired of it. It's no wonder this game gets the praise and legendary status that it has, as I can only imagine how amazing it must have been to be able to play this game back in 1985.
8/10
Super Mario Bros. is about as simple as you can get. Upon this most recent playthrough of mine, I was surprised at just how much fun I was having despite the game's simplicity. Every time I play this game, I feel a thrill that I can't say I feel with many other games. This game puts me on the edge of my seat in the best way possible.
The physics, while not seeming like much by today's standards, were revolutionary at the time. Coming off of Mario Bros., what I feel is a slippery mess in terms of its control, Super Mario Bros. controls like a dream. The advent of analog control with the jump button is a game changer. Combine that with the tight turn controls, and you set yourself up for a fun platforming adventure ahead of you. One minor issue I have with Mario's controls is how he gains speed. You'll notice that Mario goes from 1 to 100 on a dime, and if you're near bottomless pits or some other hazard, it's usually too late before you take damage, as Mario takes quite a bit to slow down/turn around.
Being one of the first of its kind, I can understand that the level designs weren't necessarily out there aiming to leave much of an impression on players save for 1-1. Most of the levels mold together in my head, due to the very small amount of level themes the game presents as well as the reusing of layouts at times. I'm also of the opinion that the inability to backtrack hurts this game a lot. There are a number of times where I'm either caught between a rock and a hard place, or I miss out on a mushroom because it ends up traveling in the opposite direction.
It amazes me just how much fun I had with Super Mario Bros. with the bias of hindsight being prevalent. It's a fun pick up and play game that can be beaten under an hour, and I rarely ever get tired of it. It's no wonder this game gets the praise and legendary status that it has, as I can only imagine how amazing it must have been to be able to play this game back in 1985.
8/10
first
1992
Decent little game here, although it has a very strong case of first game-itis, especially considering that Kirby's signature ability doesn't even exist here, making the experience feel a bit empty and lackluster compared to later entries. Solid little game, but nothing more than that, I'm afraid.
1989
Mega Man 2, a game in the series that many have called one of the best. For me, though, this is far from the legendary great that many have made it out to be. Don't get me wrong, it's still good and I still enjoyed it, more than the first one, but specifically near the end game, there was just way too many things that irked me to my core that prevent me from calling it one of my favorite Mega Man games, or even putting it in the S tier.
Wily Stage 3, Wily Stage 4, and Boo Beam Trap specifically made my enjoyable experience into a horrific one. If my enjoyment had remained consistent and if these sections weren't more than just a minor inconvenience, then I probably wouldn't pay them much mind, but my god, do I even need to say anything? I'm not ashamed to admit I used save states during these sections, because there is no way I was going to subject to that kind of plain bad level/boss design and torment.
Luckily, the good outweighs the bad here. Everything up until Wily Stage 3 was a blast to play through, and you can definitely tell all the improvements that were made compared to the first one. A good 7/10 here, but it could have been rated so much higher for me if those particular sections weren't what they were.
Wily Stage 3, Wily Stage 4, and Boo Beam Trap specifically made my enjoyable experience into a horrific one. If my enjoyment had remained consistent and if these sections weren't more than just a minor inconvenience, then I probably wouldn't pay them much mind, but my god, do I even need to say anything? I'm not ashamed to admit I used save states during these sections, because there is no way I was going to subject to that kind of plain bad level/boss design and torment.
Luckily, the good outweighs the bad here. Everything up until Wily Stage 3 was a blast to play through, and you can definitely tell all the improvements that were made compared to the first one. A good 7/10 here, but it could have been rated so much higher for me if those particular sections weren't what they were.
1987
Honestly as far as first entries in popular video game franchises go, you could certainly do worse. Even with the glaring problems the original Mega Man has, I enjoyed my time with it, it's a solid first entry. I didn't really feel frustrated other than certain sections in Ice Man's stage and the Wily Castle stages. Now of course, I also ended up beating the Yellow Devil, the Copy Robot, and Wily Machine No. 1 with the infamous pause glitch, because I'm going to be real with you I really did not want to replay Wily Stage 4 in any capacity, but that isn't to say I at least didn't give it a fair shot first before resorting to using that glitch. All in all, though, this game is pretty fun despite later entries heavily improving upon it in almost every way imaginable. I specifically love the Magnet Beam in this game and I find it a bit of a shame that it doesn't make any sort of meaningful return in the future, although I understand why that is the case considering Rush would later be introduced, which serves pretty much the same purpose as the Magnet Beam does. Solid 6/10 here, nothing awful, but nothing amazing either, just a solid first entry in a long running series.