Super Mario Bros 3 Vs. Super Mario World

[PC!]

With New Super Mario Bros Wii a mere day from release, I've been thinking a lot about past Mario games.

Super Mario Bros 3 is widely regarded as the best Mario game, and oftentimes the best video game, of all time.

Which has always led me to wonder why that honor doesn't go to Super Mario World. I mean, SMW arguably expanded and improved on pretty much everything Mario Bros 3 did. So what is it that makes the former game better than the latter?

[Silverstar]

Both are great games, but Super Mario Bros. 3 came first. So while Super Mario World did a good job of expanding on SMB3's formula, it came off to many as just that: an expansion of SMB3.

Not to discredit SMW, though; it was an awesome game with some unique and fun gameplay. I loved both titles.

[ensatsu-ken]

Both are great games, but Super Mario Bros. 3 came first. So while Super Mario World did a good job of expanding on SMB3's formula, it came off to many as just that: an expansion of SMB3.

Not to discredit SMW, though; it was an awesome game with some unique and fun gameplay. I loved both titles.

I agree that both games are great, and that SMW built most of its gameplay mechancis off of SMB3's gameplay, but I personally feel that they each had a substantial amount of differences between them to make them stand out from one another. For one thing, SMW didn't totally expand on SMB3, but instead completely changed some things (for example, it completely ditched some of the power-ups/abilities which SMB3 had and brought in some brand new ones).

Anyways, while I find both games to be great (not only for their time, but even today), I may be one of the few who personally prefers playing SMW over SMB3, only because I find it to be a little bit more fun (partly thanks to the introduction of Yoshi into the Mario Universe ). Its slightly easier, but Mario games are usually fairly easy in engeral, IMO, so I didn't really take the difficulty into account.

Still, both games are definitely well worth replaying, and I always find myself going back to them.

[Tash]

SMW's controls always felt a bit looser to me.

[DarthGonzo]

SMW's controls always felt a bit looser to me.

I considered myself pretty experienced with both SMB3 and SMW and I find the controls in SMW to be a lot tighter with a little bit more margin for error. I seem to be able to correct my timing mistakes in SMW a lot easier than in SMB3.

[Leviathan]

Super Mario World's less linear level progression and secrets (alternate goals, hidden levels, switch palaces, different colored Yoshis, alternate routes, and Star and Special worlds) give it a depth as a game that I feel SMB3 lacks.

However, the cape and Yoshi tend to make non-Castle/Ghost House SMW levels much too easy. In SMB3, there was a better offensive balance of the power-ups (helped by the severe rarity of P-Wings and Hammer Bros. suits)

[JD08]

Super Mario Brothers 3 just had everything a balance of difficulty fun costumes Mario was pretty much the lone male cosplayer in the early 90's :anime:. yes SMW brought some innovative mechanics to the game but Super Mario 3 just had it all I also heard from an old video game guru that yoshi was originally going to be in 3 but since the NES was almost done they wanted to use it on something more big I guess and there are ton of things in 3 that can compare with the secret message in SMW.

[DarthGonzo]

However, the cape and Yoshi tend to make non-Castle/Ghost House SMW levels much too easy. In SMB3, there was a better offensive balance of the power-ups (helped by the severe rarity of P-Wings and Hammer Bros. suits)

Additionally, once you were out of P-Wings and Hammer suits that was it. They were gone. If, in SMW, you lost a Yoshi you just backtracked and got another. So if you were stuck in world 8 in SMB3 and you had no helpful weapons in reserve you were screwed.

Still, the fact that you could save your game and replay levels gave SMW a longer and (like Leviathan said) more non-linear play experience. I loved the colored Yoshis, the switch blocks, the challenge of the Special World, the final Bowser fight, the infinite 1-Ups/max points glitch in the first Forest level, the ease of using the cape, that amazing ending and of course the fact the SMW was my first exposure to 16 bit gaming.

I love SMB3 very, very, very much. But Super Mario World is my favorite Mario game, period.

[Leviathan]

Also, In spite of the imbalance of powerups, I will say that the hardest levels of SMW (Soda Lake, Tubular, some of the later Castles and Ghost Houses) compare favorably to those of SMB3.

[DarthGonzo]

Also, In spite of the imbalance of powerups, I will say that the hardest levels of SMW (Soda Lake, Tubular, some of the later Castles and Ghost Houses) compare favorably to those of SMB3.

Definitely. The moving block platform in the last castle before Bowser was insanely tough before I figured out the pattern. Soda lake continues to be one of those levels where I take a deep breath before playing. I frickin' hate those Torpedo Teds. To this day I usually still take a hit in that level.

And there's a great way to play Tubular without ever using a power balloon. It took me a while to figure it out and I'm not sure if the level was designed with this trick in mind but it works...

...anyone wanna know?

[TheGunheart]

I found SMB3's difficulty to be too inconsistent. Some levels were over in a flash, while some had this one really annoying platform puzzle. Not to mention how I find forced scrolling levels annoying, so every boss fight was a pain to get to.

On the other hand, but one problem with SMW were the graphics. Some times, it was really hard to tell what the sprites were supposed to look like, especially when compared with the artwork. Why do shell-less Koopas look like hunchbacked insects? Why do the Koopalings have weird colors and sticks for legs? Are the Rex's eyes supposed to be flattened when you step on them once? Why is Mario bleeding from his eyes when you die? And why is Luigi's blood green?

Overall, World is my first Mario game, so it already has the nostalgia vote with me, but I need to play it again some time just to be sure. On the otherhand, I played SMB3 more recently, and I just didn't enjoy it.

[DarthGonzo]

I found SMB3's difficulty to be too inconsistent. Some levels were over in a flash, while some had this one really annoying platform puzzle. Not to mention how I find forced scrolling levels annoying, so every boss fight was a pain to get to.

Forced scrolling levels annoy me. Not because they're difficult or anything. It's just that I'd much rather blow through the level at my pace, which is much faster than forced scrolling allows.

[Leviathan]

...anyone wanna know?

I think I can hazard a guess. Even then, it's tricky to pull off and requires good timing.

Also, SMB3's level layouts tend to be more straightforward (I've beaten both the NES and SNES versions and only had to refer to a walkthrough twice). There are fewer overall levels in SMW, but they tend to be larger and more encouraging of exploration, especially because of alternate exits and other secrets.

[DarthGonzo]

I think I can hazard a guess. Even then, it's tricky to pull off and requires good timing.

Let's see if we're on the same page here...

Enter the world with a cape and a blue Yoshi. Trigger the p-switch, forget the power balloon and bounce across your enemies until you land on a large temporary block platform with some Koopas flying to the right of it. Fall off the platform, eat a Koopa on the way down (the trickiest part of the process) and then fly through the rest of the level that way. If you can hit the dash button before eating the Koopa that's even better, since you'll be able to fly much faster and get around the Lava Lotuses before they spit fire.

I haven't played this level in a little while so this might not be 100% correct. But it's close. There's also a way to find the secret exit of the last ghost house without using that dang coin snake thing.

And the best part of exploring in Super Mario World is finding those elusive 3-ups moons. I love finding those things.

[EinBebop]

I found SMB3's difficulty to be too inconsistent.

Which, ironically, is why I think it's held in higher regard... because beating it was more of an accomplishment. SM3 was the best game of it time, but SMW came along and lowered the difficulty bar a bit. Beating SMW didn't give you as much bragging rights, and so SM3 is held up as the pinnacle by the hardcore gamers.

[DarthGonzo]

Beating SMW didn't give you as much bragging rights...

But it did give you one doozy of an end credit sequence. For all the effort that goes into beating SMB3 you get very little reward for it. In fact, the ending of SMB3 is (IMHO) a step down from the Doki Doki Panic/SMB2 version.

[Desensitized]

Meh, I love Super Mario World, played it to death as a kid, and learned how to beat the game in ten minutes... But it's Mario 3 I'd rather keep coming back to. Maybe because it's the only game in the series to not give out lives like candy AND have perfect controls and gameplay at the same time.

SMW felt like streamlining something that was already streamlined, and it was made a total cakewalk (The only stage that has ever given me trouble in SMW was Tubular) while SMB3 still has it's random spikes in difficulty and a total knockout final world. SMW's final world was just a cave that we had already seen 500 times up to that point.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a great game, but I don't think it's the best Mario game.

Super Mario Bros. 3 > Yoshi's Island > Super Mario World

[EinBebop]

But it did give you one doozy of an end credit sequence.

No dispute there. May have been the most satisfying ending in games up to that point. Endings... now there's a top xx that IGN should do...

[DarthGonzo]

SMW's final world was just a cave that we has already seen 500 times up to that point.

Wait what?

SMW's final world has lots of unique elements: the world with the gigantic moving sand block, the countdown platforms, the Fortress with the insanely fast spiked pistons, the last Koopaling castle with the complicated snake platform and the "choose-your-own-path" final castle with the last corridor with the spotlight, Mechakoopas and the unexpected appearance on SMB2's Ninjis.

SMB3's final world is all sorts of awesome and is superior in level design in challenge. I will admit that.

[Desensitized]

Wait what?

SMW's final world has lots of unique elements: the world with the gigantic moving sand block, the countdown platforms, the Fortress with the insanely fast spiked pistons, the last Koopaling castle with the complicated snake platform and the "choose-your-own-path" final castle with the last corridor with the spotlight, Mechakoopas and the unexpected appearance on SMB2's Ninjis.

SMB3's final world is all sorts of awesome and is superior in level design in challenge. I will admit that.

I meant the theme, more than the elements it presented. While it was awesome, it just didn't pack the same wow Mario 3 did... Or even Yoshi's Island. But it was great if I'm not comparing games.

You know, I always wanted Nintendo to do a proper Super Mario World 2 instead of giving the subtitle to Yoshi's Island. I'm certain they would have been able to push the formula further. If NSMBWii does that, I'll be ecstatic. It's just a shame we've had to wait so long.