New Super Mario Bros. Wii has arrived, and for some reason my life's a little happier. I love the Mario series, as you may have read over the weekend, with a particular fondness for the 2D games. There's just something about designing and running through an expertly-crafted obstacle course, which has always been the Mario games' bread and butter. Using character abilities and movement as a base, you can create all sorts of enemies and environmental obstacles the mind can conjure up...and then put unique twists on those. There are way too many to choose from, but here are Five of my Favorite 2D Mario Levels. Let me know yours in the comments below! (Images courtesy of MarioWiki.com and NESmaps.com.)
Number Five: World 4-2, Super Mario Bros. 2
World 4 of Super Mario Bros. 2 is the requisite ice-based world that introduces slippery surfaces into the Mario series. And they wasted no time taking full advantage of the missing traction. The three levels of World 4 almost demanded that you pick Princess Peach as your character because if you messed up near a gap, her floating ability allowed for a quick recovery. World 4-2 was an especially demanding test of reaction time and platforming skills, as it sent a flock of Beezos at full speed as you hopped over and slid under them in avoidance. Make it past that part, though, and you'll get to hang out with some whales, hopping from blowhole to blowhole...another good reason to use the floaty Princess.
Number Four: World 4-1, Super Mario Bros. 3
The shock value alone of SMB3's World 4, aka "Giant Land" is reason enough to put on this list. Up until that point, we had five years of predictable (and manageable) sprite sizes...not anymore! Starting with 4-1's giant Piranha Plants, Goombas, Koopas, and terrain, your standard tactics had to change. Piranha Plants didn't care if you were standing next to the pipe, they'd sprout up anyway. The Raccoon Tail wouldn't break blocks you couldn't jump underneath, so you'd have to use giant Koopa shells, and because everything's just bigger, you had to change your jump timing. Though we've labeled this entry as 4-1, just consider the opening level as representative for the entirety of Giant Land.
Number Three: Tubular, Super Mario World
Oh, Tubular. I hate you so much. Tubular is the second level in Super Mario World's "Special" group of hidden levels, which is nested within the first group of hidden levels, Star Road. What makes Tubular so incredibly challenging is that for 95% of the level, there's no ground. What you have to do is grab a Balloon Mario power-up and float sluggishly through a minefield of Charging Chucks and Volcano Plants...while renewing the Balloon power-up through the entire course. It's the ultimate test of patience, pattern recognition, timing, and the ability to keep a calm head. I may have sacrificed hundreds of Italian lives at your feet, Tubular, but I had the last laugh.
Number Two: World 8-2, Super Mario Bros.
If you were talented (or lucky) enough to make it past 8-1 in time, you didn't get much of a repreive in the next level. While not as long as 8-1, 8-2 throws you right into the fire on the opening staircase. Timing the Paratroopa's descent is easy on its own, but Lakitu's there to muck things up. Grabbing the 1-UP mushroom after each death helps you tread water from a lives standpoint, but you still have a section of Bullet Bills to contend with before getting to "The Jump." You know, the one where you have to stand at the exact far edge of the pipe and pray to your deity of choice that you have enough speed to clear the gap. If you make it, congratulations...you have an even more difficult staircase to jump up before the end flag. Oh, and time's almost out.
Number One: Bowser's Airship, Super Mario Bros. 3
I'm going to cheat a bit on this one, because it's really three courses sharing the same theme. Before even getting to the first proper level of SMB3's final World 8, you had to run the gauntlet of Bowser's armed forces: the Tank, the Fleet, and the Airship. Levels where the screen automatically scrolled have always been the most challenging Mario courses, because the margin for error is greatly reduced. But if you weren't on top of your game and using every Mario skill you've learned to that point...these three levels chewed you up and spat you out. It's no wonder that "cheating" strategies popped up for the Fleet (swim under it) and the Airship (use a P-Wing and fly over it).
Comments
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grek176
damn mario u just keep reinventing yourself every time
Sector1286
i love mario..this series can and will not die evr!!!!
Metal_Madman
Dear God how I hated the Tubular level!
My brother and I spent 3 long days trying to beat that level passing the controller back and forth. After countless tries I FINALLY landed on the very edge of the level near the finish. I was soooo excited, and what did I do then, I pushed the direction pad in the wrong direction and walked of the d@mn edge!!
ARGHHHHH!!!!!!
I was soo ticked off, I smashed my controller. But of course I had to build up momemtum first by swinging it over my shoulder. Needless to say, that was one controller my brother and I couldn't repair. :-)
By the way Mr. Pfister, thanks for reminding me of one of my most infuriating childhood memories. >:-[
thesilentmole
Tubular can die in a fire from which no living thing may ever survive. Twice. But i see why you like it. :) it just tormented me as a child.
Great list!
SiK
Super Mario Bros. 3
was the best evar
mike_1992
Where in this list is the iconic (Yeah I said iconic) World 1-1 from the ORIGINAL Super Mario Brothers?
bigboi21
Ahh Tubular...just typing it sends shrivels down my fingers, up my arm, and into my back...ooohh. Aside from that, i dubbed that level the hardest of them all. No longer do i have my SNES but i still have the memory of spring sound FX and "wah wah waaaaaah"
lostfan7777
I remember Tubular! God how I hated that level with a burning passion. I remember I beat it by using a blue yoshi, eating a shell, and flying to the end of the level. Oh how I felt so accomplished after. Good times, Mario. Good times.......
lostfan7777
I remember Tubular! God, I hated that level with a burning passion. Easily the hardest level in SMW. I think i beat it by using a blue yoshi, eating a shell, and then flying to the end of the level. Oh how i felt so accomplished after. Good times, Mario. Good times.........
notafanboy
Yeah... Holy Cow, Tubular was HARD! Blah! It was only fun in retrospect!
Notafanboythatiknow
Level 8-1 in Super Mario Bros 3 seemed impossible at first. Everyone I knew was glad to reach level eight, but once they were there, no one could past the second stage. That was challenging. Years later I was able to finally finish the game in my GBA.
Punko201
I created an account just to brag and say that i can beat tubular every single time. Every time my friends got to it they would just hand it to me.
HundredDollarBaby
I'm a huge fan of mario.
My favorite mario 2 stage was probably the first one with digging. I loved digging in a hurry.
4-1 in mario 3 is awesome. I was so excited when they brought the big/little world back in super mario 64.
Tubular was probably the hardest level I played in super mario world. It took me so many tries to beat it the first time. Also I was quite pleased with myself when i found out how to get the underwater torpedo level.
8-2 and 8-3 always gave me trouble in my attempts to beat the game in record time. I would go through the whole game(not really, warping) without getting hit once only to get hit with a bullet in 8-2 or a hammer in 8-3. And of course you know once that happens you're not getting firepower again.
the first level with the cape in super mario world was probably one of my favorites.
ressurrector
Mario has my vote for the top video game character of all time. Mario single handedly "resurrected" console home video games after the great video game crash of 83. Of all games Super Mario Bros is one of the ONLY games it seems like everyones parents actually WANTED to play. Why I will never know but they did, and with very "wii" like motions and movements I might add. LOL Hey maybe thats where the big N got the idea for all we know.
For some odd reason I cant remember this tubular level spoke of being that "ultimate" challenge. If you guys want a serious side scrolling challenge then check out "ghost n goblins" for the NES and learn a whole new level of frustration and patience. hahahah
I seen above where someone made a controller breaking confession LOL So here goes....*kinda*..........It was "Ikari Warriors" for NES...........Now bare in mind this was BEFORE the code was found.......A,B,B,A....or whatever, to keep coming back after your dead. This title pissed me off SO bad that I slung my controller across the room and THEN took the game out and smashed a big whole with a hammer.......put the cartridge back in...........guess what? STILL PLAYED
So I held it under the sink............poured water straight in.................Put it in...........turned it on (how clouded juvenile anger can effect us right?)..........and.......... .STILL PLAYED..................ok now I was really pissed................SO I went and got a bigger hammer (thinking sledge hammer,heavy as crap) and then SMASHED the game into dozens of pieces................true story.
Now back to your Mario thread. LOL
Long live MARIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
magozel
good old games,
i hate Tubular!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Severnik
i wish they'd make a mario game in the same spirit of SMB3. There were so many power ups. I say bring back the 8 bit mario! It worked for mega man, it sure as heck can work for the power plumber.
mrnyo
hey, you are forgetting that world 5-3 in smb3 is one of the best cause that's the only level in the whole series that you can use the SHOE!!!
PkmnExpert
I cheated in Tubular (kind of). I used a blue Yoshi and (after about 20 tries) flew across. Oh my God, that was so freakin' hard. Also, I never EVER managed to use the balloon to beat the level.
Dynamo903
I personally liked the water stages in mario brothers 3...I could use the frog suit for a huge advantage!
AnomalyOfMax
I hate you Tubular. It torments me still :(
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