I was digging through some of my old Game Boy games the other day, rehashing the past a little, when I suddenly came across Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins – quite possibly the greatest Game Boy game ever and, to make an even bolder statement, quite possibly the greatest 2-D Mario game ever made. It’s been over a decade since I’ve played this piece of Mario history, so I could be missing some of the negative aspects about the game, but I really can’t recall not liking anything about this hidden gem.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins was released in America in 1992. At the time, it was one of the largest Game Boy games (4 megabits) and it even had a battery backup save. Players could scroll left and right on the screen – it didn’t follow the traditional linear stage work, and the game also had an overall world map where players could pick and choose what level they wanted to play (similar to Super Mario World). There were also several hidden exits in the levels that would lead to other hidden stages and etc. Not to mention it starred the first appearance of Mario’s fat and greedy arch-nemesis – Wario.

The plot of Super Mario Land 2 depicted Wario stealing Mario’s castle and casting a hypnotic spell across the land. The spell caused the inhabitants to turn against Mario as Wario sat gloriously in his newly stolen castle. The only way Mario could get his castle back was to travel to 6 different themed zones to get the 6 Golden Coins needed to unlock the gate to his castle and defeat Wario. I think this might actually be one of the only Mario games where the plot is NOT to rescue the princess.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduced a lot of new things into the Mario franchise, but unfortunately outside of Wario, none of them carried over to later installments. The music in the game was superb, as nearly every Mario game can attest to, yet I have never heard any of the music from either Mario Land or Mario Land 2 in any future Mario games – ‘tis a shame. Super Mario Land 2 was also the first game to introduce the carrot power up, in which Mario sported a bunny suit (similar to Mario Bros. 3’s raccoon tail) and also the feather fire suit which allowed players to destroy specific blocks with fire balls.

The six zones in the game included the Tree Zone, Space Zone, Macro Zone, Pumpkin Zone, Mario Zone, and Turtle Zone. Each one of the zones brought a unique element to the Mario franchise and it’s a bummer that none of them really transferred to later Mario iterations. Although Super Mario Galaxy could have gotten its motivation from Mario Land 2’s Space Zone, which depicts Mario floating through space dodging stars, etc. – it’s a stretch, but hey I have the right to speculate. Many of the zones are pretty self explanatory, in the Tree Zone Mario witnesses several stages involving a tree – the ground around it, inside it, a beehive on its branch, and its top. Other zones, however, are a little more complex such as the Macro and Mario zones. In the Macro Zone, Mario is shrunk down to fit into a little house where he goes through its various rooms. In the Mario Zone, Mario is faced with fighting toy look-alikes of himself and the end villains are… the three little pigs – weird right? Definitely, but hey, it is Mario, and when you think about it the whole idea behind Mario is whack – a fat, Italian plumber who jumps high and eats mushrooms to get stronger. Yep, definitely whack.

It’s a real shame that Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins will never be released on the Wii’s virtual console since it’s an old Game Boy title and not an actual console game, but it’s even more of a shame that I no longer have my Game Boy to play it again. This game is the real successor of Super Mario World (1991). It is based largely off the popularity of SMW and had Super Mario Land 2 been an actual console game, people wouldn’t be discussing which game was the best 2-D platformer between Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. They would be discussing which is truly Mario’s greatest adventure between all three of them. As always, thanks for reading.
-Dillon (D-Dub)

P.S. if you have never played this game then you’re missing out. You can get it off of Amazon.com for $9.95, and if you have a Game Boy I highly recommend that you check this hidden gem out.

I have a fever and the only prescription is Dr. Mario. After my previous post about what games are needed on the Wii’s Virtual Console which included Dr. Mario, the folks at Nintendo promptly released Dr. Mario for the WiiWare. I’m sure someone at Nintendo had read my blog and worked diligently over the weekend to make my Monday that much better. Joking aside, Dr. Mario on the WiiWare is a game that is definitely worth picking up. It provides original game play as well as an opportunity to spread the enjoyment of this game to others while you indulge yourself.

At the basic level of video game enjoyment, you’ll most likely be pleased with this game if you’re into the Tetris or Columns style games. The original game presents a field infected with germs (probably more accurately bacteria since we’re treating it with pills), that you must dispatch. To do this you need to get at least four like-color objects in a row (not diagonal). Dr. Mario throws in different colored pills to aid your quest. Pills are composed of two parts that can be any one of three colors, which also correspond to the bacteria color (red, yellow, and blue). Pills can be two different colors or one solid color. Drop the pills on the bacteria of corresponding color to start getting rid of them. Simple game play, great for an hour or so, and nothing too intense if you don’t want it to be. You can adjust the speed the pills will drop and how many bacteria are in your container. Plus, you can choose the tunes to listen to as you get your prescription on.

Other modes of game play include a two player mode which you can face off against another person or the CPU. In addition, there is “Flash” which gives you the assignment of clearing certain flashing bacteria. Be the first to get rid of them to claim victory.

Outside of the original game there is the new Wii version, which allows you to control the pill via the Wii remote. The controls are simple; just tap “A” to rotate and “B” to grab the pill and place it where you want. An added bonus, you can have up to four players collaborate allowing for a true multiplayer experience.

The final cool feature I’ll quickly cover is based on the first grade principle of sharing. If you have some friends who are in need of a dose of Dr. Mario you can send them a trail version that will allow you to compete with your friend online. How neat is that? So neat, I used the word “neat.”

Overall, if you are willing to put 1000 points toward a good game this one is worth it. However, if you’re not into puzzle games or Tetris you might be better off with a different game. Ten dollars is a bit steep for a downloaded Wii game, but this is a good way to keep fans of the original Dr. Mario entertained in four different ways for hours on end.

And for your viewing pleasure (note: this is not me playing):

Rx by,

Dr. M. CLK