SRD: You had me at World 1-1. I love you, Mario 3. Always have, always will.

Nintendo Legend: The three-step program: 1) Go read my commentary on Super Mario World. 2) Take a moment to let it sink in that the exact words also apply to this game as well. 3) Yet, consider this: Super Mario World got to perform its grand unveiling on a new console, and although it is certainly a fantastically great game, its function was to just solidify the viability of the 16-bit era for mainstay Nintendo. But Super Mario Bros. 3 perhaps performed a more impressive trick: Proving the powerhouse status of both the Mario brand and the Nintendo company despite still existing on an 8-bit machine and released later in the support cycle. In other words, this was the crowning achievement of the NES, and one of the games that truly pushed its limits.


Gun Sage: This Mario also featured a lot of firsts such as the ability to fly and float, slide down hills, navigate an overworld map, and beat up more than just Bowser over and over again as a boss. There were a shitload more enemies, lots of great and varied environments with each “world” having its own theme, a goddamn hammer bros. suit that you more than likely lost right as soon as you used it, items you could use on the map, and just in general it truly switched things up on the then modern platformer. SMB3 is seen as the best Mario game at times, but usually only because of the sales. I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but it’s definitely in the top 10 Mario games of all time. If you owned an NES, but didn’t own this game, seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?

G: Nintendo may have solidified their legacy of Super Mario with number three. This title was incredibly deep for it’s time, and provided a great diversity of level types for this platformer. The introduction of new suits for Mario or Luigi to wear added depth to the experience, and allowed players to use their own strategy of when the appropriate time to unleash these powers. I think that might have been the charm of SMB3.