19 replies to this topic

[Jasoco]

I'm playing the Vs. version of SMB on my Mame, and I didn't realize it was like an alternate version of the console game. It's actually slightly harder and has more enemies and stuff is moved around and there are walls and holes where there shouldn't be.

Did this game come before the NES version or was it later on as aspecial game for Arcades only? It's really like playing a whole new game. At least the Warps are still there.

[The Eidolon]

I first saw this game in the arcades and then lated played
the NES version when it came out. As far as I know, the
arcade version is the original. In general, the arcade version
is quite a bit tougher. At several places where the arcade would
give you a power-up, the NES version has a 1-up mushroom!
I think some of the the NES later levels are repeats of earlier ones
at higher difficulty, while i believe all of the arcade levels are unique.
Some of the later ones looked >hard< compared to the NES version.

I believe Nintendo thought the arcade version would be too difficult
for the young target audience of the NES, so they deliberately
reduced the difficulty. I don't know if the repeated levels were
changed out of game size or difficulty concerns.

--The Eidolon

[Jasoco]

So it's the same story as when SMB2 came out.

[The Eidolon]

Similar in terms of Nintendo wanting to limit the difficutly of its
games in order not to turn off fans. But Super Mario 2 in Japan
was just a rehash of SM1 with altered levels and much higher
difficulty. I think Nintendo wisely relized that for a sequel to their
flagship title they needed a little more. I think SM2 in the US was
a completely different game (Doki Doki Panic) altered to match
the Super Mario theme. Having played both games (SM2 Japan
was released in Mario All Stars for the SNES) I can say I prefer
the American SM2 to the Japanese version, and I suspect that
the Japanese SM2 wouldn't have sold nearly as well because it was
too similar to SM1.

--The Eidolon

[Jasoco]

I disagree. I think it would have sold well on the name alone, but people would probably have tired of Mario too soon because of the difficulty. Maybe resulting in no SMB3. At least not as we know it. Frankly, I'm glad they made the Home version of SMB easier and the US version of SMB2 like it is.

I didn't even know there was an Arcade version of SMB that wasn't part of the Play Choice 10 until yesterday and even then I didn't know it was different at all. The PC-10 version is just the Home game in a cabinet. This is a whole 'nother version.

If I wasn't so bad at this one on Mame, I could see what else was changed.

Anyone know if there are maps for the arcade version out there?I only have the ones for the console one.

[NE146]

Yeah, generally from what I understand there are two versions of the NES games you could find in the arcades

The PLAYCHOICE-10 games were pretty much the NES versions

The VS. games looked like the originals, but they often have little differences that sometimes make them harder or sometimes it's just the colors that are different. It's the same for all the VS. Games like VS. Excitebike, etc. in that you can almost miss what's different if you're not looking for it.

[The Eidolon]

Oops, it appears my memory has failed me!

I looked up the release dates of the different versions of
dear old (super) Mario and found:

SM1: 1985 (Famicom and NES)
SM2 Japan version: 1986
vs. Super Mario Arcade: 1986
Doki Doki Panic (Famicom only): 1987
SM2 US version: 1987 or 1988 (not sure)
SM2 USA (Famicom version of US SM2): 1988

According to one site I found, vs. Super Mario Brothers in the arcade
was a hybrid of levels from SM1 and SM2 Japan.

I know >I< saw the arcade version first, and though it was the original,
but I wasn't an NES "early adopter" so perhaps the Famicom version
was the actually the original one.

--The Eidolon

[Jasoco]

That's cool, then it's a totally new game. If only there was a Game Genie for Arcades.

[JB]

What are the diffrences between the VS. System and PlayChoice 10/NES, anyways?

I suspect it added the FamiCom Disk System sound channels, or something siomilar, but what else was there?

[Jasoco]

I dunno. I had heard the PC-10 was just a special NES with a switching box hooked up and swappable game packs that may or may not have been standard NES carts.

[JB]

Jasoco said:

I dunno. I had heard the PC-10 was just a special NES with a switching box hooked up and swappable game packs that may or may not have been standard NES carts.

PlayChoice games ARE diffrent than standard NES games.
At the very least there's a diffrent form factor plus the extra ROM space for holding the instructions.

http://www.atarihq.c...r/nes/pc10.html
...
Heh. Apparently they have a whole second NES on the board dedicated to reading instructions out.


...

VS games can actually SEE the coin counter as opposed to just running on a timer, right? That would be a big improvement right off, IMO.

[Vigo]

Just to clarify a few facts on this issue:

Nintendo VS Game Boards do have the NES CPU (N2A03) but each game has a different PPU (which is software compatible to the NES PPU, but has a different colour Palette) to prevent simple ROM swapping.

The Nintendo Playchoice 10 Hardware contains a full NTSC compatible NES, except that the PPU has RGB outputs instead of a composite signal. And no, the game-select part is not driven by a second NES, it´s controlled by a Z80 CPU with a dedicated Video circuit.

[Nukey Shay]

[quote name='Jasoco]That's cool' date=' then it's a totally new game. If only there was a Game Genie for Arcades. [/quote']
There is. It's called "cheat.dat" and you can use it with Mame

[hepcat]

VS. SMB is different from NES SMB, and significantly more difficult.

However, neither is anywhere near as difficult as the Japanese SMB2. I remember the first time playing Japanese SMB2 on my Gameboy Color. I'd heard rumors that it was tougher, but I was stunned at how much so. The last few boards are nearly impossible, but I finally did beat it.

--Jason

[Tempest]

Quote

However, neither is anywhere near as difficult as the Japanese SMB2. I remember the first time playing Japanese SMB2 on my Gameboy Color. I'd heard rumors that it was tougher, but I was stunned at how much so. The last few boards are nearly impossible, but I finally did beat it

Yes those levels took me forever. They're very long and require precision movement. I was very pleased when I finally beat it.

Did I mention you can't use warp zones or you'll miss the last few secret levels? Those were even harder!

Tempest

[hepcat]

Tempest said:

Quote

However, neither is anywhere near as difficult as the Japanese SMB2. I remember the first time playing Japanese SMB2 on my Gameboy Color. I'd heard rumors that it was tougher, but I was stunned at how much so. The last few boards are nearly impossible, but I finally did beat it

Yes those levels took me forever. They're very long and require precision movement. I was very pleased when I finally beat it.

Did I mention you can't use warp zones or you'll miss the last few secret levels? Those were even harder!

Tempest

Glad someone agrees and that I'm not just a klutz.

How Nintendo expected 10 year old kids (from any country) to figure out SMB2 is beyond me.

--Jason

[Tempest]

I don't think that game was meant for kids. I think it was an answer for those adults who felt the original was a tad to easy (and it really is once you get the hang of it). Unfortunatley the difficulty of SMB2 is just insane! They went a bit too far to the point of making the game unfun. There's a reason they never released it in the states (however I remember playing it on my friends Famicom with the disk drive).

Tempest

[NE146]

I found out about the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2 after reading an article in EGM (which I have scanned by the way). But luckily I lived in a place where Famicom (and Famicom pirate) games were sold a-plenty So I just sauntered out and picked up the mario looking cart with the #2 on it and voila! There it was, Japanese Super Mario Bros 2. I played it on my NES with my handy dandy converter. And you know what? I NEVER finished it

[ubersaurus]

I loved the japanese smb2 alot more then the US one. US one just never felt Mario enough for my tastes. Granted, the other was damn near impossible...but it did give you that nice save feature.

[Jasoco]

I just used my Game Genie to warp to the last levels.

World 9 was sort of like a weird non level level. The first part was like a normal level under water. Including the flag under water and the castle! I felt like a goldfish!

Then when you get out of the water levels, the thirdlevel has Bowser right out in the middle of the level under the blocks. And you can just walk right over his head.

I guess they were just a gateway to the A, B, C, D levels which were super-tough.

I remember the first time I got to the World 1 warp and stupidly thought, "Oh.. they wouldn't REALLY send me back to World 1!!! Hahahaha!!!!" But they did. And I was pissed.