Super Mario World

In 1990 Nintendo released their Super Famicom (SNES) and as a pack in title they included Super Mario World, one of the games that set the tone for the era that would follow, the Nintendo v Sega wars of the 1990's.

Super Mario World sees the player playing as the titular character in a 2D platform adventure game that not set the gold standard of Platforming for the following decade or so but actually set the standard for gaming as a whole.Not only did it build on the excellent Mario franchise but it added so much that it really just showed why Nintendo were at the forefront of video games.

The story, as with most Mario games sees the plucky plumber trying to defeat Bowser and save Princess Peach but the game it's self has so much more than just the simple story to offer. Firstly you have the excellent levels which are designed to be replayable, fun and yet also challenging. As well as the levels you have the charm of the Sonic universe, the power ups, the moves and new addition Yoshi, who you can ride about on during the game.

The graphics are charming through out and whilst they now don't look anything special they did their job
wonderfully well and are clear through out (something you do admittedly expect in a Mario game). Like wise the music in the game is equally as charming despite being very simple and limited (in fact much of it is the same tune just altered in terms of speed). This leaves the game feeling just as charm to look at and listen to as it is to actually play.

Whilst we do genuinely love the game it isn't beyond fault, most notable the complexities of some levels (though by some we are literally talking about a handful) which seem to expect the player to do things that just feel relatively out place. Other than this however the game is pretty much flawless, both as a 1 player game or as a 2-player game (where 1 player controls Luigi). With a story that will last you for a few weeks (even longer if you want to unlock all the secret content) and a game with so much charm it simple oozes brilliance, it's easy to over look the occasional flaw.

To sum this game up all I can say is that you've never played it, get it and lock yourself in a room until you've complete it.


97%

Details:

Console-Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release-1990
Developer-Nintendo EAD
Genre-2D Platformer
Players-1or 2

Trivia-
The game was the debut of Yoshi who would return in the sequel- "Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island" amongst many other games.

Mole Mania

If you see a hardcore gamer and mention the name "Shigeru Miyamoto" you'll make them think of Mario, Donkey Kong, the Zelda series and Pikmin, though one of his most forgotten works was the excellent and charming Mole Mania. The god of video games designed this excellent Game Boy puzzler back in the mid 1990's and you can see his touches of genius through out the game.

You control a mole (named Muddy Mole) who needs to rescue his family from an evil farmer called Jinbe by completing a number of puzzles. The player can walk up, down, left or right, as well pushing, pulling and throwing various items and digging underground to defeat enemies and get around obstacles and clear the stage. Each stage is cleared when the player places a big black ball on the gate at the end, though this is often easier said than done as digging in the wrong place may see you needing to start the puzzle again.

Although on the basis of it all the game seems simple it becomes really challenging and you need to think about what your doing before you start the screen. For a game that looks quite cute it become a real case of planning before you start digging random holes in the level...and later on it becomes ridiculously complex and mind boggling as you get more and more obstacles thrown your way. Oddly despite the fact you'll find yourself thinking an awful lot you'll soon find yourself addicted to the game and wasting hours away trying to complete it.

Whilst the gameplay is excellent and the puzzles are wonderful the game also features bright and exciting music that adds to the games charm and sounds incredible for a Game Boy game. Though perhaps this points us to the games biggest issue, it's a Game Boy game. It wasn't given the DX treatment or even the "Advance" treatment of some other games and as a result it's lacking in any real colour  which some players will find off putting. If however you can ignore the dated looks you will find your self falling in love with yet another Miyamoto creation. It's a game that oozes charm, has wonderful gameplay and lots to explore as well as testing your brain, what more could you ask for?

88%

Console-Game Boy
Release-1996 (Japan), 1997 (US, EU)
Developer-Nintendo and Pax Softnica
Genre-Puzzle
Players-1

Trivia:
The game was known as Mogura~Nya in Japan
The game was directed by Masayuki Kameyama, the man behind Donkey Kong '94 which shares a number of similar gameplay ideas with Mole Mania.