Gaming Anniversaries February 12- Super Mario Bros 3

Super Mario Bros 3

Released February 12. 1990- Super Mario Bros 3

Super Mario Bros 3 floated into the North American market on this day in 1990. For the NES!

Super Mario Bros 3Super Mario Bros 3 is the defining game on the NES system. It originally released in 1988 in Japan, but players in North America have been frothing for another true entry into the series since the first one. Super Mario Bros 2 was a complete switch of the formula, and Super Mario Bros 3 was just what was needed to keep the NES in the limelight.

The marketing for this game was nothing short of amazing. Starting with ads in Nintendo Power, teasers in the magazine and even The Wizard. Which is a movie about a game that’s not about a game that’s secretly ALL about the game. Players were ready for it to drop, and ultimately, stores couldn’t keep it in stock when it did. Much like Nintendo’s strategy today for new release products.

The game stars the titular Super Mario Bros if playing in 2-player mode, and just Mario in one player mode. The goal is to stop Bowsers war march into the Mushroom Kingdom and once again save Princess Peach from kidnapping. However, this time, not only did he kidnap the princess, he stole all the magic wands from the kings of each land to weaken the entire kingdom. Truly dastardly.

New Mechanics

SMB3 adds a bunch of all new mechanics to the tried and true formula. Including an overworld map and the use of different suits, our heroes can wear to help them get through the many challenges that lie ahead. Such as a frog suit for jumping and the leaf that gives Mario a raccoon tail, allowing him to fly high above the sky to discover new secrets. And boy is there a lot of secrets in this game. Even after almost 30 years, it’s hard to say if I’ve found all of them. Despite playing the game hundreds of times over.

Super Mario Bros 3 is one of the best games Nintendo has to offer on the NES, and they knew it. Releasing the game again and again across multiple platforms. Each time, adding just a little more polish.

Who knows, maybe on the Switch, Nintendo will come up with a fully 3D version of this amazing platformer.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

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