Granny Vinnie Reviews

7800 Rank: 18th Genre Rank: (Classic Arcade) 8th Awards: 2nd Best Graphics, 10th Best Sound, 7th Best Interpretation Before Mario was 'Super' Pros: Excellent Graphics/ Superb Interpretation Cons: Gameplay is a Little Odd And the Sick Coin Fetish Begins

Overview: Before the movies, chicks, VH1 Specials, and Luigi's fall from media grace, there were two humble plumbers named Mario and Luigi. Short, fat, and working medial jobs, the Mario Brothers started their rags to riches story in the place where the poopies flow, battling it out with lobsters, turtles, and only God knows what else. There's no princess to save in this baby, just a whole bunch of jumping. One or two players can take it to the pipe littering meanies in this game of good verses smelly.

Graphics: The first thing that caught my eye was this: Mario's sewer is the cleanest sewer in the world. And this is a very good thing. Seriously, the graphics in this port are very good, and this may be one of the sharpest looking games on the console. The characters are well detailed, the animation is smooth, and the backgrounds are bright and well done. Yes, I know: the game really just features one background with varying skins, but any way you slice it, Mario Brothers is a fine looking game.

Sound: The game is filled with bunches and bunches of varying sound effects and music loops. From the simple sound of a jump to the shuffling music of a moving Mario, Mario Brothers sounds like Arcade madness. Although the audio is shrill at times, this game features quality sound effects that should make understanding 7800 owners smile.

Gameplay: I always thought this was a quirky game that was on the edge of being so strange it wasn't fun. The means of disposing of the tiny meanies is annoying and cumbersome. It almost begs the question..."Where's a gun?" But alas, in the Rosie O'Donnell/ Mario world of mega violence without firearms, we are forced to use our "heads" when disposing of the enemy. Mario and Luigi must knock creatures out by jumping up into the platforms enemies are on. After rendering a creature harmless for a few seconds, it becomes safe to ascend to the platform where the little booger is gasping for breath and kick it off. If the enemy is not kicked off in time, it will catch its second wind and they will be faster and less friendly. This is all well and good for one or two baddies, but when several enemies are on the screen, this becomes a cramped pain in the neck. It is very hard to navigate throughout the game without bumping into an enemy. To top it off, it sometimes feels like you are wrestling the controls during jumps. This is never a good thing, but in this case it at least plays very similar to the arcade version. You must get used to all of this, like it or not, because in the very near future there will be enemies that bounce, robots that make the platforms freeze, flying sparks, and creatures that require several hits to be knocked out. Ma-ma-meeeee-ya!

Interpretation: Pretty darn good port all of the way around. The bonus stages are even included, where Mario and/or Luigi get a short amount of time to rid the screen of coins. Also, the first sighting of the Mario Brothers' POW box is here as well. Yes, by simply jumping up and hitting the POW box, everything on the platforms will be conked out. But beware, anything that was conked out will come back to life, making the POW box somewhat useless to use but fun to look at.

Value: If you dig the NES or arcade versions of Mario Brothers, you will enjoy this version as well. Two can play at once, making it twice as nice to hook it up and click it on. If you have never played this game before, beware. If you are a child of Super Mario Brother games, you will be perplexed by the lack of scrolling screens and annoying Italian giggles. You will wonder where the princess is and you will drool...a lot. This game is a challenge, and there ain't no $12 code book to help yo' stupid self.

Overall: Like I said before, I personally do not find this game very fun. It's OK, but it just can't compare with the fun factor of other classic Arcade games like Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, or Dig Dug, and it's not as exciting as Mario games like Super Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, or Paper Mario. But if you enjoy this game from another system or the Arcade, this is an excellent version and its challenge will entice you to play again and again. Before long, you will be eating Lasagna with your bare hands, crying at Godfather movies and annoying coworkers with lines like "Ma-Ma-meeeeeeeee-ya!"



Only Known Review On the Net!:
CV's Atari 7800 Panoramic Froo-Froo: 4.0 out of 5.0 (Very Good)





Additional Info: I would like to take this time to thank Mitch Orman, owner of The Atari 7800 Page for allowing the use of his screenshots for this review.

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