Even though I'm a complete and utter videogame nerd, I somehow managed to avoid Super Mario World for nearly sixteen years - the Super Nintendo is one of the few consoles that I've never owned, so consequently I've never played what is probably Mario's best outing. Now, thanks to Wii's marvelous Virtual Console, I can finally play all those Super Nintendo games I read about in Computer and Video Games as a youth, including of course, Super Mario World.
Despite its age, SMW still stands as a virtuoso lesson in sprite-based gameplay and pixel perfect level design. Now that the world's most famous italian plumber has migrated to a polygonal 3d world, playing SMW reminds me just how different the two game types are. As much as everyone loved the groundbreaking Mario 64 back in 1996, I almost felt sad to see the more simplistic run-and-jump formula go.
Don't get me wrong - I fully intend to buy the latest game in the series, Super Mario Galaxy, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it – but it's just not the same as the simplistic elegance of Super Mario Bros. and its 2D sequels.
Without a doubt, Super Mario World is as much of a joy to play in 2008 as I'm sure it was back in 1992; the game's pacing is meticulous, with nearly a hundred short levels that challenge but rarely frustrate. It's possibly one of the finest examples of 'pick up and play' gaming - anyone with thumbs can play and enjoy it, but later levels take considerable practise to complete.
It may have taken me 16 years to get round to playing the fourth Mario game, but it was certainly worth the wait.
Jeu de briques
Snake
Pacman
Bubble