Graphics: ****
This game has some of the best graphics of all the Mario games! It's a first-person shooter, aka semi 3D. The enemies AND the the Koopa Kids look really good in this game!
Music: ****
The music sounds good as well. I think the best tunes are the ones that play during Grass Land, Crescent Beach, Cornice Cave, and Bowser's Castle. The sound effects are also good.
Gameplay: **1/2
There's nothing wrong with the gameplay in this game, though sometimes fending off enemies like Paragoombas and Bullet Bills is kinda annoying because they seem to be in every course.
Characters: ***1/2
This game has a handful of enemies and characters. The Koopalings are in this game, so how could it go wrong? There's also a few enemies from Mario 3 and Mario World (I'm not counting Mario 1 since all the enemies in that game were also in another game). Every enemy looks right for the first time, such as Boomerang Brothers.
Terrain: ****
I LOVE the terrain in this game. There's lots of new terrain, like beaches, bridges, and (of what the terrain seems to be) deserts (like Pipe Island).
Control: *
The control isn't much, it's just shoot and jump when on a jump pad. In 2-Player Mode you can move from side to side and even duck!
Items: **
There are not many items, but some like the Mushroom, Starman, and Fire Flower can come in handy. Not much here.
Fun Factor!: ***
The game is great, and you could have lots of enthusiasm when playing the game!
Recommendation:
You should try to find it, and my suggestion, like Lemmy's, is eBay. I still haven't reviewed Super Mario Advance 2 yet. I've heard it might come out in ... (drumroll please) February!