Release Dates: October 28, 1988; June 10, 2001
Developers: Both Nintendo
Publishers: Both Nintendo
Systems: NES; GBA Rated: *No rating; E

Is the remake better, or is the original version? Or is the remake of course better, but is it worth the price, or should you just find the original version somewhere? This will be 1-10 and +, -, or =.

Gameplay: SMB2: 7; SMA: 8
For both games, this is the basic gameplay. Players choose from four characters each time they start or restart a level. Most enemies are defeated by throwing vegetables and other items that the character plucks from the ground. Unlike other Mario games, simply jumping on enemies does not accomplish anything. In fact, jumping on an enemy may do more harm than good. Most enemies may also be picked up and thrown. Many enemies that first appeared in this game (such as Shy Guys) would reappear in later sequels and related games. This is the first Mario game to make use of a life meter, which initially has two segments but can be extended to four through the collection of special items. (In Super Mario Advance, the limit was upped to five.) This allows Mario and his friends to be hit more than two times before dying. Another aspect that differentiates this game from other contemporary Mario games is the fact that there is no time limit within the stages. In addition to this, players are allowed to backtrack within levels. The frame will move left and right to follow the player. In the previous Super Mario Bros, once the player had passed an object, he or she could not return to it. At the end of each level, the player is presented with a slot machine-type game, and is given one chance for each coin collected. Depending on what symbols come up, the player can get anywhere from 0 to 5 extra lives for each try. (More extra lives could be gained from the game in the GBA remake.)

Well here's the new feature that makes SMA is better. Yes, the game does come with the original Mario Brothers, but that doesn't affect anything for me. What does, though, is after you complete the game, every stage has I think three Yoshi eggs to find. You didn't have this in the old one. So therefore, this is slightly better. (+)

Story: SMB2: 5; SMA: 5
Both stories are exactly the same. One evening, Mario had a strange dream. He dreamt of a long, long stairway leading up to a door. As soon as the door opened, he was confronted with a world he had never seen before, spreading out as far as his eyes could see. When he strained his ears to listen, he heard a faint voice saying "Welcome to 'Sub-con', the land of dreams. We have been cursed by Wart and we are completely under his evil spell. We have been awaiting your arrival. Please defeat Wart and return Sub-con to its natural state. The curse Wart has put on you in the real world will not have any effect upon you here. Remember, Wart hates vegetables. Please help us!" At the same time this was heard, a bolt of lightning flashed before Mario's eyes. Stunned, Mario lost his footing and tumbled upside down. He awoke with a start to find himself sitting up in his bed. To clear his head, Mario talked to Luigi, Toad, and the princess about the strange dream he had. They decided to go to a nearby mountain for a picnic. After arriving at the picnic area and looking at the scenery, they saw a small cave nearby. When they entered this cave, to their great surprise, there was a stairway leading up, up, and up. It was exactly like the one Mario saw in his dream. They all walked together up the stairs, and at the top, found a door just like the one in Mario's dream. When Mario and his friends, in fear, opened the door, to their surprise, the world that he saw in his dream spread out before them!

The problem I had was, first of all, this is a remake of a Japanese game called "Doki Doki Panic"! Second of all, this is NOTHING like Mario. I'm sorry to say this was only average. (=)

Music: SMB2: 8; SMA: 5
Both the music is also the same. I love the main level music and the cave music, and the boss music is awesome. These are all new tunes, and I didn't have to listen to the original Super Mario Brothers theme again! Now you might be  wondering why SMA is so much lower when the music is the same? Good question. The SMA music is bland and dull. It sounds off tune. I think the hand-held GBA has something to do with it, but it doesn't sound good. In fact, it sounds lousy! Yeah, that's why it's so much worse. (-)

Controls: SMB2: 6; SMA: 4
In SMB2, the controls are just about average. They are overall easy to use. A is jump, B is lift up the enemy and throw, and you have start. The problem I had mainly was Luigi's jumping ability is good, but hard to control without falling off, and there are many times you have to jump and throw stuff at the same time, which can be a hazard.

Now SMA is a lot worse. First of all, it's handheld, which means it's always harder. The buttons are very close together. Once again, as I said in my SMB/SMBDX comparison, the system is what really hurts this. (-)

Characters: SMB2: 8; SMA: 8
In both games, the characters are also exactly the same. For a game from 1988, there was a good variety of characters in Mario, Luigi, Toad, and Peach, each with unique abilities. Mario is all around, Toad is strong, Luigi can jump very high, and Peach can float in the air for about 4 seconds. Not going to complain much  here.(=)

Difficulty: SMB2: 6; SMA: 9
Yes, there is a difference. In SMB2 there are some challenges as you go through. You'll get stuck on some levels, and it can be frustrating, but not too bad. Now the REAL challenge comes from SMA. There are many more enemies I noticed, pitfalls, etc. Plus the controls add difficulty. Yes, it will be very hard to beat SMA, PLUS you have the Yoshi Egg mode to beat. You might end up using a walkthrough for SMA. (+)

Secrets: SMB2: 1; SMA: 3
The only thing you will get after beating the game in SMB2 is an ending. In SMA you get that and Yoshi Egg mode. Now I gave two points for this because it's fun, challenging, and addicting. Really all there is to say.

Graphics: SMB2: 6; SMA: 5
Yes, it's true. SMB2 has GREAT graphics for the NES, as you can tell it was a LOT better then SMB. But SMA is just the opposite: lousy for GBA. In fact, the GBA has SNES graphics from Super Mario All-Stars. This is poor. They could have made better graphics considering it's the GBA, not SNES. Therefore, they are worse. (-)

Originality: SMB2: 7; SMA: 2
SMB2 was a game like no other in the US, but copied off a Japanese game so I had to take some points off. Now for SMA. They could have added more modes or new characters, or maybe a few more worlds. I don't think one world makes this remake unique at all. Once again, two points comes from Yoshi Egg Mode. (-)

Overall: SMB2: 6; SMA: 5
While neither are great, SMA is worse. With the controls, graphic disappointments, and music, it's just on average. Plus it's not WORTH buying for one extra mode. Here's my recommendation: If you already have SMB2, don't bother going and buying SMA. If you have neither, buy SMB2. If you have SMA but not SMB2, try borrowing it from someone and see if you like it better. (-)