Ever heard of Super Mario Bros. Special by Hudson?

[treismac]

It was developed by Hudson Soft at the behest of Nintendo for a Japanese exclusive computer called the NEC PC-8801. The game is quite honestly an eyesore with its flickering and poorly tinted graphics. This version also does not have the scrolling screen game play that Mario fans are accustomed to. Rather, the game's play advances a screen at a time ("flick screen"), changing the flavor of the game play significantly. All in all, the game is damn near unplayable. BUT!!! There is a rom hack for the NES that takes the Hudson version's levels and makes them more than simply playable- it makes them fun!

Here is the link to the hack:
http://www.romhacking.net/reviews/110/
Enjoy!

In case you didn't know, Lunar IPS is the program you need to apply the patch.

So... what do ya'll think?? Pretty fun, eh?

[Baloo]

Well, it's basically a remake of Super Mario Bros. for a mid-80s computer. What can you really expect out of it?

Super Mario Bros. Special is no King's Quest, but it's decent. There was a lot worse to be had when it came to DOS games.

[buzz_n64]

I know all about it. Advocating ROM usage is a no no here, even though you only linked to a patch, not a ROM. There are people who also create reproductions of the carts for NES.

Other Super Mario Bros. hacks made to resemble the licensed game-

VS. Super Mario Bros.
ALL NIGHT NIPPON SUPER MARIO BROS.
SUPER MARIO BROS. (FDS) (no hack available, but minus world is different)

[Jorpho]

Old news at this point.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83082

See also http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hudsonmario/hudsonmario.htm .


BUT!!! There is a rom hack for the NES that takes the Hudson version's levels and makes them more than simply playable- it makes them fun!Unfortunately, while thorough, that is a rather basic ROM hack. The original game had things like working Hammer powerups, barrels, and enemies from Mario Bros like the crabs, all of which would be very difficult (but by no means impossible) to duplicate on the NES cart.


I know all about it. Advocating ROM usage is a no no here, even though you only linked to a patch, not a ROM. There are people who also create reproductions of the carts for NES.If they're the ones I'm thinking of, they do so without crediting the authors of the patch, and they bill the game as having more of a resemblance to the PC-8801 version than it actually does.

[treismac]

Advocating ROM usage is a no no here, even though you only linked to a patch, not a ROM.

Just to clarify, I am in the clear by mentioning a patch rather than a rom, right?

Also, I own six versions of Super Mario Bros., not including my two copies of All-Stars on both the SNES and the Wii.: 2 copies of the original NES version, 1 Super Mario/Duck Hunt, 1 Mario/Duck Hunt/ World Class Track Meet, 1 Famicom version, and the Virtual Console Version on the Wii.

[Emperor Megas]

I know all about it. Advocating ROM usage is a no no here, even though you only linked to a patch, not a ROM.Is it really? Being a 'ROM usage advocate' is a no no? Do you just mean linking/providing access to ROMs of licensed properties, or simple discussing ROMS in any positive light?

I'm not being argumentative of sarcastic; I honestly don't know.

[buzz_n64]

Is it really? Being a 'ROM usage advocate' is a no no? Do you just mean linking/providing access to ROMs of licensed properties, or simple discussing ROMS in any positive light?

I'm not being argumentative of sarcastic; I honestly don't know.

from the FAQ

"...To avoid legal issues, "gray area" threads dealing with emulation may also be locked. As companies continue to release retro games through virtual releases or retro gaming packs for modern gaming systems, the threat of getting a cease-and-desist order grows. In order to preserve the gaming community we've all worked so hard to build, we ask that you respect Digital Press and refrain from the discussion of illegal ROMs."

[aryoshi]

I've looked into this game before because I heard of it awhile back, I was curious and watched some gameplay vids and read reviews and its history, couldn't find a whole lot, but from what I saw it looked like what one would expect of an already-grade A console game ported over to a PC. Didn't look half-bad, but I don't think I would've enjoyed it nearly as much as the classic.

[Jorpho]

but from what I saw it looked like what one would expect of an already-grade A console game ported over to a PC.Just in case you don't know, the PC-8801 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEC_PC-8801) was a Japanese computer that had very little to do with the IBM PC and compatibles of the West; considering it was Z80-based, it might be considered closer to the MSX.

[blue lander]

It isn't a "console game ported over to a PC", it's a unique Mario title that happens to suck. I have the X1 version, along with Punch Ball Mario and Mario Bros. Special. The latter two are much more playable.

[Berserker]

Just to clarify, I am in the clear by mentioning a patch rather than a rom, right?

Right.

Don't link to sites with ROMs, torrents to MAME sets, etc. Basically, don't make our forums seem like an access point for blatantly-illegal stuff. Hacks and patches and things like that don't fall under that description at all.

[goatdan]

I am pretty sure I was pointed to this a few years ago and I tried it out somewhere -- probably at the Midwest Gaming Classic. Usually, I'm such a 2D Mario nerd that it would have caused me to seek it out and buy it to play a bunch myself, but it is such a cluster of junk that I couldn't even bring myself to play it for 15 minutes.