Super Mario 3: I'm a filthy cheater.

[The Plucky Little Ninja]

Mario 3 and Mario World both sit in the top 1% of all-time great platformers. I'm always up in the air about which is the better of the two, and the one thing that squeaks Mario World by is its save feature.

I've beaten Mario 3 dozens of times. I've played through every level at least once, but I've never gone straight through the entire thing without using a warp whistle.

Am I completely off base on the time commitment that must take. My guess is at least three hours... and that's if you know what you're doing. Too high? Too low?

Who here has played through the entire thing without being a filthy cheater? How long'd it take you? Did you beat it in one sitting or use the ol' overnight extendo-pause technique?

[ubersaurus]

I've beaten mario 3 full in under 2 hours. Probably could be done in about an hour and a half, provided you don't go and do all the unnecessary levels like I did.

[s1lence]

I've done it full in about 2 1/2 hours but if I tried it today it would probably be about 4 or 5 hrs.

[Jibbajaba]

I believe that I beat the GBA version first, using the save feature. Never used a warp whistle though. After doing that, I went back and beat the NES version. Didn't use any whistle then either. I don't remember how long it took me, but I'm sure I pulled the extendo-pause more than once.

Chris

[badinsults]

Me and my cousin passed it all the way through in under 4 hours. It probably would have taken far less time, but near the end, we kept dying (probably had to do with the amount of beer we drank).

[joshnickerson]

I played thru the GBA version completely, but I had always attempted to play straight thru the NES version. The only roadblock I encountered? That damn auto-scrolling swimming level in World 7. Glub. It was only until the GBA version and the save feature that I was finally able to make it.

[Zing]

Wow, 3 hours is a time commitment? What would you call the 12 hours straight I would spend on NES games back then? Several times I played through games like Zelda 2, Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior in one sitting.

[Push Upstairs]

I recall i tried to take on the game from world 1 on up to 8 and i also recall it taking quite a bit of time....but then my task way back when was to beat every single level in the game.

World 7 always kicked my ass until a few years ago...then i gave myself the offical title of "SMB3 PRO".

Actually...all my quests to the Mushroom Kingdom took awhile. I would never warp to World 8 until finishing at least World 3.

[DigitalSpace]

I used to warp almost every time when I was limited to the NES version, but the save feature in Super Mario All-Stars changed that.

[rbudrick]

I remember I beat Mario 3 in a day or a day and a half when it came out...with warps. The next day I went throguh the whole game w/o warps. I remember it took between 4 and 5.5 hours.

However, that's just a "first time" stat. Now, icould probably do it in 2-3 hours.

-Rob

[poopnes]

This thread got me thinking that maybe I've never went through Mario 3 all the way without warping. I know I used to have a set path to play through worlds 1 to halfway through world 5 and then warp to 8 (for all the goodies and I had to ride in the Goomba shoe--it wasn't a good game of Mario 3 without running around in it). But I can't remember going all the way through. Well I was 10 and that was a long time ago. No need to dwell on it...

[Quintracker]

I've beaten mario 3 full in under 2 hours. Probably could be done in about an hour and a half, provided you don't go and do all the unnecessary levels like I did.

Current record for full completion (all levels, castles, etc.) on Twin Galaxies is 1 hour 37 minutes and 56 seconds. It's amazing the times dedicated players can get.

[NintendoMan]

Yeah your right, the save feature is a great thing for Super Mario World. I have only beaten Mario 3 a few times because of the no save feature, and just didn't have enough time to beat the whole game.

Does anyone else on here like to beat the ENTIRE game sometimes, meaning ALL levels and not skipping anything. Which of course would mean no using whistles.

Maybe I just suck, but can't believe some of you guys can beat Mario 3 so fast. If I remember right it takes me like a couple more hours than most people on here to beat it.
Do you guys like playing the NES or SNES version of Mario 3 better?

[NintendoMan]

Current record for full completion (all levels, castles, etc.) on Twin Galaxies is 1 hour 37 minutes and 56 seconds. It's amazing the times dedicated players can get.

Oh shit, tell me about it! I used to be that dedicated to at least trying to beat a high score, but there is no way in hell I can even come remotely close to some people scores on there. Kudos to them though for sure!!!

[vintagegamecrazy]

I like playing the NES version more, and I don't know if I have completed the whole game through I get bored because of the time commitment, I used to consider myself a pro at the game back then not now I could still finish it relative easily but a few levels in world 7 would give me a challenge.

[Push Upstairs]

Do you guys like playing the NES or SNES version of Mario 3 better?

I spent a few years perfecting my game on the NES so i like that version more.

If you're going to venture into the Mushroom Kingdom its all or nothing...none of this "save my progress" junk. :D


But i don't really play the game that much anymore. It's not a time issue, its just the game isnt fun when you know how to do everything and end up playing on "automatic".

[Jorpho]

Ah, yes, it was seven years ago during the great Ice Storm that I found myself with too much time on my hands and someone's NES in front of me. Went through the whole game twice without warping; the second time I played a two-player game (using both controllers) in such a way as to not get a Game Over, too. I was astounded at how much easier it had become since trying to play it in my youth.

[ubersaurus]

Yeah your right, the save feature is a great thing for Super Mario World. I have only beaten Mario 3 a few times because of the no save feature, and just didn't have enough time to beat the whole game.

Does anyone else on here like to beat the ENTIRE game sometimes, meaning ALL levels and not skipping anything. Which of course would mean no using whistles.

Maybe I just suck, but can't believe some of you guys can beat Mario 3 so fast. If I remember right it takes me like a couple more hours than most people on here to beat it.
Do you guys like playing the NES or SNES version of Mario 3 better?

NES version is definitive. The graphics, music, everything just comes together on the NES version.

Personally, I think the save feature, among numerous other things, are what make Mario World inferior to SMB3. If you have a save feature in the platformer, it becomes too easy. Not to say Mario 3 is particularly difficult, but with a save feature it's a cakewalk.

I can beat mario 3 in under 2 hours simply because I've played the game so much over the years, that I know to some degree what to expect in each level. Except Pipe World, which is still kinda foggy for me, since I never was any good at that world. And like I said, if you're just interested in the quickest path without warping, you can do it in even less time. But for me, it's platforming perfection, nay, gaming perfection-to skip any of it is only hurting one's own enjoyment of the game.