Super Mario All-Stars

Super Mario All-Stars is a compilation of remakes for the Super Nintendo. It ports Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels to the Super Nintendo with an added on-cartridge save feature, updated graphics and sound, and an additional "battle game" for Super Mario Bros. 3. It is the first time that Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was released for the western public.

This game was re-released again in Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World, which, quite obviously, additionally featured Super Mario World. It was never released in Japan.

Graphics
There are graphical updates for all settings. Overworld levels have grass on the ground. Underground levels show a wall in the background. Water levels have a distortion effect. The color of Bloopers was changed from white to purple, gray Cheep-Cheeps are now green. There are parallax scrolling layers in the background. Secret underground levels have an image of Mario or Luigi showing a V sign in the background, which is labeled "Bonus". This is also seen in Coin Heaven.

Luigi is now no longer a palette swap of Mario. The Bros. standing pose is different, and Fire Mario and Fire Luigi are no longer colored the same. When a brother enters a bigger castle, he takes the middle door rather than the left one. Before vanishing in a door, he shows a V sign. The Bros. also show a V sign when entering a pipe.

There are now two Toads in World 2, three Toads in World 3, four Toads in World 4 and so on. They always have a different animation when Mario rescues them from a sack. The final scene where Mario rescues Princess Toadstool has also been changed. She is now held in a cage above lava which Mario jumps into from the side, and if the player is Small Mario, a Mushroom will rain down and make Mario Super Mario. Then there is a zoom-in showing Toadstool kissing Mario on the cheek.

Gameplay
The player starts out with five lives instead of three. There is a level introduction screen which gives a brief overview of all enemies appearing in the level.

There where several bug fixes. An extra block was added on top of the pipe at the end of water levels, preventing Mario from getting stuck in this place as it was possible in the original game. When Mario has more than 9 lives, they are displayed correctly. Glitches such as Minus World were removed.

Music
The entire music of the game was updated. A new background music plays in secret underground areas and the Coin Heaven. There is also a new Bowser battle music which starts when the player reaches Bowser in a castle.

Changes to Super Mario Bros. 3

 * Underground areas get a more realistic look.
 * A Battle Game is available from the title screen, slightly different from the one accessible from the map in a 2-player game. It introduces the Reverse Mushroom.
 * The White Mushroom Houses are colored blue, not white.
 * Mario's last life before a Game Over is "Mario times 1"; in the NES it was "Mario times 0".
 * Some inventory items change color; Raccoon Leaf is brown; Starman is gold; Anchor is silver. Note however, that the Mushroom stays white with red spots.
 * Inside bonus rooms, there is a new background made out of diamonds and question marks.
 * Kings get transformed into characters from other Mario games.
 * Three coins were added to 2-2, meaning that Mario can get the White Mushroom House without collecting any from the group located far away from the P-Switch.
 * No time limit in map pipes.
 * The Ice Blocks in 3-9 were made a half-curve, fixing a glitch in which Mario was to play with the Ice Blocks on the right side and perform a ducking jump to go down the side of the pipe.
 * The first Toad House in World 6 now has a Hammer Suit so that Mario can get a Hammer Suit without having to do 6-5.
 * The Ice Block structure in 7-5 was moved to the right, fixing a glitch similar to the one in 3-9.
 * In the second World 7 Piranha Plant level, the Pipe at the end of the screen was heightened with a block added at the very top so that Mario cannot fly on top of the Pipe and lose a life.
 * The World 8 Fortress got even more confusing by having 2 sides both colored blue (as opposed to a blue side and a gray side).

World 9 Challenge
From volume 52 of Nintendo Power:

Were giving you a chance to show us what you're made of. And we'll award anyone who can reach World 9 of this poisonous pack with a badge of honor. Here's the catch-you can only reach World 9 of the Lost Levels if you play every single tortuous level. Absolutely no warping! (If you try to take a shortcut, you'll skip from World 8 to bonus World A.) Send us a photo of your accomplishment, and we'll send you this great iron-on patch. Just pause the game, and take a picture of the screen with World 9 clearly displayed in the corner. Get stompin'! The deadline is October 31, 1993. Send your name, address and photo to:
 * Nintendo Power
 * World 9 Challenge
 * P.O. Box 97043
 * Redmond, WA 98073-9743


 * Contest Rules:
 * Patch will be awarded to all valid entries received postmarked by October 31, 1993. Entries must include a photograph of a television screen with level 9 clearly displayed from the video game Super Mario All-Stars, The Lost Levels along with the entrants full name and mailing address.  All judging decisions made by the Nintendo Power Staff are final."