A couple months back, Mario Advance was an unexpected announcement from Nintendo with many wondering how Nintendo's plumber would debut on the Game Boy Advance. After it turned out that it would be an enhanced re-mix of Super Mario Bros. 2, opinions were definitely mixed among Nintendophiles. Some were disappointed it wasn't a new game while others couldn't wait to take Mario for another spin through dreamland. Being the giddy fool I am (and the fact that SMB2 was a childhood favorite) I was in the latter group and was quite vocal about my excitement. After getting my hands on Mario Advance, I found that my impressions of the game in action ended up being somewhat mixed too.

Lemme make one thing clear: the game is Super Mario Bros. 2 and the additions (while there are quite a few) do not make it a "new" game at all. Nor do they make Mario Advance an extremely different game, especially since SMB2 already received a face-lift for its inclusion in Mario All-Stars on the SNES. It does have the Mario Bros. modes included too (which I'll talk about in a bit) but for the SMB2 ("Mario USA" for the import) portion of the game, it's definitely more old than new.

Although Mario Advance feels all-too-familiar at times, it's probably because the game(s) it combines were burned into the subconscious of countless longtime Nintendophiles, creating a familiarity that lessens the excitement.

That said, there is very much about this game that is new, or improved making it like a super duper version of one the coolest games from the 8-bit era. They are minor touch-ups to be sure but accumulate to boost the game from being "just a remake" & very worthy of playing through all over again.

Obviously, the best change is that it the game is in handheld form, allowing you take it with you wherever you go. Good thing too, since one of the things I had forgotten about the game is that it is so incredibly addictive. Whenever I felt like I was just going through the motions or playing something too old-school, I found myself unable to quit, determined to move and see the next level. Therefore, I spent many of the few hours I was visiting Colin to see GBA playing this game. (Colin to me, multiple times: "You're hooked on that crack!")

Differences can be detected from the beginning and although there aren't many NEW enemies, big versions of existing ones are everywhere. Giant vegetables and enormous POW Boxes (which bounce along a few times before breaking) are among a few new items that come in handy. A very nice addition is that if you are able to bounce a thrown item off many items, your score starts skyrocketing & earning 1-Ups a la the first SMB when you'd chase a Koopa Troopa shell have your score rack up as it obliterated any enemies in your path. Naturally, the giant veggies and POWs help a great deal with this.

Some items are encased in giant bubbles and you must break 'em by throwing items at 'em. Certainly makes the numerous veggies more useful. Hearts are more frequent and at first I saw this as a sign Nintendo were making the game easier. Not at all, since the game seems a bit harder than it used to be, especially in later levels. Maybe I'm just rusty but it definitely seems the challenged is a bit escalated.

Other than Mecha Birdo (who is a BITCH to beat) and the "enlarged" enemies, there aren't many new baddies that I noticed. I didn't get all the way through the game though. Still, it's great to see many of the old characters again, as many (yet not all) of them have returned in several Mario games afterward.

Bigger changes come in the form of aesthetics, most noticeably the amount of voice. All the characters talk, a lot and although it didn't get on my nerves it did seem a bit excessive. Kinopio (Toad) seems to have the craziest voice & Luigi sounds a bit different than he has in other games but Mario & Peach sound pretty similar how they've sounded lately. All the voices amused me at one point-Kinopio a few times because his "death cry" is a long scream that sounds like a muppet being stuffed in a blender. Bosses talk & each time you fight Birdo, she says something different, each time swearing this is the time you're going to pay… Nice to see a progression like this for a redundant (but increasingly tricky) boss! Oh yeah, if you remember that "Birdo Transexual Scandal" from awhile ago may be interested to know that Birdo has a very husky sounding female voice. The other bosses have funny voices too…

The other end of audio is music, naturally. Personally, I get Mario music stuck in my head all the time, SMB2's especially (I'm crazy that way). Mario Advance's music is SMB2's but enhanced-mainly by having the tunes spiced up and adding a new track or two to the sound track.

Graphics look like what we saw in Mario All-Stars, just a bit more touched up with new things here and there. They look very crisp and detailed but not too different. I mentioned in my Game Boy Advance impressions that Mario Advance's intro takes notice of the GBA's wide screen. The game actually benefits a great deal from the extra room allowing you to see more of the level. At times you need to see even MORE, you can hit the "R" shoulder button which raises or lowers the screen a bit to alter the view.

Despite all the changes, the biggest thing I picked up on was how great it was to play this game again. I remembered how crazy difficult it could get at times! Both in terms of challenge and in creative puzzle solving. Utilizing the items and enemies you encounter are often your means to progressing thru a level, a very cool aspect to the game.

The level design in this game is vintage; the desert levels have quick sand, enemies lurking beneath the desert's surface, digging for the keys… The artic levels have incredibly slippery ice and enemies coming at you at all times, not to mention those cool whales. These vintage levels combined with the new stuff renew my appreciation for this game that much more.

It's a much better version of the game you probably played and loved as a kid. If you never did play this game, I can't recommend it high enough. If no other reason because Bowser's not the villain, the Princess doesn't need saving, the multiple playable characters and the game is so darn quirky! This is all of that all over again but with a few tweaks.

The Mario Bros. modes of the game is what really make Mario Advance a spicy-meatball! Like the "SMB2 DX" portion of the game, the Mario Bros. modes are souped up graphically, musically and seemingly some new gameplay elements and enemies as well. Spikes replace Turtles, but Crabs, Flies, Ice Ghosts and Fireballs are there to make your plumbing career miserable. This game is a blast!

Unfortunately, we only had one GBA and no link cable, so there was no way to try the Multiplayer modes but man! I cannot wait to play this four-player. It seems like it would be hectic as all get out!

When I get my own GBA, I might be more interested in picking up newer titles first… This is not to say Mario Advance isn't great. It is, it just isn't as new as other titles. Do I still want to own it? Absolutely. Just something to keep in mind if you're on a tight import budge like me… However, if you have NOT played it before (and face it, this will be a new game for some, including a whole generation of young gamers!) get this game immediately. As Billy said in his own impressions, the Japanese is minimal, so if you're interested in this retro-love, there's no reason NOT to import!

If Mario Advance is any indication of what Nintendo has in mind for future updated classics on GBA, we're definitely in for a treat.