Super Mario Bros. in a Flash...

Super Mario Bros.
(1985)

Compilation of screenshots captured while finishing the original Super Mario Bros.

Forty some screenshots compiled into a GIF image saved years ago...

There's just something about the original version... The controls are brutal and unforgiving, but that's part of the challenge.

A highlight reel of Mario's quest to save the Princess.

Treasures From The Jurassic Era...

Hunter Gatherer

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Volume 1, Issue #2
Valiant Comics

One person's trash is the next person's treasure.
It pays to dig deep (in the bins, not your wallet!).

Had no idea that Turok was a comic book before it became a video game... Stumbled upon this issue from 1993.

Was even more surprised to learn that the character dates back to 1954!

Appearing in a number comics by various publishers, long before he sprang to life to slaughter Allosaureses on Nintendo 64 in Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (1997).

Speculating that the success of the Jurassic Park film (1993) also contributed to the spiking interest of dinosaurs in pop culture - An event that may have ultimately caused Turok to emerge in video game form.





Almost bought Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (1998).
Was on my "short list" of games to get.
So many N64 titles coming out around that time, there was no way an honest person could buy them all...

He'll Be Back...

Reverse side of the book has advertisements for Super Nintendo games Alien 3 and Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

In space, no one can hear you scream "Chill out, dickwad!"

Definitely a good thing that GoldenEye eluded the clutches of being developed for the SNES, appearing on the N64 instead.

 

"There's no fate but what we make."

GoldenEye: Blue Version...

Definitely not looking to pick up any VHS tapes - But eyeballing countless 007 wares, a copy of the GoldenEye movie caught my attention simply because the box is blue (as opposed to the black version in my collection).

Have seen individual tapes like this floating around, and figured it had to be part of a special release or set.

Appears as if it's one of those James Bond Collectors' Sets with 7 Bond movies.

Bit of variety with a pair of films featuring Connery, Moore and Brosnan (plus one with Dalton).

In addition to GoldenEye, the box set also features For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, Goldfinger, Live & Let Die, License to Kill and Tomorrow Never Dies.



One of the coolest Easter Eggs in the GoldenEye 007 video game is the fact that the CCTV Tape (Bunker 2 Mission) is cleverly a VHS tape of the GoldenEye movie.

"The CCTV Tape"
Collecting this tape is a primary objective for the Bunker 2 mission.

It just occurred to me that I hadn't yet posted a high-res version of this image...

SMB3: Water World...

Every water level in the Super Mario series is a pain...
Pretty much the entire third world of Super Mario Bros. 3 is flooded with aquatic enemies.
To make matters worse, World 3 has been conquered by the nasty little brat Wendy O. Koopa.

Airborne...

The mini-boss has learned how to fly.

Minus Mario

Zero lives in the inventory means it's GAME OVER.
1-Up mushroom on screen just to add insult to injury.

Shell Game...

Mario earns extra lives while the player takes a quick break...
(Possibly microwaving some leftover lasagna)

Raise The Boom...

Another Boom Boom with wings...
I suspect this might become a regular thing.

Spite.

Safely at the end of the level...
Vengefully frying that Boss Basstard.

SMB2: Booklet Baddies...

Super Mario Bros 2
User Manual
(North American Version)

Scans from Nintendo's Instruction Booklet for Super Mario Bros 2.

The enemies section of the manual featured some character art and a small in-game screenshot.

Definitely a weird game within the series. Years later, we find out that this wasn't even technically a Mario game at all - Simply a re-made Japanese game called Doki Doki Panic.

(The "Lost Levels" of Super Mario All-Stars is the true sequel - Also known as SMB2 in Japan)

"I've just had the most peculiar dream"

Forever weird within the continuity, at least the North-American version of SMB2 gave us creepy foes like Shyguy and Bob-Omb. (Other characters will often make brief cameos within the Mario universe)

Bowser Koopa must have been away on vacation... As a result, the Princess is NOT kidnapped, and this weird guy "Wart" stands in as the evil mastermind.

GoldenEye Stuff...

"Rosika The Killer Cleaning Lady"
(one of 64 characters available via Button Code)

HOUSEKEEPING
Attempting to tidy up some of the many files in my GoldenEye-related folders...

Rosika is an "unused" character, similar to the Female Scientist. (Referenced in memory as "fat tech woman")

There's also a company called "Rosika Enterprises" that manufactures and/or distributes cleaning products. Coincidence?

POTATO GUN
Also found this image (saved ten years ago).
The Rocket Launcher, with Russian text, translated.
Unsure if this exists elsewhere on the web.

Always thought the standard text was "aim away from face".

Absolutely hate bringing my own potatoes to the battlefield.
Can we re-wire this thing to make French fries?

Also reminds me of a funny movie line:
"The fate of the planet is in the hands of a bunch of retards I wouldn't trust with a potato gun"
-Armageddon (1998)

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE...

General Ourumov bravely stands in front
of his troops and challenges Commander Bond...

Also have a whole bunch of "beta" GoldenEye screenshots that need to go somewhere.

General Ourumov appearing in a different part of the Silo mission than we encounter him in the final game.

He's also depicted without his briefcase. Doesn't really mean anything...

(We've also seen an abundance of "Mr. Blonde" guards being used in Perfect Dark during the testing stages)

Still, this snapshot of Ourumov is probably the most interesting "new" image that wasn't featured in the original "Beta" pages.

Pretty sure it's authentic - Even though he appears to be firing an automatic weapon... Just wonder why this screenshot wasn't floating around the web 25 years ago.

Perhaps General Ourumov would attempt to grab the briefcase and run? (Unless you hit him, similar to Xenia on the Train?)

Still personally think there was a connection to the DAT and the Briefcase. (OBJECTIVE C: Obtain Telemetric Data)
The Briefcase of course does nothing in the final version of the game.

Rareware stated that in early drafts, Ourumov's Briefcase could have contained information on the Pirate helicopter, or crucial details about the GoldenEye satellite. (Possible information regarding the GoldenEye satellite seems to sum up what the "DAT" is)

Behind the scenes: In the Action Block for Ourumov (0415) the game also checks if the player has completed the objective by collecting that particular object....

Had to Ventilate Someone...

Climbing Back Up The Facility Vent

A total game-changer for GoldenEye 007 Multiplayer when this trick was first discovered...
Game had been out for almost a year before we learned that one could actually get back up into the Facility ventilation shaft.

Had seen guards do it - Literally popping up and down.
The trick can be performed both in single-player Mission mode, or in Multiplayer.

Whether or not Rareware intended for the player to be able to accomplish this, I'm not certain.
Just assuming that it's a glitch - But a rather fun one.

"Straight up, with a twist."


Scan from Nintendo Power magazine, June 1998 (Volume #108)

With new rules of engagement, Multiplayer was never the same....

 

Licensed to Make Bad Puns
If there's a "License to..." play on words that I haven't already heard, I'll eat Oddjob's hat.
(assuming the prop is in a movie museum somewhere, alongside a collection of Bond Girl bikinis)

The very same issue of Nintendo Power challenged players to submit photos of all 23 Cheats unlocked in the Cheats folder. (This was long before button codes were known).

Just assuming that sending in a photo of all 24 Cheats (including Line Mode, accessible via Gameshark) would get you banned for life from entering their contests. (Pretty sure they asked that your N64 was visible when you took the "screen shot" - Which is fake-able enough, by bringing another N64 into the picture. Or by recording your Cheats folder on VHS tape.)

Had better things to do, anyway - Like hopelessly trying to locate the "All Bonds" characters playable for Multiplayer (Not yet realizing that only the images remain, character models long deleted). So there was never any chance of a simple "plug & play" Gameshark code like re-activating the fully functional Statue & Cradle Multiplayer levels.

Same Nintendo Power mag also features a challenge for 1080 Snowboarding, an early N64 title.
Completed that particular game on a weekend rental - Although it's definitely challenging to pull of the game's title move, with just two successful "TEN-EIGHTY!" jumps successfully landed. (One was performed with some big air, the other one was somehow accomplished with just a small hop off a ridiculously small jump)

SMB3: "Lost" in Translation...

Time for some Super Mario Bros. 3 - (thus completing a Super Mario "hat trick")

Mustn't have had a screenshot available when posting the original "Letters From the Princess" article.

The "missing" snapshots from World 1 and World 5:

After completing "Grass Land" Mario is on his way to the Desert World where he'll most certainly encounter Boo Diddly the ghost in one of the tombs (aka fortresses).

After surviving the Sky World, Mario is happy to be returning to solid ground (even if it is covered in sheer ice).

Also learned a few things about the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 3 that I definitely wasn't aware of - Raccoon Mario is immediately reduced to mini-Mario when hit (explains what happens in the demo!).

Also, the game's ending features a different message...

---

"The Japanese SMB3 features a more serious Princess Toadstool.

In the Japanese version, Princess Toadstool originally said:

'Thank you! Finally, peace returns to the Mushroom World. The end!' "

http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/smb3_j-e.shtml

---

"Fun fact: Super Mario Advance 4 uses a direct translation of the Japanese message instead of the English version's gag."

-Midna

https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=22083.0

---

SMB2: Run Like The Devil...

Super Mario Bros. 2
(All-Stars Version)

The Eyes of Phanto Are Upon You.

Playing Super Mario Bros 2 (Super Mario All-Stars).
Wasn't thrilled that they changed the actual color of Phanto...
(that creepy ghost face that guards the underground keys)

Was however pleasantly surprised with the evil, demonic Phanto emblem that glows on the wall (complete with flaming red eyes that light up when you grab the key).

The "Phanto Shrine" is actually kinda cool.

As for the angry apparition himself, the colored side of his face appears to be golden brown in the 1993 version.

Super Mario Bros. 2
(original version)

In the original 1988 version of the game, one side of Phanto's mask was a red-orange color. (A minor detail that only a Mario fanatic would notice...)



Couple of favorite quotes about this (nearly) forgotten foe:

---

"Phanto, the cause of much anxiety for children playing Super Mario Bros. 2 back in the day and a memorable enough part of the game that I’m surprised he didn’t end up recurring...

Aside from the cameo in Mario Kart 7... Phanto does not return to give players nightmares until Super Mario Maker 2, where Nintendo finally re-implemented the gameplay element of 'steal a cursed key, run like the devil is chasing you.'

In Japan, Phanto is Kamen, meaning 'mask.'"

SMB2 Baddies
https://www.thrillingtalesofoldvideogames.com/blog/the-legacy-of-super-mario-bros-2-part-two

---

"Phanto: The scariest videogame character of all time"

"Why does a seemingly silly 8-bit character from a very family-friendly game scare me more than horribly satanic demons, chainsaw-wielding psychopaths...?"

"Although the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 is completely different than the original — it was famously modeled after Japanese game Doki Doki Panic"

https://www.destructoid.com/phanto-the-scariest-videogame-character-of-all-time/

---

Phanto (SMB2) - 3D Model
by Elesis-Knight
www.patreon.com/rafaknight

---

Phanto has mystical powers that still haunt some players to this day...

Super Mario Bros. 2
(Original Version)

Super Mario Bros. 2
(All-Stars Version)

Toad is definitely not a member of the Phanto Fan Club.

SMB: Booklet Baddies...

Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt
User Manual
(Scanned Cover)

The best part of any oldschool Nintendo user manual has to be the "Enemies" section.

In the original Super Mario Bros, the Turtle Tribe is depicted in pixel form - Just as they appear in the game.

(artistic renderings would be included in subsequent Mario adventures)

Scanned the key pages of this age-old document. It's no longer just a book - It's an artifact!

Of note, defeating a Hammer Brother nets 1,000 points.

Another standard enemy worth surprising points are the Koopa Paratroopas (400 points - And that's just for taking away his wings).

If You Spell 'Bananas' Backwards...

A file folder containing "Beta" Plans from GoldenEye 007.

One of many unused objects found inside the game's memory.

The most widely accepted fan theory is that the dossier was among the contents of Ourumov's Briefcase...
(which would of course contain plans for the Pirate helicopter, or information about the GoldenEye satellite)

Clearly stamped with Russian text resembling "BANANAS", rumors state the folder contains a top secret recipe for Banana Vodka Martinis.

"Does this yellow suit make my head look big?"

Others insist that it's a reference to DK Mode (the game's easiest-to-unlock cheat, by completing the Runway in 5 minutes, on the easiest difficulty).

Even the yellow Moonraker suits bear a resemblance to the banana...

Donkey goes ape over his bananas.

Another highly improbable scenario is that the Soviets had intentions of stealing Donkey Kong's Banana Hoard.

SMB: Unmask Phantom Bowser

On The Hunt...

YOSHI EGG   (SMB: Unmask Phantom Bowser) Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System In the original Super Mario Bros game, defeat Bowser Koopa with fireballs, and a secret hidden foe is revealed. Found the old photo gallery of "Unmasking Phantom Bowser". Compilation of shots between the original Super Mario Bros and the All-Stars version, but it gets the job done. World 1: Goomba World 2: Koopa Troopa World 3: Buzzy Beetle World 4: Spiny World 5: Lakitu World 6: Blooper World 7: Hammer Brother

Pandora's Box...

Once upon a time, a small cardboard box yielded a world of mystery...
Still captivated by those snapshots on the back.

Agent Orange...

Admiring Beautiful Curves

Scanned advertisement for a 2001 James Bond film "TV marathon".

Always liked this promo image from The World Is Not Enough.

A generic "Bond Girl" silhouette - Often wondered is it supposed to be Elektra King (Sophie Marceau)?

Definitely doesn't fit the profile of Christmas Jones (Denise Richards).

Hard to imagine her character in heels...
(Just to be sure, better re-watch the scene in Zukovsky's Caviar factory...)

It's also nearly impossible to flip through a men's magazine without finding some kind of reference to 007.

So much material, so little time.

"The Future Looks Dark..."

Quick scan from Nintendo Power magazine showing pre-release Perfect Dark.
Nintendo Power #110 (July 1998)
Possibly the first image of PD that I ever laid eyes on...

A single screenshot inside Area 51 Infiltration (first of three missions on that base).

Possibly captured in Co-Operative mode (when another Joanna Dark was the default Buddy as a placeholder).

An Area 51 Guard is coming out of the door - Unclear in the screenshot whether he's wearing the unused "beta" helmet that matches the uniform...

Perfect Dark Preview from Nintendo Power

Also in the above screenshot, I believe Joanna Dark is wearing a slightly different Combat Uniform than she does in the final version.




Snapshot of the unused mask in Perfect Dark's Combat Simulator.
Joanna is also wearing her standard outfit.

Actual snapshot captured in Perfect Dark Plus.
(ROM Modification which also offers a Japanese Joanna...)

Perfect Bond... (And The Quest For Invincibility!)

Unlocking the Invincibility Cheat in GoldenEye 007 is no easy task...
The feat is to clear the Facility mission in 2:05 (on 00 Agent difficulty, no less).
Even if you do everything perfectly - It's all for nothing if Dr. Doak isn't upstairs.

Alternating between Silenced PP7 and KF7 Soviet, performed a miraculous race to the lab only to come up empty handed. With absolutely no guards following me, decided to curiously backtrack to find the Soldiers milling about, having completely given up on the chase.

Hadn't actually unlocked the GoldenEye 007 Invincibile Cheat in over a decade, so decided to give it a shot.
So legendary that it's become the most-sought after Achievement in the entire game.
Takes a bit of dedication to earn the right to say "I AM INVINCIBLE".

Just need a good run to coincide with a Dr. Doak encounter. (He can randomly appear in seven different locations)

After an hour or two of cursing swearing (and re-living the frustration) decided a break was needed...
(The GoldenEye 64 Blog contains the actual "Strategy Guide": Speedrun For Invincible...]



Enter Perfect Dark...

The Invincibility Cheat is unlocked in Area 51 Escape (game's ninth mission).
Completing the level within the target time of 3:50 (on the easy Agent difficulty this time!).

Once I got back into this PD speedrun, some annoyances were rekindled - But not to the extent of the frustrating Facility. (The rant about Jonathan's "heroics" can be found in the Perfect Dark N64 Blog post "Area 51 Escapades". I tried not to swear.)


These Biotechnicians still give me the creeps...

Four Biotechnicians at the start of Area 51 Escape.
It's not always possible to tag them all when you're racing through the lab...
Survivors will give chase and meet you on the return trip
(subsequently trying to drug you with their sedatives).
Sometimes they even follow all the way outside.

Dashing back towards the secret hangar (making use of the strafing skills learned in GoldenEye 007).
Attempting to earn PD's coveted Invincibility Cheat, still coming up just seconds short. Watched the YouTube video by Graslu and learned a few necessary tricks.

(For a more satirical analysis of this frustrating accomplishment, see the Perfect Dark N64 Blog: Escape From Area 51, Area 51 Escapades and Preheat 350)

Perfect Dark offers a more challenging overall game, but I'm going to say that the Invincibility Cheat is more difficult to earn in GE than it was in PD (as far as difficult accomplishments go).

More on the legendary GoldenEye 007 Achievement (from the GoldenEye 64 Blog):
A quick "Strategy Guide": Speedrun For Invincible...
See also: Earning Invincible... It's Infuriating!


EDITOR'S NOTE: After finally completing this daunting task on the PC ROM, performing the feat on the N64 console was suddenly so simple... Got it almost instantly.

The ROM is beautiful and completely customize-able... The console might not be as pretty, but it handles so much smoother.

Krazy Koopa Klan...

The seven Koopa Kids as depicted in Super Mario World.

Iggy Koopa (World 1)


Morton Koopa Jr. (World 2)


Lemmy Koopa (World 3)


Ludwig Von Koopa (World 4)


Roy Koopa (World 5)


Wendy O. Koopa (World 6)


Larry Koopa (World 7)