SMB2: Hittin' Up The Slots...

Mario Develops a Serious Gambling Addiction!

A memorable part of Super Mario Bros. 2 is the slot machine aka. "Bonus Chance".

The minigame appears between levels, allowing the player to win Extra Lives.

A collection of notes & screenshots transformed into a relatively deep dive of this Super Mario Bros. 2 minigame, with a separate page for each version of the game:

SMB2: Bonus Chance (Original NES)
SMB2: Bonus Chance (SNES All-Star)


There are slight variations between the original (1988) and Super Mario All-Stars (1993) versions.

Slot icons are also livened up in Super Mario All-Stars (making Mario feel like he's in Vegas).
Prizes are also more generous in the updated version.



Risking life and limb - For a chance at a few extra lives!

Carry the Magic Potion to places where tufts of grass can be found.
Pull the grass to get rewarded with tokens to play the minigame.
Hit the terminal with a fistfull of coins to better your odds of making out like a bandit.


Each coin gathered during the level is worth a pull at the machine.
With some luck, several coins can net you a few lives.


Hit up the machine with a pile of change and walk away with more lives than a cat.


Surprisingly fun and addictive. As you memorize the locations to gather potential coins, learn better timing and memorize the prizes, the odds can only shift in your favor.

It's a combination of skill and luck, but it still helps to know the stakes.

Full Pages:

SMB2: Bonus Chance (Original NES)
SMB2: Bonus Chance (SNES All-Star)

Two Much Fun...

Refusing to Get a Life

SMB2 (All-Stars Version)

Attempting another playthu of oldschool classic Super Mario Bros. 2.
(A feat I haven't accomplished since the 1990s)

SMB2 (NES)

Bouncing back and forth between the original SMB2 (1988) and the Super Mario All-Stars version (1993).

The original game offered just 2 lives to start.

SMB2 (All-Stars Version)

Of course the Super Mario All-Stars version is more forgiving to make it more fun.
Five lives to start the game with, plus the ability to select a new character if you die.
Each level can become a bit of a team effort as each character utilizes their strengths.













Had a decent run on the slot machine...
Those extra lives quickly depleted by a fortress maze full of "Sparks".

Still, managed to push further into this game than I have in decades.
Certainly don't remember the game being this challenging - Or maybe I was just a hell of a lot more patient.

SMB2 is a tad different than its' Mario brethren...
Gotta re-train a few compulsive Mario habits.

Can no longer squash enemies as if they were Goombas - Instead, it's best to throw vegetables at them (or throw baddies at each other).






Looking back at the game now, elements like climbing the side-by-side length of chains has a Donkey Kong Junior feel...















Other parts of Super Mario Bros. 2 may even feel like precursors to Donkey Kong Country...

Dusting Off A Classic (The Clean Machine)

NES We Forget...

The good 'ol Nintendo Entertainment System was definitely in need of a good cleaning - Something I'd never actually done.

(Aside from the standard "blow into the cartridge" that Nintendo always warned us not to do)














Getting the NES to load a game was like playing roulette….


A persisting “blinking red light” with the screen flashing bright and dark…. More often than not, the games refused to load.

“I've got such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move!"

For this NES-cessary detailing job (that apparently also includes bad puns), opted to use a vacuum nozzle to suck out as much of the dust & debris (aka. carbon scoring) as possible (from both the system and the games).


Used a third party (non-Nintendo approved) system cleaning solution (basically rubbing alcohol).
(Forget exactly what percentage is recommended, but apparently stronger is better – and will evaporate quicker).
Actually found an old third party (SNES) cleaning kit within my collection.

A hobby buddy had given me an old SMB cart that he uses for cleaning. Said to soak a Q-Tip in alcohol (I started off by using it sparingly) and slosh it around both sides of the chip. Dust has settled on the contact points due to lack of use.

Insert the game a a bunch of times (unplugging the power first!) and let it dry completely.

Took a few repetitions of this treatment to really loosen and remove most of the debris, but at least I can reliably get it to boot up and load a game.



As for the games themselves, they can also be cleaned.
After a good wipedown with a solution-soaked Q-Tip, left the game cart out with the chip towards a fan for the afternoon. Probably being over cautious, but I don't want to risk electrical shock (nor ruin any of these classics!)



Allowing the machine to run more and more, even managed to keep it alive for an entire afternoon.
Slightest bump or knock to the shelf and it’s game over – The system will usually flicker and reset itself.


These games truly are collector’s items.
However, to enjoy a proper playthru of a game I normally opt to play an Emulator just for increased reliability.

“With all we've been through, sometimes I'm amazing we're in as good condition as we are”

All Systems Go!

Fired Up About a Classic…

Thought I'd had four Nintendo systems over the years - It's actually been FIVE:
NES, SNES, N64, GCN and Wii.

So which one was more fun?
Really feel the N64 hit the sweet spot.

But for me, the old Nintendo Entertainment System is where it all began.

Although I can play any of my classic favorites on an Emluator, there's something rewarding in owning and maintaining the old NES.

Despite much frustration, actually enjoyed "restoring" my old NES to working condition.
(Somehow I feel that if I don't get it working every five years or so, it may never run again)



It’s fun to tinker with the old console and get it operational.
Normally takes a bit of fiddling (and cursing) to get her running halfway decent.

A few hints of life, couple musical notes of a game, and then a crash / freeze.
Finally, the glitchy pixels came through...



Fuzzy at first, with the game graphics all glitched up.


The longer you keep the game on, it almost seems to "burn off" some of the fuzz or dust. The graphics get less buggy and eventually the screen returns to the way it should.



Messing with the old system is literally something I found myself doing on a rainy day.
The trill of getting it working (yet again!) seemed to give a spark of excitement when it finally booted up.



Got it to run exactly FOUR times that afternoon.

First game I got to load was Super Mario Bros 2. The console wasn't doing much at first, so I was basically swapping things out and SMB2 was just the game that I grabbed.


After it froze a few times, decided to try Mario 3. Also loaded with fuzzy graphics and a few freeze-ups / crashes, but had it humming along for the better part of an hour.

When a game has been working and suddenly freezes, I find it best to gently hit the reset button instead of power.


Just taking the old NES for a spin around the block for nostalgia’s sake.
Like an old car, it’s not reliable enough for a road trip… But it's still fun to take it for a joyride.

Mario Clouds Everything...

Super Mario Bros. 3

"Wars Not Make One Great..."

With Super Mario Bros. 3 maintaining the pole position, James Bond wrestles with the Planet of the Apes.

The Force is also strong with young Skywalker. Keep trying to warn everyone that the kid grows up to be Darth Vader, but no one seems to listen...

STAR CHARTS Arbitrarily Assigning Replay Value!  Game System Released 1 Super Mario Bros. 3 NES 1990 2 Donkey Kong Country 3 SNES 1996 3 GoldenEye 007 N64 1997 4 Super Mario All-Stars SNES 1993 5 Star Wars Episode I: Racer N64 1999

SMB3: Big & Wet...

Unlock The White Mushroom House (World 3-8, World 4-2)

Super Mario Bros. 3

The Watery Island World (World 3) of Super Mario Bros. 3 is the first really challenging area the player encounters... So why should unlocking the Secret White Mushroom House be any different?

Even the official Strategy Guide lists level 3-8 as one of the most difficult stages in the entire game.

Scavenging all of those pesky coins to unlock the White Mushroom House, to receive a P-Wing in return...

Also taking a look at World 4, Giant Land.

 

Frogman To The Rescue!

World 3-8   (44 coins to unlock the White Mushroom House)

World 3-8

Normally opt for Firepower against Boss Bass - But in this stage, the furious fish seems to "respawn" so quickly that disposing of him doesn't seem to matter.

Tried it with Frog Mario and was more than pleased with the results.

Excellent jumping to catch the coins, and anytime Mario fell in the water, he actually held a slight advantage over the voracious predator.


Especially as Frog Mario, the world itself isn't overly difficult - Just gottta pay attention to the constant rise and fall, mainly to avoid foolishly hopping somewhere where the big fish can make a meal out of you - Kinda like being a real frog!

A ten-coin block is revealed above a pair of ice blocks. Frog Mario may have a slight difficulty plucking the topmost ice block.



As the level rises and falls, I prefer to see the multi-coin block when I start hammering away at it. This way, I can keep track of my coin count, and try to bank 11.

Nothing whets the appetite of a big fat Bass like a nice juicy frog.

A narrow escape from Boss Bass, but Frog Mario can jump all the way to the vine.
All the coins around the vines must to be collected also.

Near the end of the level, gotta time the rise & fall to maximize the window of opportunity with the route below...
Of course the top route is safer, but the game dares you to try.

It'll get flooded out quite quickly, and Boss Bass can still swallow Frog Mario whole.

Give Mario enough time to hop through the tight spot - Without having the water rise high enough that Boss Bass can reach him!

Hopping over the P-Switch to collect those coins first, then onto the P-Switch itself.
(otherwise the coins turn into bricks that can seal the exit)

Nothing crazy from hereon in...
A few relatively easy coins to collect.

A quick hop here, and a quick hop there...

Last coin is actually a hidden 1-Up for the effort.

Frog Mario gets it done.
The White Mushroom House contains a useful P-Wing.

Actually liked the Frog Suit so much that I kept in on for the duration of World 3...

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Extra Credit Assignment:

World 3-9

Relatively few enemies in the next level, World 3-9. But with the impeccable placement of  Piranha Plants, Para Goombas, Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills, most players will happily skip right past this area racing for the goal.

Raccoon Mario can break the bricks with his tail, gaining access to the tube that leads underwater.











By swimming counter-intuitively to the left, Mario can find a secret pipe that leads to a Frog Suit.




Gotta hold to the right as Mario falls from above so he can land near the big question block.




A few obstacles and Cheep Cheeps offer virtually no challenge with the Frog Suit.

Only really tricky part as Frog Mario is the Koopaling Airship...

World 3
The Doomship!

Gotta hop on a cannonball and get a boost by holding the jump button to get to the safer upper portion of the ship. Frog Mario can't easily hop through the narrow space without losing his Frog Suit to cannon fire.

Wicked Wendy O. Koopa!

The Frog Prince...
Mario wears one of his best suits to meet the King.

Survive a Doomship and the Koopaling battle while wearing one of the special suits and a special message from His Royal Highness.

See Alternate Messages From The King.

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Gigantic!
(A Big, Big World)

World 4-2   (24 coins to unlock the White Mushroom House)

World 4-2

The "biggest" world actually has the lowest coin count requirement for the Secret Toad House.

Another world that rises and falls. Once again, gotta pay careful attention to how the level shifts...

Mario must collect every single one of those brick-turned coins once he hits the P-Switch.

The annoying Cheep Cheep is another challenge, so stomp him on the bridge immediately before hitting the switch. He'll respawn, but in those valuable seconds, Mario can get the coins and hop safely out of the water.

Every last coin is needed, so make sure to get them all!

Mario risking his life for a few coins...
Nine lives to commit to this endeavor.

There is a Starman available in the question block... But I find the timing of collecting the item slows me down just enough that I can't race all the way down the bridge to get the rest of the coins...

Opted to go without Invincibility, and actually found it easier.

Watching the replay, actually just missed nabbing the Starman.

Grabbing the very last coin!

A bit of back-tracking to get the coins that were bricks just moments ago...

Finally, made it off the Cheep Cheep bridge and heading towards the exit pipe.

White Mushroom House appears on the map, and Mario can collect an Anchor from Toad.
The Match Card Minigame can often appear at the same time, as an result of racking up so many points!

Always cool to snag an Anchor for the Inventory.
At least it beats another Music Box...