Super Mario 3 - THE END

Now, it may come as a shock to some of you, but despite my fondness of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Mario Bros. 3 in particular, i have never actually played the game from start to finish without using a whistle. This means that up until a few weeks ago, there were levels in the game which i had never even played, let alone defeated!

I have also been known from time to time after i got really crazy about the game to "cheat" using the Nintendo Power guide. This basically means that i used the NP level maps on the rare occasion that i needed or wanted them and especially for obtaining and stocking up on powerup items through the card memory game (awarded each time Mario racks up 80,000 points). This time, however, i was determined not only to beat the game by playing from start to finish, but also not to use the NP guide for any purpose whatsoever during the course of my fantastical journey to defeat Koopa (a.k.a. Bowser, King Koopa) and rescue the princess!

I am now proud to announce that i have now (mostly) completed said feat. I didn't use the Nintendo Power, but instead tried my hand at the memory game using my own, um, memory. I say "mostly" because when i got to World 7--Pipe Land--i had been playing the majority of the day and Kirsten and i were supposed to go on a date that evening. I was really close to beating the world, but needed to shave some time off before finishing, so i finished stocking up on lives at the mid-world (secret coin stash!) castle and *gasp!* blew the whistle.

*Doo-doo-doooooo-doo-doo-doooooo!*

Bah! I would have given the rest of the world a beat down anyway...

So it came to pass that i as Mario heroically braved airship and flame, fireballs and Bullet Bill, molten lava and Thwomp!, Bob-omb and Boo Diddly, and finally faced the evil master himself! Besting Koopa with a surplus of 86 or so lives, Mario-me smote his ruin upon the mountainside...er, defeated him...er,HE FELL DOWN THE HOLE!

Seeing as how jocular he always is, the moment i rescued Princess Toadstool, Toad said (as he tends to do at the demise of each preceding Koopaling-run castle), "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" But added this time... "Just kidding!" After which ran the REALLY GREAT credits featuring the complete cast of characters and specs on the game. After which fell the wondrous Red Curtain complete with excellent 80s/90s tag font reading: "THE END". Observe:And here is a shot of the console in action! The SMB3 copy of Nintendo Power looks on from the shelf neglected while the Super NES makes a guest appearance in the background. (Needless to say, so much playing of the NES gave rise to Kirsten and i later putting in some time under the aliases of Donkey and Diddy Kong... Oh, and prior to that we had been playing the Super NES Mario All Stars version of SMB2! Also a most excellent game!) But wait, there's more!

The following day i was feeling a little guilty on having skipped out a *tad* early on my quest, so guess what i decided to do?!

That's right, i jumped right back into the thick of things, whistled my way to World 7, and defeated it from start to finish, no gimmicks, once and for all. And boy, am i glad i did! Do you have any idea what happens when you beat the castle in Pipe Land?! Well let me tell you.

Ok, so after the defeat of all 6 other Koopalings, Mario or Luigi (alas, when playing 1 player, one has no option to play as Luigi in SMB3, but it is possible for Luigi to receive this congratulatory letter in 2 player mode) receives a letter from Princess Toadstool with a head's up on what's to come and enclosed is a jewel that helps protect you (usually a P-wing or a cloud to pass over a particularly hard level). This time, though, there is no note from the princess! Just a note from Koopa which starts off with a surprising, "Yo!" and then explains that he's got your regal babe, you'll have to come get her, yadda, yadda, yadda.

In closing, here is a cool image i gleaned from somewhere: If you haven't played SMB3 or if you haven't played in a while, well then, play it, damn it! And of course you're welcome to come visit us and use the system (call or write first!).