Oh nice!

I won't be getting any sleep today, apparently.

Wow, complete with 20% import tax. Come on, 1200 points for Sin and Punishment?

Thankfully, I already have The Lost Levels on my SNES in Super Mario All-Stars.

I am infinitely happy that we aren't getting any of that limited time only crap that PAL regions were getting.

oh snap

I KNEW S&P WOULD HIT TODAY! I just knew it! 1200 is worth it--I don't even care. Hopefully we get some translated text--namely the menus and the ending. I guess translating the training would be nice too. If not, maybe an update will provide some translated text. But overall it isn't necessary to enjoy this phenomenal game. I cannot wait to go home and get this. I'm just glad I have the money to actually buy the points and get this Day One.

Yeah, I own the original but now one of my favorite Nintendo games will be residing on my Wii to easily show others and enjoy without hooking up the ol' N64. Moreover, people all over the country will finally get to experience what I've been going crazy about for years.

I just gotta say THANK YOU NINTENDO FOR FINALLY BRINGING THE SWEETNESS STATESIDE!

Don't hesitate people. This is too good to miss. Fortunately, it won't be a big deal if you hold back on this or Lost Levels though as it doesn't seem we're being given a time limit to pick these up!

EDIT: Yeah, I am spazzing but download it and you'll see why!

Augh, I need a Wii Points card!

me wants!

still I want to wait for a third party N64 pad, the official is horrible for N64 games. how does it work with the GC controller? can you map the buttons freely or is fixed?

~slow clap crescendo~

1200 points is fine for S&P. They put extra work into translating some of the menus and such, plus the original game costs $100 on the secondary market.

As for controllers, I will try both for my recommendation writeup tonight, but I seem to remember that S&P lets you do your own button assignments.

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Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
Augh, I need a Wii Points card!

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It's nice that we're getting more Nintendo produced titles and the most-requested third-party titles for a change, but does this mean that developers are losing interest in releasing their old games on the VC? Lately it seems like we're not getting as many of the somewhat mediocre, low fan-fare third-party titles that the VC was getting its first nine months out the gate. Some would say this is a good sign but will this keep the VC from growing to be the massive collection it was envisioned as? Will support eventually dry up completely?

UncleBob must be ecstatic.

Woot! I'm on it when I get home from work

Heh, when I heard this one was 1200 points in Europe, I got a little excited because that's exactly how many Wii points I have at the moment. Guess I'm getting my second VC game today.

Finally some VC games that I can buy! Keep 'em coming!

I'm going have to get Sin & Punishment. Don't have a classic controller though so I won't get it yet. I want to see how it controls before I commit to buying a new controller. Still this is like a new game and I want Nintendo to feel that offering import games is worth the effort.

Last Levels though I'll skip. I don't really like it much on Super Mario All-Stars and doubt having the original 8-bit version is going to make much difference. Still good to have it released here in it's original form.

"I am infinitely happy that we aren't getting any of that limited time only crap that PAL regions were getting."

Same here. Hell that might be the best part of this news.

I'd imagine the game controls better with a GameCube controller, as I've bought all the previous N64 VC games and every single one of them controlled better and felt better with the GC pad than the Classic Controller.

Not sure about best VC release yet, but still can't wait to finally play Sin and Punishment, especially since I love Treasure's games. I'll pass on the quick n dirty "bonus level pack" that is SMB2.

wikipedia says that The Lost Levels has only been offered two times previously in the states: the first time was on the SNES and the second was on the GBC. I think I would like to play this game, but I'm not sure how I should get it. I do not have a SNES, so that counts that option out, but I do have more than one way to play a GBC game. I wonder if the extra work they did on the VC version would make that a better option? Not to mention it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy GameBoy version because then I could go and put that game in my GameBoy Player whenever I'm at home (that's what I did with SMB 2). But the VC version is $6 and if I were to get the lost levels for the GBC (in the form of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe) I'd have to pay $10-$15 on ebay. So I could pay $6 for a possibly updated/better version that would sit in my Wii at home or I could pay twice as much for a portably version. What do you think?

Oh and by the way, I will be downloading S&P!

I remember reading that Nintendo didn't bother translating anything in SMB2 (Lost Levels) so I'm not sure there is a reason for the higher price if that is the case, except to screw people.

The Lost Levels in SMB Deluxe has the last 5 worlds cut out of it, it's not a very good version.

I am ecstatic and anyone who disses Super Mario Bros. 2 JPN again will be forced to play it. And every time you die in the game - you die in real life.

Sin & Punishment ftw.

Okay, where's the Podcast where I totally called this? Sklens was such a hater and now he's SITTING IN COSTCO, EATING SAMPLES OF HUMBLE PIE. Served to him by a nice lady who has no idea how awesome this game is.

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Originally posted by: UncleBob
I am ecstatic and anyone who disses Super Mario Bros. 2 JPN again will be forced to play it. And every time you die in the game - you die in real life.

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Considering that Lost Levels was released as a full game in Japan, I don't think your "expansion pack" verbiage is really working out.

I'm so surprised at Nintendo's description of S&P: it mentions that fans of "Japanese import games" will already be familiar with it. For taking such a hardline stance for region encoding, that seems to be a very generous statement, much more generous than Sony destroying Lik-Sang.

I don't see how making every single level in the game new, adding 50% more levels, adding a new "power up" (or, Power Down, if you will), new effects, new enemies and new graphics to the game makes it an "expansion pack". Is New Super Mario Bros. (DS) an "Expansion Pack"?

Was Heretic a Doom expansion pack? Hell, was Doom 2 an expansion pack?

This game is pretty much the most challenging Super Mario Brothers game ever - and I welcome it. Those who don't... well, they're just scared.... and I don't blame you, the game is hard. It's okay if you're afraid of hard games. Go play yourself some Wind Waker or Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

In fact, I'd love if Nintendo created actual expansions for SMB and sold them as Wii Ware products or something. I'd love to see what some of the other creators in the Video Game field could do with SMB level designs.

As good as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe sounded apparently the lost levels portion wasn't that good: it was missing levels (credit: insanolord) and it used the same sprites for the whole GBC game (credit: IGN boards: WarlockSol) so i guess that means VC version it is!

Damn Nintendo first you make me buy MP3, now S&P and the lost levels! Between games that came out recently like Drawn to Life and Pricross and games that are just coming out or will be like Phantom Hourglass, Chibi-Robo DS, Mario Galaxy and Smash Bros. I just don't know what to do!

SMBDX's lost levels were *nothing*. They did recycle the graphics from SMB1, they were missing the 16 bonus levels and they were made tons and tons easier.

Don't get me wrong, SMBDX is a decent little compilation... but if you really want to play some hard Mario, SMB2J is the game to get.

"I don't see how making every single level in the game new, adding 50% more levels, adding a new 'power up' (or, Power Down, if you will), new effects, new enemies and new graphics to the game makes it an 'expansion pack'."

Compared to virtually all of Nintendo's sequels at the time it feels like an expansion pack. Hell it looks almost identical to Super Mario Bros. Every other Mario game in screenshots alone looks unique. You can spot what game is which from a mile away. And I don't consider stuff like red pirana plants as new enemies. A palette swap with slightly different behaviour? Come on. I expect way better from Nintendo. Even the NES Mega Man games are less lazy than that. Normally I don't like corporations changing a game to make it part of another franchise but Super Mario Bros 2 is a major exception. North America got a much better sequel even if it really wasn't one.

How much new graphics are in the game anyway? The clouds? All the "new" enemies use the same sprites from Super Mario Bros. The whole thing looks like something a fan made.

So back to Sin and Punishment:

Hello! This game is kinda hard. And awesome. It's like Gunstar Heroes meets Star Fox 64. The Gunstar Heroes comparison is stronger, thanks to silly music, stupid nonsense story, tons and tons of enemies, short length, high difficulty, etc.

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Originally posted by: GoldenPhoenix
I remember reading that Nintendo didn't bother translating anything in SMB2 (Lost Levels) so I'm not sure there is a reason for the higher price if that is the case, except to screw people.

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Originally posted by: Svevan
Considering that Lost Levels was released as a full game in Japan, I don't think your "expansion pack" verbiage is really working out.

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Originally posted by: Svevan
So back to Sin and Punishment:

Hello! This game is kinda hard. And awesome. It's like Gunstar Heroes meets Star Fox 64. The Gunstar Heroes comparison is stronger, thanks to silly music, stupid nonsense story, tons and tons of enemies, short length, high difficulty, etc.

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WHAT? NO WAIT, WHAT? Sin and Punishment was made by THE SAME GUYS THAT DID GUNSTAR HEROES? Get out of town, Sophia, GET OUT OF TOWN.

That COULD be the reason....

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"I don't see how making every single level in the game new, adding 50% more levels, adding a new 'power up' (or, Power Down, if you will), new effects, new enemies and new graphics to the game makes it an 'expansion pack'."

Compared to virtually all of Nintendo's sequels at the time it feels like an expansion pack. Hell it looks almost identical to Super Mario Bros. Every other Mario game in screenshots alone looks unique. You can spot what game is which from a mile away. And I don't consider stuff like red pirana plants as new enemies. A palette swap with slightly different behaviour? Come on. I expect way better from Nintendo. Even the NES Mega Man games are less lazy than that. Normally I don't like corporations changing a game to make it part of another franchise but Super Mario Bros 2 is a major exception. North America got a much better sequel even if it really wasn't one.

How much new graphics are in the game anyway? The clouds? All the "new" enemies use the same sprites from Super Mario Bros. The whole thing looks like something a fan made.

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So we know Sophia's recommendations - anyone else around here have an opinion?

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Originally posted by: Svevan
WHAT? NO WAIT, WHAT? Sin and Punishment was made by THE SAME GUYS THAT DID GUNSTAR HEROES? Get out of town, Sophia, GET OUT OF TOWN.

That COULD be the reason....

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Originally posted by: PartyBear

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Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"I don't see how making every single level in the game new, adding 50% more levels, adding a new 'power up' (or, Power Down, if you will), new effects, new enemies and new graphics to the game makes it an 'expansion pack'."

Compared to virtually all of Nintendo's sequels at the time it feels like an expansion pack. Hell it looks almost identical to Super Mario Bros. Every other Mario game in screenshots alone looks unique. You can spot what game is which from a mile away. And I don't consider stuff like red pirana plants as new enemies. A palette swap with slightly different behaviour? Come on. I expect way better from Nintendo. Even the NES Mega Man games are less lazy than that. Normally I don't like corporations changing a game to make it part of another franchise but Super Mario Bros 2 is a major exception. North America got a much better sequel even if it really wasn't one.

How much new graphics are in the game anyway? The clouds? All the "new" enemies use the same sprites from Super Mario Bros. The whole thing looks like something a fan made.

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It reminds me of the mission packs we used to get for PC FPS games. They were typically big enough to count as full games, but they used all the same assets as the original game. They were also harder than the original thanks to devious level design.

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Y'all do realize that, although the sprites are the same (except for the new enemies), the rest of the graphics are pretty much entirely new, right?

Someone with more talent post up some SMB1/SMB2J screen shots for comparison, will ya?

Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels is hard, but I like the fact that when I lose all my lives I can continue from the beginning of the world I was in, for example I lost my last life on world 2-2 and so I can continue but I'm back at 2-1 instead of 1-1 like in Super Mario Bros.

I also got Sin and Punishment but I have yet to try it out, unfortunately.

I am picking up both of these. This is a wiik where I can say, thanks nintendo

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Originally posted by: Entroper

Thankfully, I already have The Lost Levels on my SNES in Super Mario All-Stars.

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Does S&P have English or Japanese menus? I remember reading an import review a looooong time ago that said it'd be tricky to navigate menus in Japanese. There apparently was a place where you could erase your save file(s) if you didn't know what you were doing.

The menus have been translated for the VC release of Sin & Punishment. And you can start over at the beginning of the world you're in instead of 1-1 in the original SMB by holding A and pressing start at the title screen after a game over.

Holy cow. I have purchased S&P and CANNOT download it. It has a problem every time I try. Maybe it's getting downloaded a ton or maybe it's something else. Either way, I am chomping at the bit to play on the Wii.

I can't believe most of the discussion is about Lost Levels. Probably because many of you haven't played S&P yet.

And Evan: The story is nonsensical at first, but it's like some anime where when you get to the end, everything that came before somehow makes perfect sense. It's weirdly wonderful that way.

It took about half an hour to download it for me, I think. I started doing something else partway through.

It should be noted that in Super Mario Bros. 2 (The Lost Levels), Luigi controls are altered from Mario's. His jump is higher, while his "steering" is looser. And yes, it's very noticeable. Did the SNES version play this way, too? I don't recall it, nor do I recall it on the GB version, but it's possible I was just ignorant.

I think it's fair to consider The Lost Levels as an expansion to the first game, especially anywhere besides Japan. I mean, look at the dubbed name - The Lost Levels. They're practically saying it right there. Does this make it bad? Not in any way. If you like the original Super Mario Bros., and can handle a challenge, this game is for you.

It's about as much as an expansion as Halo 3 is upon Halo 2, only it has more levels that its predecessor, really. And it was made in what, '88?


As for Sin and Punishment, I figured out the way the controls flowed pretty quickly, with one exception: How do you sword things? I know it's possible, I've seen it on youtube, so it has to be true. I think I've tried all the buttons, though, so I must be missing how the timing works.

In SMB All Stars, Luigi had his flutter jump. He did not in SMBDX.

Did my duty as a gamer and downloaded both! S&P took a while to DL for me too. Can someone recommend the best control scheme (Type 3 seemed OK to me but something felt off)?

As an added 'bonus' from Nintendo, after my first CC point buy failed and gave me a strange six digit error msg (something like 380450), it actually did go through, so I ended-up with 4000 pts when I only wanted 2000.

I find the default type to be perfect for the Classic Controller.

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Originally posted by: Deezer

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Originally posted by: Entroper

Thankfully, I already have The Lost Levels on my SNES in Super Mario All-Stars.

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It's really a shame that somehow they messed up the jumping in Lost Levels (and SMB) in All-Stars. When Mario jumps and breaks a brick, he is pulled upward for a split-second.

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Originally posted by: thatguy
As for Sin and Punishment, I figured out the way the controls flowed pretty quickly, with one exception: How do you sword things? I know it's possible, I've seen it on youtube, so it has to be true. I think I've tried all the buttons, though, so I must be missing how the timing works.

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I forgot about World 9. That means SMB2J has 52 levels - or about 63% more levels than the original.

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Originally posted by: Smoke39

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Originally posted by: thatguy
As for Sin and Punishment, I figured out the way the controls flowed pretty quickly, with one exception: How do you sword things? I know it's possible, I've seen it on youtube, so it has to be true. I think I've tried all the buttons, though, so I must be missing how the timing works.

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Did you even play the training thing? O:< Press the shoot button when a swordable object is in range.

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I've also picked up Sin and Punishment. To me, the game is hard because of the controls. But it's the good kind of hard, where once you master to the controls, it'll become easier to play (like the Resident Evils.

I might pick up The Lost Levels later, not really sure yet. I'm thinking about waiting for the release of Super Mario All Stars.

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Originally posted by: Caliban
Super Mario Bros The Lost Levels is hard, but I like the fact that when I lose all my lives I can continue from the beginning of the world I was in, for example I lost my last life on world 2-2 and so I can continue but I'm back at 2-1 instead of 1-1 like in Super Mario Bros.

I also got Sin and Punishment but I have yet to try it out, unfortunately.

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Both games are fantastic. Lost Levels are mere bonus level pack for SMB? It's 100 times better than SMB and makes it look like a babies game. Sin and Punishment surprised me, it's not usually the type of game I like but its just so awesome.

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Originally posted by: Myxtika1 Azn
You can also continue from where you game overed in Super Mario Bros. Just hold down the A button and press Start.

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