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10 things you didn't know about Super Mario Bros 2

Other than it being a re-skinned Japanese game

8. Wart’s only other appearance is in a Zelda game?!

Outside of a Smash Bros. trophy here and there, Super Mario 2’s Boss hasn’t shown anywhere near the longevity of a Mario villain like Bowser.

Above: The most notable enemy with an open-mouthed weakness since King Hippo!

Although his name is dropped in Super Paper Mario and Mario Superstars Baseball, as well as an alleged son appearing in Animal Crossing, Wart has never physically appeared again in a single Mario game for more than two decades. However, a very recognizable Wart appeared in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening under his original Japanese moniker, Mamu, and actually teaches Link his last song on the Ocarina!



9. Super Mario 2 is the third bestselling NES game of all time

Yep, right underneath Mario 1 and 3, and just above the Legend of Zelda, with 10 million copies sold.


Above: SMB2 kicked Mario Madness into high gear, and helped launch the first issue of Nintendo Power

Say what you will of Super Mario 2’s legacy, that’s still more copies moved than Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. AND, if you factor in the GBA rerelease and its inclusion on the SNES compilation Super Mario All-Stars, there are more copies of SMB2 floating around than Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV.


10. Super Mario 2 never happened

The only “Super Mario 2 isn’t a real Mario game” argument I’ll even entertain is the one the designers put in place intentionally. After all, every other Mario game features sewage pipes, fine brick masonry, and other various design aspects that adhere with 20th century civilization, whereas SMB2’s overgrown forests and ancient temples suggest a far more primitive setting.


Above: The manual is telling you something.“Subcon?” hmmm…

With Super Mario 3 in the works, there was a general outline being established on what is and isn’t thematically “Mario.” Thus the point had to be made was: This IS NOT the Mushroom Kingdom. So how can you can you explain the inclusion of New York plumbers, a princess and a fungal humanoid? WARNING: 20 YEAR OLD SPOILER…


Above: LOOK AWAY! This may be more than you can handle!

It was all just a dream. Yes, the ending reveals that the entirety of SMB2 was concocted in a sleeping Mario’s subconscious, but I move that this SHOULD NOT strip it of canonical status! Based on that criteria, allow me to point you towards this recent Super Mario 3 revelation: Super Mario 3… was just a stage play!


Above: Courtesy of the internet!

May 25, 2010


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66 comments

  • Nannirk - July 15, 2010 9:38 p.m.

    Btw, your site is giving me popups.
  • Nannirk - July 15, 2010 9:37 p.m.

    Is that crab really US exclusive? I thought all the non-Asian versions were the same as the US version..
  • SteelWarhawk - May 31, 2010 10:35 a.m.

    I still love the game even though it is not technically a mario game. The birdo thing still creeps me out. But my favorite thing about this article is connection that Mario 2 and 3 are not real. One is a dream the other is a play??? Makes you question if Mario is a hero or just a plumber who like mushrooms.
  • kibbles0515 - May 30, 2010 5:05 p.m.

    I can't read gamesradar anymore. Anyone in the journalism business should know that it is spelled "O-N-O-M-A-T-O-P-O-E-I-A", not onomonopia. Shame on you. Use spell check. Good day.
  • tayls - May 29, 2010 6:09 p.m.

    Great article; I certainly learned a lot. In SMB3, Mario is actually exiting stage LEFT, as stage directions are given from the actor's POV, not the audiences. But that's just nitpicking.
  • kiwicrossing - May 29, 2010 5:50 a.m.

    I just restarted New SMB and looking forward to a time when I can get these other older titles on the Virtual Console.
  • The_Tingler - May 28, 2010 2:51 a.m.

    F**KING HELL that picture of Pokey from Super Mario 64 is creepy as f**k! I don't remember him having an "I'm going to rape you and I'm just one huge set of spiky ass beads" smile on his face!
  • BurntToShreds - May 28, 2010 2:28 a.m.

    Birdo wouldn't send the ENTIRETY of Texas into DEFCON 2. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and all of the relatively large cities and towns in Texas are more civilized than that. It was still a great zing, though. /rant ReCAPTCHA: to ires
  • Randomwordcombination - May 27, 2010 10:50 p.m.

    Great article!
  • HeroOfLegend - May 27, 2010 7:05 p.m.

    That last picture about Mario 3 is too much for me to handle.
  • philipshaw - May 27, 2010 11:07 a.m.

    Great article Chris, I with you in that I'm get sick of people saying SMB2 is not a real mario game
  • TyeTheCzar - May 27, 2010 2:24 a.m.

    Oh, I love that stab at Texas you took there. Very nice. I hate living in a state with a morally and mentally-deficient(morally mostly) governor and politicians. Oh, and wanna know the reason Texas went Republican? They were against the Civil Rights Act, therefore Texas is racist.
  • purple_omlet - May 27, 2010 1:23 a.m.

    mario would actually be exiting stage left in smb3.
  • Ridgley - May 26, 2010 9:49 p.m.

    I really enjoyed this game on my copy of all stars.
  • LBD_Nytetrayn - May 26, 2010 9:39 p.m.

    Wrote an article like this a few years back, touching on a number of these points. I do like this one, though: any voice saying that SMB2 is a real Mario game is fine by me. In fact, with the number of shared elements and things that would go on to become Mario staples, as well as how much else it defined, I can't help but wonder if Miyamoto didn't intend this to be a Mario game all along.
  • Transmatrix - May 26, 2010 6:45 p.m.

    Obligatory comment since cantista told me to on the last TalkRadar. I liked smb2.
  • Bawheidbob - May 26, 2010 5:05 p.m.

    Excellent reading - Loved SMB2 myself though i never quite go the hang of jumping on the eggs and picking them up
  • jimmdogg - May 26, 2010 3:52 p.m.

    Well researched. Good read.
  • Conman93 - May 26, 2010 3:12 p.m.

    Great article! I remember this game really well. It was really hard!!
  • shadowarrior99 - May 26, 2010 2:59 p.m.

    Nice article :) What about the world warper in smb3? Is that part of the play? I guess it depends what play you go to :P

Showing 1-20 of 66 comments

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