Super Mario XP
Custom adventure with Mario for Windows XP!
This 2003 game tries and manages very well to be a proper sidescrolling adventure, with Mario, running very well on modern machines. It's got visual elements that will remind you of Super Mario Bros 1 and 3, but, levels wise, it doesn't try to copy any of them directly, it's produced to its very own standards. Quality wise, compared to the original Super Mario on the NES, it sure is a lesser experience, but not much lesser. It's just that the level design isn't as sprawling: most levels are just straightforward plane left to right runs, with enemies to jump on top of, and treasure hidden not too well. At any rate, Super Mario XP is a game worth having in your collection, if you like sidescrollers that try to pay homage to the classics but aren't remixes, have their own dose of originality. So, just have it around, and start it up. It works in XP as it works in Vista and Win7. Not a treasure but surely more than satisfying for fans of oldies and oldie likes! Or for those that love any game that stars Mario.
Our favorite plumber is back in action!
The Super Mario franchise is so insanely popular that it is considered the highest selling in the history of gaming. There are countless Mario games and there are also countless Mario Clones. Super Mario XP is a fan-made clone of the original that keeps a lot of its original's designs, gameplay and setting, while makes only the slightest modifications regarding colors and character design. While he looks decidedly very Mario like, he is however a bit thinner and paler. The tone of the game is a bit darker than the typical game of the series because it is set in a dark castle that is owned by an ever darker count. Of course, the objective of the game is - get the count! There are so many little details that will remind us of our chilhood - the little hearts, mushrooms, pipes and much more. The graphics of the game are somewhat on par with the original, which is both good and bad - good because it reminisces of the eighties and early nineties games and bad because the quality is much lower than a standard 2000-something game. Still, if you make a list with pluses one one side and minuses on the other, the game is definitely a success. Go ahead and try it yourself!
