Super Mario Bros Free PC Game
Super Mario Crossover was voted the best free PC game of all time by GamePro.com, so I investigated in the name of investigation and ponies. (Everything I do, I do for ponies.)
From the outset, Super Mario Crossover was an impressive affair. There were options, options beyond your wildest dreams. You can play as Mario (who surely needs no introduction or explanation, Link (Zelda), Mega Man, Samus Aran (Metroid), Simon Belmont (Castlevania), Bill Rizer (Contra), Sophia III (Blaster Master) , and Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden).
Super Mario Crossover is a side scrolling platformer with a variety of gameplay modes, you can choose one of the above characters to play with or you can play through with all characters, or you can engage in dangerous survival modes. Each of the different characters has different moves. Some are more useful than others. Ryu, for instance, is unable to hit Goombas with his sword. On the other hand, Sophia III is able to leap and cling onto various blocks then drive around them, completely changing the way the basic game mechanics work. Sophia also has the ability to fire at enemies, but be careful, her ammunition is limited!
My favorite character was Link. Link is highly maneuverable and has some offensive capabilities, so if you get stuck between a rock and a hard place, it's not the end of the world. Link's sword also works whilst he is in mid jump, so you can skewer enemies on your way down, which is efficient.
In addition to the myriad of characters with their myriad of abilities, there are also many levels to play through, each of which test the player's skill. Some are more forgiving than others. I found the first few levels fairly easy, but with the descent into the black lava lair, things became much more challenging. As with all platform side scrollers, once you start making mistakes things tend to unravel horribly. A simple accident can turn into a woe filled losing streak.
Super Mario Crossover is made by Exploding Rabbit, which makes it clear at the outset that this is simply a game made by dedicated fans and so you should definitely support the original creators of the work by buying their new games. I'm not sure if this gets them around copyright infringement or not, but let's hope so.
Does this game deserve the title best free pc game of all time? Well, any “all time” moniker is inherently false on account of the fact that we haven't experienced all time as yet. Still, it is pretty darn good, pretty entertaining and you can play it in your browser.
