Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario 3 could possibly be the greatest video game of all time. It was released in 1990 in the United States, and has to this day held records for the fastest and best selling of all video games. New to the Mario franchise of games released on the classic Nintendo NES system were brand new power ups like the Raccoon Suit, the Tanooki Suit, the Hammer Bros. suit, Frog suit, and many other gameplay elements. The plot was much the same as other Super Mario Bros video games before and yet to come, but had the addition of 7 new bosses called the Koopalings. Each boss had their own airship which had to be completed to get to the boss. The game also had one-on-one battles with the Hammer Bros., Sledge Bros., and Fire Bros. Gameplay was made even more interesting with the addition of an easy to user World Map to navigate Mario from level to level.

Warp whistles, Infinite Lives, and 1-Ups

In the tradition of the Super Mario game series, the warp zones made an appearance in Super Mario 3 in the form of warp whistles. One toot on the whistle, and you'll be whisked away to the warp zone area, where you can be transported to worlds 2-8, depending on the whistle you get, and what level you blow the whistle at.

Other cheats in the game involve a little skill, like the 99 lives "cheat." In the first Super Mario Bros installment, you could get 99 lives by stomping the turtle on the stairs in succession, resulting in 99 lives (and eventually death if you went over 99). In Super Mario 3, the concept is much the same, but made easier through the Raccoon Suit. With a few wags of the tail, you can slow the descent of Mario onto enemies, one after another. Once you hit a certain number of enemies without touching the ground, you'll begin scoring 1-Ups again and again.

Do you remember buying Super Mario 3 for the first time? Relive the dream and go buy the original NES classic in its original form - bulk cartridge and all. The game is a blast to play the way it was originally meant to be played. See if you still have what it takes to play all 8 levels, like the Sky World and Desert World, defeat all of the Koopalings, and make it unscathed through the difficult Dark World that Bowser resides in.

Play the game online for free here!

Want to play Super Mario Bros 3 live right here, right now? Just click on the window below to be whisked away to a virtual console where you can play the game live using the up, down, left, right, x, and z buttons. More instructions on the page.

Click here to Play Super Mario Bros 3 Online

(or click the screen above)

What changed in this game in the series

Super Mario 3 was a big step up in terms of gameplay from the previous two Mario installments. New to this game are the abilities to grab a Koopa turtle shell and release it, the "speed run" where Mario can get extra jump leverage, and the ability to jump further in the air after stomping on an enemy. Also, Mario could now slide down hills, fly, and even turn into a statue. New interesting power up suits brought great new improvements. Instead of automatically scrolling from world to world, the user also had complete control over which world Mario played next. Gone on this game are the redundant boss Bowser time and again. Instead, the worlds are guarded by an airship, not a castle, with a boss enemy unique to that world. The game also added a power up bar where you could store a cache of power up items won at "Toad Houses" or by fighting the Hammer Bros.

Bowser's 8 Koopaling children, as they appear 8 bit style in Super Mario 3

One of the biggest advancements in Super Mario 3 was the addition of dynamic bosses that weren't repetitive like Birdo and Bowser. Each world was headed by a different Koopaling, who were the children of Bowser. You fight the Koopalings in order of age. From youngest to oldest, they are Larry Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr, Wendy O. Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, and Ludwig Von Koopa.

You thought you were good, huh? Check out how this guy beats the game in under TWELVE MINUTES.

If you grew up in the 80's, you're going to know exactly what the Frog Suit, Tanooki Suit, and the Raccoon Suit are on these cool Mario t-shirts.

You've got your cartridge, now you need your system! Get a hold of this classic and enjoy some retro 80's video game fun with all of your favorite classics like Punch Out!, Metroid, the Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, and of course, Super Mario Bros.

Toys, t-shirts, figurines and more merchandise

This game was such a massive phenomenon when it came out that there were McDonalds toys, t-shirts, magazines, figurines, bedsheets, toys, and keychains all released at the time to celebrate the arrival of the game. SMB3 created a frenzy of new products, many of which are sought after collectibles. Some of these products are available for sale on Ebay, which you can find below.

To hype the game and give insider tips for gameplay, Nintendo Power released their own strategy guide for the game.

What are your thoughts on this classic video game? Is it overrated, or definitely one of the all time classics out there today? Leave your thoughts!