** Introduction ** Does anybody really need an introduction to the Mario games? Ah well then, if I must... Super Mario Land is an incarnation in the long-running and phenomenally successful series of Nintendo platform games in which you control the lovable (perhaps) Italian-American plumber as he negotiates his way through a series of "worlds" to attempt to reach his goal, in this case a confrontation with the mysterious alien Tatanga. Super Mario Land was a launch title for the Game Boy handheld (being released in 1990 in Europe and 1989 in North America and Japan), and Nintendo judged their market very well: the game was a huge success and has ...  Read the complete review

Super Mario Land was the second ever video game I owned on the original Gameboy (the first being the classic Russian puzzler Tetris which came free with the handheld.) This title was the plucky plumber's first platforming adventure on the system although he was known for making cameos in some other early Gameboy games (for example he was the umpire in Tennis and pilot of the pad in the breakout clone Alleyway.) Unlike some other Mario games, this adventure did not take place in the Mushroom Kingdom. Instead the game is set in Sarasaland and has Mario trying to rescue the ruling monarch Princess Daisy from an alien invader named Tatanga. Mario's journey sees ...  Read the complete review

Mario is ice cream. Sometimes people like cake (Halo), and some people prefer cheese and crackers (Gran Turismo), but everybody always loves ice cream. The question is though, as infamously asked by Craig David - what's your flava? I'm more than willing to admit that Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World are fantastic games and I love them to bits, and technically they're so much better than Super Mario Land, but this Game Boy classic is incredible. I loved it when it was all I played on the Game Boy, I loved it when I bought a second copy ten years later and played it on my Game Boy Advance. Why do I love it so? Let me count the ways. Super Ball ...  Read the complete review

Out of the skies of Sarasaland suddenly there emerged Tatanga. This unknown space monster came to conquer this peaceful world, taking their people under his control and now, he wants to marry Princess Daisy. Yes, Mario has to save another Princess (but also Sarasaland) in what is the first Super Mario game for the Game Boy. To do so Mario must journey through the 4 kingdoms of Sarasaland. A platform game similar to Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land never did recreate the same level of control as in the NES game. Here he feels a tad sensitive; precision can be a problem as the sprites in the game are small - though this does gives the player (more than) a ...  Read the complete review

One of the first games I got for my Game Boy, Super Mario Land was actually the very first Mario game owned by anyone in my household, and while I went on to pick up series entries for the NES,SNES and Nintendo 64 consoles, I always held a special place in my heart for this game. Then of course I decided to review it and went into it in as clear a mind as possible. If there was one thing I liked about the game, it was that unlike many games released for the Game Boy, it didn't lie and try to make out that it was the same game as it's home console counterpart. This, I suppose, was so people didn't go in with expectations of the sheer excellence that was the ...  Read the complete review