Mario Bros.

Flood of Kingdom Hearts 3D info inbound, not surprising since the Japanese release is a little over a month away. The best thing about this is that we've found hints of localization happening certainly quicker than it was for BBS (which took 9 months for a superb localization and Final Mix-esque features but still hurt to wait that long). Definitely my most anticipated 3DS game aside from Kid Icarus: Uprising and Luigi's Mansion 2.

Now for a classic arcade game:

If you've played a GBA Mario port, you've prolly played this before.

Mario Bros. is a member of the Arcade Classics Series that's the less-known precursor to the NES classic everyone knows and loves. On a single arcade screen, the Mario Bros. are tasked with actually clocking in to their plumbing business and clear the pipes of enemies.

Controls are classic Mario: jumping, running, and bumping enemies. Three types of enemies and the occasional environmenal hazards of fireballs and icicles are the foes the Mario Bros. must defeat. Unlike virtually every Mario platformer, the enemies must be flipped over on their backs by hitting the platforms from underneith to actually defeat them. A POW block is available for instant flippage for those in desperate need of a respite when the action gets into the frentic pace that all arcade games eventually reach to kill you to demand more quarters. The game alternates between Stages that come through Phases that introduces the fireball and ice hazards with the occasional bonus round.

The Game Boy Advance ports of Mario Bros. 2, 3, Yoshi's Island and Mario World included an updated port of Mario Bros. for multiplayer madness. It's definitely more entertaining with friends and would be the most enjoyable version of the game if it weren't for the need for multiple GBAs and Link Cables.

All in all, it's a solid title as a minigame, though it would be harder to sell anywhere over $5. Recommended for arcade fanatics (duh).

Arcade Series
1. Mario Bros.

Next time, on Retro Review: Ice Climber!