Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 63

63: Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (GB)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 1992

As I just told my younger brother, Mario Land 2 is one of the most played games in my history as a gamer. Granted, this is likely due to the game’s overly simple style, control, and over-the-top fun factor. But it was also likely that, as a seven-year-old, this game was at the exact level of depth in a game I needed. Having said this, however, I remember every detail about this game to this day, including how to get every secret level and how to finish every boss with little-to-no damage taken. This doesn’t really require much, though, since the game takes, like, three hours from start to finish, and only if you’re kinda new to it.

The “story” picks up after Mario returns from saving the day in the previous game to find his evil cousin(?) Wario has taken over his entire, titular “Land”. He’s locked the gate to his castle and Mario has to go from “zone” to “zone” to find the titular “Six Golden Coins” to enter the castle, beat up his nasty, crooked-mustached imposter, and return peace to a land that never seems to find peace, regardless of how many times Mario saves it (we call these efforts “futile”, Mario). Each zone has its own boss that hates Mario for some reason and are out to maim him.

The game is split into these six zones and each one offers different, theme-based challenges. There is a giant, spooky grave yard filled with ghosts and goblins, an underwater world to explore, complete with sharks and the like, and even a trip to the moon and a nearby star to fight aliens (possibly the return of the first game’s evil bad ass, Tatanga. Why this guy hasn’t been in more games is beyond me). One of the worlds is even a giant-sized Mario “doll” complete with body systems for some reason? What follows in these zones are a series of levels with standard but fun platforming elements, power-ups (bunny ears!) and enemies, both common and some new ones thrown in, too.

The game’s graphical upgrades from the previous title in the series are easy to see, as the years between brought about one of the best original Game Boy’s best looking titles. The sprites for Mario and his enemies are much better defined and the levels all look different, differing both in theme and in layout (sometimes, if you don’t know where you’re going, you can actually get lost. In a Mario game!). The music, too, is grand (not as good as the first Mario Land’s main theme, though. Obviously) and distinct themes for worlds, bosses, and – in the end – Wario stick out well amongst some of the other classic Mario tunes, but are never used outside of this game.

All in all, Super Mario Land 2 earns itself a spot much higher than it would on any other Top 100 list out there. Why? Simple: nostalgia. A game from my childhood that made car trips more tolerable and allowed for hours to pass in waiting rooms and at grandparents’ houses when I was 7+ and didn’t want to be around those people or places. The simplicity meant I could master it over time and, as a small child, that meant something to me (for some reason). While not as classic as some of the other games on this list, Mario Land 2 holds such a strong place in my heart and will, likely, remain there for years to come.

Classic Moment:
When you finally find Wario he looks like a big fuckin’ goon.

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Added January 31, 2017
Ran through this game in one sitting a few years ago when I got it on the Virtual Console for 3DS. Can’t say I like this game any less as the years have gone by.