Virtual Console: 'Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels' question

[Atariboy]

Working my way through this and want to access Worlds A - D. Is it okay to use warps as I work towards beating 8-4, seven more times (You must reach the end 8 times in total, in order to access Worlds A-D)?

 

Warps lock out World 9, so I of course avoided them this first play through, but would just assume speed things up in order to quickly reach the remainder of the game now, if the game doesn't disqualify subsequent playthroughs due to the use of a warp.

 

Thanks

Edited April 19, 2015 by Atariboy

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

You ha

Working my way through this and want to access Worlds A - D. Is it okay to use warps as I work towards beating 8-4, seven more times (You must reach the end 8 times in total, in order to access Worlds A-D)?

 

Warps lock out World 9, so I of course avoided them this first play through, but would just assume speed things up in order to quickly reach the remainder of the game now, if the game doesn't disqualify subsequent playthroughs due to the use of a warp.

 

Thanks

You have to beat the game 8 times. Each time you complete World 8-4. You get a star. Once you get 8 stars you can access the A-D worlds by holding button 2 on the wiimote and pressing + on the controller.

[Atariboy]

So I take it by your post, that it doesn't matter how I reach 8-4 for those eight playthroughs?

 

Thanks, wanted to make sure that there wasn't a no warp requirement before wasting that time, since there is such a mandate for accessing World 9 (While you can World 9 the first time you play through the game, you must do so by going through all of the opening 32 levels, without the use of warp pipes).

Edited April 25, 2015 by Atariboy

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

So I take it by your post, that it doesn't matter how I reach 8-4 for those eight playthroughs?

 

Thanks, wanted to make sure that there wasn't a no warp requirement before wasting that time, since there is such a mandate for accessing World 9 (While you can World 9 the first time you play through the game, you must do so by going through all of the opening 32 levels, without the use of warp pipes).

 

No problem. There is no warp requirement at all. Only required to access World 9.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Are you playing on Wii or Wii-U?

 

That game is balls hard. You get the benefit of savestates on Wii-U but you can transfer Wii saves with an SD card. I downloaded a savegame with 12 stars from Wiisave.com back in the day, but I think the website may be gone now.

 

EDIT: Yup.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/wiisave-com-gone-so-where-to-look.383425/

 

If you're playing on Wii I commend your bravery and I think I have a save file I can give you with 12 stars on it. You need 8 stars to get World A-D. I just need to remember the 4-digit code for the game as there's a lot of junk on the SD card.

 

For me personally, I just play my retroUSB SMB2j repro with level select hack built in...

Edited April 25, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Are you playing on Wii or Wii-U?

 

That game is balls hard. You get the benefit of savestates on Wii-U but you can transfer Wii saves with an SD card. I downloaded a savegame with 12 stars from Wiisave.com back in the day, but I think the website may be gone now.

 

EDIT: Yup.https://gbatemp.net/threads/wiisave-com-gone-so-where-to-look.383425/

If you're playing on Wii I commend your bravery and I think I have a save file I can give you with 12 stars on it. You need 8 stars to get World A-D. I just need to remember the 4-digit code for the game as there's a lot of junk on the SD card.

For me personally, I just play my retroUSB SMB2j repro with level select hack built in...

I remember for the repro cart from retrousb it gives you the 8 stars which is a huge bonus. I have it on virtual console, a repro cart from gamereproductions.com. Beyond world 4 the piranah plants are still green and not red, plus I have it for the Famicom Disk System. I remember it took me 5 days total to beat the game from World 1 to D-4. Back in '93 at age 12 on Mario All Stars. I remembered I was relieved. Edited April 25, 2015 by Retrogamer81081

[Andromeda Stardust]

^^I only ever got to World 8-3 on All-Stars Lost Levels, Wii version. Stupid sky stage filled with my mortal enemy, Hammer Bros. And if you hesitate, even a little, they charge after you. Then there's some hidden coin blocks precariously placed just so when you attempt to jump the Hammer Bro, you smack the invisible brick, slamming Mario down directly into their path.

 

It doesn't matter. World 8-4 is nearly impossible, because even with save states I run out of time...

 

Also as you claim to have a repro from gamer reproductions, does it have the level select code like the discontinued retroUSB version? In the RetroUSB cart, you press "B" on the title screen to select a world and "A" to select a stage. It's got 8 stars and all 13 Worlds including 9 and A-D are accessible immediately. The level select code adds so much replay value due to the extreme difficulty of some stages.

Edited April 26, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

^^I only ever got to World 8-3 on All-Stars Lost Levels, Wii version. Stupid sky stage filled with my mortal enemy, Hammer Bros. And if you hesitate, even a little, they charge after you. Then there's some hidden coin blocks precariously placed just so when you attempt to jump the Hammer Bro, you smack the invisible brick, slamming Mario down directly into their path.

It doesn't matter. World 8-4 is nearly impossible, because even with save states I run out of time...

Also as you claim to have a repro from gamer reproductions, does it have the level select code like the discontinued retroUSB version? In the RetroUSB cart, you press "B" on the title screen to select a world and "A" to select a stage. It's got 8 stars and all 13 Worlds including 9 and A-D are accessible immediately. The level select code adds so much replay value due to the extreme difficulty of some stages.

The game reproductions cart doesn't have the level select feature oddly. I am maxed out at 16 stars on the virtual console and Famicom disk system versions. Would have been nice to add a battery feature for It. Also a tip. I'm not sure if you knew about this. When you approach a charging hammer bros. stay on the far left of the screen. The hammers won't harm you at all. Just be sure to hope they don't leap onto you as you try to stomp them. I noticed on the retro usb cart. It says "score" not Mario or Luigi above your point total.

[Atariboy]

Are you playing on Wii or Wii-U?

 

Wii U, since without save states, I'd stand no chance in the Famicom original (Unlike the All-Stars remastering, where you can always reload with five lives on the last level you were on, which is still a daunting challenge in its own right since powerups are scare and you're usually a 1 hit kill).

 

I bought this years ago on the Wii, but never logged more than a few minutes on it. Just gotten around in the past week to seriously playing it.

It doesn't matter. World 8-4 is nearly impossible, because even with save states I run out of time...

 

I lost my only life there, since I ran out of time and it was impossible to reach the end from where my last save state was (You can only keep one save state). I had to suicide and try again.

 

It's not hard with save states where time is concerned, once you knew the right path. But I wasted too much time evidently on dead ends that just looped me back. On my 2nd attempt after I knew the right path, I had tons of time left at the end.

 

Oftentimes, this felt like a Super Mario World hack. With those, it always seems like the author wasn't out really to create a viable game, but rather, to make it impossible and show off how tough he could make it. Even how it breaks the game engine at times is reminiscent of those, such as the drastic slowdown that occurs often when the action heats up and the coins in one of the World 9 levels being screwed up for another example (1:07:52 in this video, if you want to see it).

 

Nintendo of America and other Western arms of Nintendo were wise to skip this one back in the day.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Atariboy

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Here is what my cart looks like. I also bought Super Mario Bros. Special which is a repro of a game from Japan, and made by Hudson. Highly reccommend it. Perfect difficulty and fun as well!!

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlxuDPzWZRw

 

I forgot to add. This youtube video reviewing lost levels is hilarious XD

[Andromeda Stardust]

I noticed on the retro usb cart. It says "score" not Mario or Luigi above your point total.

Yeah, the RetroUSB release was definitely tampered with. But the level select code added bazillions of replay value and I haven't seen it in any other Lost Levels repro or ROM-hack.

 

Another difference with the RetroUSB version: The flag you raise when you clear the castle has some hacker's initials (not Brian Parker of RetroUSB) instead of a red star on it. Effing brilliant! I own a copyNES but I don't have the hacking skills to get a valid dump or extract the level select code and insert it into the original FDS or one of the existing MMC3 hacks. It would be awesome sauce if someone figured out how to do that.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Yeah, the RetroUSB release was definitely tampered with. But the level select code added bazillions of replay value and I haven't seen it in any other Lost Levels repro or ROM-hack.

Another difference with the RetroUSB version: The flag you raise when you clear the castle has some hacker's initials (not Brian Parker of RetroUSB) instead of a red star on it. Effing brilliant! I own a copyNES but I don't have the hacking skills to get a valid dump or extract the level select code and insert it into the original FDS or one of the existing MMC3 hacks. It would be awesome sauce if someone figured out how to do that.

I forgot to mention as well. In Japan. They released it for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Famicom mini series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the famicom. It's region lock free so it can be played on North American Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Game Cube Game Boy players here.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I forgot to mention as well. In Japan. They released it for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Famicom mini series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the famicom. It's region lock free so it can be played on North American Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Game Cube Game Boy players here.

I have this as well. I was so exited to recieve my copy from Lik Sang back in the day.

 

Famicom Mini Series 3 (#21-30) were devoted to the FDS. Fun little Easter Egg: holding A + B when powering on the GBA will boot to the FDS load menu where you can watch Mario and Luigi fooling around for a bit. Pressing A will load the game.

 

All VC versions omit this feature.

Edited May 21, 2015 by stardust4ever

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

I have this as well. I was so exited to recieve my copy from Lik Sang back in the day.

 

Famicom Mini Series 3 (#21-30) were devoted to the FDS. Fun little Easter Egg: holding A + B when powering on the GBA will boot to the FDS load menu where you can watch Mario and Luigi fooling around for a bit. Pressing A will load the game.

 

All VC versions omit this feature.

I heard about the FDS bootup bios screen easter egg. That is cool they did that. I was debating on getting that, but there is no point of getting it since I do hace it for the Famicom Disk System, NES repro cart, and the Wii Virtual Console. Also for Super Mario All Stars as well.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Nice you have a working FDS. I hear many FDS / disks are failing, most need the belt replaced, and due to the popularity of FDS disk writer kiosks once used in Japan, many games out there were overwritten and content does not match the label.

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

Nice you have a working FDS. I hear many FDS / disks are failing, most need the belt replaced, and due to the popularity of FDS disk writer kiosks once used in Japan, many games out there were overwritten and content does not match the label.

I have the Sharp Twin Famicom. They were licensed by Nintendo and manufactured by Sharp. They were released in 1986. Almost 30 years old and runs awesome! Only negative is the hard wired controllers it only gives you 3 feet in slack too.

Edited May 24, 2015 by Retrogamer81081

[onmode-ky]

A few days ago, I was watching an episode of Bottle Fairy, an anime series from 2003, and in the episode's first scene, a little girl is sitting on the floor, playing a dating sim. The fact that she was playing a game meant for boys was a bit surprising, but I was more taken aback by the fact that I could not identify the game system she was using at all.

 

I have the Sharp Twin Famicom.

Thanks for the picture! That's what she was playing!

 

onmode-ky