Super Mario Brothers 3 vs. Super Mario World

[Graw]

Vs.


Both of these games are widely considered not only the best 2d Mario games ever made but are also considered among the best games released on their respective consoles. I've been playing a lot of both of them lately. Both the og games and romhacks of both and I really can't decide which I like better.

I grew up with both games. I had the nes and the all stars version of Mario 3 as a kid and me and my cousins both had a copy of super Mario world. Both Mario games are some of the few games my mom actually enjoyed playing and super Mario world is the only video game my aunt actually ever played to completion(with help from me and my cousins.)

I think I slightly prefer the physics in Mario 3. It feels faster and more frantic. I don't know why but having to slow down after landing a jump just makes it feel more fun. It makes every jump feel riskier and it feels easier to maintain p-speed than it does maintaining top speed in SMW. I do prefer the grabbing and shell mechanics of Mario World though and I'm playing the SMB3 definitive edition hack right now which adds in those mechanics and it makes SMB3 feel a lot better.

I do prefer the longer levels in SMW but I find a lot of the SMB3 levels to be more fun than SMW's. I also sort of prefer how SMB3 doesn't make you replay the same levels over and over but I do kind of miss the secret exits and hidden levels when I play SMB3. The levels in SMB3 also feel a lot more varied than the ones in SMW.

The SMW world romhacking scene is a lot better though. A large chunk of the SMB3 hacks seem to be kaizo hacks and the ones that aren't are still kind of lackluster compared to the SMW ones. It does look like SMB3 has a relatively new, fairly fully featured level editor out for it now so maybe better hacks will start popping up. But right now, SMW has so many more high quality hacks it's not even really comparable.

Whichever one you think is the best you're really not wrong. They're both great games that hold up well and are just as great to play today as they were when they came out.

And if you're reading this and you haven't played one or both of these games, go play them now.

So which of these two is your favourite?

 

[Skeetos]

View attachment 86031
Vs.
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Both of these games are widely considered not only the best 2d Mario games ever made but are also considered among the best games released on their respective consoles. I've been playing a lot of both of them lately. Both the og games and romhacks of both and I really can't decide which I like better.

I grew up with both games. I had the nes and the all stars version of Mario 3 as a kid and me and my cousins both had a copy of super Mario world. Both Mario games are some of the few games my mom actually enjoyed playing and super Mario world is the only video game my aunt actually ever played to completion(with help from me and my cousins.)

I think I slightly prefer the physics in Mario 3. It feels faster and more frantic. I don't know why but having to slow down after landing a jump just makes it feel more fun. It makes every jump feel riskier and it feels easier to maintain p-speed than it does maintaining top speed in SMW. I do prefer the grabbing and shell mechanics of Mario World though and I'm playing the SMB3 definitive edition hack right now which adds in those mechanics and it makes SMB3 feel a lot better.

I do prefer the longer levels in SMW but I find a lot of the SMB3 levels to be more fun than SMW's. I also sort of prefer how SMB3 doesn't make you replay the same levels over and over but I do kind of miss the secret exits and hidden levels when I play SMB3. The levels in SMB3 also feel a lot more varied than the ones in SMW.

The SMW world romhacking scene is a lot better though. A large chunk of the SMB3 hacks seem to be kaizo hacks and the ones that aren't are still kind of lackluster compared to the SMW ones. It does look like SMB3 has a relatively new, fairly fully featured level editor out for it now so maybe better hacks will start popping up. But right now, SMW has so many more high quality hacks it's not even really comparable.

Whichever one you think is the best you're really not wrong. They're both great games that hold up well and are just as great to play today as they were when they came out.

And if you're reading this and you haven't played one or both of these games, go play them now.

So which of these two is your favourite?

World has to be THE best 2D Mario game. 3 is really good, but World expands on the ideas from it so well. The music is great, the fluidity of the gameplay is awesome, the graphics are pretty decent for being the first game on the system. I could go on.

But I think what puts World up above 3 is how easily people picked the game apart. I mean, thinking about 3 for a second, it's an NES game, and while ROM Hacking for the game is possible, I feel like World being a more advanced SNES game is why people tend to do hacks for that instead. There's more you can do with it. And the modding tools such as Lunar Magic have been around for almost 25 years now.

Honestly though? I think Mario stopped being interesting for me after the Wii, and really Nintendo in general. There's a really noticable drop off in quality once the Wii U hit imo. And none of the really good games afterwards are Mario titles except for maybe Odyssey and 3D World. I did like Wonder though.

 

[bjork]

3 because I dislike Yoshi.

 

[Bakuma1997]

My brain having to pick one since both of them shine in their own unique way

Alas, my two cents has to go to 3 (Specially the GBA one, that is the one i grew with) The worlds have more satisfactory progression, i prefer the Tanuki tail's controls over the cape, also the inventory system in 3 feels more varied than the World one (I get you can store an item for later within the level, but i prefer a stock) and you don't need to solve a maze to unlock the mandatory levels (SCREW YOU BOO MANSIONS), that said i prefer the Koopalings and Bowser's battle in World

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 7:18 PM

3 because I dislike Yoshi.

You can still play them even if you dislike him

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

SMW for me, controls tight and the music is great. Plus you can return and play any level after completing them. You can't do that in SMB3. The E-Reader levels are also fun too. Nintendo was kind enough to add them to the SMW GBA version on the Virtual Console via WiiU.

 

[Morgana Veil]

I played both of them around the same time for the first time, whenever ago that was. I like both, but each has its pros and cons. World, as mentioned above has Yoshi, which I detest, and the repetitive levels, but I kind of like replaying levels, so that's not as annoying as it might be to others. SMB3 doesn't have as many secrets as World, and I do like secrets.

I love the music more in SMB3, though and as mentioned above, the levels are a bit more fun to play.
But SMW is more vibrant and fun to look at. So, which is better?

The one you choose as your favorite.
As for me, SMW

 

[bjork]

You can still play them even if you dislike him

I have, and they're both great. But the thread is asking me to pick, so I did and that's my reason why

 

[ciro64]

I definitely see World as the more stylized one. But SMB3 earned my respect over time regarding its more difficult gameplay.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I don't like either because I actually haven't liked a single Mario game since the very first one.

I just liked how straightforward and simple the original one was, which was something largely forgotten in later entries.

 

[bigstinkie]

when i eat da mushrooms i am in a stupor mario

 

[Nebulon_Galaxy]

I don't like either because I actually haven't liked a single Mario game since the very first one.

I just liked how straightforward and simple the original one was, which was something largely forgotten in later entries.

I think with the exception of Super Mario Sunshine and Odyssey most Super Mario Games are incredibly straightforward. You jump, sometimes you punch. Maybe a powerup that does something different to spice up the gameplay. Any less and it would be too simple. Like you just want Mario to jump over barrels and thats it?

 

[bigstinkie]

mario world felt a little more creative in regard to all the secret exits and sprawling map design
but mario 3 introduced some of what made mario world special like the koopa children, and the higher difficulty of mario 3 makes it a far more engaging game to revisit

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I think with the exception of Super Mario Sunshine and Odyssey most Super Mario Games are incredibly straightforward. You jump, sometimes you punch. Maybe a powerup that does something different to spice up the gameplay. Any less and it would be too simple. Like you just want Mario to jump over barrels and thats it?

I mean... I never liked the multiple characters, mini-game, world map approach that the series has had since the second entry. I think the first one had struck the perfect balance between making you feel powerful as fuck and vulnerable as all hell at the same time. To me, the entire challenge boiled down to seeing just how long I could keep Mario alive and firing his fire flowers while traveling through beautifully imaginative lands. I could never get into any other entries.

 

[freebie#47]

3 is great, but 4 is just obliterates everything from the nes era. Yes world is super mario bros 4 btw. Also so great that it has over a million hacks...

 

[cuttyflam]

World has to be THE best 2D Mario game. 3 is really good, but World expands on the ideas from it so well. The music is great, the fluidity of the gameplay is awesome, the graphics are pretty decent for being the first game on the system. I could go on.

But I think what puts World up above 3 is how easily people picked the game apart. I mean, thinking about 3 for a second, it's an NES game, and while ROM Hacking for the game is possible, I feel like World being a more advanced SNES game is why people tend to do hacks for that instead. There's more you can do with it. And the modding tools such as Lunar Magic have been around for almost 25 years now.

Honestly though? I think Mario stopped being interesting for me after the Wii, and really Nintendo in general. There's a really noticable drop off in quality once the Wii U hit imo. And none of the really good games afterwards are Mario titles except for maybe Odyssey and 3D World. I did like Wonder though.

Imo new super mario bros ds is probably the best 2d Mario game (unless wario games are included then it's wario land 4)

 

[ciro64]

I don't like either because I actually haven't liked a single Mario game

HOW DARE YO-

since the very first one.

I just liked how straightforward and simple the original one was, which was something largely forgotten in later entries.

 

[Morgana Veil]

HOW DARE YO-


View attachment 86059

 

[Bonkers225]

SMW for me. 3 just felt like a chaotic mess to my eyes. Especially on the NES.

 

[Scotty]

Both are great, but I prefer 3. It's challenging and has a lot variety with its power-ups and level themes.

 

[iamthemilkman]

Super Mario World since it's the greatest Mario video game ever made.

 

[dropsmegamega]

Although I played a lot of World, including hundreds of romhacks, 3 has always been a fairly superior game to me. Even back when I was a kid I felt that SMW was kind of a downgrade, less power-ups, no tank and airship levels, no card games and weird secrets like the flute, less level themes and easier difficulty, way less satanic subliminal messages, etc. And yet its still a solid 8 for me.

 

[Sunnyside]

Super Mario World because it was the first videogame I ever owned. Also Yoshi was one of my favorite characters growing up. As great as Mario 3 is, it still can't compete with that kind of nostalgia.

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

Super Mario Bros. 3 for me since I'd play it when going to my cousin's house.

 

[Your_Homie_Gale]

I'm going with WORLD. I played both of these games, but interestingly their GBA remakes/ports. I enjoyed World due to it being easier to progress through. 3 I found it to be hard at times which isn't bad, it gives levels a challenge, but after beating both games I just go back to WORLD more than 3. WORLD is simply comfortable to play through compared to 3 in my opinion. I do miss the power ups from 3 though, or the better themes of each world.

 

[Leguminoso]

I remember Mario 3 more than Mario World because of the power ups and the music, while I mostly remember Mario World because of its graphics which are still crazy good for the time, the introduction of Yoshi which became a staple in the series (Sacrifice him for extra boost jump was a hilarious strategy at the time) and the insane romhacking scene that surfaced from it. Also Mario Combat and Super Mario Bros Z used stuff from Mario World, so Mario World inspired more fan creations.

So I say they are mostly even, I can't decide one over the other, I like Mario 3 more but objectively both are the same quality.