Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World
As a fan of the Super Mario games, especially Super Mario 3, I was excited when I first got my Super Nintendo because it came with both Super Mario World and the Super Mario All-Stars cartridges. Nearly 10 years later I found out Nintendo made a special cartridge with both games in one! Needless to say this started my search for this cartridge, which I managed to find rather quickly! I will be reviewing the cartridge as the cartridge and not so much as the game.
These cartridges aren’t rare but can be quite difficult to find as not many people are willing to part with them, for obvious reasons! The differences between Super Mario All-Stars and this cartridge are minimal, you’ll first notice the title screen now includes the Super Mario World logo, Yoshi and the background is orange instead of blue. In the game selection screen you’ll be presented with a Super Nintendo shaped box for Super Mario World, rightfully so as the other games are in their NES and Famicom Disk System (henceforth called FDS) shaped designs.
After the title screen you’re given the option to play one of five games: Super Mario, Super Mario 2 (US release), Super Mario 3, Super Mario “The Lost Levels” (which we all know now was the true Super Mario 2, only release for the FDS in Japan) or Super Mario World. Each of the first four games play the exact same as their NES and FDS versions, but with extensive graphical enhancements. Each game allows you the option of saving four different games, much like the save feature for Super Mario World.
Super Mario World is pretty much the same, although the save feature is handled within the All-Stars manner leaving the only thing on the title screen being the option of single or two players. Having 5 classic games packed into this single cartridge makes this one of my favorite SNES cartridges of all time. Although it took me a long time to find out about it, it didn’t take me long to score one. Nintendo really did a great job on this cartridge, I just wish there were more great multi-carts like this one.
Sam’s Scores VIII
Well everyone, after this article I will be doing more of the new video format than written articles. Today’s Sam’s Scores is going to have more than usual. I’ve had all these items for quite a while and I feel its time to get the old stuff written up to make way for the new stuff!
8) – Bag of Atari 2600 Games
For some reason thrift stores love to use plastic bags and my favorite Salvation Army is no exception. Normally I check the bags for signs of old happy meal Nintendo toys, etc. but this time there happened to be 10 Atari games: Adventure, Combat, Air-Sea Battle, Asteroids, Casino, Football, Air Lock, Missile Command, Space Invaders and Warlords. Even though my 2600 isn’t working, I couldn’t pass it up!
7) – 3 Vectrex Games
In the same thrift/consignment store I found the Atari Jaguar in, were 3 Vectrex games. I checked high and low for the system, but I only found the games. I’m assuming there had to have been a system there, but I prefer to think there never was. These are the first Vectrex games I’ve ever seen, so I had to snatch them up!
6) – Blades of Steel Red Label
Blades of Steel for the NES isn’t a rare game, in fact I’ve had a handful of them. What makes this version harder to find (as I don’t think it is “rare”) is the fact that it has a red label and was re-released with a handful of other games late in the NES’s life. I found this at Disc Replay, where I believe 2 others were eying it before I was, but I asked for help at the case first!
5) – Resident Evil 2
Ever since I played a demo for this game, I’ve always wanted to own it. Disc Replay has it in stock on occasion, but $10 is a bit on the high side for me. Ever the one to hold out hope of finding it in the wild, luck and persistence finally paid off when I found this in the CD bin at Salvation Army. The case is cracked in some areas, but its complete and the discs are in good shape.
4) – N64 Memory Expansion
When you buy an N64, the first thing you should check is the memory expansion slot in the front. If you see a memory expansion, you’re good to go. That isn’t to say the jumper is bad, without the jumper or memory expansion the N64 won’t even display video! I found this memory expansion at a flea market, just sitting on a table and since my N64 needed one, I bought it. (Being displayed already installed into my system.)
3) – 3 N64 Games
My favorite Salvation Army does some insane pricing variations on their cartridge games, it ranges from super cheap or super expensive. This case just so happened to be a super cheap day, and I ended up getting DK64, Rayman 2 and Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, extremely cheap.
2) – Zelda 64: Majora’s Mask
I will admit that this isn’t one of my better scores, but the price still isn’t bad. Half Price Books was marking their games at a standard rate, and this one just so happened to slip through at a decent price.
1) – Vintage Donkey Kong plush
If its video game related, I’ll buy it cheap. Plush gaming characters are fairly easy to find, but when I saw this sitting on a shelf looking at me, with no rips or tears, I had to own it.
Sam’s Scores VII
Today’s Sam’s Scores will be 4 old scores and a bonus at the end, enjoy!
4) – Sega Saturn controller
Although I don’t even own a Sega Saturn (yet), when I found a controller for the system I wanted it! It looked to be in good shape, all the buttons have a nice stiff response, so I assume everything works. Surely not something you see everyday at a thrift store, at least not for me.
3) – Quickshot NES Joystick
This may look like a repeat of a previous score, but there is a difference. This one is actually a Quickshot brand joystick and the other was Radio Shack’s Archer brand. They are nearly identical in every aspect, except for the brand markings. I will be going into a little bit more detail with the pair in a later article. But for now, lets show off that price!
2) – Quickshot Maverick 3
The Quickshot Maverick 3 was obviously modeled after the NES Advantage, which I happen to love. Naturally when I saw this I had to weigh the price vs unknown functionality in my head, but what I bought with it (see below) really helped push my choice over the edge. Luckily, everything works well with the exception of a weak turbo on/off switch.
1) – Sega Genesis 3
The Sega Genesis 3 was the smallest and last Genesis ever produced, and from what I understand it wasn’t even made by Sega! Sega gave Majesco the rights to make this little system and slap their name on it. The Genesis 3 has the bare essentials to play Genesis games, and I do mean bare! This system isn’t compatible with all Genesis games, nor any Sega CD or 32x attachments. Since I don’t own any of those attachments, the system works perfectly fine for me.
Sam’s Storage!
When your video game collection starts to grow, you need somewhere to store it all. I had been using cardboard boxes, but lately those have been spilling out onto anywhere my video games will go. While I was on the hunt for video games I came across 2 very useful ALS (a company well known for making storage drawers and carrying cases for the video game industry) storage systems.
The first of which is a Nintendo unit with 2 draws that holds the Zapper and 2 controllers at the top, while holding up to 28 NES games at the bottom. It will only hold loose cartridges in sleeves easily, but it may hold fewer boxed games, just not very well. The top has a special place for the cables for the controllers and zapper, but if you wrap them tightly enough, they will fit under the controller, giving you more room for other cables.
The second unit is based off their Sony Playstation drawer, only this one just says Video Matic on the front. It is a single drawer unit, meant to hold CD cases but I find that it holds a lot of other games just as well. There was a little organizer inside, but after a while it got in the way of other games so I took it out.
The outer box of these units is made of particleboard and a black vinyl is glued on top, while the drawers are made of pretty solid plastic. These units stack really well, saving me room, and have really been helpful in keeping my collection under control. I found the Nintendo one on a half price day at Goodwill. The Video Matic came from a flea market where I initially passed it up, until I did more research on what it was used for, but went back the next day to pick it up.
Video Matic: $1
